Do "we"? I had this one Latin gangbanger tell me something when I was 21 and it stuck with me. Nothing profound...he goes "one thing I love about Black people dawg no offense, is at least yall all stick together!" I went "HUH??? what world are you living in?" but I realize now it's just my weird life experience maybe why I had that reaction.
I didn't go to high school for one thing...I was working all that time. Family didn't have enough food. I lived all around the country when I was a kid. I lived in Charlotte, NC for 6 years...which was the longest I lived anywhere besides Chicago. When I spent 6 years down there, we had less than 10 Black kids in my grade school...3 of them in my class. Only one would be my friend, the other Black kids didn't wanna get singled out so they were ALWAYS like "fuck you! get away from me" for no reason.
After that strech down there we moved back to Chicago minus my father...I went "FINALLY I'll be living back where Black people stick together" well I was young and niave at 12 years old u know...all my young eyes saw was my people fighting little power struggles, kids putting each other in the hospital, gangs, kids getting knocked out in gym, in the yard, jumped upstairs for some candy, getting busted for selling guns out of thier locker...and like I said this wasnt even high school. After school I was working underage, fighting little baby "gangstas" who tried to steal my shoes, food, coat, hat, fuck with my sister etc... I saw the few law abiding house holds on my block routinely robbed (not mine cause I shot at them with a shot gun when they tried to rob our garage), and even set on fire...etc.
...and these are stories I have heard from some other people from hoods all around this country. So when I hear "we stick together" and "yall stick together" I figure, maybe the only reason my outlook is different is because I missed high school. maybe in high school, you get bussed in around the other races and you're all the freaks...you have to stick together more. I hear it even more nowdays since our stereotype revolves around gangs...what do you think, do you think "we stick together"?
I think we spend more time tearing each other down, cause that's just natural for miserable people to do. your uncles, cousins and everybody has drug problems, goes in & out of jail, the mothers in your family get abandoned & so do the kids, the neighborhood is like a pirate ship...I don't really blame people, but that's what I see...not us "sticking together" but instead misery loves company sometimes & not a whole lot else.