Is this, perhaps to an extent, a consequence of the lack of proper law enforcement in many predominently black communities in the US?
Gun issues aside. At 13, it is not uncommon for boys to have uncompromising attitudes. The extreme of right and wrong, which is natural among children has not fully transformed into the grey areas that adults precieve.
I wonder just how many black people, living in these communities, in parts of the US, fully share these attiudes yet feel compelled to support them out of fear form those that do?
I recall, many years ago, living for almost 3 years, in a very run down area in N Edinburgh. I found most people there to be utterly honest, decent and have genuine care for their children. Almost all desperately wanted to leave. It was the minority, a very small minority, that caused problems.
Most younger people would develop defensive attitudes as a means of protection. Many families would have lovely homes while their outside surroundings were squallar.
Yet in the more afluelent areas, the attitude was one of contempt. Police were alwasy from other areas. Councillors were politiclly motivated and often from outside the city. The authorities generally tended to view anyone from N Edinburgh as being masters of their own destinies.
The distrust of authorities waswell placed, frankly. I came across it myself on a number of occassions. So, probelms tended to be dealt with internally. That, generally meant, aligning with some of the more agressive people.
