Joe,

     As usual, this issue of dysfunction, of bad values, of messed up culture 
is easily embraced by non african americans when it comes to explaining
problems in our community. From your post, you apparently find the idea that
something is wrong with African Americans, value-wise, culture wise or
something, very appealing. I never cease to be amazed at how eager non african
americans are to embrace theories about our problems which basically assert
that something is wrong with us. The socio-economic factors which we know help 
to produce high crime levels, like poverty, which exists among us in large 
proportion, I mean when it comes to discussion of african american problems, we
somehow become exempt from all these types of factors, and the problem is 
laid at the doorstep of some neboulous dysfunction we supposedly have. But 
nobody attributes crime amongst white americans to dysfunction. No, that has 
socioeconomic factors to it, but for africa americans, its gotta be a 
dysfunction.

Basically, I think this tendency for non african americans to believe that
something is wrong with us exists because non african americans don't want to
deal with the possiblility that the society is deeply biased against african
americans, and that this is about 80% of the problem. It could not possible be
that the society is so deeply racist and structured against us, that this has
a very effective negative effect on us. No, something is wrong with us.
Non african americans are quick to disregard what we have to say, because they 
are so busy trying to find something wrong with us, instead of taking a good 
hard look at the thing we say are doing us damage. I would get angry if it 
werent' so damn typical.