So it seems as thou many of you are taking my post in the wrong way. Firstly I am not saying that African Americans haven't accomplished anything nor am I saying that ALL African Americans behave like ghetto people. I have lived in America for over 12 years I went to elementary, middle and high school in this country and I am well aware of the many achievements that African Americans have accomplished. My post was merely to state the way many Africans view African Americans. When you look at African Americans today versus the African Americans of Dr. Martin Luther King's time, they are a very different group of people. Those people were motivated to change their lives and live better. They also wanted better for their children and went to great lengths to do so. Many African Americans in the 21st century are not as motivated and willing to continue living better and striving for better things. Many have become complacent and have become accustomed to their new way of life and for many of them it involves living of welfare and living in ghettos and working in low end jobs. Again I stress that NOT all African Americans in the 21st century behave this way.
Secondly, I am very well aware that there are lazy people who live in Africa. I am very well aware that there are people in Africa who also live in complacency and refuse to better themselves. I am also very well aware the we, Africans, have many shortcomings. I do not dispute any of it, the violence, corruption, etc... However, that is NOT the issue that I am addressing. Someone mentioned how Africans only send our "best" to America and another mentioned how only the rich and wealthy bring their kids to the States. As a person who has lived in Ghana and America, I can tell you that it is not entirely true. The wealthy people have it easier because they have the money and connections to get their children here faster. There are many other middle to low class people who have brought their children to America. If you researched you would know that the reason many Africans aren't flocking to America is because of Visas. Obtaining a visa to America is a long and tedious process if you don't have connections. Merely getting an interview to see if you have a chance to get the visa could take months and when you finally get the interview you could easily be denied for any reason, be it valid or not. As an American you should know how Homeland Security and US Customs are strict about foreigners coming here.
Thirdly, the way Africans judge African Americans is the same way African Americans judge Africans. I can not tell you how many times an AFRICAN AMERICAN (NOT white but black) person has asked me "So Do you guys walk around naked or live in mud huts?" and "Do you hunt lions and ride elephants?" Yes, these questions show how ignorant these people are, but it is because of what they have seen on television. If they actually took a trip to Africa the would see that we live in houses and drive cars and socialize just like they do. The difference between the perspective of Africans on African Americans and vice versa is the Africans I speak of have LIVED with and around African Americans and that is where the base of their perceptions originate. It's not just what they have seen on television, but what they have experienced first hand.
Like I said in my other post, there are MANY African Americans who live in lovely homes and are Doctors, Lawyers and have respectable jobs. The problem is that the percentage of African Americans who live on welfare, and are comfortable being "ghetto" out shines the percentage of African Americans that are well off.
As I also said in my other post NOT ALL AFRICANS feel this way. There are many Africans who could care less about the behavior and perception of African Americans and how it affects them.
Another important reason I forgot to mention in my other post is that the way African Americans behave is a DIRECT reflection on us Africans. Because we are all dark skinned, many (NOT ALL) white people view us in the same light. Like the saying goes "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch". The "bad" behavior of Africans Americans relates directly to Africans. If an African and an African American both go for an interview, the interviewer can not tell who is African and who is African American unless they speak or specify that they are African or the latter. Therefore they both receive the same preconceived notions or stereotypes which have been formulated against African Americans. This is one of the reasons why Africans lack respect. Africans are already at the bottom of the list in America. It is only recently that we are acknowledged in a good light and that is not even a really significant effort. As a bottom dweller, we already have a hard enough time trying to reach the top without having bad stereotypes of African Americans added on to the list. This is the reason why many African parents don't want their children hanging out with African Americans.
This perception may be wrong or ignorant or narrow minded but it is FACT. That is how many Africans see it.
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