The most dangerous people in America
Written by Michael Vass
So I was walking to my house on a Sunday at 6:15pm, and I was reminded of something that causes me pause. Young White males. Seriously, they make me nervous. In this case it was because as they drove past me they decided to just scream at me as they drove past relatively slowly. I suppose they expected me to jump or shout or something. I did flinch for a moment as my thoughts were elsewhere.
But when you think about it, many claim young Black males are dangerous. How silly. While many African Americans may posture and dress like the ready-for-prison crowd, they in fact are just regular kids. Few actually commit crimes, especially violent ones though the major media likes to play it as if they do nothing but felonies.
But young White males are dangerous. High school shootings? White males. Most petty crimes, the same. Nooses hung from trees and various other places? White males. ‘Redneck row’ and other whites’ only places enforced by White males. Bensonhurst, and so on and so on.
Why? Because a White male can bring a shotgun to a school and have no penalty. A White male can instigate fights and be seen as the victim. A West Virginia – the men had half a dozen or more arrests, one being for murder, not counting the women) which the media buried and refuse to discuss.
So when you face the fact that the media, law enforcement, and far too many people have an absolute fear of me, while I am less likely to do anything, you see things differently. I’m fearful and cautious because if I confront young White males acting badly, I stand a better than average chance of being the one that goes to jail. I get nervous because the real possibility of me being harmed is high. Because I am a Black Puerto Rican I stand a great chance of being killed, by the police, young White males, or the lack of timely medical attention.
In fact, even at 40, my chances of being killed are higher than Whites of virtually any age or background. So can you imagine why on a Sunday afternoon I was startled and nervous when 3 young White men decided to antagonize me for no reason?
So yes, what I fear are young White males. Due to sheer numbers, and sheer number of acts of violence and suffering. Not that any of this is conveyed by the major news media. Not that anyone will notice a start of police shooting down White kids 50 times, even with cause. Not like my fear, or my above average chance of death, will have a reason to diminish as I get older.
Do you share my fear and caution? Why?
November 12th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Mike:
Even though you have an appropriate fear of white racist youths, I would ask you one question.
There are not too many white people that are proponents of having metal detectors in schools and yet, many schools throughout black areas in this country now have metal detectors. This is especially true in inner city areas.
So before you go judging white youth and the shootings in schools, I’ll repeat, most white people are not proponents of metal detectors.
So I ask you this. If there was legislation suggested in the South Bronx that called for the removal of all metal detectors from the schools, would you vote yes?
I didn’t think so.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
Seems as if you hit that nail on the head !
February 29th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Written by Michael Vass
Ken and OG,
You mention metal detectors in schools, which is tangial to the main aspect of what I am speaking about. You also deflect my post to only include White racist youths. I believe there is more to the issue I was addressing.
But first, the point of the White youths that cause me pause. I do not limit it to racists, or at least those that are overtly racist. I don’t believe that the kids in Columbine were racist. I don’t believe that most of those that have committed high school or college shootings are racist. I don’t believe that Kelly Tilghman is racist. Even the kids that hung the nooses in Jena probably weren’t racist. In all their minds they weren’t intending to be racist, they were just being White Americans.
That is not to say that all White Americans are like the people I have just mentioned. But I do mean to say that there is a difference in thought that is a given as a White American as opposed to being anything else. Whites do not question if the police will shoot them 50 times for trying to enter their own home, or if a cab will stop to pick them up at any time of the day. Whites do not question being mistaken for a drug dealer because of the clothing they wear or the area they are in and being shot by police for it (as recently happened to a Black 13 year old boy). Whites do not question if they will be charged more on loans, car purchases, and mortgages. Whites do not question why a crack house next door to them for 4 years is allowed to exist. Whites do not presume that a car full of any group will drive up and jump out to beat them, randomly, and get away with it. Whites do not question if 10 policemen will arrive within minutes at their house because of an odd sound that is called in, and search it for an hour only to find a cat (as happened to a friend of mine in New Jersey one month ago). These are givens. For any person of color it is not.
Now to your point about the metal detectors.
First, considering the spree of high school shootings across the country, predominately in smaller towns with minimal minority residency, I would think that metal detectors would be welcomed. But if the concept, ‘My kid wouldn’t do that’, or ‘It won’t happen here’ is better, se la vie.
Secondly, metal detectors are predominant, to my knowledge, in city schools. That includes all schools whether they have a high number of Blacks, Whites, Hispanics or otherwise. Of course because they are in cities the proportion of people of color is higher. Equally as important is the fact that there has not been a single high school shooting around a school in a city, and only one in a college in Washington State. And the most important fact I believe is that, to my knowledge, there has never been a school shooting that has been executed by African Americans or Hispanic/Latinos.
That is important because there is no question that there are more guns, crime, and gangs in cities than most small towns across America. So the relevance of metal detectors to school shootings is moot, I believe. Thus the problem is not the weapons but the people committing the crimes. And just as with mass murders the overwhelming antagonists are Whites.
Now would I vote to remove the metal detectors in the South Bronx? No.
I don’t see a reason to tempt fate. At the same time I do not confuse the fact that metal detectors, that have been in place far longer than school shootings have been occurring, are in schools with the prevention of shootings around the schools or in neighborhoods that hold as many people in one block as some towns hold. Especially whey you consider inner city areas that are rife with drugs and gangs.
So again I present you the thought, that even when considering the overwhelming opportunity in cities, that has existed at least since I was in school some 35 years ago, the most dangerous people in America have been and continue to be White youths.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Dude, Colombine was like 10 years ago literally this is 2008 that was in 1998. The number 1 cause of deaths for blacks below the age of 30 is homicide and that is not because whites are killing them it is because they are killing each other. The number 1 cause of death for all other racial groups under 30 are accidents. Your trying to be a pain by persisting in denying reality. You want to say something hateful and mean to whites, but i for 1 don’t care. Your black and if your murdered in this country there is a 94% chance it is another black man that kills you. I’m white and if I’m killed there is an 89% chance that another white dude pulled the trigger.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Written by Michael Vass
Soldie,
First, my name is Michael Vass not dude. Please use that as after 40 years of life I think I am at least deserving of that if not the more polite and respectful Mr. Vass.
But to answer your comment, I did not isolate my initial post or comment above to only Columbine. As I stated and is clear fact virtually every mass murder occurring in a school or college to date has been committed by a White young male. None have ever happened, or even been planned as is known, by African Americans or Hispanic/Latino Americans. And that is throughout the decade of time you wish to isolate my comments to, which I do not.
Thus while same race crimes may be more likely to cause harm or death to a Black male, which is a problem on a one-on-one basis, young White males are vastly more dangerous to groups of individuals. That is to say nothing of those older White males that are predominant in committing “gone postal” shootings, serial murders, and murder sprees.
You go on to mention how homicides are the leading cause of deaths to Black males under 30. You fail to mention that 66.2 percent of hate crimes are enacted against Blacks (according to D.O.J. 2006 reports). Further looking at the data from 1994 through 2004 we see that crimes by more than one offender against a victim work out as follows:
http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/abstract/cvus/race.htm
White victim - 1,555,490 Percentage committed by White - 48.8% Black - 22.2% Other - 11.8% Mixed race - 12.2% Unknown - 5.1%
Black victim - 372,680 Percentage committed by White - 10.8 Black - 67.1 Other - 6.7 Mixed - 13.9 Unknown - 1.5
In addition violent crimes committed by 1 offender are as follows:
Crimes of violence 6,930,880 Percentage committed by White - 62.1% Black - 26.2% Other - 9.3% Unknown - 2.4%
So we get this realization, Whites committed 4,297,146 acts of violent crime against a single person, and 759,079 acts against multiple victims that were White. Thus once we move away from percentages and look at real numbers we learn that Whites are far more likely to commit a crime of violence against anyone, especially other Whites. Again I never isolated my comments to murder; I was speaking of violence and general danger.
Now add in the age component of multiple victims:
Crimes of violence 2,010,170 Under age 12 - 0.3% Ages 12-20 - 46.9% Ages 21-29 - 13.9% All over 30 - 5.7% Mixed ages - 25.9% Unknown - 7.2%
Thus 61.1% of all violent multiple crimes are committed by those at or under age 29. [Single crime age data not found] That is considered young.
So again I say what the numbers prove true, and seemingly leaves some readers feeling uncomfortable, young White males are dangerous.
It is not hateful or mean to state facts. You may not like the facts, you may feel embarrassed by them, but they are facts. There is no dispute of the numbers. And by not hiding behind percentages that sound impressive, we see the reality that was expressed to me on that Sunday.
The truth is that I have never in 40 years heard of a White male shot by police 50 times, or 40, or even a dozen – though multiple Blacks have been. The truth is I have never heard of a Black kid shooting a school or college. The truth is that nooses are used by Whites to intimidate and threaten Blacks. [By the way, as a friend of mine mentioned, what other purpose would anyone – especially kids – have to know how to make a noose?] The fact is that 6 Whites (most of whom were young) raped, tortured and kidnapped a Black woman that was avoided by the media. For all your protest otherwise you avoided speaking about any of these events. And for each one we can find multiple events of an exactly similar nature over the last 40 years. These are facts and they are not filled with hate or mean. They are just the truth.
You might like to be told the facts of what happens in America in a manner that makes you feel good, but that’s just sugar-coating. You might be upset that some Whites act in a manner that is despicable. But you have yet to deny or prove me incorrect.
And why is any of this important?
Because America is filled with anger and penalties of law that are motivated by the inaccurate and tunnel-visioned lie of who is committing crimes of violence. Because these prejudices and stereotypes influence our entertainment, politics, and daily lives. Because instead of saying that there is a problem and dealing with it we look to address the symptoms.
If you find me a pain because I’m presenting you the reality that actual numbers back up, and not the prejudiced image that percentages present, I can’t help you.
So now the question is before you, since the factual and accurate numbers state that young White males are the most dangerous group in America what will you do about it? Feel embarrassed and upset with me for telling you the truth, or do something to change the facts?