Common on MSNBC

[theworldismine13]

‘We need to restructure the black family’: Common

Artist and actor Common joined the NOW panel Tuesday to discuss his latest film, “Luv”–a coming-of-age film set in Baltimore, which is due to hit theaters January 18th–as well as talk more generally about poverty and gun violence in America.

“I really feel that we need to restructure the black family,” he said. “Within the inner cities, we don’t have a lot of correct parenting and we have to change that. We have to figure out what we can do to change that. We know we’re starting from a deficit right now. We have to figure out what we can do as elders and as young people to support each other.”

On the issue of gun control, Common, 40, disagreed with NRA Executive Vice president Wayne LaPierre who said the only way to stop gun tragedies like the one in Newtown, CT was to put an armed police officer in every school.
“I think the biggest issue for our young people is to have opportunities to dream, to have guidance, to have love and support,” he said. “More guns are never the solution. Putting more guns in there is not going to solve anything.”
The panel also discussed Chicago and its dubious distinction of being the U.S. murder capital in 2012 with 506 homicides. Common, who grew up in Chicago, noted that poverty and the disintegration of the family played a large role in the cycle of violence.

Alex cited statistics showing that almost three-quarters of all homicide victims in Chicago were African-American; 19.5% were Latino and just 4.3% were white.

Common noted that while he was exposed to a certain amount of poverty and “street elements,” he was lucky enough to grow up in a black middle-class Chicago neighborhood. The panel also talked about the effect that positive role models like President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama can have on inner-city youth.

“That’s the best image we can see for young, black and Latino people,” Common said. “I remember I had the opportunity to do a film and some young people saw that I was gonna play a superhero and they were like ‘wow, that’s the first time that we’ve ever seen a black guy playing a superhero,’” he marveled. “It’s a beautiful thing for us to see outside of entertainment to see the President and First Lady in office, I mean that’s what we need.

 

[theworldismine13]

Rapper Common on 'Luv,' the cycle of poverty, and crime in urban life - Video on NBCNews.com

 

[The Real]

Another middle class Black man lecturing poor Black people about what they need. If you're going to do that, at least offer something substantive. These generic platitudes about restructuring the family are worthless.

Also, they need to stop interviewing these rappers as a window into Black America.

 

[cheek100]

Another middle class Black man lecturing poor Black people about what they need. If you're going to do that, at least offer something substantive. These generic platitudes about restructuring the family are worthless.

Also, they need to stop interviewing these rappers as a window into Black America.

rappers are a window breh.. common is qualified to speak on this issue

 

[88m3]

Bruh don't want to speak on Luv in Chicago though huh?



What's good Common?

 

[tru_m.a.c]

Another middle class Black man lecturing poor Black people about what they need. If you're going to do that, at least offer something substantive. These generic platitudes about restructuring the family are worthless.

Also, they need to stop interviewing these rappers as a window into Black America.

4CH common is labeled as a middle class black and can't speak about one degree of our struggle???

 

[The Real]

rappers are a window breh.. common is qualified to speak on this issue

Rappers are one part of the Black community, and certainly not the most qualified to speak on systemic and policy issues. Interviewing rappers about this stuff is part of a racialized subset of the media's ridiculous celebrity interview culture. At the end of the day, I don't care what insight George Clooney or Common have to offer about social issues and politics. Dave Chappelle already covered this with his bit about Ja Rule.

And Common is not qualified to speak about poor Black America since he neither grew up in it nor studied it in any serious way. The things he said here are things any well-meaning white liberal (and many conservatives) would say when asked the same thing.

 

[cheek100]

Rappers are one part of the Black community, and certainly not the most qualified to speak on systemic and policy issues. Interviewing rappers about this stuff is part of a racialized subset of the media's ridiculous celebrity interview culture. At the end of the day, I don't care what insight George Clooney or Common have to offer about social issues and politics. Dave Chappelle already covered this with his bit about Ja Rule.

And Common is not qualified to speak about poor Black America since he neither grew up in it nor studied it in any serious way. The things he said here are things any well-meaning white liberal (and many conservatives) would say when asked the same thing.

hes from the south side chi.. he didnt grow up rich
and u dont have to be poor and on your ass to speak on it, if that was the case U wouldnt be able to say shyt at all..
think of it like this o professor.. since back in the day, THE POETS have always been the window to the shyt thats really going on.. and there was always the RULING CLASS that said the poets were not qualified to speak on it.. same thing here
AND rappers are gonna draw a more intrigued audience.. not some boston intellectual with a degree in sociology..
stop being such a tight ass its common sense

 

[ltheghost]

At the end of the day these murders will have to be address by the communities themselves. I don't see anyone who is outside of those communities answering the problems that plague them. In my city the reason we have a extremely high murder and violence rate is due to the poverty. Saginaw and Flint, MI are too small for some of the shyt that goes down in these cities. Its poverty and messed up family dynamics. Someone has to step up. All we can do is try to offer chances to to succeed in those areas. Education and jobs. Other than people preaching about "things we have to do". This mess is generational. These kids have a parent or parents that are living the same life the kids are. The kids are just acting on what they know most of the time.

 

[theworldismine13]

Bruh don't want to speak on Luv in Chicago though huh?



What's good Common?

Rapper Common on 'Luv,' the cycle of poverty, and crime in urban life - Video on NBCNews.com

 

[The Real]

hes from the south side chi.. he didnt grow up rich

"The South Side" isn't synonymous with the ghetto, though. The article specifically says "he was lucky enough to grow up in a black middle-class Chicago neighborhood." Also, he went to Lutheran High School South, which is a private school.

and u dont have to be poor and on your ass to speak on it, if that was the case U wouldnt be able to say shyt at all..

I agree, you don't have to be poor to speak on it, but I offered two standards- either know from experience, or know from real learning. When you're just saying the same stuff that the average white liberal says, which is what Common is doing in this interview, you clearly don't meet either standard, or if you do, you aren't doing anything to show it.

think of it like this o professor.. since back in the day, THE POETS have always been the window to the shyt thats really going on.. and there was always the RULING CLASS that said the poets were not qualified to speak on it.. same thing here

I don't know where you're getting this from and I disagree. Most great Black leaders who actually sparked real change were not poets. That's not to say poetry doesn't have a place, but presenting the situation as if poets are the ones to turn to for what's really going on and ignoring people who do the hard work to analyze society and come up with viable solutions is misguided, in my opinion.

AND rappers are gonna draw a more intrigued audience.. not some boston intellectual with a degree in sociology..
stop being such a tight ass its common sense

You may be right, but that itself presents a problem. Is it worth it to sacrifice substantive discussion on real solutions for an audience? What does it say that our society is more likely to watch unqualified people repeating truisms over and over again rather than people with substance to offer on politics and social issues?

 

[cheek100]

"The South Side" isn't synonymous with the ghetto, though. The article specifically says "he was lucky enough to grow up in a black middle-class Chicago neighborhood." Also, he went to Lutheran High School South, which is a private school.



I agree, you don't have to be poor to speak on it, but I offered two standards- either know from experience, or know from real learning. When you're just saying the same stuff that the average white liberal says, which is what Common is doing in this interview, you clearly don't meet either standard, or if you do, you aren't doing anything to show it.



I don't know where you're getting this from and I disagree. Most great Black leaders who actually sparked real change were not poets. That's not to say poetry doesn't have a place, but presenting the situation as if poets are the ones to turn to for what's really going on and ignoring people who do the hard work to analyze society and come up with viable solutions is misguided, in my opinion.



You may be right, but that itself presents a problem. Is it worth it to sacrifice substantive discussion on real solutions for an audience? What does it say that our society is more likely to watch unqualified people repeating truisms over and over again rather than people with substance to offer on politics and social issues?

common murdered cube.. thats qualification what else u got

 

[Hiphoplives4eva]

Another middle class Black man lecturing poor Black people about what they need. If you're going to do that, at least offer something substantive. These generic platitudes about restructuring the family are worthless.

Also, they need to stop interviewing these rappers as a window into Black America.

I agree. How dare a black man speak on the condition of the black community! That negroe needs to shut up and support more welfare programs for the hood. All that extra talk is unnecessary. Lets save ALL the criticism for white people...

 

[The Real]

I agree. How dare a black man speak on the condition of the black community! That negroe needs to shut up and support more welfare programs for the hood. All that extra talk is unnecessary. Lets save ALL the criticism for white people...

This post is a strawman. Nothing you've said here can be attributed to me or my post.

 

[GetInTheTruck]

I wonder what Ja Rule has to say about this