i've yet to find a black intellectual to follow. Cornell West is good, but he's so idealistic and vague. And he's such a panderer at times. Yet other times, he's like a revolutionary. He's hard to predict because of his erratic behavior. But Michelle, here, as awesome as she is still has managed to drink "the all lives matter," kool aid, forgetting why black lives matter emerged in the first place.
I don't believe she has forgotten anything. One life is not better than the other; but when you continue with that ideology eventually it will make its way into your world. Yes some have it worse than others; but we need those that have it better and think that those lives do not matter nor affect them to think again. Everyone and thing is connected in this world.
I think the best thing to do would provide more government services to the working poor. I think that would help take care of everyone better (free daycare, education, healthcare and the like). Let the rich pay for it.
+Kemba Cofield ....Agreed !!! she is superb...hope the chatter I've read about her name being offered as SCOTUS nominee is true. Her sister is also a scholar/professor....(Leslie Alexander @ OSU)...
I know this is out of topic. But when we talk about feminism, this is the image of a feminist. Informed, educated, kind hearted, nurturer. that's who a strong woman is!
I agree that's a good definition of a strong woman, but it's too bad she is so mis-informed. Miss Michelle Alexander has missed the boat and she's looking to place blame in all the wrong places - creating a bigger problem than what already exists! Here is an article where our U.S. government went wrong: “When President Lyndon Johnson launched his War on Poverty in the 1960s, he pledged to eliminate poverty in America. Decades, several welfare programs, and $25 trillion later, the welfare system has utterly failed the poor. The poverty rate remains mostly unchanged, and tens of millions of Americans are dependent on government assistance. Currently, the United States spends about a trillion dollars a year on 80 different federal, state, and local welfare programs. The poverty rate remains mostly unchanged, and tens of millions of Americans are dependent on government assistance. In other words, welfare keeps the poor, poor. In many cases, welfare has harmed the very people it was supposed to help, especially children. Why has this happened? As welfare benefits grew over the years, they increasingly served as a substitute for a working parent. As the taxpayer became the family breadwinner, that encouraged many men to stop upholding their responsibilities, leaving more and more women as heads of single-parent households. On the other side of the coin, single mothers were discouraged from marrying the fathers of their children because that reduced their benefits. Sadly, the cycle continues today as many children who grow up on welfare eventually follow in their parents’ footsteps when they have families of their own. So, what do we do? First, we have to understand that the problem with the current system is that it discourages work. Work is the fastest and most effective way to get out of poverty and become prosperous. Welfare programs should be designed to offer temporary help while encouraging able-bodied recipients to find work and become self-reliant. In states that have implemented time limits and welfare-to-work requirements, recipients have received job training, found jobs, and increased their incomes dramatically. They’ve also dropped off the welfare rolls. Second, we must continue to create jobs that help recipients transition to work. We’ve learned through decades of experience that throwing more money at poverty doesn’t end it. Temporary assistance, jobs training, growing the economy and promoting self-sufficiency do. As we wage the war against poverty for the next generation, let’s fight smarter. nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/we-lost-war-poverty-why-welfare-keeps-poor-people-poor-71441
@@dianamcintosh6738No part of your analysis considers race in America and it's effects.😢 But you say she is the one who's mis-informed? You can type a novel, but you're wrong.
She really would make a great candidate for any level of government. Cuz she's already doing good work currently so it's no evil for her to stay where she is
I've never heard anyone make that connection b/t The Civil Rights Movement and the amping-up of The Law & Order Platforms. Michelle Alexander is Very Sharp!
Stephen Butler So let me see if I can guess where you’re coming from.. Is it the ole White: You’re Alright, Yellow You’re Mellow, Brown: Stick Around but Black: Stay Back -- spiel? How quaint. You seem to have a ‘preconceived’ conclusions and are trying to substantiate them with the same ole [flawed] White Supremacist ideology; kind of like you claimed Michelle Alexander did, but unlike her’s yours is not based on showing your own homework through actual & factual historic [non_fictional] publications.. I guess to do otherwise would cause some sort of discomfort [cognitive dissonance]? [run_on sentence alert]_---__>_Did you ask these half thought_through dusted off Race_based questions about a pecking order of intelligence myth on this particular Moyer Co’s interview with Ms. Alexander for a specific reason? did you Run out of Euro_ Supremacist_Fairytale pages upon which to pontificate? ;-) Did you read [or even pick up a copy of] her book??
You're making a straw man argument. I didn't say any of those things you said I did. I've never heard that rhyme you quoted. Do you want me to sight sources? You claim I am substantiating a white supremacist ideology but then why would I say Asians have a higher average IQ? Are you denying these IQ differences exist? A belief in equality is not a belief in sameness. I'm not a white supremacist. I can cite my sources if you want. Attack the argument; not me.
Stephen Butler I'm not attacking you, Stephen. [and] I'm only laughing at your assertions '&' [oh too familiar] sources. My experiences in deviance and social control [sociology] mandates that factoring in more than [cultural biased] IQ testing [same as would the university]. History, Oppression/Repression and what happens when the 'playing field' is *leveled all come in to play before making such presumptuous claims about Intelligence [vs IQ].. oh, and It wasn't a straw man's [or any other such deceptive] argument. I've [simply] heard it before - time & time again - even if you don't connect the dots [for Whatever reason].. .. [contextual] Questions remain: Did You Read Ms. Alexander's book - or - is your [initial] response and purpose for making entry on this particular thread to interject your color_based 'opinion' in response to your personal identity/ideal??
She is AMAZING!!! She speaks with such humanity, eloquence and clarity. She also has a good heart and feels injustice deeply. It is so good that there are people like her in the World. She makes me want to be a better person. Her book, 'The New Jim Crow' and Bryan Stevenson's 'Just Mercy' have changed the way I think about crime, punishment, redemption and Justice.
This is nearly (a few ignorant comments ruined it) the first civilized and intellectual commentary on a video I've encountered and I appreciate that as I consider many of you as the true race which is the human race . Yes, Michelle is very impressive, empathetic, compassionate, intellectual, and much more!!! Kudos
Every American should see this and her book should be read in schools. Michelle Alexander is incredibly insightful, straight to the point, and tells the truth about the state of the nation. Its now 6 years after this was initially posted, and I especially find interest and agree with her ideas upon the broken American governmental system at its root. She gives validity and logic through her extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system, laws, politics, and national economics. To truly be a well functioning democracy, the desire for truth must overwhelm poisonous gossip media and political propaganda-like fake news.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and they were saying" If the people in these underclass communities would keep their nose clean and not get into trouble they would not be in this situation to begin with".I wanted to throw up when I heard them say that.
Excellent informative and detailed. Great to see we have such an equipped, passionate and committed advocate for those who are dealing with this flawed system. Thanks for sharing!
She is so beautiful in her words and explanation's on what is wrong with America and the other place's that oppress the blk man and poor. What I cannot get my head around is that we ppol know what the Government are doing have done i.e flood the Ghetto and black poor communities with Crack and Gun's then make laws to send them to Prison for 25 years or more and all we do for the most part is talk and debate. I feel that all blk ppol should just go back to Africa claim with the original ppol what is ours and become a Nation Of GREAT PPOL AGAIN. This is a real Queen A real Black woman that I am proud off and she has alot to say and should be heard.
I did explain fully in my comment on why Blk ppol all should go back to Africa the Motherland. I.e the drugs and guns that were flooded in to the ghetto to cause misery and pain is just one reason and this is facts proven that Bill Clinton was totally involved in that yet ye all call him the first Blk president and inducted him into the Blk hall of fame. Plus Blk ppol were indeed the original inhabitants off.now called America but Blk ppol.no longer have no real power organised or the unity to take back what is rightfully there's instead Blk ppol not all ignore the continent off Africa which is 50 times bigger than America and has all the resources in the world but still want and willingly stayed oppressed and murdered by the American state.
+Col Denn FKNG THANK YOU!!!! bill him self came out in early 2015 and said he destroyed millions of black family. but yet today in 2016 many black people has still regard this man as the first black president. even though Obama declare as the first black president which he is not. john hansan is the first black president and that's is in public records. George Washington himself confirm this the term mr president came about when George Washington ask hansan what he/we should call him and hansan reply mr president. P.S. Washington was the 8th president not the first (THIS IS IN PUBLIC RECORDS)...(((!!!=+)))
***** the white man has for 100a off years just picked up and moved all over this planet and dominated you need to stop thinking like a weak peasant and start thinking like our forefathers who were the first to navigate the seas by stars and reach America a full 1000 yrs b4 the white man was washed up ashore. If all the rich and professional Blk Ppol moved to Africa out doctors scientists engineers musicians teachers pilots sea captains farmers and so on you really think in your head that we would suffer with the riches and one off the largest continents that we would not be a power to recond with? You need to break away from the slave master will look after or afford you opportunities attitude and start thinking big not dream because you are asleep to dream but think big and for the future off our children. The white man did think big but unfortunately it involved enslaving us brutalising us killing us for 100s off years and still carrying on today but yet Blk Ppol still run to the oppressor for help.
I have heard them speak, and Candice Owens is incredibly intelligent and well spoken that doesn't make Michelle Alexander wrong. I would love to see both of these people get together and see what kind of policy decisions they could come up with.
I read her book the "The New Jim Crow" and was surprised by the statistics which indicated the disproportionate sentencing of people of color. I enjoy listening to her lectures and it inspires me to know that she has gain some traction on the movement to recalibrate our penal system so that it reflects the mores embedded in our Declaration of Independence and the notion of human value.
They may have "banned the box". But they still do the check and hold it against those who were formally incarcerated ... especially if the applicant is "Black".
White guy here. In my personal life, I've spoken out against the war on drugs since the 1990's. Michelle echos almost everything I've been saying this whole time. One minor exception though, her excusing immigrants. Maybe if the country was flooded with lawyers (instead of low-skilled workers like we have now) and her profession's prevailing wage was reduced to 15 bucks an hour, she might think differently about immigration policy. But I digress. I'm not black, but we have AN OBLIGATION to the black community and seeing to it that they're given a good chance to achieve financial security. We owe them an inclusive society. This was on drugs and the black community HAS TO END.
Alan M I agree. Plus, there are a lot of bad cops out there and they set up many Blacks with planted drugs. So, they target poor Blacks with lack of knowledge of their personal rights and even trying to fight back can cost so much many, so many take a plea. It's truly sad and evil system.
I agree with you on the immigration point. Not only should we restrict legal immigration but we should also do in a more equitable way. We talk a lot about the brown people that come to the country for economic and security purposes & say nothing about the Asian & European immigrants that stay pass their Visa expiration date. They're taking opportunities from American citizens as well. They wouldn't make a comparable salary in their countries of origin as the do here. Also, American citizens would charge more for the high skilled jobs. We all kniw this to be true. We can't just target low skilled "poor" workers that we exploit, and know check the system in its entirety.
I wonder if a class action against those responsible for the new Jim Crow would work? Reform is not enough. Lawmakers should be bankrupted for these abuses.
In 2018 I was arrested for vandalizing a California road sign. Because the damage was evaluated at over 500 dollars, the charges were felony, not misdemeanor. Even before this evaluation, Bail was 20,000 dollars. I don't think vandalism should be known to be a misdemeanor. Do you think of it as a felony?
The problem is that we are trying to apply logic to a system rooted in ignorance. What we don't realize is that the system is DESIGNED to be this way. It's not an accident. The people that are responsible for the way things are just won't get on camera and say it.
We have to do two things: 1) Take a hard look at whether judges are handing down tougher (longer) sentences to blacks than to Whites/Hispanics, for the same crimes and 2) take a deep look at the mushrooming prison industry, that now has full time lobbyists pushing for more and more funding, and then more and more "customers"!! And then when we're done with that, we have to take a look at whether the two are connected. Are judges handing out 15 year sentences instead of 5 yr. stints, to placate prison corporations that are funding the judges' re-election campaigns!Kindly keep in mind that governments have fixed incomes...meaning that as more and more money is spent on our prisons....construction & maintenance & incarceration expenses..... less and less money is left to fund education... with the spiraling effect.... that leads to more and more street crime... and then more and more prison sentences...
It's been like that for decades now. Just months ago a white college kid only received probation for raping a drunk girl then made a bullshit apology, blaming alcohol for his crime.
This is an awesome interview. It can be used to recruit people to this worthy cause of "Contemporary American Abolitionism". A worthy and crucial cause indeed.
Its the age old survivàl of the fittest. To survive in this world regardless of race is to get as educated or skilled in a service that is required. Be the best you can be. There is suppression all over the world and we humans have the capacity to be as brutal to one another as can be allowed. Wars, nepotism, tribalism, nationalism, racism, genocide, mass incarceration. ...Things need to change but first our nature needs to change.
Why is she mostly focused on race when its gender that dramatically increases your odds of going to jail? Judges also sentence men and women differently for the same crimes, whereby being male increases your sentencing. And the indifference society has towards people who simply couldn't make child support payments yet are responsible for continued costs WHILE IN JAIL, mostly affect men. We view men as disposable and take no issue with demanding that they do things we know they can't (bottom line is all that matters). Prison is a symptom of the disposable male. Even if there was only one race we would have this issue.
Does it ever occur to people that most of these folks are and have been in prison for actual crimes. And think of this too, many of them do not change once they are behind bars. They join gangs, attack guards, rape, plot to bring drugs into the institutions. But then when they go to the parole boards, "Iam sorry, Ill be a good boy/girl". They come out, and all starts up again. What do people want?
People want a racially unbiased justice system. People who do: actual crimes, as you say, will be controlled in a racially unbiased system as well. The problem is when you say "most of these folks"... It is unlikely that the U.S would have the highest incarceration rate of any country if it didn't have alternative and unnecessary forms of control.
As a female employer I find it imperative to have the felony question in an application. I run a small family farm and have two young daughters. I want to know if I have a murderer or rapist out in the field working with me and my children. That being said, I love how passionate this fellow buckeye is about her line of work! So glad to see someone wanting change and actually doing something about it instead of talking about it. You go girl!
This woman is a sign of beauty and knowledge. But what hurts the most is the fact her words fall on deaf ears. She has an uphill battle against the traditional European, Spaniard, an Caucasian ideology embraced by etiology propelled by the hidden agenda that all others are less than and the choice will always be one of the lesser evils that surrounds us which is not true. We empower the beast and with that being said we can also kill the beast. But we must unite an use people like her to empower ourselves with her knowledge and our self knowledge of the devil's that hold us
Its proper for a country to have immigration laws and to enforce them. We can debate the ways in which the laws ought to be changed but theres no logical debate about whether they should exist.
So what IS the answer to deter drug use, abuse, and its after-effects? We cannot ignore valid options at the expense of wrongful actions on the part of our judicial system and public bias that serves to incarcerate the less-offenders and innocent. What IS the answer? I'm only at 16:04 and haven't heard it yet.
Good platform, I heard about her book a few years ago, still haven't read it but planning to. Yes, 2 million prisoners in the US is unfathomable. My question still remains, what do we do with drugs in our country? Also employing ex prisoners?
Excuses and more excuses for immoral behavior. And most of the black population buys her excuses and yet she does not provide a solution as to the disintegration of the black family.
In prison for a drug offense which is a medical condition... but in America we need free labor so we put these people in jail and ruin their lives forever.
Corporate capitalism profits from prison labor - which is basically slave labor. That’s why we have so many prisoners. It’s not primarily a race thing - it’s a profits thing. A class thing.
Through out her whole book she has no problem blaming the white man for every burden that the African American harbors but systematically denies the faults of her people when it comes to violence, drug abuse, and crime.
Your name suggest you are unaware of the impact of systematic oppression that provides few choices to minorities who turn to violence, drugs and crime in an effort to preserve their self respect, dignity and in some instances, self preservation. Racism is the crime. Violence, drug abuse, and crime are often symptoms of systematic oppression. Incarceration benefits the prison industrial complex, Not being aware of this suggest you are in a coma. Wake up.
I don't know you rationalized the idea that turning to drugs, crime and violence is an effort to preserve one's self respect. I think that's a stupid rationale and you're only proving to be pretentious.
comotose762 I don't recall anyone saying (or implying) that crime, drugs or violence are efforts to reserve self-respect. To whose post9s) are you referring, and precisely where and how in that post saying or implying what you say he or she is?
No surprise at all comotose762. Most European Americans are fully aware of the false blame and hate that is put on them by others who are the ones who cause 99% of their own dilemma. Asian Americans and Jewish Americans also are aware of the hate and jealousy that Blacks reserve for them as well. Very sad and heartbreaking.
What i don't understand with the so call justice system is if someone pay the price of their so call crimes with jail,why should anyone still have to pay the state for what! or are unable to gain legally implement? ? Someone needs to take the #US government to court for this injustice.
When she said that people released from prison are legally discriminated against when seeking employment, banned from public housing, food stamps or obtaining professional licensing but are expected to pay years of accumulated child support, thousands of dollars of court costs and the cost of their own imprisonment I started laughing and crying at the same time.
My goodness! I did not know that a family could get evicted for letting a felon family member come home! What kind of nonsense is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????
That's what the "Ban The Box" movement is about. Asking about felonies on applications such as employment, social sevices, and homes discriminates against felons. I think we should have a rehabilitation arm in our justice system. Some states have implemented such programs, I believe we can take these models & apply them nationally.
I'd just disagree with her for blaming poor white people. I'd just blame rich white people. I also just blame the history of the drug laws to begin with, that Harry Anslinger said that "the primary reason to make marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races" really, you can't escalate the drug war without escalating racism because it was racist to begin with. Trying to hide this is how civil rights changed the drug laws. It wasn't a backlash, it was a scattering of trying to hide the initial racism, not teach it in schools, and find a reason that drug laws are still justified in an age where racism isn't tolerated. As Alexander has shown, it's hard if not impossible.
I read this book twice and I do not deny her findings, because the empirical evidence is there. The question I have is if we know drugs are bait mass incarceration, why do we continue to participate in it? Personally I get drunk so, because it is legal and I do not have to worry about the police. Most of my friends that have been locked up knew the risk. It is almost like she is saying we are so helpless that we cannot avoid this trap. Am I looking at this the wrong way?
What shes saying is symptoms of another problem. The real source of the problem is the regulation of our economy. The free trade deals and high minimum wage and forced social programs and leaching unions have closed down a good majority of American industries and when people cant find good opportunity they are susceptible to commiting crime. And troubled families is likely to create more troubled families. Also flooding our job markets with more immigrants than it can employ lowers wages. So what she is saying feels like its right and the cause of the problem is something else entirely.
Long before she wrote this book, people had done this work...she just, somehow brought it to fore...shouldn't be raved the way she is...borderline plag....
