The Myth Of the Black Middle Class : Umar Johnson (Video)

[drones]

I think people need to watch this video before they comment.  He's not talking about 'most black people are poor,' moreso that black people have frivolous spending habits and don't value accumulated wealth...

"The reason why we buy thing...is a vicarious way for us to add worth to us."

Seriously watch the video, people are absolutely missing the point ITT.

 

[wawawowee]

200k/yr  or 300k/yr income is middle class? The 94th-97th percentiles are middle class? Since when is 2 standard deviations from the mean, "average". 

Do people think before they write?

 

[createdestroy]

200k/yr  or 300k/yr income is middle class? The 94th-97th percentiles are middle class? Since when is 2 standard deviations from the mean, "average". 
Do people think before they write?

you must live in the midwest

 

[createdestroy]

You said a whole lot of nothing. On one hand you're saying school is not where you go for an education...on the other, you're saying that the school system is designed to provide children with information. Isn't that LEARNING?

C'mon...some of yall think you're too smart for your own good.

Most schools don't focus on teaching black history or anything that is empowering for the mindset of black children.
If you consider calculus and being told lies about how great so many former slave owners were as "education", then more power to you.

nobody getting jobs from black history...

black history should be taught at home

 

[mr s j king]

nobody getting jobs from black history...

black history should be taught at home

It's actually just the opposite.
DCAllAfrican I'm going to watch the video and let you know what I think.

 

[createdestroy]

nobody getting jobs from black history...

black history should be taught at home

It's actually just the opposite.
DCAllAfrican I'm going to watch the video and let you know what I think.

you probably think 40k yearly is middle class too

 

[mr s j king]

you probably think 40k yearly is middle class too

Obviously me and you don't speak the same language, so adios amigos.

 

[big panda]

after i've watched the video i agree on some on his points be he seems like a race hustler

his comparison to white people after a while got redundant and turned me off.

 

[jay are]

Good video some points were definitely true.

 

[mangudai954]

You're over thinking.

The nurse is middle class just like the doctor is upper-middle class.

The problem is that the concept of class is changing rapidly, and what was once middle class (blue collar) is for the most part now working-poor, what used to be upper-middle class is now just middle class, so on and so forth.

Good post.

 

[createdestroy]

nobody getting jobs from black history...


black history should be taught at home

I'm confused did dude just say calculus is useless.


He thinks technology like the laptop he's typing on and the internet just magically happens?


Very very telling.

uneducated people giving their opinions on education

 

[AZwildcats]

My dude Lion calculus is useless for 99% of the population. Unless you're an engineer or mathematician you're not going to need it. I have taken Calc 2 and will never use that material for the rest of my life. I believe advanced algebra and trig are as far as any average Joe needs to be alright. When I look at my college education and think of some of the useless things we learned it makes me

 

[createdestroy]

My dude Lion calculus is useless for 99% of the population. Unless you're an engineer or mathematician you're not going to need it. I have taken Calc 2 and will never use that material for the rest of my life. I believe advanced algebra and trig are as far as any average Joe needs to be alright. When I look at my college education and think of some of the useless things we learned it makes me

yep... the solution to the education/income issues of the black demographic is to make sure they don't learn a subject necessary for the engineering and economic industries.

Black history related jobs will take up the slack.

 

[AZwildcats]

That's not what I meant at all. I didn't say they shouldn't learn math, I said they don't need math as advanced as calculus. Kids should learn biology, but there is no need for them to learn advanced genetics. They would be better off learning things that impact their everyday lives. Instead of calculus, why not a personal finance class? If they make the choice to be an engineer, than by all means they can take all the calc classes they want to. But if they aren't, there is no reason they need to learn it

 

[dipsetgeneral]

Only Black upper-middle class I've seen is Rappers n' Ball players on TV. I have a couple relatives who are middle class. As so it appears. Other than that, I see lower class Blacks/Latinos around me.

 

[mr marcus]

120k and up is considered upper class for black when you group blacks as a whole

For white folks it's prob 4-5x that

Middle class black =\= middle class white

 

[seasoned vet]

i can literally trace every major problem within the black community to financial illiteracy, from teen pregnancy to crime

with that said
i am a firm believer that financial literacy, wealth education, and personal finace skills are THE KEY to almost every problem plaguing the black community

sadly those with a voice in the black community choose to focus solely on the superficial issues or gender roles

the Baisdens, Steve Harveys, and Tom Joyners arent talking about this

they may touch on it
but never get to the point of understanding how education in those 3 things would cause a major shift in the dorection of the black community

i agree with what the video was trying to do
but i disagree with what it was saying
the video is complete BS

the video is more about overspending and consumption
and thats true about Americans period no matter the race not just blacks

 

[jimmybeanz]

Was talking to my boy about this just yesterday The last two minutes were spot on

totally agree. a lot of what he said before that was meh.

i have a political science degree but no doctorate - not sure whether dude got his in sociology or political science. at any rate, middle class is typically defined as having an income between $25k-$100k. the numbers will also vary depending on whether the household has a single or dual earners. meaning, a married couple making $25k total are clearly not middle class. As noted, the large gap is due to the different costs of living across the country.

dr. johnson made up the "residual income" component of being middle class. that's his definition. but there are white people making $150k who don't have residuals (stock, other business ventures, real estate) to fall back on if they lose their jobs. when you have residual income coming in that allows you to not worry about losing your main job, you are clearly not middle class. on the flip side, both obama and romney define middle class as everyone below $200k.

i've lived in 6 different states, and have seen how people live in different places, so I have my own definition for middle class: >=$50k per adult in a household. when you account for student loans, rent/mortgage, car note, groceries, and utilities, $50k is not a lot of money.

 

[RustyShackleford]

That's not what I meant at all. I didn't say they shouldn't learn math, I said they don't need math as advanced as calculus. Kids should learn biology, but there is no need for them to learn advanced genetics. They would be better off learning things that impact their everyday lives. Instead of calculus, why not a personal finance class? If they make the choice to be an engineer, than by all means they can take all the calc classes they want to. But if they aren't, there is no reason they need to learn it

They don't but that's not what dude I originally commented on was implying. He was basically saying $$%$ calculus that ish is useless, teach me about MLK. His comment is dumb no matter how you cut it. There's nothing "advanced" about basic calculus, you're selling our kids short. There are kids in Asia who learn it in middle school as a required course.


You should be required to learn Algebra as a freshmen, Algebra 2 as a soph, Pre-calc as a Junior and Calc as a senior. The purpose of high school is to prepare you for ANY area of study in college.  Look at how often kids change their majors, what if a kid changes his mind and decides he wants to be an engineer.  Again look at my comment about pre-meds taking orgo, it may seem useless but it really challenges your ability to think and arrive at solutions. Our kids are stupid because of this type of thinking. Kids in this country aren't challenged enough, these low expectations are part of the problem...especially in inner city schools.


There's no reason why you can't have a calculus AND a finance class. Hell I took accounting in high school, those courses do exist.

Most kids don't need to learn math as Advanced as Calculus in HS. The problem with Math students in this country is their foundations a shaky and they are horrible, horrible problem solvers.

Math is HS should be about mastering Algebra. Mastering Algebra will take you further in a Calculus course in college than having previous exposure to it.

Then we work out how we will teach Geometry, Trig, Number Theory and Stats (which I think is very important for kids to understand) around the foundation of making sure kids master algebra.

-And to be honest, I hate the knee jerk reaction of "ours schools should be doing more for your students". Not that simple

 

[jimmybeanz]

i can literally trace every major problem within the black community to financial illiteracy, from teen pregnancy to crime

with that said
i am a firm believer that financial literacy, wealth education, and personal finace skills are THE KEY to almost every problem plaguing the black community

sadly those with a voice in the black community choose to focus solely on the superficial issues or gender roles

the Baisdens, Steve Harveys, and Tom Joyners arent talking about this

they may touch on it
but never get to the point of understanding how education in those 3 things would cause a major shift in the dorection of the black community

i agree with what the video was trying to do
but i disagree with what it was saying
the video is complete BS

the video is more about overspending and consumption
and thats true about Americans period no matter the race not just blacks

don't forget that the naacp, rainbow push, and whatever al sharpton's group is called aren't talking about this as well. booker t. washington was talking about economic independence for blacks back in the 1800s, but w.e.b. dubois and the naacp shut him down.

 

[seasoned vet]

don't forget that the naacp, rainbow push, and whatever al sharpton's group is called aren't talking about this as well. booker t. washington was talking about economic independence for blacks back in the 1800s, but w.e.b. dubois and the naacp shut him down.

there was a time that we taught these things

after emancipation

we made sure we knew
we made sure our families knew these things

we didnt wait on the schools to catch up to treating us fairly and teaching us equal

we once taught these things

somewhere we stopped

somewhere we stopped teaching it
and the youth became less interested in it

that 'youth' are in their 60's now

and they raised 2-4 generations of not caring about these things

and look at us now

this problem isnt new at all

 

[benny bugatti]

My experience is very different from what I hear from other people. I don't hang in circles of people that live beyond their means. Most black people I know are decent with money and live moderate lifestyles.

Some of the girls I've met are clueless, but the dudes I roll with seem to be managing their money correctly. Maybe it's because I majored in Finance and have been an Analyst my whole career, so the people I know are more likely to be financially literate. There are some of us out there more  worried about their long term net worth versus what kind of car we drive.  

 

[createdestroy]

120k and up is considered upper class for black when you group blacks as a whole

For white folks it's prob 4-5x that

Middle class black =\= middle class white

that's a dumb way of looking at it...

using your logic; the amount of middle class and upper class blacks isn't that bad at all.

no real class problem then right?

 

[throwback1718]

He's right. I listened to every thing in his video.

Most of these things I have always noticed about my people.
We definitely like to buy the latest and greatest.

So much dudes in my hood got some crazy whips and struggling to pay their insurance after they just paid the note.


I'm guilty of some of these things. Such as the sneakers. The whole 2013 I didn't buy any kicks .

Im lucky my parents have always instilled the importance of property and business ownership by setting an example and owning a few businesses and properties in the US and back home.

Caucasian people have come to my neighborhood and my mom looks at them and says "you know they may look rough around the edges and rustic but you really can't tell who has a decent amount of money and who doesn't. They don't spend their money the way we do"


This video has further enforced my future vision of how I plan on my future. And I don't feel like I'm going in the wrong direction with my money or job .

 

[shoelyesses]

While true, it is easy for us to look down on them but many of those folks don't know any better man. They were raised the same way so that is all a lot of them know.

Which goes back to the main video. If people feel worthless, they do whatever they can to bring meaning to their lives. Shoes, Clothes, Cars; etc

Thats true... his point was that in most part many well to do, well off black ppl dont have any viable assets...things of value to show for it. I was looking awhile back... And per income i think it was at 100k... most blacks assets were roughly around $4,500, while whites was 2 1/2 times more. Meaning on avg. you give blacks the same amount of money as whites and they will in terms of things with actual value..savings/stocks etc... will have almost 3 times less to show for it.

Then when you add to the fact that blacks in terms of retail etc.... while spending slightly less per trip/outing...go out/shop 3 times more then other races... with black women spending the most. 

The point of the video i believe was to say if blacks saved and invested half or even a 3rd of what they spend on things of little/no value...and entertainment,retail they would overall be in a much better position...especially if they "excersized" their buying power.