Thursday, 01 August 2013 04:30

Written by Ozodi Osuji Ph.D
This article makes the observation that most people who have encountered black folks in Africa and the new world make: they are prone to violence and criminality. The paper does not tell us why this is the case. It calls on scientists to subject the matter to biological studies to find out whether biological factors play a role in it; it further says that it is time we stopped blaming other people for what black folks do.

Why Are Africans Prone To Violence And Criminality?

Ozodi Osuji

Black people in Africa and in the Americas are generally more violent than white and Asian people. There is high rate of black on black crimes in black neighborhoods in America; blacks kill themselves at a higher rate and commit violent crimes at a higher rate and wound up in jails and prisons than members of other races in America. Black Americans are 12% of the total population of the country but constitute over 50% of the jail and prison inmates of the USA.

It is a generalization to say that black folks are prone to violence and crime for not all black folks are violent and or criminal. Be that as it may, many black persons are prone to violence and crime; if you ignore this fact and relate to black folks as you relate to folks from other races and let down your guards you are more likely to wound up a victim of violence and or crime.

My observation is that black folks are quick to violence; they are quick to verbally putting each other down; they do not respect their people and do not respect people in general although fearing white folk’s possession of big clubs that they could use in whacking black folk they appear to fear and respect white folk (but not love them for behind their blacks they rob them).

Violence and attack is almost always in the consciousness of black folk and upon the least provocation they attack you; they attack you as if they were already waiting for a chance to attack you. They attack, harm and kill as if they do not take human life seriously.

Thus, it came to pass that members of the other races are generally very careful around black folks; they intuitively understand that they had better not say anything that could provoke black folk into attacking them.

Observing that black folks are prone to violence, white folks generally keep quiet when they are around black folks, not wanting to offend them and provoke their violence, a violence that is always near the surface.

It seems that black folks do not know love for their people and for human beings but know only violence towards themselves and human beings in general.

Black folks are very egotistical; as in all cases where there is overblown ego they want to be seen as very important persons and when they suspect that you did not treat them as important, when they feel belittled and demeaned they either yell at you or attack you; they seldom walk away from a person they perceive to be humiliating and degrading them as most other people would do. These people attack to show you that they are powerful (they are actually cowards for it takes courage to walk away from anger arousing stimuli).

All human beings have egos and resent been insulted but most civilized persons understand that folks will always say nasty things to them and when that happens they walk away from the presence of those people. If you made them angry, black folks would insult you and or attack to kill you as if killing you means nothing to them.

Since they act out like animals and really do not plan what they do, if you are the smart and vengeful type you may tolerate their initial attacks and go plan how to subject black folks to slavery and you would succeed. You would succeed because like bullies they are cowards and if you raise the heat on them they would run and go hide and talk but would not stand up like men and fight back.

Black folks do not plan for the future; they are motivated by immediate gratification and act impulsively.

Clearly, black folks need to do what the rest of humanity does: get to understand the nature of their egos and shrink them down rather than acting out like savages upon the slightest provocation; they must become civilized instead of always acting as barbarians.

No one wants to articulate these empirical but negative realities about black folks lest one is seen as anti-black folks. I do not hate black folks. Nevertheless, I am obligated to validate my perception and say things as I see them and not deceive my eyes. I call it as I see it.

The black people I see around me whether in Africa or the Americas are mostly violent people; they are prone to criminal activity; they have reduced Africa to criminal land.

The politicians of Nigeria are better characterized as criminals looting the country’s oil revenue rather than leaders doing what are good for their people.

It is by acknowledging these ugly facts about black folks and working to understand and change them that we can begin to help turn black folks around; denying what they do just so we do not offend them is to prolong their backwardness.

Folks also deny that the average black person score poorly on IQ and standardized scholastic aptitude tests. By merit most black folks would not be able to enter good American universities unless exceptions are made for them (affirmative action). Only a handful of black folks, the ten percent that W.E.B Dubois talked about, are able to compete with other races.

We need to understand why these empirical realities exist and help change them instead of deny them.

DISCUSSION

My goal in this write up is to state the observation of my naked eyes; I am not motivated to understand why black folks do what they do. Obviously, an explanation of why they do what they do exist in their biological make up and social experience. Like most people their biology determines most of their behaviors.

Ascertaining the correlation of biology and sociology in shaping of human behavior is not my present task. Let other persons perform that study.

Please do not just tell us that it is only racism that made black people violent and that it is poverty that made them prone to criminal activities at a higher rate than other people. Give us a biosocial study. I am for such studies; however, I must warn that I am not persuaded by rationalizations masquerading as explanations.

An acceptable explanation of human behavior must include genetic studies. Generally, when it concerns blacks’ social scientists fear that to look into the biological origin of behavior and find genetic roots of black folks criminality would stereotype them and subject them to more discrimination. Observers must ignore black resistance to doing biogenetic study of their behaviors and go ahead and do them. Merely adducing racism, discrimination and poverty as responsible for black folk’s violence and criminality is no longer enough.

CONCLUSION

My observation, what my physical eyes show me is that African people in Africa, in the Americas and wherever black folks are found have a tendency to be more violent and prone to criminal activities than members of the other races of mankind.

Some members of all the human races engage in violence and crime but black folks seem to excel in violence and criminal activity. Why they do so I do not understand. What I do know is the evidence of my eyes. I wish that someone can give us a biological and sociological explanation of why black folks do these dreadful things rather than give us the same old, same old excuses, such as blaming everything wrong with black folks on other people, thus treating black folks as if they are children who are not capable of being responsible for their behaviors.

Ozodi Osuji

July 31, 2013

ozodiosuji@gmail.com
Read 11133 times
Published in African Affairs

Ozodi Osuji Ph.D

Ozodi Thomas Osuji is from Imo State, Nigeria. He obtained his PhD from UCLA. He taught at a couple of Universities and decided to go back to school and study psychology. Thereafter, he worked in the mental health field and was the Executive Director of two mental health agencies. He subsequently left the mental health environment with the goal of being less influenced by others perspectives, so as to be able to think for himself and synthesize Western, Asian and African perspectives on phenomena. Dr Osuji’s goal is to provide us with a unique perspective, one that is not strictly Western or African but a synthesis of both. Dr Osuji teaches, writes and consults on leadership, management, politics, psychology and religions. Dr Osuji is married and has three children; he lives at Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

He can be reached at: ozodiosuji@gmail.com (907) 310-8176