ASKDPROS - S2E19 - Matthew Norford (Ex-Gang Leader)

AskDproS

We are a product of our surroundings and our circumstances. A black child born into a black underprivileged family will always have a bad start as compared to a white kid from a white underprivileged background. Society will treat them both differently. The white child will generally be treated as underprivileged and he or she won’t be entirely blamed for their lack of progress and their actions when they break the law. They will be treated with due consideration based on their surroundings and circumstances. A black kid on the other hand won’t and will be blamed for his actions as though he is a criminal from the beginning. The law will treat both black and white kids differently. This is not a theory and the evidence is out there for everyone to see through many cases of police brutality we have witnessed for decades in the US and also elsewhere. First we need to accept the above facts and then we need to educate everyone in not brushing everyone with the same brush. A child born to a underprivileged family, in a neighbourhood where crime is rife, where opportunities are rare, where kids are measured by their clans, their gangs, their achievements in terms of which gang they associate with and how much they have achieved in this hierarchy. How can a child break this cycle? Where are the opportunities for him/her? Every child is innocent and their surroundings and circumstances mould their attitudes and behaviours. We cannot and should not lay the entire blame at the feet of such people who have fallen victim to his upbringing. My guest on this episode is a prime example of what happens when you are born into a system where opportunities are rare and privilege is not something you are given but an entity that has to be fought for.