Crazy Girl in Atlanta Train

[bootleg42]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eXNC...&feature=bz303

It's really sad. The product of centuries of capitalism and racism produces this. It saddens me. The black population of the U.S. was the most revolutionary force in the country.

Now, the markets have turned their communities into chaos that will take decades and, dare I say it, generations to recover from. This video was caught on youtube but I assure you, this happens everyday. I see it a ton of times on the 6,7,1,J and 9 trains (NYC) and I can imagine in other poor neighborhoods the same occurs.

And all this happens while the "black middle class" sit back and relax. Mumia Abu-Jamal spoke of this many times and it stills saddens me.

Also I can imagine now how the white mid-to-upper middle class suburban spoiled ethnocentric males will make fun of this video and put it all over youtube in a joking way.

And I didn't know where to put this, in politics or discrimination or chit chat. This discussion could get very political so I put it here.

[Os Cangaceiros]

That girl has bipolar personality disorder.

[RedAnarchist]

Some of the comments for that video are disgusting. Its like a Stormfront thread or something. And you just know there'll be other videos making fun of the poor woman.

[Redmau5]

What was it that the old woman supposedly said to her?

[Peacekeeper]

Bipolar or not, I'd have smacked her.

Calling an old a woman racial slurs, etc. Sick.

[Qwerty Dvorak]

I don't see why this should be in politics, I think Chit-Chat would be more appropriate. I don't think it has anything to do with politics and to be honest I think many of the comments in the original post are either incredibly misguided or very badly worded.

First of all, it is a stretch in my opinion to say that this woman's bipolar personality disorder (and that's what it is: link) is a result of capitalism and racism. It's a personality disorder, it happens, I'm sure there are causes for it but I doubt racism is one since white people get it all the time. Secondly, I have an issue with these comments:

The black population of the U.S. was the most revolutionary force in the country.

Now, the markets have turned their communities into chaos...

That would seem to me to imply that the acts of one girl who suffers from a mental illness and had neglected to take her meds is somehow representative of the entire black community. Maybe that's not what the thread starter was implying but that's certainly how it sounded. And it is of course ridiculous, wrong and extremely patronizing. I don't see any other black person on the train acting in an erratic fashion. In fact, I'd say that black community in general is--much like the white community in general--perfectly civilized.

I think the thread should be moved to Chit-Chat.

[Peacekeeper]

That would seem to me to imply that the acts of one girl who suffers from a mental illness and had neglected to take her meds is somehow representative of the entire black community. Maybe that's not what the thread starter was implying but that's certainly how it sounded. And it is of course ridiculous, wrong and extremely patronizing. I don't see any other black person on the train acting in an erratic fashion. In fact, I'd say that black community in general is--much like the white community in general--perfectly civilized.

You don't get out much, do you?
I went to the public library the other day and there were six black juniors from my school who were doing the "soulja boy" dance in the library parking lot around a car that the music was blasting out of. At a fucking public library.
I've never seen any whites or asians or jews or arabs or persians do that kind of thing. And yes I recognize that this is the result of the media merging the ideas of "hip-hop culture" and "(American) black culture."
But that doesn't mean it's not irritating as hell.

[Lector Malibu]

You don't get out much, do you?
I went to the public library the other day and there were six black juniors from my school who were doing the "soulja boy" dance in the library parking lot around a car that the music was blasting out of. At a fucking public library.
I've never seen any whites or asians or jews or arabs or persians do that kind of thing. And yes I recognize that this is the result of the media merging the ideas of "hip-hop culture" and "(American) black culture."
But that doesn't mean it's not irritating as hell.

Whoa!!!!!!

He's from Ireland for starters

But I'm black and guess what I'm American and have lived in all kinds of American elements.

This girl in this video was mentally ill . She was having a Bipolar manic episode!

Why in the name of Jagga is that not seen for what it is?

It happens everyday all over the place and because she happens to be black it is not a reflection on the black community period.

And there are plenty of white kids who tool around in low riders blasting the same base and doing similar things as your black school friends

Do you get out much?

[Qwerty Dvorak]

You don't get out much, do you?
I went to the public library the other day and there were six black juniors from my school who were doing the "soulja boy" dance in the library parking lot around a car that the music was blasting out of. At a fucking public library.
I've never seen any whites or asians or jews or arabs or persians do that kind of thing. And yes I recognize that this is the result of the media merging the ideas of "hip-hop culture" and "(American) black culture."
But that doesn't mean it's not irritating as hell.

WTF?! That is some seriously fucked up BS. What's your point, that black people in general are uncivilized and irritating??

This thread is not about the "Soulja Boi" dance. What's odd about the video is not that she was doing that dance per se. It's that she was doing it while screaming loudly, on a train, right in the face of an elderly woman, who she was also threatening. She then proceeded to yell aggressively and threateningly in other people's faces. That is the result of a personality disorder which she is unfortunate enough to have, it is not because she is black or because of racism.

And I don't care what you say, that kind of behaviour is not in any way an accurate representation of the black community.

[Post-Something]

Hahaha, that's like saying "angry German kid" represents the entire of Germany.

It was odd to say the least...

[bootleg42]

That would seem to me to imply that the acts of one girl who suffers from a mental illness and had neglected to take her meds is somehow representative of the entire black community. Maybe that's not what the thread starter was implying but that's certainly how it sounded.

Not at all but this is an unfortunate common in many black inner city areas. I'm not saying the population is like that but CASES like these are really common in the poor black urban areas and it's like that for a reason. The racist system of the U.S. literary put most of them in ghettos which, in many ways, is no different from a jail. Read the history of project building in NYC. I'll try to find a few materials I had on it in .pdf format. Sad really.

The markets push the idea of consumerism, which keeps everyone "in check". Why do you think she was singing what she was singing in the video??? Get the idea??? The markets do that to plenty of youth in the inner city (of any race for that matter). Believe me, I've grown up here all my life and seen how the markets can turn the youth to wage slaves who take out their anger on each other instead of taking it out on the powers that be.

And it is of course ridiculous, wrong and extremely patronizing. I don't see any other black person on the train acting in an erratic fashion. In fact, I'd say that black community in general is--much like the white community in general--perfectly civilized.

I agree. Maybe I worded it wrong. I meant to say that CASES like this is common in poor black areas and it's like that for the reasons I mentioned already. If course you can see this in other areas too, but those other areas haven't been oppressed like the poor black areas have been, hence the reason why cases like these are common in poor black areas. Trust me, I see it every week on the trains I mentioned on earlier posts and it saddens me.

[More Fire for the People]

What the hell, don't she have any respect for an old woman. I would like to see her post-menopausal, suffering from geriatric complications, and struggling with ego integrity. Go crank some soulja girl elsewhere, but it seems like her main problem is crank.

[Lector Malibu]

What the hell, don't she have any respect for an old woman. I would like to see her post-menopausal, suffering from geriatric complications, and struggling with ego integrity. Go crank some soulja girl elsewhere, but it seems like her main problem is crank.

Did you read the link that talked about her having mental illness? She's not on drugs Hopscotch

[Hampton]

Not at all but this is an unfortunate common in many black inner city areas.

People only get loud on trains in black areas? I mean I'm sure white kids emulate that dance too right? Why aren't those videos on youtube? I think we get what you are trying to say, that the system in America drives minorities into ghettos and tries to get them to buy into commercial rap music and get their minds away from the real issues, but this isn't the right way of going about it.

But don't pity the black population, I'm sure we can stick up for outselves after 400 years here.

[EscapeFromSF]

I could barely understand a word on the video. (Sorry.)

First, it is correct to challenge the attribution of the young woman in red's behavior--based on this evidence--to any particular cause. We simply don't know.

Second, the class issues that bootleg42 alludes to are real. Some of my students pointed me to Malcolm X's speech on the House Negro and the Field Negro. I know which attribution in that dichotomy I'd assign to Barack Obama, Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, and Bill Cosby. I also know that conservatives come in all colors and at all economic levels. I was stunned when a couple African American women in the back of a class, assuming that one always has luxuries to cut, that one can always find employment that pays more than a subsistence wage, claimed that "you can always save some money [in a financial institution]." (I failed to respond that those who preach discipline are very rarely those who have had to actually live it.) Conservatives are, by definition, very judgmental. I cannot be surprised if the old woman indeed said something provocative to the young woman or was in some way disrespectful. Those who criticize the young woman for being disrespectful of the older woman, should remember that respect is a two-way street, and that sometimes anger--even if poorly handled--is justified.

Third, as for the incident outside a public library, we should remember that the form of learning valued in libraries and schools is a form that, by design, excludes a great many people. I would have to dredge up the statistics to make the point, but something like only 22 or 23% of the US population finishes a four-year college program. If I recall correctly, only 12% finish a Master's, and by the time you reach the PhD level, you're in a very small portion of the population. Along the way, we insist on particular language skills that again exclude large portions of the population, and the educational system that is responsible for this is definitely a political issue.

Finally, my instinct on watching the video was to suspect that young woman was on some kind of drugs. My far-from-expert understanding is that PCP can produce this kind of behavior. But if we suspect drugs or mental abuse, the political response on these issues has been pathetic. Health insurance, for those who have it, often excludes mental health services. The government's response to problems with drugs has been to treat them as criminal justice issues rather than as medical issues.

While the original attribution of causes in this thread leaves something to be desired, it is naive to suggest that there are no political issues here.

[Lector Malibu]

Did Anybody Fucking Read Ron's Link Where It Said She Had Bipolar Disorder And Was Having A Manic Episode!

[Peacekeeper]

Did Anybody Fucking Read Ron's Link Where It Said She Had Bipolar Disorder And Was Having A Manic Episode!

Yes, we did. No need to shout.

[Lector Malibu]

Yes, we did. No need to shout.

Than why did you not touch on that fact

Instead of trying to reflect this negatively on the black community in your post to Ron?

[Peacekeeper]

Than why did you not touch on that fact

Instead of trying to reflect this negatively on the black community in your post to Ron?

Bipolar or not, I'd have smacked her.

Calling an old a woman racial slurs, etc. Sick.

[Lector Malibu]

YOUR POST TO RON

You know how this was all about the Soulja Dance