Yes, that IS the culture in the inner city, and I think it has about as much to do with the difficulty people have with leaving the familiar. Why would someone choose poverty? To stay near friends and family. Where I am from there are few opportunities and young people who wish to advance have to move away. Having done that myself, I can tell you what a difficult decision it is to go and to stay gone when you are wanting to be back with your family and friends every minute of the day.

When I worked in the projects, what I saw was that family attachments are very strong, and young people are not encouraged to leave to seek a better life. It has definitely BECOME the culture you describe, but poverty doesn't equate with that culture. I have seen that also where I am from. I know many many poor people in KY who would never leave their families even if it mean perpetual poverty, yet they would never hurt your or take a dime from you.

I think there are some blacks out there who are getting it. I have worked with them. I worked with one woman who chose not to have children so she could use her income to help raise her nephews and help them get an education. Other cultures do that kind of thing. I worked with a native American woman who had remained single to help her younger brothers and sisters through college. She was working on her masters at Vanderbilt because she had paid for college for the last of her young siblings and wanted to furhter her own education.

For things to change, there will have to be a change in values such that those who DO leave help to bring others with them. Otherwise, the culture and the problem will continue to be what you describe or worse.

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