Coates goes on to talk about the disparities between the blacks and the whites in lifestyle where the children of the white people only had to worry about non trivial issues. He says “the only thing these white kids may long for is having a popular girlfriend and their only fear being poison oak” (Coates 34). As for the blacks they had to struggle with near death experiences almost daily for living every day and making it to evening alive was a big achievement. Their lives were filled with so many uncertainties. There was oppression and injustice as killing of their fellow people was tolerated with the example of Michael Brown being given. Coates goes on to say, “What I surely know is that when they freed that is when you felt like it was time to rise and they made you believe that Michael Brown was the bad person” (Coates 36) This proved to show that the activities of the black patriots were considered criminal and their assassinations were justified by the whites as they considered what they were doing outlawed.
This danger was not only posed by the whites but also by their fellow black men. They had a feeling of security and power whenever they harassed someone within the blocks of the neighborhood. He says, “The young men’s crews walked around the neighborhoods shouting rudely as it was probably the only way they would feel superior and in control. They would go ahead and beat up their fellow men, harass them and feel them quake under the might of their bodies” (Coates 38). But still the danger posed by the near death experiences was thrilling as it was a life on the edge experience and it was what the rappers referred to as being in love with the streets. “maybe this is what the rappers talked about when they talked about being addicted to the streets or being in love with the game”(Coates 37) Oppression was also a strong point that came out as the blacks were isolated to the less developed areas while the white people took the best for themselves.
References
Coates Ta-Nehisi. “Between the world and me”. Spiegel and Grau New York. 2015. Print
