The Nothing-to-Lose Mentality

"I am society’s child. This is how they made me and now I’m sayin’ what’s on my mind and they don’t want that. This is what you made me, America."- Tupac



The History of African Americans will always be stained by the specter of marginalization in this country. In America, anyone who deviates in any perceived way from the norm of a population may become subject to coarse or subtle forms of social exclusion. The outcome of social exclusion is that affected individuals or communities are prevented from participating fully in the economic, social, and political life of the society in which they live. Material deprivation is the most common result of this exclusion. Ensuing poverty, emotional and psychological trauma, and its resulting diseases may result in catastrophic damage to lives, health, and psyche. The psyche being the most important to the case in point is the central topic of discussion. Marginalization has lead the black man to develop what I call; "the Nothing-to-Lose" mentality.

By no means does this specific train of thought discriminate, but the problem of social exclusion is that it's usually tied to that of equal opportunity, as some people are more subject to such exclusion than others and the 1st race that comes to mind when the subject of marginalization comes up is black people. The nothing to lose mentality, to define it at best includes, but not limited too; reckless actions with no worries of consequence, little or no conscience when making a decision or taking action. Convinced that death is the only way out of a given situation; back against the wall, and being the villain. The false empowerment philosophy created is coined "the code of the streets"; real niggaz do real things, don't snitch, don't let nobody talk shit on your set, get paid, don't get caught, don't give the cops shit, and never let'em see you sweat.

Another side effect from this mentality is the popularity of being rebellious against anything positive and winning the distinction of "not caring the most". Being emotionless or without empathy is the escape, it's how people with this mentality avoid expectation. Crime rates may reflect the fact that a growing number of black people do not feel valued in society or they need value to be perceived a certain way in society. Legitimate means are bypassed in favor of illegal ones. Crime is favored over the political system, community organization and religion. This mentality summarizes ones options too; God or guns, which is better protection.

"Well we hustle out of a sense of, hopelessness Sort of a desperation.... Through that desperation, we 'come addicted, Sorta like the fiends we accustomed to servin.. but we feel we have nothin to lose so we offer you, well... we offer our lives, right. What do you bring to the table?" Jay-Z

I've always said, "We are who we are because of the decisions we make in life". The 'nothing to lose' mentality is that of a selected many, it doesn't represent the collective. In the African American community, we tend to separate being black, from being a nigga, but it always comes in full circle when we threaten people with that side of us, which implies the two aren't separate at all, just suppressed. For the sake of this argument, lets actually separate the two. As a people, our decision making has evolved and the decisions we make now takes us out of our social public dichotomy. Sadly there will always be those who accept their current situation and base their existence and happiness on materialistic value. "Niggaz", have nothing to lose, nothing to talk about, nothing to love, nothing to live for, nothing to look forward too, and nothing to give. Black men have no idea what they're doing in today's society, but carry an ancient and eternal burden placed on them by Great people, men and women alike to uplift themselves and their community. We take this burden in stride accomplishing goals, bridging gaps, and pioneering in the 21st century. Black men listen, comprehend, observe, loves, teaches, guide, and inspires. In essence, niggaz are babies and becoming a black man or woman with 'Everything to Gain' should be the overarching goal.

Significant change is needed in terms of tackling underlying causes of why we make the decisions we make with no worry of consequence. A common phrase and thought process expressed to me on numerous occasions in regards to negative lifestyles is, "this is the Life i chose". A lifestyle that suggests the only way to get right is to do wrong. Society (and individual attitudes) continues to believe and convince itself that the attitude and lack of upward mobility is somehow inherent in African Americans themselves. The pressure put on black men to succeed in this social sphere is a heavy weight, a weight some of us choose not to carry, because there is no visible path to where this weight is lifted, so a typical rudimentary lifestyle is chosen, which of-course leads us to the common phrase implying no other way out: "this is the life i chose".

The stigmatization of black men based on stereotypes of group attributes highly impairs African-Americans to develop their talents and makes it extremely difficult to be successful in the eyes of mainstream America. I believe wholeheartedly that if we change our expectation or add to it, black men will rise to the occasion. Speaking from experience, I wasn't encouraged to go to college, because it wasn't expected of me. No one in my community chose that route, so I didn't see that path. In low-income communities, no one expects you to be great, just find a way to live your life and try to support other people who do great things. As I decided to step out of my realm of influence and comfort, i was deemed an outsider; "not like us". Upon Graduating from College, I changed the thought process of many. People in my direct circle were inspired by my path and aspired to accomplish something great. Greatness isn't accomplished overnight, as I continue to move towards it, the expectations for me and the people I care about has increased. The decisions I've made thus far, has given me everything to gain and nothing to take for granted. This is the Life I chose.