Let's talk about inner-city black on black violence

[Steelplate]

I's knows whats we can dos....Let's gets rid o de minimum wage....dens we cans sell da poor parts of our cities to da Chineee! Days always lookin' for cheap labah.

We don'ts needs no gall durn uppity city folk anyhow....with da money we'd make offa da Chineee, we could lower da taxes....and I's could get me a brand spankin' new AK-47 wit a 50 round clip....yeehaw!

 

[ScienceRocks]

I's knows whats we can dos....Let's gets rid o de minimum wage....dens we cans sell da poor parts of our cities to da Chineee! Days always lookin' for cheap labah.

We don'ts needs no gall durn uppity city folk anyhow....with da money we'd make offa da Chineee, we could lower da taxes....and I's could get me a brand spankin' new AK-47 wit a 50 round clip....yeehaw!

1. I don't want to get rid of minimum wage...Just feel it should be based on supply and demand a little more.
2. The poor parts will remain American
3. They should be paid the value of their labor. Fair?
4. We don't need crime and senseless crime.
5. We already getting money from the Chinese.
6. Well, maybe but I don't see the point unless you're defending yourself from a gang.

 

[ScienceRocks]

At least 8 wounded in overnight shootings
At least 8 wounded in overnight shootings - chicagotribune.com

Shootings left at least 8 people on the South and West sides wounded overnight, according to police.

Three of the shootings happened between 4:50 and 5:40 a.m., police said.

A 60-year-old woman was shot in the chin about 4:50 a.m. in 4500 block of South Wolcott Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side. Police said she wasn't the target and are investigating whether she was stuck in crossfire between two shooters. She was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, where her condition has stabilized.

While the country goes crazy over ONE street thug. This goes on every single day in "black" parts of town all over this country. Does blacks give two shits? No. Sadly they don't care.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Glendale Heights man slain in Maywood

Glendale Heights man slain in Maywood - chicagotribune.com

No arrests have been made and police are trying to figure out why someone fatally shot a Glendale Heights man last night in west suburban Maywood, authorities said.

Marquise Coleman, 33, of the 400 block of Sidney Avenue in Glendale Heights, was pronounced dead at 8:17 p.m. Saturday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Yahoo!

What does those top 5 most violent cities have in common? A large black population that doesn't give a damn. That's what they have in common

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,_Tenn. 62.6% black.
4. St. Louis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 49.2%
3. Oakland, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 28%
2. Detroit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 82.7% black, 40% poverty rate.
1. Flint, Michigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 56.6%, poverty rate 40.6%

The black community has serious problems but some street thug is being pushed as somehow the worse? I can't stand the idiocy of these blind people and the haters defending them. WTF!

 

[ScienceRocks]

Why are so many people ignoring reality?

 

[ScienceRocks]

Feds: 49% Of Murder Victims Are Black Men

Nearly half of the nation's murder victims in 2005 were black, and the number of black men who were slain is on the rise.

A majority of the black murder victims were relatively young — between 17 and 29, the Justice Department said in a study released Thursday.

The department's Bureau of Justice Statistics report offers a snapshot of racial disparities among violent crime victims. Black people represented an estimated 13 percent of the U.S. population in 2005, the latest data available, but were the victims of 49 percent of all murders and 15 percent of rapes, assaults and other nonfatal violent crimes nationwide.

Most of the black murder victims — 93 percent — were killed by other black people, the study found. About 85 percent of white victims were slain by other white people

Feds: 49% Of Murder Victims Are Black Men - CBS News

Does any black care? Probably not as they're worshiping a thug that probably would of added to this in the future.

 

[katsteve2012]

True but each generation will give way to one more that's trying to end the cycle. Black's are not inferior as many on this forum want to believe. They just didn't get a fair shot at the American dream until 60 years ago. That's only 2 generations.

i dont believe this for Chicago. Sorry its just getting worse. If the jobs where coming back your point would be stronger.

My point is that blacks are not inferior. Whatever is at the root of Chicago's problems, it's not skin color.

A continuos cyle of generational poverty, a breakdown of community solidarity that existed after the civil rights era breakthrough. No self reliant based plan of economically funding redevelopment of predominately black communitities.

 

[ScienceRocks]

i dont believe this for Chicago. Sorry its just getting worse. If the jobs where coming back your point would be stronger.

My point is that blacks are not inferior. Whatever is at the root of Chicago's problems, it's not skin color.

A continuos cyle of generational poverty, a breakdown of community solidarity that existed after the civil rights era breakthrough. No self reliant based plan of economically funding redevelopment of predominately black communitities.

How do we turn this around? How would they get a self reliant economic plan???

 

[thereisnospoon]

Okay then you're right Black people are evil mongols who don't understand the basic decency and the US government war on drugs didn't do anything that has hurt not only the Black americans but all americans in this country man I surely seen the light now

Ahh yes..The old Waah Waah Waah straw man response.
Hey..cry me a ******* river.
Still looking for the stories you bleated out as being reported by the main stream media.
What's that? Can't produce a link? Oh shit. Guess your up shit's creek.
What the **** does the war on drugs have to do with the subject matter of this thread?
IS it your claim that all black on black crime is due to the drug trade?
Here's a novel idea...How about they DON'T SELL DRUGS!
Oh, no..Wait a minute. These people according to some have no hope. So selling drugs is ok. It is the law of the land which is wrong. I get it now. Let's just legalize opium and cocaine for example, then tomorrow the thugs will lay down their arms.
Perfect.
I have seen the light. I am with you 100%!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkYTK0s7ZUw]Penn & Teller's Bullshit! War on Drugs (Full Episode) - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOUtWOmVcI4]Bogosity Ep. 4: The War on Drugs REMASTERED Pt. 1 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugdjcmrxkNY]Bogosity Ep. 4: The War on Drugs REMASTERED Pt. 2 - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd2yvKgcmD8]Bogosity Ep. 4: The War on Drugs REMASTERED Pt. 3 - YouTube[/ame]

Just found these videos that support my clam have fun

You can buy into this all you like to use as an excuse or even a crutch...Guess what?...Nobody is buying your tripe.
Shut it.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Black leaders need to be pressed on the issue! Make them explain why there is a black on black violence epidemic, and what do they intend to do about it. Unfortunately they will use excuses, and " Mo Money " needed will be at the forefront. Keep pressing, refute, and press. They need to see past their delusions; that if your black, you are a victim, and teach their population. Too bad it can't be done.

The OP Duke45 is giving us the 'company line'....He is spewing precisely the same shit the Jackson's and Sharpton's of the world have told him is the response.
True to the liberal mind set, it's always someone else's fault.

 

[thereisnospoon]

The only reason fuckers like you bring this up is because you think it is a weapon with which to bludgeon liberals.

The problem is economic. Reaganomics to be exact.

Hey genius.....There were slums filled with black people long before 1980...
Stop whining.
Liberalism did this on it's own. And are bludgeoning themselves.
They created the environment by which people with means could leave cities. Liberals then tried to 'fix' it.
And of course ignored the laws of unintended consequences. And now we have Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

 

[PaulieGirl]

It doesn't fit their narrative. You can't scream racism, demonize a whole other race of people, and scream for more government intervention if they acknowledge that it's mostly blacks who kill other blacks.

 

[katsteve2012]

"...Seriously. Instead of "black on black" violence it should be viewed as "poor on poor" violence. The statistics are similar in every nation. In 50 - 100 years black on black crime will be a much lower percentage. It takes time to heal old wounds."

I feel terrible, feeling obliged to say this, and I extend, in advance, my sincere apologies to our audience members who are Black, but...

This strikes me as tantamount to the fable of the people who were afraid to tell the Emperor that he had no clothes, or ignoring the 10,000-lb elephant in the room, or being sooooo married to fear of offending an ethnic group that we ignore the facts in front of us.

This is, indeed, about Black-on-Black violence, rather than poor-on-poor.

Somebody with better understanding than I, of where to obtain supporting stats, is going to have to jump-in on this one, but I am having a very, very difficult time believing that the murder and crime stats for any comparable poor White or Hispanic or Asian (or whatever) neighborhood will be as bad as those for a poor Black neighborhood, and that even finding an exception or two, that such stats apply on-the-average, nationwide.

Pull the other one. Sorry. No sale.

If we (as a people) are going to FIX a problem, we (as a people) must not be afraid to CORRECTLY LABEL the problem, in order to begin the process.

And, what is this "old wounds" business, by the way?

You're not really gonna pull-out the Slavery card, are you, 150 years after it was abolished?

How much longer are Excuse-Makers gonna try gettin' mileage outta that one?

That's really worn-out its welcome... folks are sick and tired of it... and it just won't wash any more.

I don't think the rest of the country is gonna give 'em another 150 years to 'get over it', do you?

The time for excuses is over.

The time to force responsibility-taking is upon us.

How do we go about that? I dunno. I haven't got a friggin' clue. But we, as a country, and they (the Black Community), both need to get our heads out of our asses, and begin some serious work on this.

This simply cannot be allowed to continue, and most of The Answer lies within our Black fellow countrymen rather than the rest of us.

Of course the answer lies within the black population. The civil rights movement should have been a dual strategy. First to acquire the rights of citizenship, then use those rights to focus less on "the illusion of integration" and more on a systematic approach towards self reliance and community based funding of development.

When Asians immigrate to America, they typically remain united within THEIR OWN commintities and build generational family wealth and develop businesses within their own circle of influence. By choice they are not highly visible in American politics or social circles.they focus on what they can control...each other and their monetary resources.

When white Europeans immigrated here they employed the same strategy. Although the black population got a later start, having to overcome not just slavery, but the almost equally oppressive structure of Jim Crow right up until 1965.

That history should have brought clarity that a continued path of unity and self reliance would best serve the interest of black citizens.

I can vividly recall my Grandfather, expressing dismay over the result of the Selma Bus Boycott. He was of the belief that the black citizens in that area should have stayed on the boycott path, and
quietly and privately pooled their resources and started a bus or transportation company owned by blacks for blacks.

There are countless stories buried in obscure history of once thriving black businesses that have been forsaken by black citizens who could have invested in them and kept them thriving.

But is was viewed as being more "rewarding" to sit next to whites on the bus and at the local lunch counter, than to invest in helping ones own neighbor provide service to you in your own establishment in your own community.

So here we are today with the average racial group in America owning in excess of 80% of the businesses in their communities where they are most present, while the average percentage of black owned businesses in black communities is on average less than 2%.

Until a community empowers itself economically it will remain powerless and victimize one another.

 

[ScienceRocks]

"...Seriously. Instead of "black on black" violence it should be viewed as "poor on poor" violence. The statistics are similar in every nation. In 50 - 100 years black on black crime will be a much lower percentage. It takes time to heal old wounds."

I feel terrible, feeling obliged to say this, and I extend, in advance, my sincere apologies to our audience members who are Black, but...

This strikes me as tantamount to the fable of the people who were afraid to tell the Emperor that he had no clothes, or ignoring the 10,000-lb elephant in the room, or being sooooo married to fear of offending an ethnic group that we ignore the facts in front of us.

This is, indeed, about Black-on-Black violence, rather than poor-on-poor.

Somebody with better understanding than I, of where to obtain supporting stats, is going to have to jump-in on this one, but I am having a very, very difficult time believing that the murder and crime stats for any comparable poor White or Hispanic or Asian (or whatever) neighborhood will be as bad as those for a poor Black neighborhood, and that even finding an exception or two, that such stats apply on-the-average, nationwide.

Pull the other one. Sorry. No sale.

If we (as a people) are going to FIX a problem, we (as a people) must not be afraid to CORRECTLY LABEL the problem, in order to begin the process.

And, what is this "old wounds" business, by the way?

You're not really gonna pull-out the Slavery card, are you, 150 years after it was abolished?

How much longer are Excuse-Makers gonna try gettin' mileage outta that one?

That's really worn-out its welcome... folks are sick and tired of it... and it just won't wash any more.

I don't think the rest of the country is gonna give 'em another 150 years to 'get over it', do you?

The time for excuses is over.

The time to force responsibility-taking is upon us.

How do we go about that? I dunno. I haven't got a friggin' clue. But we, as a country, and they (the Black Community), both need to get our heads out of our asses, and begin some serious work on this.

This simply cannot be allowed to continue, and most of The Answer lies within our Black fellow countrymen rather than the rest of us.

Of course the answer lies within the black population. The civil rights movement should have been a dual strategy. First to acquire the rights of citizenship, then use those rights to focus less on "the illusion of integration" and more on a systematic approach towards self reliance and community based funding of development.

When Asians immigrate to America, they typically remain united within THEIR OWN commintities and build generational family wealth and develop businesses within their own circle of influence. By choice they are not highly visible in American politics or social circles.they focus on what they can control...each other and their monetary resources.

When white Europeans immigrated here they employed the same strategy. Although the black population got a later start, having to overcome not just slavery, but the almost equally oppressive structure of Jim Crow right up until 1965.

That history should have brought clarity that a continued path of unity and self reliance would best serve the interest of black citizens.

I can vividly recall my Grandfather, expressing dismay over the result of the Selma Bus Boycott. He was of the belief that the black citizens in that area should have stayed on the boycott path, and
quietly and privately pooled their resources and started a bus or transportation company owned by blacks for blacks.

There are countless stories buried in obscure history of once thriving black businesses that have been forsaken by black citizens who could have invested in them and kept them thriving.

But is was viewed as being more "rewarding" to sit next to whites on the bus and at the local lunch counter, than to invest in helping ones own neighbor provide service to you in your own establishment in your own community.

So here we are today with the average racial group in America owning in excess of 80% of the businesses in their communities where they are most present, while the average percentage of black owned businesses in black communities is on average less than 2%.

Until a community empowers itself economically it will remain powerless and victimize one another.

So separating from the white economy and building your own. I feel this is a good idea as blacks need to feel empowered to develop the economy in their communities as you do.

 

[thereisnospoon]

"...Seriously. Instead of "black on black" violence it should be viewed as "poor on poor" violence. The statistics are similar in every nation. In 50 - 100 years black on black crime will be a much lower percentage. It takes time to heal old wounds."

I feel terrible, feeling obliged to say this, and I extend, in advance, my sincere apologies to our audience members who are Black, but...

This strikes me as tantamount to the fable of the people who were afraid to tell the Emperor that he had no clothes, or ignoring the 10,000-lb elephant in the room, or being sooooo married to fear of offending an ethnic group that we ignore the facts in front of us.

This is, indeed, about Black-on-Black violence, rather than poor-on-poor.

Somebody with better understanding than I, of where to obtain supporting stats, is going to have to jump-in on this one, but I am having a very, very difficult time believing that the murder and crime stats for any comparable poor White or Hispanic or Asian (or whatever) neighborhood will be as bad as those for a poor Black neighborhood, and that even finding an exception or two, that such stats apply on-the-average, nationwide.

Pull the other one. Sorry. No sale.

If we (as a people) are going to FIX a problem, we (as a people) must not be afraid to CORRECTLY LABEL the problem, in order to begin the process.

And, what is this "old wounds" business, by the way?

You're not really gonna pull-out the Slavery card, are you, 150 years after it was abolished?

How much longer are Excuse-Makers gonna try gettin' mileage outta that one?

That's really worn-out its welcome... folks are sick and tired of it... and it just won't wash any more.

I don't think the rest of the country is gonna give 'em another 150 years to 'get over it', do you?

The time for excuses is over.

The time to force responsibility-taking is upon us.

How do we go about that? I dunno. I haven't got a friggin' clue. But we, as a country, and they (the Black Community), both need to get our heads out of our asses, and begin some serious work on this.

This simply cannot be allowed to continue, and most of The Answer lies within our Black fellow countrymen rather than the rest of us.

Of course the answer lies within the black population. The civil rights movement should have been a dual strategy. First to acquire the rights of citizenship, then use those rights to focus less on "the illusion of integration" and more on a systematic approach towards self reliance and community based funding of development.

When Asians immigrate to America, they typically remain united within THEIR OWN commintities and build generational family wealth and develop businesses within their own circle of influence. By choice they are not highly visible in American politics or social circles.they focus on what they can control...each other and their monetary resources.

When white Europeans immigrated here they employed the same strategy. Although the black population got a later start, having to overcome not just slavery, but the almost equally oppressive structure of Jim Crow right up until 1965.

That history should have brought clarity that a continued path of unity and self reliance would best serve the interest of black citizens.

I can vividly recall my Grandfather, expressing dismay over the result of the Selma Bus Boycott. He was of the belief that the black citizens in that area should have stayed on the boycott path, and
quietly and privately pooled their resources and started a bus or transportation company owned by blacks for blacks.

There are countless stories buried in obscure history of once thriving black businesses that have been forsaken by black citizens who could have invested in them and kept them thriving.

But is was viewed as being more "rewarding" to sit next to whites on the bus and at the local lunch counter, than to invest in helping ones own neighbor provide service to you in your own establishment in your own community.

So here we are today with the average racial group in America owning in excess of 80% of the businesses in their communities where they are most present, while the average percentage of black owned businesses in black communities is on average less than 2%.

Until a community empowers itself economically it will remain powerless and victimize one another.

Ironically blacks of means( MIddle and upper class) are more likely to self segregate more readily than most other racial or cultural groups.
For example, in suburban areas of Atlanta, there are enclaves of well to do blacks.
Prince Georges County in Maryland is an upper middle class region that is mostly black.
Typically in public schools, black student tend to self segregate as well.
The burning question is why unlike other racial groups do blacks not use their numbers to their advantage in the same manner as other groups.

 

[katsteve2012]

I feel terrible, feeling obliged to say this, and I extend, in advance, my sincere apologies to our audience members who are Black, but...

This strikes me as tantamount to the fable of the people who were afraid to tell the Emperor that he had no clothes, or ignoring the 10,000-lb elephant in the room, or being sooooo married to fear of offending an ethnic group that we ignore the facts in front of us.

This is, indeed, about Black-on-Black violence, rather than poor-on-poor.

Somebody with better understanding than I, of where to obtain supporting stats, is going to have to jump-in on this one, but I am having a very, very difficult time believing that the murder and crime stats for any comparable poor White or Hispanic or Asian (or whatever) neighborhood will be as bad as those for a poor Black neighborhood, and that even finding an exception or two, that such stats apply on-the-average, nationwide.

Pull the other one. Sorry. No sale.

If we (as a people) are going to FIX a problem, we (as a people) must not be afraid to CORRECTLY LABEL the problem, in order to begin the process.

And, what is this "old wounds" business, by the way?

You're not really gonna pull-out the Slavery card, are you, 150 years after it was abolished?

How much longer are Excuse-Makers gonna try gettin' mileage outta that one?

That's really worn-out its welcome... folks are sick and tired of it... and it just won't wash any more.

I don't think the rest of the country is gonna give 'em another 150 years to 'get over it', do you?

The time for excuses is over.

The time to force responsibility-taking is upon us.

How do we go about that? I dunno. I haven't got a friggin' clue. But we, as a country, and they (the Black Community), both need to get our heads out of our asses, and begin some serious work on this.

This simply cannot be allowed to continue, and most of The Answer lies within our Black fellow countrymen rather than the rest of us.

Of course the answer lies within the black population. The civil rights movement should have been a dual strategy. First to acquire the rights of citizenship, then use those rights to focus less on "the illusion of integration" and more on a systematic approach towards self reliance and community based funding of development.

When Asians immigrate to America, they typically remain united within THEIR OWN commintities and build generational family wealth and develop businesses within their own circle of influence. By choice they are not highly visible in American politics or social circles.they focus on what they can control...each other and their monetary resources.

When white Europeans immigrated here they employed the same strategy. Although the black population got a later start, having to overcome not just slavery, but the almost equally oppressive structure of Jim Crow right up until 1965.

That history should have brought clarity that a continued path of unity and self reliance would best serve the interest of black citizens.

I can vividly recall my Grandfather, expressing dismay over the result of the Selma Bus Boycott. He was of the belief that the black citizens in that area should have stayed on the boycott path, and
quietly and privately pooled their resources and started a bus or transportation company owned by blacks for blacks.

There are countless stories buried in obscure history of once thriving black businesses that have been forsaken by black citizens who could have invested in them and kept them thriving.

But is was viewed as being more "rewarding" to sit next to whites on the bus and at the local lunch counter, than to invest in helping ones own neighbor provide service to you in your own establishment in your own community.

So here we are today with the average racial group in America owning in excess of 80% of the businesses in their communities where they are most present, while the average percentage of black owned businesses in black communities is on average less than 2%.

Until a community empowers itself economically it will remain powerless and victimize one another.

So separating from the white economy and building your own. I feel this is a good idea as blacks need to feel empowered to develop the economy in their communities as you do.

You missed my point. I did not say totally SEPARATE from as there are far too many highly compensated black people that are professionally connected to some whites.

What I am saying is that there should be a more focused effort within the black population to channel more capital into predominately black communities for redevelopment.

I would even favor a specialized tax imposed on black citizens earning in excess of a certain annual income to be set aside to fund redevelopment projects for predominately black communities.

 

[pioneerpete]

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a religious person in any way.

During civil rights movement, black people were led by the church, which taught a moral, non-violent, self-reliance. Now they are led by welfare and handouts and no moral and self-reliance is taught. I'm not saying this is every black person in the country, but in the areas we are discussing this is the vast majority.

Slaves act violent to overcome their oppression. Right now the blacks in these areas are akin to slaves that live on what master (government) gives them: welfare, phones, food stamps. I don't claim to be an expert, but how is that different than slavery?

 

[thereisnospoon]

Of course the answer lies within the black population. The civil rights movement should have been a dual strategy. First to acquire the rights of citizenship, then use those rights to focus less on "the illusion of integration" and more on a systematic approach towards self reliance and community based funding of development.

When Asians immigrate to America, they typically remain united within THEIR OWN commintities and build generational family wealth and develop businesses within their own circle of influence. By choice they are not highly visible in American politics or social circles.they focus on what they can control...each other and their monetary resources.

When white Europeans immigrated here they employed the same strategy. Although the black population got a later start, having to overcome not just slavery, but the almost equally oppressive structure of Jim Crow right up until 1965.

That history should have brought clarity that a continued path of unity and self reliance would best serve the interest of black citizens.

I can vividly recall my Grandfather, expressing dismay over the result of the Selma Bus Boycott. He was of the belief that the black citizens in that area should have stayed on the boycott path, and
quietly and privately pooled their resources and started a bus or transportation company owned by blacks for blacks.

There are countless stories buried in obscure history of once thriving black businesses that have been forsaken by black citizens who could have invested in them and kept them thriving.

But is was viewed as being more "rewarding" to sit next to whites on the bus and at the local lunch counter, than to invest in helping ones own neighbor provide service to you in your own establishment in your own community.

So here we are today with the average racial group in America owning in excess of 80% of the businesses in their communities where they are most present, while the average percentage of black owned businesses in black communities is on average less than 2%.

Until a community empowers itself economically it will remain powerless and victimize one another.

So separating from the white economy and building your own. I feel this is a good idea as blacks need to feel empowered to develop the economy in their communities as you do.

You missed my point. I did not say totally SEPARATE from as there are far too many highly compensated black people that are professionally connected to some whites.

What I am saying is that there should be a more focused effort within the black population to channel more capital into predominately black communities for redevelopment.

I would even favor a specialized tax imposed on black citizens earning in excess of a certain annual income to be set aside to fund redevelopment projects for predominately black communities.

Sort of like a special assessment for a homeowner that benefits by having a sidewalk or a golf course abut his property.
This would be as an incentive for middle and upper class blacks to reinvest in their communities and neighborhoods. Perhaps to assist others in opening businesses or otherwise becoming entrepreneurs...Kudos!
Sad thing about this though is it may never come to fruition.
It is just too politically palatable to remain with the status quo. It's easier to gain votes that way.

 

[thereisnospoon]

Let me preface this by saying I'm not a religious person in any way.

During civil rights movement, black people were led by the church, which taught a moral, non-violent, self-reliance. Now they are led by welfare and handouts and no moral and self-reliance is taught. I'm not saying this is every black person in the country, but in the areas we are discussing this is the vast majority.

Slaves act violent to overcome their oppression. Right now the blacks in these areas are akin to slaves that live on what master (government) gives them: welfare, phones, food stamps. I don't claim to be an expert, but how is that different than slavery?

In effect, it isn't. Although the problem now is, the federal government in its infinite wisdom has made living off the public dole 'comfortable'.