The Great Assembly Line

Many historians accredit Henry Ford's assembly line concept as one of the greatest innovations of the 20th century.
Sure, the process is beneficial for many institutions - but not for all.
Mr. Ford's model maximizes profits but minimizes creativity.
The model suggests a "one size fits all" approach that may be the root cause of poverty in America.
The hood/ghetto/slums exists in every metropolitan area throughout the world.
Even many once great cities ultimately fall into a state of poverty.
Por que?
Is it because there is suddenly a large influx of Mexicans?
Is it because these areas are often overrun by Blacks?
Don't these people know how to run a business?
Are they unable to innovate?

The hood has always had a sub-economy that relies very little on most large institutions for their funding, advertising or patronage.
Where else but NOLA would one find a barbershop painted Mexican Blue, with iron bars on the windows, Greek-style columns, all on a home that would barely pass municipal building codes?
Where else besides Compton, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta or any other urban area.

Now some well intentioned guys out West are offering tours of the hood.
http://lagangtours.com/
I thought this was funny - but do the locals benefit?
Do the buses stop so that the tourists can shop at the local swap meets or eat at the local restaurants?
Or are the locals just being exploited?

I hang out with a girl who once attended our local Catholic High School.
One of her school's field trips was to "The poor side of town".
As the bus toured the area - she saw her mother in her front yard watering her flowers.
As the other kids laughed, she just sank into her seat in embarrassment.
Now that ish is funny - effed-up, but funny.
She can laugh now but I know she felt bad at the time it happened.

But maybe the hood deserves itself.
Maybe the hood cannot be helped at all.
Maybe the hood wants to be the hood.
People often say that something is "Nigga-Rigged" when it is seen as inferior workmanship.
But lets call it what it really is; "African-American Ingenuity".
It takes mad skill to come up with something such as a pair of 'Likeeze" (Just like Nikes - but different).

The common mistake is that people try to change the nature of the beast.
Society believes themselves to be Dr. Moreau ("No spill blood").
Maybe one size (or way) does not fit all and we should come to this realization.
How does the hood treat an arrogant white nerd?
The same way suburbia treats a ghetto rough neck.
(One way or another - the outsider gets punished.)

It's not really about ones race - it's has more to do with respect.
The respect to learn the language, culture and traditions of the dominant culture for any given area.
The respect to know that ones own way of thinking doesn't apply to everything and everybody.
The respect to know when it's time to offer an opinion and when it's time to shut the eff up.
The respect to understand that another's way of life is just as valid as ones own.
The respect for oneself in that he will not destroy another man's way of life just because it is dissimilar to ones own.

The more I think about it - there is nothing wrong with the hood, there is only something wrong with the oppression.