Born a Crime Chapters 13-17

Born at Crime Chapters 13-17

Quote 1: 

“Then she got into the car and it was the first time we had ever been alone, and she realized I couldn’t even hold a conversation with her. I’d driven her around and gotten lost in the dark—a young girl alone in a car in the middle of nowhere with some strange guy, no idea where I was taking her. She was probably terrified” (Noah, 262).

This quote stuck out to me because it really shows the power of language. If you don't speak the same language as someone, then there is no way to communicate with them. Noah discovered that in the time he spent with this girl because they never truly spoke to one another. Noah was too busy being in his head and being nervous to realize that he never spoke to her or had a conversation with her. This is why it is very important to stay present and really engage in conversations. It’s important to get to know people and understand who they are if you want a relationship with them. Noah did not do this and it instantly backfired when he was alone with her and couldn’t even talk to her. This put both of them in an uncomfortable situation that could have been avoided in the first place. 

Quote 2: 

“Because if white people ever saw Black people as human, they would see that slavery is unconscionable. We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them” (Noah, 324).

This quote really stuck out to me because Noah made a very good point. There are so many historic events that degrade and dehumanize other people. The people who inflict the pain and suffering do not see the victims as human, or like they are the same. For example, a white person would have never enslaved another white person because they viewed themselves as the same, and they respect each other. There is no respect or sympathy for the people who are enslaved, or victimized. If we could empathize with everyone, and view everyone as humans with rights, then no one would feel the need to degrade and discriminate against other people. We would feel bad, and we know that what we are doing is wrong. 

1. Noah gets in trouble with the law but is then saved by the law enforcement’s view on race. He was caught shoplifting on the cameras, but they weren’t good quality videos. The camera only picks up black and white, and since Noah has a light skin tone, they assumed it was a white person instead of him. The police thought there was no way that the person in the video was actually Noah because they were convinced it was a white person. Noah was off the hook because he was seen as black or colored.  Because the police base everything on race, including arrests, Noah was not caught and his skin color saved him. 

2. Noah’s friend Andrew gave him a CD writer that allowed him to copy songs onto CDs. This is what Noah needed to get his business to take off. He would sell all types of CDs to people, and he would make a lot of money. He would not have been able to do this without Andrew giving him the resources he needed. This is how Noah learns that you need someone privileged to tell you things and give you resources to succeed. I agree to an extent because there is no way to succeed nowadays without having the resources. Money is a major factor in gaining the resources to do what you want in life and some people just don’t have it. That’s why Noah explains that in order to teach a man to fish, he needs a fishing rod. Without it, he can’t fish. On the other hand, I believe people can work for their resources and succeed on their own. If you work hard enough, anything is possible. But I do believe Noah makes a valid point here.  

3. Noah says that “crime cares”. I believe that he means that some people commit crimes in order to survive, or to help their family get by. He says that everyone has different opinions on what is right and wrong. If someone stole food and is trying to sell it, people who need it won’t bother to care where the person got the food from. They just want to buy it so that they can eat. Sometimes people have motives for crime that are not criminal at all. It doesn't seem wrong that a mother brings home food illegally so that her kids can eat. Crime sometimes helps people out, and helps them get by when they’re struggling. This is what Noah says “crime gets involved in the community”. He explains how living in certain areas, and having certain circumstances mean that crime will find its way to you in your life. It’s not always in a bad way, but just so people can help each other live and get by.