onetwofiveten is not saying that poor black men are unable to make choices. He/she is saying that those choices are made in a context in which "bad" choices -- choices that you and I would not make -- nonetheless seem to make sense to them.
That context is not something we can control, but we as a society do have some impact on it through our public policy choices.
As for the parole violation, I don't think we can evaluate it as "bad behavior" without knowing what restriction he was under and why he was under it. Did it really serve some valid purpose, or was it somewhat arbitrary?
That context is not something we can control, but we as a society do have some impact on it through our public policy choices.
As for the parole violation, I don't think we can evaluate it as "bad behavior" without knowing what restriction he was under and why he was under it. Did it really serve some valid purpose, or was it somewhat arbitrary?