“They Say that We are Prone to Violence, but It's Home Sweet Home”: The Praxis of Hip Hop, Self-Actualization, and Democratic Education for Addressing the Roots of Violence

Abstract

The unmet need for recognition is at the root of human aggression and violence. Each person has a basic need for food, clothing, and shelter. We also have a personal need for respect and regard, and to reach our potential. For marginalized communities of low-income urban youth of all colors, normal actions taken to meet such needs can become difficult. Efforts are stymied or blocked by society and individuals in the form of injustice and prejudice, as well as discrimination through social, economic, and political isolation. Having these needs unmet, leads to feelings of frustration, powerlessness, hopelessness, and eventually to apathy--the stage before violence. Thus, violence, in itself, is not our problem, normalcy and indifference are. Situations which enable true human regard and respect will reduce the tendency to meet these needs in ways having anti-social consequences. Such genuine situations are characterized by actions toward meeting psychological-social needs through personal and cultural clarification, and selfactualization. The use of pedagogies of recognition and democratic education in our urban public schools, appreciating global Hip Hop culture via validating youth’s search for authenticity, and an urban community enabling the uniqueness, selfdetermination, and human potential of each and every citizen are recommended.