Abstract
These are not easy times in which to grow up. All sorts of social factors are involved. The increased impact of Narcissism and Nihilism on American society, the breakdown of standards, and the divorce epidemic are all factors. These trends have had especially unhappy implications for the African-American community. Some of them are more pronounced in this sub-culture, and they tend to exacerbate the likelihood of a Black family falling into or remaining in the state of poverty.