The Washington Post has published a very important survey on "Being a Black Man." This is fascinating, detailed and thoughtful enough an article to pass as a Master's Thesis in many sociology departments around the nation.

Here are some basic contradictions underscored by the Post survey conducted on a random sample of 2.864 adults nationwide:

1) 56% of black men believe the SYSTEM is to blame for their economic difficulties. However 59% also acknowledge that there were things they have failed to do that would have made a difference in the outcome.

2) 79% of the black men surveyed were OPTIMISTIC about their own personal future. Yet 34% said, as a GROUP, black men were facing a worse future and 36% said the future would be the same. Only 29% said a better future was awaiting black men as a group.

3) 60% of the black men said "it's a good time to be a black man in America..." However, only 10% said the black men were doing "very well." 66% thought it's the white man who is doing "very well."

Here are the top 5 reasons the respondents gave for why more young black males ended up in jail than any other group:

71% -- "Police are more likely to target black men than whites."

69% -- "More black men grow up in poverty."

67% -- "Courts are more likely to convict black men than whites."

60% -- "Black men have fewer job opportunities."

58% -- "Many black parents aren't teaching their children right from wrong."