Taken from JRE #1998 w/Ali Siddiq:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1yGwx6Obvo7Nd9yqqqqCS6?si=99c5cda98ded4b87

They don't slap you on your wrist like other places.

No, you can get a life sentence in Houston easy.

Like you was doing somewhere, you gonna just carjack.

You had a weapon while you was carjacking?

What that start with, 35, whatever it is, it's gonna be 35 years and up, So get that wrapped around your mind.

Like, as soon as, man, you get hit with so many charges and then they find out you got a weapon, you got a weapon, like this is how they point at you.

Capital, they ready to throw capital on everything.

Because they need more people to put in these jails.

And it's nothing ever in my life that I do to ever get back to that position.

Like I hold court in the street before something like that happens.

Look, I'm not in favor of carjacking or armed robbery.

But until we address why this is all happening, Until you address why some people have 0 need to rob people and some people that's the

only way they can get by or the way they've learned to get by and it's been in their their neighborhood for so long they've been dealing with gang violence and

Being formally from this position, have I not seen anything else?

See, sometimes I can rationalize when people say I don't know anything else.

Because they didn't come to the hood and drop a bunch of smartphones in the hood.

So How did you find out about smartphones?

Were they doing what you were doing, what you're doing right now at that place?

Like, were they, when you found out about a smartphone, were they gang banging at the place or were they shooting and robbing people and cutting up dope?

Like, what movie haven't you seen that shows you the results of this?

Like even when I was doing wrong, I had a sensibility of, I heard Public Enemy while I was doing wrong.

Like I heard Run-DMC, I heard other things that had positive stuff while I was still doing wrong.

And I can't say it's all I know because now I wouldn't have never thought about a smartphone if I was in the street.

So it's not all you know but it is what you're accustomed to if you grow up in a terrible neighborhood.

If you don't have good role models, if the people around you...

It's a lot of parts to this that but when it's also like when raising kids like I like my oldest daughter I used to tell her mom don't say this in front of her because then you give her that option as an excuse.

Something she probably never would have even thought of using, but when I give her the option to use it, that's the thing.

With me, I'm very transparent about, man, I didn't have to be in the street selling dope.

My desire for what I accepted outside of what my mother was saying to me, because nobody's mother is saying to them get out in the street and gang bang and create ruckus.

So when does that voice become less important to you than whatever you're seeing in the street because nobody in my community not 1 black mother I ever even known in my life, said to they child, this is the only way for you to go and get it, is to rob, pillage, steal, kill, sell dope.

I've never heard that story while I was in prison.

And when people would tell me, man, this all I know.

How in the hell is that all that you know?

It's impossible for that to be all that you know, because you were doing something before you were doing that.

You're a person that takes extreme responsibility, though.

a man with a fully formed brain and your frontal lobe

wise as a kid I wasn't I wasn't what man Joe man well me we was out in the street doing stuff we knew that it was wrong That's why we was trying to hide it from our parents.

I wasn't trying to hide my basketball championship from my mother.

I wasn't trying to hide, when I was working and earned something from working, I wasn't trying to hide that from her, I knew exactly what I was doing because of how we were going about doing it.

And the consequences, what was ridiculous was, we thinking that it's a, Oh, we just go in and get a slap on the wrist, not understanding what you got to go through to even get that slap on the wrist.

Because when you once, you got to get arrested first.

And when you go to the county jail, the county jail is not a place, this is full of grown men.

And they don't care nothing about you being 17.

They don't care nothing about you being 18.

They don't care nothing about you being 19 because you didn't care.

Whatever you were doing in the street, you didn't care.

So why would we care about what you got going on in here?

And we're going to put you in the worst position.

So maybe you can say that you don't wanna be in this position.

Maybe the people who love you will come get you out of this position.

When my mother bonded me out the first time, I should've learned then.

This lady has a job, and I'm making it harder for her.

I'm putting my mother in the hole $2,000 I got a $20,000 bond.

I'm 16 You know I'm saying yeah, And I have no reason because I want a goddamn UNLV jacket.

Well you know that now, but what did you think when you were 16?

You know what, What happened was, how I even get in this situation, I'm in the car with some people that's really petty.

And I know these people are petty because they robbing people and I'm not no robber.

And I know better than to be with somebody that's a robber.

Because it's 2 different categories on things.

And I'm in the car, and he snatched this lady's purse, and I don't say nothing.

Based on camera in the parking lot, everybody that go in the car, we go in there, I'm not gonna snitch on you.

And I told my mom, I ain't take that lady purse.

But did you get some Jordans from the credit card that somebody used?

Then, hey, I'm working at the grocery store and but I still got bread I still got bread and that from my hustling so I'm trying to I'm in a position and I'm trying to figure out how to give my mother this $2,000 back.

Put some dumb shit that I done did, but I'm not supposed to be with nobody even like this.

And see, nowadays people got this weird loyalty to people who they don't even fucking know.

You got a loyalty to somebody who you don't know that ain't got as much to lose as you.

I only really hang with me and they got things to lose like me So you make better decisions?

I'm not a man you you got enough you man What what are you responsible for?

That means a lot to me as a character of your personality.

I ain't gonna be here and you ain't got nobody to just be responsible for you, just yourself?


Speaker 0: The Joe Rogan Experience

Speaker 1: They don't slap you on your wrist like other places. No, you can get a life sentence in Houston easy. Easy. Do something out of pocket. Like you was doing somewhere, you gonna just carjack.

All right, that's a capital offense. You had a weapon while you was carjacking? Okay, capital. What that start with, 35, whatever it is, it's gonna be 35 years and up, So get that wrapped around your mind. Oh, you watched him come out the bank?

Oh, you premeditated robbing? Oh, okay. Sure got you on video too. And you had a weapon? Oh yeah, nothing.

Capital. Like, damn. Like, as soon as, man, you get hit with so many charges and then they find out you got a weapon, you got a weapon, like this is how they point at you. You got a weapon. Capital, they ready to throw capital on everything.

Because they need more people to put in these jails.

Speaker 2: How scary is that? How scary is that?

Speaker 1: Texas is like this. I only had to go once. And it's nothing ever in my life that I do to ever get back to that position. Nothing. Nothing.

Like I hold court in the street before something like that happens.

Speaker 2: Look, I'm not in favor of carjacking or armed robbery. Not in any stretch of the imagination. But until we address why this is all happening, Until you address why some people have 0 need to rob people and some people that's the

Speaker 0: only way they can get by or the way they've learned to get by and it's been in their their neighborhood for so long they've been dealing with gang violence and

Speaker 2: drug dealing and chaos all their life.

Speaker 1: So I ask you this. Being formally from this position, have I not seen anything else? Like ever. See, sometimes I can rationalize when people say I don't know anything else. You have a smartphone?

How did you find out about smartphones? Because they didn't come to the hood and drop a bunch of smartphones in the hood.

Speaker 0: So How did you find out about smartphones? Because they didn't come to the hood and drop a bunch of smartphones in the hood.

Speaker 1: So how did you find out about it? What you was watching, where you was at? Okay, so you was somewhere, okay cool. Were they doing what you were doing, what you're doing right now at that place? Like, were they, when you found out about a smartphone, were they gang banging at the place or were they shooting and robbing people and cutting up dope?

Like, what movie haven't you seen that shows you the results of this? What person haven't you heard speak? Like even when I was doing wrong, I had a sensibility of, I heard Public Enemy while I was doing wrong. Like I heard Run-DMC, I heard other things that had positive stuff while I was still doing wrong. And I can't say it's all I know because now I wouldn't have never thought about a smartphone if I was in the street.

I would be in the street.

Speaker 2: So it's not all you know but it is what you're accustomed to if you grow up in a terrible neighborhood.

Speaker 1: I don't even think...

Speaker 2: If you don't have good role models, if the people around you... I mean, you tell me.

Speaker 1: This is what I'm saying. I think that... It's a lot of parts to this that but when it's also like when raising kids like I like my oldest daughter I used to tell her mom don't say this in front of her because then you give her that option as an excuse. Something she probably never would have even thought of using, but when I give her the option to use it, that's the thing. With me, I'm very transparent about, man, I didn't have to be in the street selling dope.

My mama had a job. My desire for what I accepted outside of what my mother was saying to me, because nobody's mother is saying to them get out in the street and gang bang and create ruckus. Nobody. So when does that voice become less important to you than whatever you're seeing in the street because nobody in my community not 1 black mother I ever even known in my life, said to they child, this is the only way for you to go and get it, is to rob, pillage, steal, kill, sell dope. Not 1 person.

I've never heard that story while I was in prison. From nobody. And when people would tell me, man, this all I know. How in the hell is that all that you know? It's impossible for that to be all that you know, because you were doing something before you were doing that.

Speaker 2: I see what you're saying. I see what you're saying. You're a person that takes extreme responsibility, though. You're also a grown man, and you're also

Speaker 0: a man with a fully formed brain and your frontal lobe

Speaker 1: as a kid

Speaker 2: as a kid you

Speaker 0: as a kid you knew this well you're

Speaker 1: wise as a kid I wasn't I wasn't what man Joe man well me we was out in the street doing stuff we knew that it was wrong That's why we was trying to hide it from our parents. I wasn't trying to hide my basketball championship from my mother. I wasn't trying to hide, when I was working and earned something from working, I wasn't trying to hide that from her, I knew exactly what I was doing because of how we were going about doing it. And all of us knew that we were wrong. And the consequences, what was ridiculous was, we thinking that it's a, Oh, we just go in and get a slap on the wrist, not understanding what you got to go through to even get that slap on the wrist.

Because when you once, you got to get arrested first. And when you go to the county jail, the county jail is not a place, this is full of grown men. And they don't care nothing about you being 17. They don't care nothing about you being 18. They don't care nothing about you being 19 because you didn't care.

Whatever you were doing in the street, you didn't care. So why would we care about what you got going on in here? And we're going to put you in the worst position. So maybe you can say that you don't wanna be in this position. Maybe the people who love you will come get you out of this position.

Like my mother did the first time. When my mother bonded me out the first time, I should've learned then. I should've learned then. This lady has a job, and I'm making it harder for her. I'm putting my mother in the hole $2,000 I got a $20,000 bond.

Speaker 2: How old me then?

Speaker 1: I'm 16 You know I'm saying yeah, And I have no reason because I want a goddamn UNLV jacket.

Speaker 2: Well you know that now, but what did you think when you were 16?

Speaker 1: You know what, What happened was, how I even get in this situation, I'm in the car with some people that's really petty. They really petty. And I know these people are petty because they robbing people and I'm not no robber. I'm a hustler. And I know better than to be with somebody that's a robber.

Because it's 2 different categories on things. I'm hustling for whatever I want. You're taking something from somebody. You're a thief. And I'm in the car, and he snatched this lady's purse, and I don't say nothing.

I'm in the car. Based on camera in the parking lot, everybody that go in the car, we go in there, I'm not gonna snitch on you. But I didn't take no purse. And I told my mom, I ain't take that lady purse. But did you get some Jordans from the credit card that somebody used?

I'm with them. But I ain't take nothing from that lady. I told him, man, that's stupid. And boom, now I'm on probation. Then, hey, I'm working at the grocery store and but I still got bread I still got bread and that from my hustling so I'm trying to I'm in a position and I'm trying to figure out how to give my mother this $2,000 back.

Put some dumb shit that I done did, but I'm not supposed to be with nobody even like this. And see, nowadays people got this weird loyalty to people who they don't even fucking know. That's the crazy thing. You got a loyalty to somebody who you don't know that ain't got as much to lose as you. I only really hang with me and they got things to lose like me So you make better decisions?

Speaker 2: Yeah,

Speaker 1: hey, man. I'm not a man you you got enough you man What what are you responsible for? Oh, who are you responsible for? That means a lot to me as a character of your personality. Oh, I'm just out for self.

Oh, nah, bro. I ain't gonna be here and you ain't got nobody to just be responsible for you, just yourself? Nah.

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Ali Siddiq on "I Don't Know Anyting Else" Mentality