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Friday, July 29, 2005
Al Gets It Right... Kinda
(Before I get started, I'm going to give a disclaimer. Anyone who reads this and concludes that I'm racist is just plain wrong. Those who know me know that I'm not racist at all. My point of view, however, comes from the fact that I grew up just "up the Hill" from East St. Louis, the "place where cities go to die." Although there are rumblings that the city is making a comeback, I still remember what it was like growing up near there.)
Al Sharpton spoke at the National Urban League's annual conference, and he made some startlingly intelligent comments. He got the reasoning wrong, but the initial statement was valid nonetheless.
Unfortunately, he didn't quite get it right.
If I had to guess, I'd put the blame partially in the lap of do-gooders who tried to do the "right thing" with welfare. They saw poor people (black and white) who needed help, and what could be more caring than to give people what they need, right? But this started a chain of events that they couldn't predict- a culture of entitlement, where people expect to get their benefits just because they walk in the door. (You think I'm making this overly simplistic? I've sat in WIC offices and seen it happen, and my aunt works in an aid office. It happens far too often.)
But, it's not just that. Men in that culture are, in a way, emasculated. There is no need for them, except as a sperm donor. If you're married, you have less access to welfare, so you don't get married. If the father of your children is contributing to their welfare, then you don't get as much money. Then, those kids are raised (not always, but with terrifying frequency) without a father (or with a father with no clear purpose and little or no moral compass), so the boys don't learn what it really means to be a man (to provide for a family, to make committments) and girls don't have a positive model for the right kind of guy to look for. And the cycle continues.
No, this isn't a "black thing". There are plenty of white people (and other minorities, for that matter) who are in the same boat. It's a poverty thing. Liberals, thinking they were doing something good for the downtrodden, set up this system. And now, you have cultural divides as large as the Grand Canyon, and those who speak out in favor of making a better life for their children are racists or traitors (just ask Bill Cosby).
You're right, Al. The Democratic Party has let African-Americans down. They've taken you for granted. But not by putting your young men in jail. They let you down by thinking that throwing money and not solutions at your problems is enough. And, honestly, the GOP won't be much better. This might sound cruel and unfeeling, but... take care of your own. Convince the young men that they need to take responsibility, not the easy way out. Teach your young women to wait for a good man who is willing to commit. Provide a moral framework that is uplifting and encouraging. Discourage anything that drags people down.
Rev. Sharpton gets this part.
Al Sharpton spoke at the National Urban League's annual conference, and he made some startlingly intelligent comments. He got the reasoning wrong, but the initial statement was valid nonetheless.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton blasted blacks Thursday for what he described as their blind support of the Democratic Party without demanding anything in return.Like I said, at first glance, it looks like Al finally figured it out. The DNC has been taking the African-American community for granted since Day 1 (the GOP has been their best friend, but they seem to forget who freed the slaves and who voted for and against Civil Rights legislation back in the 60's), and I'm happy that someone finally started to take notice.
Sharpton, during his remarks at the National Urban League's annual conference in Washington, noted that his fellow Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have taken African-American voters for granted and failed to act in the best interests of the black community.
Unfortunately, he didn't quite get it right.
"The whole network of incarceration (of African-American men) happened under this president and the last president. So it wasn't just George Bush. Bill Clinton -- I wish Hillary had hung around -- Bill Clinton built a lot of jails and passed the omnibus crime bill," Sharpton said.Uh... Rev. ... the omnibus crime bill is not the problem. I seriously doubt the black men incarcerated (African-American males make up 6% of the US population, but 44% of the prison population) are all innocent and are just being targeted unfairly. (No, I'm not saying it doesn't happen- I just doubt that it's epidemic in society today.) There has to be a reason why that happens. I don't believe that African-Americans are any less civil or any more violent, so... what causes it?
If I had to guess, I'd put the blame partially in the lap of do-gooders who tried to do the "right thing" with welfare. They saw poor people (black and white) who needed help, and what could be more caring than to give people what they need, right? But this started a chain of events that they couldn't predict- a culture of entitlement, where people expect to get their benefits just because they walk in the door. (You think I'm making this overly simplistic? I've sat in WIC offices and seen it happen, and my aunt works in an aid office. It happens far too often.)
But, it's not just that. Men in that culture are, in a way, emasculated. There is no need for them, except as a sperm donor. If you're married, you have less access to welfare, so you don't get married. If the father of your children is contributing to their welfare, then you don't get as much money. Then, those kids are raised (not always, but with terrifying frequency) without a father (or with a father with no clear purpose and little or no moral compass), so the boys don't learn what it really means to be a man (to provide for a family, to make committments) and girls don't have a positive model for the right kind of guy to look for. And the cycle continues.
No, this isn't a "black thing". There are plenty of white people (and other minorities, for that matter) who are in the same boat. It's a poverty thing. Liberals, thinking they were doing something good for the downtrodden, set up this system. And now, you have cultural divides as large as the Grand Canyon, and those who speak out in favor of making a better life for their children are racists or traitors (just ask Bill Cosby).
You're right, Al. The Democratic Party has let African-Americans down. They've taken you for granted. But not by putting your young men in jail. They let you down by thinking that throwing money and not solutions at your problems is enough. And, honestly, the GOP won't be much better. This might sound cruel and unfeeling, but... take care of your own. Convince the young men that they need to take responsibility, not the easy way out. Teach your young women to wait for a good man who is willing to commit. Provide a moral framework that is uplifting and encouraging. Discourage anything that drags people down.
Rev. Sharpton gets this part.
Sharpton concluded his discussion with a call for the black community to help itself and return churches to "the center of our community."And that's not just good advice for the African-American community. Our entire society is falling down that well... that marriage is not important... that Mom and Dad don't do a better job of raising kids than just Mom... We all have a lot to learn.
"Even if we [are] not responsible for being down, we [are] responsible for getting up," he said. "And if we wait on those who knocked us down to lift us up we'll never get up 'cause if they wanted us up we would have never been down," he said.
