FM and John Kerry

[strandinthewind]

From www.ajc.com:

His words sting because truth hurts

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/26/2004

Never mind Howard University.

The administration of the Washington institution is apparently in a bit of a huff because Bill Cosby used its podium to criticize the failings of black America -- especially its underclass. Howard's leaders, who won't release a transcript of Cosby's speech, are still not prepared to have a public discussion of self-inflicted wounds.

But much of black America, especially its middle class, is ready to have that conversation. In that sense, Cosby's speech was a watershed event -- a sign that black America is now comfortable enough with its accomplishments to discuss its shortcomings.

"Perhaps Bill did us a favor," says NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who attended the ceremony, "and more people will now be prepared to step forward. It'll be a tough love conversation, whether or not people want to have it. And it will take opinion leaders to say those things that should be said."

Not all black Americans agree with the remarks Cosby made at a May 17 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. Indeed, his criticism of everything from speech patterns to spending habits among the black poor was pointedly politically incorrect.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal," he said. "These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids -- $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics' " to improve their children's reading and speech.

Of the disproportionate number of blacks in prison, Cosby had this to say: "These are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake, and then we run out and we are outraged, saying, 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What in the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?"

After the speech, Theodore Shaw, head of the NAACP legal defense fund, rushed to the podium to serve up a rejoinder, noting that larger (read "white") American society still bears some responsibility for the failure of so many black Americans to join the economic and cultural mainstream. That is clearly so.

But isn't it about time that black Americans acknowledge that, at the dawn of the 21st century, personal responsibility has at least as much to do with success in America as race? Isn't it only fair to note that the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 50 years ago did roll back much of systemic racism? After all, if you believe that racism continues to largely limit black success, that will certainly prove itself true.

"There is no reason that black students have to do poorly in math and science, in speech, in cognitive abilities," Mfume said. "When you're quiet about those [shortcomings], young people notice, and it sounds like you're giving your approval."

Some blacks have recoiled from Cosby's pointed remarks, not because they disagree, but because they don't want to discuss certain ignominious truths in front of white folks. They fear such painful self-analysis will only provide fodder to the race-baiters -- the Neal Boortzes and Rush Limbaughs -- who work hard at stoking a white backlash.

I'm sure Boortz and Limbaugh have already made ample use of Cosby's speech to stir up the racist rants among a certain segment of their listeners. So what? They'd look for excuses to poke the tender wounds of race no matter what Cosby had said.

It is more important that black Americans have a spirited debate about the challenges of the post-civil rights era: How do we raise the academic achievement of black students? How do we curb black-on-black crime? How do we attack an AIDS epidemic spreading like wildfire in black America?

In a way, Cosby's speech was an eloquent reminder of the stunning success of the civil rights movement that followed the Brown decision: Black America is strong enough and successful enough to admit its shortcomings and gird itself for the work ahead.

[CarneVaca]

Pleeease, Jason. Let's not gang up on inner-city youth and their parents without at least trying to understand that there are socio-economic roots to their problems. The longer we continue to deny these root causes, the longer the problem will persist. Unfortunately, I fear that's forever.

Having been in contact with inner-city problems, I see that there are some situations so hopeless, so hard to imagine that it is quite difficult for anyone outside of the situation to understand that the problem is not a matter of choice. It is hard for folks to understand that an inner-city teenager completely lacking in hope for the future does not make that choice of hopelessness intentionally. Drugs and gangs prey on these vulnerabilities. Just imagine in today's world what other dangerous prospects might start preying on them too. Frankly, I shudder to think of some of the dire prospects.

Our insistence on denying these problems, our penchant for debating them ad nauseum as if they were some exercise in rhetorical prowess, may yet come back to bite us in far more grotesque ways than we have so far allowed ourselves to consider.

[strandinthewind]

It is not just inner city youth. There are parts of rural America where home schooling is just a facade for "get out and work with your father in the fields." Again, I am not saying that society has no effect on the ability to create and stifle ave. for learning, etc. Clearly it does. As I alluded to earlier, I have seen it first hand when I tutored in New Orleans. All I am saying is many (in my case the majority) can and do rise above that. I think some and certainly not all of the ones that do not rise above are just lazy and self-centered - and it disgusts me that they then assert "I am a victim of society" when called on it - of course the problem is everyone on the outside if you will lumps all parents into the latter category. Interestingly, there is a whole almost Darwinian theme to it and that scares me as it apparently scares you as well.

Interestingly, Jesse Jackson for years has been espousing this or a very similar theory.

[CarneVaca]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Interestingly, there is a whole almost Darwinian theme to it and that scares me as it apparently scares you as well.

Yes. Let me oversimplify how I see this whole problem:

Those with the power and the money keep everybody else down.
Those somewhere in the middle take what they can get and cheat themselves into believing they're doing great. Unfortunately they contribute to the problem because they are buying what those with the power and the money are selling them, philosophically and materially.
Those at the very bottom know they're being screwed but they don't see a way out. Hopelessness lashes out in some very negative ways -- drugs, crime, etc.

It's up to the ones in the middle to force change. That doesn't happen until enough of the ones in the middle get pushed down.

Read up on the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s in China for a pretty good illustration of what I'm talking about.

[SmthngOfADreamr]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

VAIN! The alternative sounds messy.
Sorry, with you being a teacher, I couldn't resist the correction.

LMAO I'm a MATH teacher!!!

[SmthngOfADreamr]

Originally Posted by CarneVaca

What do you think causes the apathy among the parents?

I really wish I knew the answer to this one. If I had to guess, I'd say that the problem lies beyond the schools for them. It's probably hard for some of the parents to see the value of education when they themselves are stuck in deplorable conditions, bad jobs, etc. despite the fact that they graduated from high school in most cases. I'd really like to get down to the bottom of it though.