Nods of Approval
I was reminiscing today about life when I was a liberal. I thought about the nods of approval I used to get from Blacks when I would preach about how their was a "system" set up in place to keep blacks subordinate. I used to tell them that White people let a few of us through to simply create the illusion that everyone could make it if they wanted to.
I have since repudiated this idea. My goal (at the time), and the goal of many Black Scholars is to relinquish Blacks of personal responsibility. The truth needs to be told unabashedly. Unfortunately, we have high drop-out rates, STI rates, high illegitimacy, higher crime rates (by us to us), reading gap between white students and black students still exists, test scores (even when socioeconomic status is the same) of blacks still lag significantly behind their white counterparts. We are 12 percent of the population but we account for over 50 percent of the jail population. It wasn't always like this, you know.
When you ask people what the cause is, they will say: Racism. I used to be one of those people. Then I woke-up.
This reminds me of a time when I was talking to my coworker about how frustrated I am with the welfare state. I was expressing to him that before the Great Society Programs of the 60's we owned our own businesses and we were learning in those segregated classrooms! He said, yes, but "You should have seen what 'they' did to us!" I knew what 'they' meant. But I thought, what the heck, I'll ask him anyway. So I said, 'Who is 'they'?' He said, "The WHITE ESTABLISHMENT!"
Has anyone ever attempted to identify who the purported 'White Establishment' is? If the reader knows, please let me know. Because I want to make sure we can all identify who the White Establishment is so we can get them to tell us how the heck they managed to get us to commit rabid crimes against one another. I want to know what they put in the water to get us to sell crack and cocaine. I also want to know how they got us to form gangs to terrorize families, kill our neighbors, and destroy our neighborhoods. If and when we find out who they are, I want the White Establishment to tell me how they got fathers to stop taking care of their children. How many people are part of this 'White Establishment'? Where do they live, because I have lots of questions for them.
How ridiculous the aforementioned paragraph sounds, right?
Even if their was an establishment designed to keep us subordinate, when do we factor in personal choice? What about those teenagers that grew up from a teenage, unwed mother and made the choice to be married before they have children? What about those young men that didn't grow up with fathers and vowed to be fathers to their children? What about those black people that swore they would get out the hood, educate themselves and go back and try to pull one more out? What about those black students that didn't care about being labeled a sell-out because they chose to educate themselves no matter the obstacles? Did the white establishment not get to them? What's their secret so we can let the rest of black America know?
Look, I've been a victim of subtle and overt racism. Does that mean I stop trying? Does that mean I give up? Does that mean I am relinquished of any personal responsibility? Next time you here a leader tell you racism caused all of your problems, I want you to ask yourself those questions. Don't nod and give anyone your approval when you hear this crap. You are better than that. It's not easy being a person of color because you always have to prove yourself, but that doesn't mean you stop trying. We tried when the system was significantly more racist. What's keeping us from trying now?
You think like a conservative if you know you can't wait for the government to save you from your mess. You are a conservative if you acknowledge the only person that can accomplish goals for you...is you. I want you to nod at that.
I have since repudiated this idea. My goal (at the time), and the goal of many Black Scholars is to relinquish Blacks of personal responsibility. The truth needs to be told unabashedly. Unfortunately, we have high drop-out rates, STI rates, high illegitimacy, higher crime rates (by us to us), reading gap between white students and black students still exists, test scores (even when socioeconomic status is the same) of blacks still lag significantly behind their white counterparts. We are 12 percent of the population but we account for over 50 percent of the jail population. It wasn't always like this, you know.
When you ask people what the cause is, they will say: Racism. I used to be one of those people. Then I woke-up.
This reminds me of a time when I was talking to my coworker about how frustrated I am with the welfare state. I was expressing to him that before the Great Society Programs of the 60's we owned our own businesses and we were learning in those segregated classrooms! He said, yes, but "You should have seen what 'they' did to us!" I knew what 'they' meant. But I thought, what the heck, I'll ask him anyway. So I said, 'Who is 'they'?' He said, "The WHITE ESTABLISHMENT!"
Has anyone ever attempted to identify who the purported 'White Establishment' is? If the reader knows, please let me know. Because I want to make sure we can all identify who the White Establishment is so we can get them to tell us how the heck they managed to get us to commit rabid crimes against one another. I want to know what they put in the water to get us to sell crack and cocaine. I also want to know how they got us to form gangs to terrorize families, kill our neighbors, and destroy our neighborhoods. If and when we find out who they are, I want the White Establishment to tell me how they got fathers to stop taking care of their children. How many people are part of this 'White Establishment'? Where do they live, because I have lots of questions for them.
How ridiculous the aforementioned paragraph sounds, right?
Even if their was an establishment designed to keep us subordinate, when do we factor in personal choice? What about those teenagers that grew up from a teenage, unwed mother and made the choice to be married before they have children? What about those young men that didn't grow up with fathers and vowed to be fathers to their children? What about those black people that swore they would get out the hood, educate themselves and go back and try to pull one more out? What about those black students that didn't care about being labeled a sell-out because they chose to educate themselves no matter the obstacles? Did the white establishment not get to them? What's their secret so we can let the rest of black America know?
Look, I've been a victim of subtle and overt racism. Does that mean I stop trying? Does that mean I give up? Does that mean I am relinquished of any personal responsibility? Next time you here a leader tell you racism caused all of your problems, I want you to ask yourself those questions. Don't nod and give anyone your approval when you hear this crap. You are better than that. It's not easy being a person of color because you always have to prove yourself, but that doesn't mean you stop trying. We tried when the system was significantly more racist. What's keeping us from trying now?
You think like a conservative if you know you can't wait for the government to save you from your mess. You are a conservative if you acknowledge the only person that can accomplish goals for you...is you. I want you to nod at that.
I too felt "white people" were to blame. I then began listening to talk shows and realized I agreed with a lot that was being said. I have worked with an agency where I see people getting(scamming/abusing) governmental resources (welfare, section 8 etc.) over and over and over again. I began to realize that these resources were not helping people except in the short term. Long term their lives were no better. I am so glad you started this blog as it reflects some of my personal journey to conservatism. I will help spread the word about your blog.
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I would also like to know about this White Establishment, and why I have been excluded from its decision-making process! How come nobody informed me about it at one of our weekly secret underground white people meetings, where we all collude with each other and devise ways to hold black people down? And now that we have a black president-elect, can I start complaining about the Black Establishment holding me down, I wonder? Lol.
"Look, I've been a victim of subtle and overt racism. Does that mean I stop trying? Does that mean I give up? Does that mean I am relinquished of any personal responsibility? Next time you here a leader tell you racism caused all of your problems, I want you to ask yourself those questions."
Exactly. I don't claim to have been a victim of that much racism, but it's been there. Many times I've been walking with my black (ex)girlfriend in her black neighborhood when a car full of young black men drives past us yelling taunts out the window. Not to mention the way people nearly break their necks turning around to stare at us, like we're a couple of space aliens holding hands. Then on the other side I've got my family who can't understand why I date black women. Even though they've been very nice and hospitable to any girl I've brought home, my mom even once said that she'd rather I was gay than date black women, and my dad once made a comment about how he'd have nappy-headed grandkids. They were half joking, but I know they were also half serious, and it hurt. But anyway, you're right, subtle or overt racism can't be an excuse for any of us to just give up.
"You think like a conservative if you know you can't wait for the government to save you from your mess."
It's like Ronald Reagan said: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
Another fantastic entry, keep up the great work!
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being a liberal or conservative does not limit you from taking personal responsibility. Yes being label a liberal or conservative does have different views but at the same time common sense still applies. Anyone is capable of pointing the finger or blaming someone else for their short comings, so you saying when you were a liberal you use to think like that doesnt apply to everyone that might be a liberal. Also most of your writing is almost always about a battle between being a liberal and conservative and I dont think its always like that or should always be like that. Their are people that might be liberal or a conservative depending on the subject. And if you really think about it only a few are true liberals or conservatives, because its hard being label something and live up to it. Being a liberal doesnt mean blaming the white establishment or any establishment,
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As a white person, I will gladly explain what the white establishment is.
The white establishment is not an actual entity but a history of social expectations, laws with intricacies dating back to Jim Crow and slavery, and a culture that is based on the notion that white people do things correctly and black people don't.
White establishment shouldn't really be used to describe a body of people or a conscious entity. It is literally what it sounds like, that the vast majority of the laws and rules of our society were designed by white people for white people. Sometimes that doesn't mean anything at all, they end up being equally beneficial or detrimental to everyone. But oftentimes it means they either ignore or deliberately exploit black people.
I don't believe you can argue it is "deliberate subordination" because it is a result of people acting entirely out of self-interest.
Despite what your Ayn Rand tells you, a lot of what happens to us in life isn't a result of our own free will and choice. You should look at some psychology studies at just how much disparity there is between what we think we choose to do and how easily a situation or circumstance can manipulate us.
You can argue that free will, personal choice, and responsibility are the answers to social ills (and you're right to a degree, they do play a huge part). But you can't WILL away wage and hiring practice disparity. Or the differences in how easily one can get a good loan. Or the likelihood of being suspected of a crime. Or the incredible disparity in convictions, sentencing, and arrests in our justice system.
All of these things are SOCIAL phenomena, not personal choices. And they are a result of an establishment that attempts to do just what you prescribe as a cure, which is act "color blind". Colorblindness is no answer to the problems in this country. Being black, just as being white and Jewish for me, is part of who you are. It shapes experience and expectations. Creating a colorblind system sounds nice in theory, but when you already have problems that exist as a result of historic color based prejudice (and I would argue current prejudice as well) then a colorblind system simply fails to address issues which directly relate. A colorblind system is really just a system that ignores and/or marginalizes problems facing the black community.
As a liberal, I think that personal choice is only half the battle. I think that circumstances of birth and society are beyond the control of the individual, and it takes a society that cares about its citizens in order to ensure equal rights.
As a side note, I think you should read some Baldwin essays. His theories about race in the United States are still poignant and I think explain these kinds of things better than I ever could.
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Despite what your Ayn Rand tells you, a lot of what happens to us in life isn't a result of our own free will and choice. You should look at some psychology studies at just how much disparity there is between what we think we choose to do and how easily a situation or circumstance can manipulate us.
My undergraduate degree is in Psychology. I'd like you to send me some of these studies that negate the power of choice...I'd really like to read them...
You can argue that free will, personal choice, and responsibility are the answers to social ills (and you're right to a degree, they do play a huge part).
To what degree? I mean, what percentage would you say is given to 'choice'? As you say, freewill, personal choice, and responsibility do play a 'huge' part...how much of a part do they play?
But you can't WILL away wage and hiring practice disparity. Or the differences in how easily one can get a good loan. Or the likelihood of being suspected of a crime. Or the incredible disparity in convictions, sentencing, and arrests in our justice system.
You're right. I can't WILL them away. 'Wage' and 'hiring' practice disparities? Are you looking at the studies that compare apples and oranges or the studies that compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges? I want to see studies that find disparities between blacks and whites who graduate from the same schools, with siminlar GPAs, that work in the same job profession.... When I was a liberal, I wrote countless papers on this issue, and I never read any studies that compared 'apples' and 'apples". Maybe you've read them...if you have please send me the links...I want to read them also.... Furthermore, a large majority of African Americans live in the South and wages are less in the south---could that be a variable in your 'wage' disparitiy phenomena? Or is it all racism...
In terms of the likelihood of being suspected of a crime, black people unfortunately commit crimes at a higher rate than whites. In other words people that look like me commit crimes at a rate disproportionate rate. (12% of the population over 50% of crimes) Is that something you consider when you think about the likelihood of people that look like me being suspected of a crime, or the disproportionate rate of convictions, sentencing and arrests? Or is it simply racism...again...
In terms being able to get 'loans' are you aware that blacks on average have lower credit scores....again...is that a variable...or are the people who make money off of loaning people money, racist too? Do you know of any black people that have good credit that were denied a loan? If you can find any studies that show blacks with good credit being denied a loan...i'd like to read them....
All of these things are SOCIAL phenomena, not personal choices. And they are a result of an establishment that attempts to do just what you prescribe as a cure, which is act "color blind". Colorblindness is no answer to the problems in this country. Being black, just as being white and Jewish for me, is part of who you are. It shapes experience and expectations. Creating a colorblind system sounds nice in theory, but when you already have problems that exist as a result of historic color based prejudice (and I would argue current prejudice as well) then a colorblind system simply fails to address issues which directly relate. A colorblind system is really just a system that ignores and/or marginalizes problems facing the black community.
I'm not sure about what your 'colorblind' world looks like...My oppinion is that people will live up to MLK's dream which was to judge people based on the contents of their character and not by the color of their skin...
As a liberal, I think that personal choice is only half the battle. I think that circumstances of birth and society are beyond the control of the individual, and it takes a society that cares about its citizens in order to ensure equal rights.
Well as a conservative I believe that Personal Choice is ALMOST ALL of the battle. Everyone I know who 'made it' out of the hood says that they made it out because they were determined and they were driven to do better. It was interesting because I remember watching BLACK IN AMERICA (the CNN series) and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson a liberal scholar , was sitting side by side with his brother who is in prison for committing a crime. They were raised in the same environment. The interviewer asked his brother what he thinks allowed Dr. Dyson to end up with a PHD, and him in prison, since they grew up in the same home---Surprise Surprise his brother's answer was "CHOICE." Dr. Dyson who is a liberal expectedly dismissed his choice as a probable reason---and said it was probably because he was lighterskinned than his brother and that's what determined their fate...
It's not that I don't see the obstacles that people face. I am black, I've faced many. I have been a victim of racism. But it doesn't relinquish me of the responsibility to rise above and beyond the sometimes low, sometimes high expectations of me. You see, before the Great Society programs, black people weren't sitting around waiting for government programs and white people to save them, they made it a point based on the writing of people like Booker T. Washington and WEB Dubois to push against the grains of racism. There was less victimology and more Racism. Now there is less racism and more victimology. That seems backwards to me, what about you?
The problem I have with liberals is that they attribute EVERYTHING to racism. So they don't say things like, maybe you should stop committing crimes at at disproportionate rate and eventually you will be less likely to be a victim of racial profiling. Liberals don't say things like, hey, get your credit score up, stop living above your means, and start saving more so your chances of being rejected for a loan diminish. Everything is due to racism. If I do something wrong, I expect the people that love me and care about me to hold the mirror up to my face----I don't want them to say it's ok, you're simply a victim of circumstance....because even if it were partially true, I am still in control of my actions...I am in control of the choices that I make...
The dialogue about race needs to change...the current dialogue isn't helping...
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