Having my picture taken with Star Parker was the highlight of the forum yesterday at the Cato Institute. I’ll post it as soon as I have it developed (yes, I still have an old-fashioned 35mm). I didn’t realize I had only one exposure left, so I didn’t get to take pictures with John or Debra.
The forum was moderated by Casey Lartigue, formerly of Cato, and the panelists were Star Parker, John McWhorter and Debra Dickerson. Each discussed different ways of addressing the “black problem.”
Star made a distinction between the working poor and the underclass. In all honesty, whenever we’re talking about the poor in the black community, we’re referring to the underclass, a group caught up in the cycle of dependency, poverty, illegitimacy, crime, drug use, underemployment and other pathologies.
Star said the biggest problem in black America is the collapse of the family, through which shared experiences and values are passed down from generation to generation. Sadly, one of the most important things children growing up in broken homes are not exposed to is commitment to marriage.
To go a step further, I say that because children in such homes don’t (or can’t) learn the value of commitment to marriage, their ability to develop commitment in other areas is weakened.
Now Debra Dickerson is interesting. (The photo doesn’t do her justice. She’s gorgeous in person.) I’d never heard of her until the recent release of her latest book, The End of Blackness. She says she tries not to be partisan when dealing with problems in the black community; she’s interested only in practical solutions.
Labels like “liberal” and “conservative” don’t address the issues. It doesn’t matter how we got here, she said. The question is how do we fix the problems?
Debra said that certain black liberals are not interested in practical, out-of-the-spotlight ways of helping people, and questions their obsession with the “doings of white people.”
Such people focus on enshrining an unhealthy relationship with white people that defines their “blackness.” Questioning the motivation of blacks is one of the reasons Debra is considered a conservative by black liberals.
I agree with her on that point. Any black person who isn’t obsessed with the “sins of whites” is called a conservative, whether they consider themselves so or not. But I would describe Debra Dickerson as a moderate. According to my standards, she’s not conservative.
John McWhorter is a true intellectual. He talked about some black people’s determination to change how others may feel about them. Eradicating “racism” is a useless concept.
He talked about the hateful responses that he, Star and Debra receive, and believes these people are a minority who don’t pose a significant threat.
John mentioned two books he’s been reading and some ideas he’s been thinking about. One idea is that young men in a society tend to begin certain movements that “rape civilization,” such as homicidal terrorists, and that there is a certain element of this in the black community. These people are “fanatics” who are under the influence of a way of thinking that’s counterintuitive.
He briefly commented on other fanatical movements in history and how the people involved seem not to be interested in reality, but some vague, ideal future. In other words, the present is always unsatisfactory no matter what. John believes this has to do with their own insecurity and desire to become part of a larger movement where individuality is suppressed.
Watch or listen to the archived event. You’ll hear my disembodied voice around 1:21 when I give a shameless plug for my blog.
During the discussion I noticed that Star seemed to be the connecting point, and not just because her book was the focus. At times, it appeared to be Star and John vs. Debra, then Debra and John vs. Star.
While I agree with John and Debra on some points, I agree with Star on all points. The welfare state has wreaked havoc in the black community. Practical solutions to problems are fine, but without the spiritual element, practical solutions aren’t THE solution.
It’s very unpopular to talk about your faith. You know people don’t want to hear it because they don’t think it’s relevant to the discussion. But people need spiritual healing and cleansing, and the only way that happens is through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Once you get off welfare, get a good job and get your children into good schools, your sin problem still must be dealt with.
