In my short time as a conservative, I’m always pleased to see another black conservative boldly speaking out against collective self-pity and victimhood. Unfortunately, some hold on to remnants of distorted, blame-whitey thinking. The black subculture and our attachment to it is very strong, and blame-whitey habits die hard.
You will never hear me say that racism per se doesn’t exist. My purpose is to encourage blacks to understand what they’re capable of despite racism. Racism, in whatever form, is not “holding us back.” At this point in history, it is a sad reminder of how it held back many, and its residual effects will live on. Racism and bigotry are not “white” traits, however. They’re human traits. The next time you call a white person a “racist bigot,” stop and examine yourself. Someone somewhere can truthfully say the same about you.
I ran across an article written by a black conservative type (he may not be), and I really liked it. But the author meanders down the “blame whitey” path. Here are a few things that flaw an otherwise good article:
- Use of the term “African American” (See the rant).
- The assumption that racism causes black failure.
- That it is “racist” to lock up black criminals at higher rates than other races, deny them loans because they have bad credit, deny them government contracts because they either bid higher than others or aren’t as qualified, etc.
This sort of thinking leads to “defining deviancy down.” Instead of encouraging law-abiding behavior, developing good financial practices and competitive businesses, the settled and predictable response is to drag down standards for blacks so they are judged separately.
“Racism” becomes a mitigating circumstance for black criminals, banks disregard qualifications and risk money on blacks with bad credit because it’s “racist” to require them to have good credit, and the government, charged with treating citizens equally before the law, create set-asides for black-owned businesses so they can get a “fair share” of the city’s business. At the same time otherwise intelligent people think all this is “fair.”
- The assumption that individualism is “mean-spirited.” I think black people are sometimes afraid to compete and fail, so they hide behind their skin. It’s true that during slavery and legal segregation, a collective mind-set may have been necessary for our survival. But times have changed, and some old things should pass away.
Collective skin color grievances hold people back, not move them forward. Being handed a race-based entitlement (especially from the government) is no different to me than being handed a putrefying steak served on a garbage can lid.
At the same time, I agree with the author’s blacks-helping-blacks idea, but such is not the opposite of individualism, as he implies. In my opinion, individualism doesn’t mean you don’t help others. It means rather than turning to the government for handouts and solutions, you use your own mind, creativity, ingenuity, and God-given talents to help others and yourself.
Having said all that about the article, I still recommend it.
Catch me today on CORE Hour around 3:28 p.m. EDT with Niger Innis, son of Civil Rights veteran Roy Innis. We’ll talk about ebonics and the unnerving suggestion that black kids are too dumb to learn and speak standard English.
The call in number is 1-866-884-TALK (8255).
