I don’t quite agree with this. What would be more accurate in my opinion is that they never let black people forget our “historical grievances”. Is this unwise? Is it not important for a people to know their history? Do people complain that non-Jewish people must always be reminded of the Jewish holocaust?

Isn’t it better to focus on the fact of these individuals being “Ivy League-educated, upper-class”? The most destructive force in black American society is generally composed of those blacks who couldn’t care less about slavery, Jim Crow, Africa, lynchings, civil rights, or any aspects of black history. Street thugs, gang bangers, drug dealers, and other trifling blacks rarely have any knowledge nor interest in any aspect of black history. Afrocentrists, whether you like them or not, are generally educated, self sufficient people. If black America was filled with a bunch of people who readily studied and discussed the history of anti-black racism in America, yet never committed crimes nor depended on government aid, wouldn’t this be a better place? And while they may, for the most part, be liberal, remember that roughly half of the white population is liberal. If they are guilty of anything, it is probably the tendency to make excuses for and failure to shun those trifling blacks that have little or no knowledge of nor interest in historical black struggles.

Of all of the black people I know who emphasize to one another the history of slavery and oppression of blacks in history, I never see them throw it in the faces of their white friends and acquaintances. I would imagine that people are concentrating on those blacks in the public limelight who express such things, and somehow making public statements about past racism equates to addressing whites. Folks act like black people don’t watch the news nor read the newspaper. It reminds me of how Bill Cosby bravely attempted to constructively confront the black population and ended up becoming a poster boy for white conservatives; something that I doubt he intended. The problem with addressing one population is that all populations will hear and thus put their spin on it. Bill passionately wants to see black people stop the common destructive behavior. The result is that he was made to seem by the right as if he was joining right along white conservatives in bashing black folks.

LaShawn, you say that you “don’t let blacks ‘off the hook,’”. I don’t know much about you beyond what I read on this website, but I know that black people are not very familiar with you at all. How much time do you spend spreading your message to those lost ghetto inhabitants? Do you go to Watts, Compton, Harlem, Chicago’s South Side, the 9th Ward, etc. and call those people out on their self destructive attitudes and behaviors? I’m just curious because I don’t know how you are not letting black folks “off the hook” by criticizing them to this blog audience which appears to be composed almost entirely of white people. If your are going out and confronting these people, then I commend you. If you are not, I don’t see the constructiveness of a black person criticizing black people to an audience of cheerleading white people.

Deluded and guilt-ridden white liberals who support Jackson are the worst part of the problem. Thank goodness I’ve been pardoned, and no longer need to walk with ny head down:

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/gift.html

Thank you. Also include white conservatives. I hear Jesse Jackson called a “black leader” more from the right than from anywhere else. Blacks are NOT waking up in the morning and planning their days based on what Jesse Jackson says. Trifling blacks are not listening to Jackson speeches at all. Those who do listen to him and support him are generally educated, self sufficient black liberals who are no different from educated, self sufficient white liberals. It’s almost comical to many blacks how much attention is given to Jesse Jackson. Jackson is an interesting character to most blacks and little more. If Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan, etc. disappeared tomorrow, nothing will change concerning the condition of blacks in this country.

The next time you use scriptures to make a point “But Christian conservatives don’t really pay much attention to what Jesus said, because things like “sell all you have and give it to the poor” make sure the contexts is correct, Jesus wasn’t telling everybody to sale what they have and give to the poor he was talking to this one person who’s riches were getting in the way of following him.

I also found it interesting that Phillips pointed out the hypercritical nature of Black conservatives and how that is perceived.

I also found it interesting that Phillips said that Black conservatives make too much of media appointed “Black leaders” when people in the Black community don’t give the “Black leaders” the weight and credibility that Black conservatives give those media appointed “Black leaders”.

Phillips said MANY of the same things I have said, and have been criticized for saying.

But what do I know? I’m just an opinionated independent, registered as non-aligned, who doesn’t vote for party but for the individual.

What happened to the belief in personal responsibility? Seriously.

And if you want to place the blame where you do, then make sure you point out that Ronald Reagan’s administration push to modify welfare rules to make it harder to have welfare going to homes with working men in them AND the administration LOWERED the amount of money a family on welfare could have in the bank. In one swoop, they helped push men out of the homes and push a spending, not saving, mentality.

But thanks to welfare reform, fiercely resisted by Democrats, the government no longer increases welfare payments with each baby.

The “funny” thing is, there has never been a study that showed that women on welfare had more babies to get more money. In fact, pre-welfare reform, most women on welfare had no additional children while on welfare. AND studies showed that most women on welfare were on welfare for no more than 4 years.

Apples and oranges, DS. If I’d said the federal government HAD TO FIX BLACK PEOPLE, then we’d have a problem. Laying blame where it falls (feds and the people) and owning up to your part of a tragedy and why you’re the one who has to fix it aren’t contradictory at all. Nice try, though. And I’d LOVE to see those studies about women on welfare not having babies. Funny, I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Perhaps my eyes were lying. – Admin

I do believe that maybe there is a slight chance of hope to at least lessen the amount of racism with a new generation. I do believe that the baby boomers have a bit to do with the way they have raised their children at such a critical time in history. Growing up with baby boomer parents I can see how they did nothing to stress friendship or best of all… nothing. If they had not said anything I think it would have been better than to hear negative remarks. They had an opinion and passed it on to the future. Having teenagers of my own I can see a change. There is no color. And to me that sounds like a pretty good start!