Update III (12/23): This post is closed for comments and trackbacks. We’ve all said what needs to be said, so let’s move on.
Update II (12/22): WordPress (the engine behind this blog) has a feature that gives me the option of approving first-time commenters before the comments appear. If the comment is deemed worthy, I approve it. If not, into the void it goes. Critics get themselves all bent out of shape crafting the rudest comments, only to realize they’re not showing up. Love it.
————————————————————————————————————————————
I get e-mail from black people (and a few whites) asking me if I hate black people. I usually don’t dignify the question with an answer, but I get the point.
I am more critical of blacks than I am of whites because, no offense, I care more about what happens to blacks. That is, I care whether they’re valuing education as highly as they should, whether they’re pushing themselves and their children to be the best and not wallowing in excuses or hurling unfounded charges of racism.
Having grown up black among black family and friends, I noticed a certain undercurrent that didn’t have a name. Whether a person actually suffered from racial discrimination or not, there was an urge to “keep whitey on the hook,” a term I picked up from John McWhorter. He articulated it so well in Authentically Black. We are never to allow whites to forget our historical grievances, whether an individual white person was guilty of discrimination or not. Most whites seem intimidated by blacks who do this. I dare say some of my white commenters are probably intimidated as well, despite their boldness on this blog.
I vowed to take the opposite approach. Rather than using this blog to bit** and moan about slavery, institutional racism and such, I’d use it to “keep blacks on the hook.” It’s a fresh approach and much more interesting than telling whites how racist they are. Blacks need to be reminded, constantly, of our responsibility in this mess.
For example, as we all know, black crime statistics are outrageous, especially considering our proportion of the population. Rarely, if ever, do you hear black people expressing disgust for out-of-control crime rates or lecturing other blacks about their responsibility to stay out of the criminal justice system.
At least I haven’t. I perceived the void and decided to fill it. That makes a lot of blacks angry, and a few whites, too. But that can’t be helped. Here’s the beauty of living in a free country: if you don’t like what I say or write, you can counter it with your own op-ed or blog or other form of communication. Free expression.
When I offer this advice to disgruntled blacks who e-mail me, they have an excuse at the ready. Big surprise, right? (Making excuses must be a reflex.) They’re “nobody,” they say, and I have this huge forum, so who is going to listen to them? Or (this is my favorite) my powerful white benefactors have propped me up so as to drown out the dissenters.
Whatever.
I’ve worked hard on this blog for two years. I didn’t sit around making excuses for what I can’t do, and I’m not here to clear up misconceptions about myself. It would be a waste of time because people who hate me will hate me. All I ask if that you examine yourselves before you start handing out excuses and pointing fingers at white folks. If you want a place to bit** and moan about whites, this is not it.
One of the government policies I hate is skin color preferences, which I’ve written about ad nauseam and will continue to do so as long as it exists. So-called affirmative action was intended to include more blacks in the candidate pool, but it has become the biggest entitlement program ever conceived. It has nothing to do with so-called racial discrimination and everything to do with lowered standards.
Apparently, it’s difficult to find black job candidates and potential university students with credentials comparable to whites. On the one hand, some blacks claim that credentials are comparable, but whites need a “push” to hire or admit. On the other hand, some blacks claim that “comparable” is relative. Just because a black person has a lower score, it doesn’t mean he’s not qualified for a job or admission. It is reasonable, however, to set hiring and admissions criteria, and if your score is below the threshold, you are, by those standards, not qualified. Unfortunately, some blacks — not all, thank goodness — see racial motives behind everything.
I hate “affirmative action” because it’s immoral, unconstitutional, embarrassingly unfair, and undignified.
If blacks with comparable credentials are being passed over, blanket skin color preference policies are not the remedy. Courts are where such disputes should be heard. If blacks are passed over because they don’t have comparable scores, we need to address the problem at a much earlier stage. We all know how dumbed down government schools have become. Get the socialist bureaucrats out of the front offices and demand better for your kids. Fight for school choice, support rigorous standards, and advocate excellence, not mediocrity. And for the love of God, stop making excuses. Discipline your children to turn off that idiot box and study. Embrace and reward studious behavior and penalize laziness.
Despite government policies designed to force equal outcomes, thanks to human nature, it ain’t going to happen. We each have different or varying degrees of talent, drive, and motivation. This is where “diversity” bites liberals on the rear end. In a society as diverse as America, individuals will never have equal stuff. You won’t find equal outcomes within the same biological family, for crying out loud, so how can you expect to find it within a diverse country???
Equal opportunity is the best we humans can hope for and what the Constitution guarantees. That document does not have the power to ensure equal distribution of material wealth, nor should it. I’m glad to know that more people are publicly expressing their distain for skin color distinctions imposed by government. In the news:
- Michigan Civil Rights Initiative Update: “A Michigan appeals court ordered the secretary of state Tuesday to place on the November ballot a proposal that would ban some affirmative action programs.”
- Are race-based scholarships on the way out?
- White firefighters to get $3.5 million: “A federal jury Friday awarded a total of about $3.5 million to six white Chicago firefighters who said they lost out on key promotions due to the city’s affirmative action plan.”
- Jury awards $135,000 each to four white fire captains: “The eight-member panel, which included one black juror, ruled unanimously that Dean discriminated against the men. They awarded $10,000 to each plaintiff in lost wages and benefits and $125,000 to each for emotional pain and anguish.”
- Dip in diversity: (Dumb headline, by the way): When schools dump quotas, which are illegal, they see fewer “minority” students in advanced classes. Again, it’s up to blacks to raise standards, not accept preferences.
Addendum: Yesterday a Baltimore Sun reporter interviewed me for a story about actor Morgan Freeman’s remarks. (See my post). Based on the story’s title, Some blacks take Freeman to task over CBS interview, the slant was already set.
The reporter kept prompting me to criticize Morgan and agree that Black History Month (BHM) is still needed, asking “But do you think we’re there yet?” I didn’t think “there,” wherever that is, was the point. BHM is ridiculous, but instead of being that blunt, I gave what I considered to be thoughtful responses to her questions.
As you can see, my quotes never made it into the article. The only interviewees with quotes included were those critical of Morgan and supportive of BHM. Zero “I agree with Morgan and BHM really is ridiculous” quotes in this biased story. Fortunately I’m not naive enough to believe the reporter set out to write a balanced news story in the first place.
Unrelated Update: Part II of Harry Potter and the Charmed Christians is up. If you want to discuss, please do so at Fantasy Fiction for Christians.
