Stand up and push back is the theme and purpose of my blogs. I did not invent it; I’m not that smart. Our Founding Fathers did not invent it either, but they made sure it was ingrained in the Constitution and culture of our nation. They knew that man and man’s government will, if left unchecked gravitate toward extremes and oppression of others not in alignment with those in power.
This system of checks and balances is seen in the division of power between the three branches of government; the judicial, the executive and the legislative branches. It works best when each branch executes its power to the fullest of its ability and when each branch stands up and pushes back when a branch tries to overreach in its authority and power.
Our government is failing at maintaining the checks and balances that keep our government in line to serve and protect the people. When the government fails the people or is complicit in allowing one group to infringe upon the rights of others it is up to the people to stand up and push back. It is why I blog.
I realize my voice is not very loud nor is it very powerful, but at least I am not silent. I cannot take on all the wrongs I see in our country today so I focus on the matters important to me.
The one I come back to time and time again is what I call 180 racism. 180 racism is the other side of racism that the mainstream media does not normally report. 180 racism is not an attempt to denigrate blacks nor is it an attempt to promote whites. It is simply a check to balance racial discourse.
The discourse on race issues tends to be one-sided. The meme is blacks are victims of slavery, white oppression, unequal everything and the only way to right the wrong is to denigrate, demonize and eviscerate white people of their unjust and unearned white privilege.
This notion that you can raise yourself up is by knocking others down and climbing up on their broken bodies is evil and highly counterproductive. It serves to divide our country along racial lines. It is a fact that as a percentage there are more blacks living in poverty than other races. Many of these blacks, fueled by the rhetoric of Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan and even President Obama believe their path to financial success is be treated differently because of their skin color and take from others of different skin colors who have more. This is not the answer.
Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the answer to us. We must look beyond the color of one’s skin and at the content of their character. President Johnson understood that the past discriminatory acts made it very difficult for blacks to do well even if the racial discrimination was outlawed. It is for that reason that I supported race-based preferential treatment for a limited time.
The time has come for to stop all race-based prefrential treatment, all racial discrimination and for us all to follow MLK, Jr.’s message to stop judging, stop blaming, stop attacking and stop hating each other because of the color of our skin. We must be united in condemning any racial discrimination against our fellow brothers and sisters. However, this condemnation cannot be 180, it must be 360. We cannot condemn only the Klu Klux Klan, we must also condemn the New Black Panthers. We cannot just condemn all white country clubs; we must also condemn the Congressional Black Caucus. We cannot just condemn the too white Academy Awards; we must also condemn the too black BET Awards. True equality, racial equality, is when people are held accountable for their actions regardless of race and compete without racial preferences. This is the path to racial harmony and a better economic conditions for blacks in this country. When the real problems are identified then real solutions can start to work.
We must look beyond skin color as the cause of poverty, lack of education, and racial disparity in the job market and earning. This does not mean we do not address the problems facing Americans but we do so in a color blind way that serves all people.
People are not wealthy because of their skin color. They are not poor because of it either. They are poor or rich because of three things. Luck (who your parents are), the choices you make and your willingness to forgo immediate gratification for long term success. This analysis is a bit oversimplified, but you get the gist.
I have seen, with my own eyes, neighborhoods that were thriving until blacks rioted, as they did in 1968, and burned out the businesses operated by whites. Those businesses stayed empty until Koreans immigrated to this country and opened up grocery stores and other businesses in those empty buildings.
The Koreans did not speak English, but they worked hard and made sure their children went to school, schools right there in the black neighborhoods. They saved their money, they raised their children and they prospered. The wealth they earned was passed onto the children. Their children were given an advantage in the opportunity race not because of the color of their skin but because of the action of their parents.
It is a myth that blacks are not succeeding in America. They are and for the very same reasons I described about the Korean families. The blacks that are mired in poverty are there not because they are black but because of losing the parent lottery and their choices.
It is a hard reality to know that you as an individual will never be wealthy, will never have fancy clothes or cars, but accepting that fact and committing to making sure that your children have a better life is the key to breaking the cold hard chains of poverty.
The other fact is that two parents are better than one. Do not mistake this to mean that two parents are better individuals than the single parent who works hard and sacrifices for their children because it isn’t what I mean. Bless those single parents who sacrifice to raise their children. They are saints.
It is just easier for two parents to raise the children and help them be successful. Two parents mean two incomes or if one stays home, one income but without the large expense of child care. Two parents mean that they can tag team raising the kids each bringing their own unique love and nurturing and giving the other a break when they need it.
Two parents will not raise 72 percent of black children born today. From birth, the odds of success for these children are diminished. Again, not disparaging the single parent, just stating a fact.
Take a look at the video I posted. Judge Judy said it very well. We need to say what she said and more over and over. People, including black people, need to stop blaming others for their problems. It is not skin color that holds you back, it is sometimes just bad luck, but more often than not it is your own poor choices. You have ways to, perhaps not have a “wealthy” life for yourself, but for your children. Put the children first and we will see poverty reduced in this country.
As a final word, stop attacking me for the color of my skin, stop making excuses for people because of their skin color, stop promoting racial discrimination and start being an American and not an African-American and I will stand with you and not against you.
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