Independence Day Is For Black People Too

by walterm on July 4, 2011

Special thanks to my good friend Holly Williamson, who turned me on to a recent article penned by Dr. Boyce Watkins, a professor at Syracuse University. The title of Mr. Watkins article is No Independence Day for Black People, and is as telling about the attitude of many highly successful black people as it is a sad commentary on how narrow minded many in the black community have become. It so pains me to say this, but this article is typical black group think, which is the very thing holding our people down these days, since we tend to externalize our problems and refuse to internalize the responsibility we have for our own free will actions. Consider that from the outset, Watkins talks about his biological father who abandoned him at birth. Now whose fault was that, and what does that have to do with July 4, or the price of rice in China, for that matter? I hardly know. He then lists six points decrying the purported fact that even though “slavery ended long ago, the descendants of our historical oppressors still control nearly every dimension of our lives.” So in essence, blacks continue to be oppressed to this day in virtually every dimension, says a black professor with a PhD. Oh, the irony.

Here are his six points, and my response to each:

1) Large corporations like Viacom and Time Warner control major black media outlets like BET and Essence, giving them the right to shape our collective point of  view. We depend on these companies to tell us what to think.

BET was owned by a black man who sold the business he created. Now why did he sell out? I don’t know, but I suppose it was because he wanted the money, and I see no fault in that. I guess the money was more important than continuing to have a black-owned business that supported the black community (which had a high percentage of programming that was hardly uplifting to blacks, both then and now). More importantly, I decide what I will put into my head, not a collective. I have over 300 books in my house and over 200 on my Kindle. Christ, Aristotle, Augustine, and C.S. Lewis “control” my thinking far more than Essence and BET can because that is what I choose to put into my head. Perhaps Dr. Boyce could do the same, and you can too. This is common sense that seems to be completely lost even on a PhD.

2) Most African Americans are controlled by corporate jobs that mute their ability to speak out or stand up on issues of social justice. We depend on companies owned by others in order to feed our children.

Darn it, most of us work for corporations (self included), not just black people. So you could also argue that whites are controlled and muted. In fact, most large companies have adopted some sort of diversity and inclusiveness training (which I personally find nauseating), which actually gives an unequal voice to people of color. So I don’t see how this stops them from standing up for social justice. Indeed, it actually gives them a forum for encouraging it.

3)  Black children’s minds are obliterated at an early age by media giants who mass market hip-hop music that sells black boys a recipe for self-destruction by the time they reach kindergarten. Capitalist and shareholder-created monstrosities like Lil Wayne teach them how to kill themselves and each other by the time they become teenagers.

This is truly a serious problem, but is not limited to black children. White children’s minds are being obliterated by media giants too. The solution here is parents, parents, parents. So I think this a naive and foolish point. And as an aside, Lil Wayne is black, so why is he complicit in this destructive trade along with white people? Shouldn’t he be “fighting the power that be,” so to speak? I think I know, he is making lots of money doing it. Duh.

4) Our children have their futures thrown into the trash by school systems that put even the most brilliant black boys in special education at a rate that is five times greater than white kids.

Nonsense. Brilliant black boys don’t just “find” themselves in Special Ed. Brilliant black boys whose parents don’t bother to help them reach their potential, or who come from single parent homes in poverty with moms that don’t even know who the father is and don’t get the love and care they need end up in Special Ed. Again, parents, parents, parents.

5) The NCAA still earns over a billion dollars per year on the backs of black families, leaving many single black mothers in poverty. In fact, athlete compensation has been criminalized, while mostly white coaches and administrators sign multi-million dollar contracts without playing in any of these sporting events.

In black culture, the most prized people are athletes and entertainers, even today. We needed this 50+ years ago, because there were barriers that needed to be broken down. Any black student who goes into the NCAA today knows they have an infinitesimal chance of getting into the pros, but many do it anyway and don’t even come out with a college education, let alone a decent high school education. What blacks should know by now is that sports to the exclusion of education is a recipe for disaster. Yes, every now and then you get a LeBron James, but for every LeBron, the landscape is littered with thousands of young black men who have no education and no employable skills. That is not the fault of the NCAA, but of the parents and our culture. So please don’t pass this responsibility off on the NCAA.

6) Black unemployment is nearly double that of white Americans, with no politician in Washington expressing any interest in alleviating the suffering with targeted policy. We depend on politicians and a Democratic Party that fills our minds empty rhetoric, while not respecting us enough to deliver on campaign promises.

At long last, he is correct. The Democrats are utterly useless, but they actually deliver on their promises. You give me your vote, and I will give you entitlements that I take from someone else so you will be loyal to me (and yes, you are a dummy for buying into my rhetoric). Republicans, on the other hand promise an equal opportunity so that you can become a self-reliant, responsible adult, with no special handouts for anyone unless there is a clear disparity that needs to be corrected. But blacks, en masse, continue to vote overwhelmingly Democratic, so whose fault is that? At least Republicans are honest that it is you who is responsible to make your life work, and that government is not the answer to your problem, other than to make it so you have the maximum opportunity to pursue life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, as codified in the Declaration of Independence. And that is why blacks should celebrate the fourth of July, because even though we were slaves then, the Declaration was meant for us too as the founders knew that slavery wouldn’t be around for always. They crafted a Constitution that was based on universal principles and allowed, through the amendment process, for the country to grow, change, and thus correct injustices over time. Thus blacks in America have every opportunity before them. I can only wonder why a man who holds a PhD and professorship at a major American university could be so blind to what a blessing America has been to him. He has everything to celebrate and much to be grateful for as an American.

Share

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: