Black Man Thinkin'

The American experiment in limited government, combining people from many lands and cultures into a common citizenship, is: the most powerful; the most admired; and the most desired destination, for those seeking higher education or a new home, among the world’s nations.

And America is yet a young country, at 238 years of age, compared to other traditional powers, i.e., other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council:

• China: 2,235 years of age (from beginning of Qin dynasty)
• France: 2,490 years of age (from fall of Roman Empire)
• Russia: 1,152 years of age (from Viking founding)
• United Kingdom: 1,604 years of age (from the Anglo-Saxon invasions)

Not surprisingly, America receives scrutiny, from her unique governmental structure to her patchwork culture constructed by her “melting pot” of people.

Two races dominate America’s melting pot – Caucasian and Negro. Emphasis on this distinction often causes people to overlook America’s rich ethnic diversity. For some, there are no Italians, Germans, Poles, Swedes, Russians, etc. These ethnic identities are irrelevant; all are simply Caucasian, or “White”. Similarly, there are no Ethiopians, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Liberians, Somalis, etc.; all are simply Negro, or “Black”. Other races are either counted as one of these two, i.e. latinos are often considered “White”, or are not yet part of the mainstream conversation.

Paradoxically, this “uniting” of Americans, away from their diverse ethnic groups, and into two races, is destructive, divisive, and something Americans do to themselves.

With another, natural, division added to the mix – that of gender – the primary roster of American people for scrutiny becomes: white male; white female; black male; and black female.

America’s white male is the de facto national standard. The status of nearly all Americans is determined by their standing in relation to the income levels, employment viability, political and business leadership of America’s white male.

Consequently, America’s white male endures scrutiny. Everything he thinks and feels, the what and how of all he does, is dissected, so others might better understand, emulate, or criticize him. Critics consider him the primary oppressor of all women and all non-whites, often calling him “the system” or “society”, and describe him as racist, misogynistic, homophobic, anti-immigrant, Islamophobic, among other intolerant adjectives.

America’s white female also endures scrutiny, but different from that of her male counterpart; it focuses on what independence she has gained from, and gender equality she has achieved with, white males. Waving a feminist banner, white females continuously endeavor to: work in the same jobs, command the same salaries, and have the same political and business influence as white males. Additionally, she scrutinizes herself, trying to balance removing male-female boundaries with the natural demands of being female (“Am I a real woman if I do not bear children?” Am I a bad mother if I work outside the home or work too much?” “Do I need a man?” “What is a woman’s role in a relationship/marriage?”). White females portray themselves as promoting themselves to the benefit of everyone. Those who think otherwise, say so to their own peril.

However, that white females eagerly benefit more from “Affirmative Action” than those whose plight brought it about, calls her “concern for all” into question. Also, some white females now condemn feminism for its negative impacts on women, and on the country.

Then there is America’s black male. Largely due to governmental efforts to “help” him over the last fifty years, he is:

• Both the leading perpetrator, and leading victim, of violent crimes,
• Undereducated,
• underemployed, and
• Most likely to be absent from his children and family.

Historically, non-blacks scrutinized America’s black male to determine how to help him, or how to destroy him. Interestingly, nearly every attempt at the former resembled what Frederick Douglass called “positive injury”; they generally did more harm than good. As for efforts to destroy him, well, the nonviolent ones look similar to efforts to help him; the primary difference between the two efforts is the political ideology of those making them.

Consequently, scrutiny of the black male, though intense, has produced little that helped him. In fact, it is hard to identify any effort, that did not originate with the black male, that has.

Finally, there is the black female, the least scrutinized of the four. Unlike her male counterpart, she is a sympathetic figure; her life decisions receive scant, if any, criticism, and many consider her the “backbone of the black family”. However, that backbone apparently has a slipped disk; the black family lost ground to white families over the last half century, which may validate this challenge to the notion that black females support black males, or strengthen the black family:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvukHcsRpMs[/youtube]

There is ample information regarding a concerted effort to establish feminism among black females, and a form especially hostile toward black males, in the late 1970’s. Interestingly, black feminism among likely influences decisions among black females that are more detrimental to blacks than white feminism has been to whites, and statistical results demonstrate the impacts of these decisions:

• Only 26% of black females are married, compared to 51% of white females. As an aside, 32% of black males are married,
• The illegitimate birth rate for black females is 72.3%; for white females, it is 29.1%,
• Although whites outnumber blacks more than 5 to 1, and poor whites outnumber poor blacks more than 2 to 1 (some math required), more blacks receive federal welfare than whites…and most welfare benefits go to women. As one worker with 24 years of experience stated flatly: “We don’t involve fathers. The system is mother focused”. Translation: more black females receive federal welfare benefits than do white females, and
• The genital herpes infection rate among black females is 49.9%, compared to 15.3% for white females. To contrast, the infection rate for black males is 24%.

It is difficult to imagine that any objective person would see the above and determine that the females, whose personal decisions produce these outcomes, are the “backbone” of their communities. Neither would an objective person likely look beyond these outcomes to find reasons for why those females’ families did not thrive, or for why that their men show interest in building relationships and families with other women. If other females achieve better outcomes, have stronger families, and their males receive greater respect, then…?

Yet, anything more than an “inside baseball” discussion, regarding black female behavior, seldom occurs. That seems due to the animosity black females have toward anyone who questions their “struggle”. To conclude that the black female’s behavior and choices are a detriment to herself and to other blacks is sacrilege, at least among most black females. Consequently, the black female does not come under the same microscope of scrutiny used to examine white males, white females, or even black males.

A simple truth, touching all human problems is this: “You cannot correct what you will not confront.” Blacks must be both over and under the microscope on their issues, to finds ways to better themselves and their condition in this country. They also must spend more time looking at themselves than they spend looking at whites, if they want solutions to fit them.

However, unless and until black females allow themselves under the microscope, to accept the same level of scrutiny, from black males, they and others, apply to black males…until that occurs, then all those ethnic groups, joined together as America’s blacks, will continue in a united, racial, decline.