Spring Break
Challenging the black community
Bill Cosby's statements on self-destructive nature of black America long overdue
By: Nicholas Davis
Issue date: 6/22/04 Section: Opinion
Such an outlook is ridiculous. If the NAACP is to continue proclaiming that American society, again mostly referring to whites, has culpability in the problems lower socioeconomic blacks face, and a responsibility to rectify them, then there is no need for "behind closed-door discussions."
All possible explanations to the plight must be raised out in the open, regardless of the blame they ascribe to specific groups.
Perhaps what Farley, and many others in the black community prefer is for lower socioeconomic blacks to obtain somewhat of a "free pass" or excuse for the self-destructive conduct in which many, but certainly not all, engage in.
Here's the bottom line: 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement, the black community can no longer expect American citizens to believe that blacks do not have opportunities at their disposal to live the American dream and become successful. Though many in the inner cities face tremendous hardships, this cannot exonerate parents from their responsibility to raise their children properly by teaching them right from wrong, to develop self-discipline and pursue higher education.
When 13 percent of African Americans fail to complete high school, when 70 percent of all out-of-wedlock births are to black mothers and when the incarceration rate for black males between the ages of 18 and 24 is eight times that of whites, something is wrong.
This is a social problem and, as Bill Cosby stated, "You can't just blame white people for this, man, you can't." And it's not rational to assume that some public policy will rectify this situation entirely. Nothing can, except the people themselves. This is what Cosby was stating and he hit it right on the nose.
So instead of writing Cosby off as a black elitist, or preferring that such comments be kept in "black washing machines," perhaps its time to accept the truth and work toward rectifying it through a cultural transformation that places more emphasis on families and education.
All possible explanations to the plight must be raised out in the open, regardless of the blame they ascribe to specific groups.
Perhaps what Farley, and many others in the black community prefer is for lower socioeconomic blacks to obtain somewhat of a "free pass" or excuse for the self-destructive conduct in which many, but certainly not all, engage in.
Here's the bottom line: 50 years after the Civil Rights Movement, the black community can no longer expect American citizens to believe that blacks do not have opportunities at their disposal to live the American dream and become successful. Though many in the inner cities face tremendous hardships, this cannot exonerate parents from their responsibility to raise their children properly by teaching them right from wrong, to develop self-discipline and pursue higher education.
When 13 percent of African Americans fail to complete high school, when 70 percent of all out-of-wedlock births are to black mothers and when the incarceration rate for black males between the ages of 18 and 24 is eight times that of whites, something is wrong.
This is a social problem and, as Bill Cosby stated, "You can't just blame white people for this, man, you can't." And it's not rational to assume that some public policy will rectify this situation entirely. Nothing can, except the people themselves. This is what Cosby was stating and he hit it right on the nose.
So instead of writing Cosby off as a black elitist, or preferring that such comments be kept in "black washing machines," perhaps its time to accept the truth and work toward rectifying it through a cultural transformation that places more emphasis on families and education.
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