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Starting the Conversation…
At the behest of Susan Quinn, here are five good places to start:
- Reestablish the dignity of the individual. America was founded on the idea that the individual human being has intrinsic, G-d given value. While we have always held individual dignity as our highest value, we have also failed to fully embrace it as national policy. Slavery, Jim Crow, and Redlining are among the most shameful words of our past, and we must accept America’s historic role in the brutality shown toward black Americans while also celebrating the great progress we have made in the last 100 years in improving the lives of black Americans.
- Unlocking Opportunity in Education: For decades, urban schools have been mismanaged and even outright ignored. Economic and social opportunity begin with education, and the current quality of education for young black Americans is a national shame. We must reinvent the idea of urban education and give children and parents the opportunity to break the cycle of “destiny thorough geography” by urging all local and state governments to allowing students to escape failing schools. Charter schools, school vouchers, and even school closures should all be up for debate.
- Meaningful Police Reform: As believers in limited government, we believe that all government entities must have clearly defined, limited roles in our lives. Over the last 30 years, the role of the police in the lives of individuals has broadened in both scope and size with disastrous results. The current role of the police–part law enforcement, part social services, part mental-health service–how outstripped the range of their effective abilities. This current arrangement is deleterious to both the police and those they serve. We must bring the role of the police back within constitutional limits and hold every officer of every rank accountable for their behavior. The era of hiding violence behind a badge is over.
- Creation of an Opportunity Culture: The pitiful state of urban education is only compounded by the absurd lack of economic opportunity in America’s cities. Our nation’s mayors and city counsels have over-burdened their citizens with overtly restrictive regulations that insulate the established wealthy and prohibit economic mobility for the poor. Suffocating occupational licensing, regulatory capture, and outright graft by those with political pull are endemic in modern American cities. We must begin the hard process of deregulating our cities and opening the creative output of all citizens–not just the wealthy.
- Reject Identity Politics: As Americans, we must completely and utterly reject the scourge of identity politics, the tactic of pitting one American against another based the most base of factors. Instead, let us embrace solutions for all Americans, solutions that reinforce the idea that we are one nation, not a fractured group of tribes doomed to be at one another’s throat forever.
These suggestions will not solve every problem facing black Americans, but it’s a start.
Published in General
Indeed, a good start.
6. Whatever Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams say about fatherlessness.
Yes! With the national dialog being dominated by a fight between communists and socialists, we need solutions from the Right to be put forth. People on the Right need to explain that the worst run cities are run by Leftists and that Right has better ideas for ensuring liberty and prosperity for all.
Well done, Brandon! I just wish the blacks could see the wisdom in your suggestions, and realize that they offer a wealth of opportunity. They have little to gain based on the direction they are taking through BLM and other radical organizations. Unless they are looking for anarchy and ashes.
Susan, I’ve thought about this a lot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that our mistake in this country is treating Blacks as though they need special treatment since they aren’t as smart as everyone else. This is so very wrong and an insult to the many Blacks who have worked just as hard as anyone else to improve themselves. We can learn from the Chinese and Japanese first came to this country as laborers and nearly slaves in some situations and were considered inferiors at the time. They elevated themselves through hard work and education, overcoming tremendous prejudice. Today they are among our best and brightest. Until we treat Blacks as equal members of this society and expect them to rise up on their own merit as we do with everyone else, regardless of color, there will always be a problem.
Still, they need their own liberator.
I thought Kanye West might fit the bill.
Unfortunately, he’s been quiet of late.
Let’s hope he starts talking again soon.
Fredrick Douglass
Amen.
OP’s points are certainly good and valid at a high level — they represent solid and necessary animating principles.
The problem, though, is that pragmatic action and practical engagement have to flow from these principles *now* — that is what *conservative* black Americans like Sonnie Johnson are conveying, passionately, to President Trump (and through him, conveying to us [conservative non-black Americans] as well) — and the OP doesn’t furnish us with a discernible pathway to such action and engagement.
Consequently, no way would I for one employ these 5 points themselves as the basis for my off-the-bat outreach to conservative black Americans. Too abstract, and indeed risk being taken as patronizing.
(At this juncture, it’s close to pointless to reach out to black Americans enmeshed in the ideology and strategy of what Sonnie Johnson aptly and ruefully described to President Trump as the “left and further left.” What *is* on point is working far more conscientiously and energetically with *conservative* black Americans — see the video accessed via the URL below.)
Save discussion of these principles for celebratory dinner gatherings — after the hard, concrete collaborative work has yielded satisfactory outcomes and momentum.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dannyalexanderjapansoftwarebiz_kira-on-twitter-activity-6677340319920508928-zbM9
Transcript (h/t Clifford Brown):
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-roundtable-discussion/
@derryckgreen
@susanquinn
The last point is probably the most important, I think. The term identity politics, I think, can be interchanged with tribalism. It diminishes every individual in the clan, and rises up a strong man. It is a common story that a successful black athlete goes broke supporting extended family and friends. While it is a good trait to be generous, for many of those they don’t have a strong individual drive for themselves, if they can be part of another’s success. Years ago, in an interview with Eric Severaid, Eric Hoffer said he thought the biggest roadblock to black success, was successful blacks, who seemed to think other blacks could not be successful. Many of the loudest voices saying blacks cannot succeed are the well off. Some cultures are more collectivist than others, and there is a strong desire to please your group.
Politicians, esp. liberals, talk about the women vote, the black vote, the hispanic group, etc., seemingly without understanding that those groups are not so easily defined. Within every one of those are sub groups, and some people are in more than one group. I agree most strongly with the last item, once that is broken down, the others can be constructively approached.
Excellent. Let me add one more:
Reject the religion of anti-racism. For my expert witness, I call Dr. John McWhorter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzPKk19t3Kw&t=3383s He is the author of two excellent book on race relations, Losing the Race and Winning the Race. He has announced his intention to write a book on the religion of anti-racism. Trigger warning, he is a political liberal. But an unusual one. He actually thinks.
Because of our condescension, however, they are actually convinced that they are less than whites. I’m actually starting to believe that efforts on our parts to treat them fairly, as equals, will be rejected as racist. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
I’m with Goldwaterwoman and Danny. These talking points smack of the paternalism of progressives, but from the other side. I understand that was not intended, but I think “we” need to become more self-aware about how we talk about these issues and how our intended audience might be hearing us.
“We” have not made progress. MLK succeeded in making racism socially unacceptable through passive resistance to unjust laws and structures. Similarly, “we” will not fix what ails black American culture. Only black Americans can do that.
And I’m going to play my broken record on this, but economic and social opportunity do not begin with education* — they begin with good morals. Who is the moral authority in our now atheistic America? It certainly isn’t absentee fathers, whether black or white.
Danny GloverMorgan Freeman [sheesh, I’m gonna get cancelled for that] holds more moral sway than the God he portrayed in the movies. Oprah Winfrey is more influential than Mary, Mother of God. It’s whoever can grab the virtue-signalling spotlight, that’s who. And that would be the (mostly white, well-off) members of MEET — media, education establishment, entertainment industry, and tech.Blacks and America will continue to fail so long as we fail to acknowledge God as the Moral Authority. It’s that simple.
*I did this dance with an older black man who came to my door soliciting donations many years ago. Sure, I’ll donate to help fund more opportunities for black kids. He, this clearly older and more experienced man asks me, a young stay-at-home mother what is most important for blacks to succeed. My dutiful reply to his deferential treatment: “education.” He knew what I’d say, but he wanted to make me feel good about giving advice to a black man. I closed the door and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. Blech.
Nothing is more destructive to America and Americans than the religion of secular progressivism taught in our public schools today. Separation of church and state, my beige bahookie.
Excellent break down. I would like to add:
1. Reestablish the dignity of the individual. Not only is this necessary on ethnic grounds, but also on partisan divides as well. For decades lefty politicians have been content to slander right wing candidates with the support of their media allies. In 2016, they broke new ground and went after the presumed supporters of the other candidate. These are voters that should forever in the other camp. Because it wasnt one politician who one time spoke an evil word – it was a focus group tested phrase, that was fully endorsed by the media and the party apparatus. They all endorsed it.
2 Unlocking Opportunity in Education: Again in total agreement. If the left are now realizing that police unions are bad because they protect bad cops – can we extend that realization to teachers? And public service in general?
3 Meaningful Police Reform: I think there are a number of proposals that would be quite helpful – ending no knock warrants, asset seizures without criminal convictions. Perhaps also separating traffic related enforcement to a separate highway patrol type agency outside of the police.
4 Creation of an Opportunity Culture: This will be much tougher in cities where riots have occurred. The pandering civic leaders will need to be voted out of office before any meaningful reform can be made on this issue. I am disappointed that the Justice Department hasnt gone after the big city democrat machines, such as Chicago, Detroit and NYC. There are plenty of allegations of graft and other wrong doing for the FBI to dig into. Try opening a bar in any of these cities “while wearing a wire” and see how many people you can get soliciting bribes… Paging Project Veritas!
5 Reject Identity Politics: This is a very important point. The left uses this ideology to keep their voting blocks in line. Their followers must be absolutely convinced that they are so they do not think. This is why gender as a social construct is so important. Its an easily identifiable falsehood – every time you go to the bathroom, you see the evidence of its falsehood. But its an important step in mind control – the victim must willingly distrust their own senses and surrender the final arbitration of truth to a leader. Your mind is your last refuge and in order for someone to take full control of it – you must willingly co-operate. Winston must realize he loved ‘big brother’ and Picard actually sees the 5 lights. (ST:TNG “Chain of Command” Season 6, episodes 10 & 11)
Interesting that you should mention Hoffer. I was considering a write up regarding the implication of Hoffer’s True Believer and the study of group psychology (Bernays, Le Bon). All three of them came to the same conclusion about group identity: the desire to place one’s position in the group setting above their own individuality is destructive, but it is also natural. People that identify as a group member instead of an individual lose virtually all ability to think critically about their own actions or the actions of others. The “crowd dynamic” encourages people to treat each other as objects, totems of different group identities, making it easy to defame or even destroy others to protect their own group solvency. What’s worse, gravitating toward group identity comes quite natural to us, whereas intellectual independence requires discipline and critical thought. Thus, if we simply leave people to their own devices, they will gravitate toward group identify. The “men of words” in the progressive movement have been taking advantage of this for decades. I think we realize it now, though. The question becomes: how do you reverse the damage that the progressives have wrought?
#1 and #5 rely on the heresy that rights and entitlement to dignity inhere in some notional entity like a common humanity instead of proceeding from membership in classes defined by persons more enlightened than ourselves.
#2 reflects the attempt to establish white patriarchal hegemony by privileging certain content and to allocate economic and political advantage to those whose class benefits most to the narrative imposed. We are each entitled to our truth. History is a sneaky way to connect to racist, sexist, and homophobic pre-revolutionary era. STEM is rape. Grammar is fascist.
#3 is only meaningful when all policing power is held by the people.
#4 is the illusion that the people must somehow present and conform themselves to the needs of markets and capitalist institutions instead of material goods being brought to the people.
The biggest problem is that you are clinging to pre-revolutionary modes of thought (“discursive reasoning”) which rely on “logic” to impose pre-conceived forms of cognitive injustice.
I read about a study that found that if a black person’s race were put on the answer sheet for a test, the black person was likely to achieve a lower score. Scary.
I once read comments by a spokesman for a law school attached to a prominent historically black university about why his graduates did worse on the bar exam, a test in which names are concealed from graders. He said that anyone who does not write well or does not know as many correct answers is presumed to be black and thus punished by the racially biased exam graders. Jaw-droppingly stupid.
Kevin D. Williamson: