Posted by ( Clif Howard ) on April 05, 2008 at 4:01 pm

It seems to me that there are far too many blacks blaming every percieved inequality or injustice on race, and far too many whites who blame the socio-economic ills of the country on minorities and feel that they have not benefitted from the racial inequalities of the not-so-long ago past.

The truth is that many minorities do not take personal responsibility for their own actions and consequences, just like many whites. Many whites have benefitted indirectly from the past slavery and jim crow society due to the fact that their families own land and assets aquired by previous generations that directly benefitted from systemic racial inequality.While some blacks feel as though they are entitled to certain things, some whites feel as though they are giving certain things.

Both groups are wrong.

The problem is the finger pointing from both sides. When a person points a finger at someone, he has three fingers pointing back at himself. Inroads are being made in this and our kids are the key. But it will take many more generations to put a real dent in this. Many people seem to forget that racism was still evident in the tricities, particularly Bristol, even inthe 1980’s- not that long ago for many people, including me.

Soon enough, I believe, there will be so many illegal immigrants and other foreigners in this country that the focus will shift to them as they displace more andmore native born Americans in the work force and politics.

I have not elected any black “official” to speak for me, so how did Jackson, Farraknan, and Sharpton become accepted as the voice of the black community? Blacks and whites are different in the way we think, raise our children, and perceive culture. As a nation we need to learn to look to the best attributes of every race to create a country that we can all identify with and be proud of.  The problem is that that is easier said than done, Many do not want to assimilate into another culture, and many want only their culture to be recognized.

In short, our nation is like a patchwork quilt of different fabrics, but the common thread is dissolving before our eyes. That common thread was love of God, country, and generosity toward others. No answers, only more questions on this topic.

Posted by ( Chris ) on April 08, 2008 at 7:30 am

Clif,

You wrote “The truth is that many minorities do not take personal responsibility for their own actions and consequences, just like many whites.” I think that is a fair statement to an extent. As for Obama, I find it very interesting that conservatives don’t give him credit for saying essentially the same thing. There are many liberals who are appalled at Obama’s past rhetoric on personal responsibility and lack thereof in the black community. Perhaps if people will do their homework and stop relying on 2 minute soundbytes they would find they have much in common with Obama in terms of this issue.