A Cracker's View of Black America, Part 2
One of the first rules of Political Science is that it is the perception of the truth, rather than the truth, that is important. In addressing any issue, one either has to get to the truth, or learn to manipulate the perception. Ronald Reagan understood this. A perfect example was the “Star Wars” nuclear missile defense system. We didn’t have the capability of building it back then, but the Soviets thought we did. And they definitely did not have the capability of competing with their perception of our capabilities. Hence, the beginning of the end of Communism.
Race relations also deal with perceptions. The experiences I listed in the previous installment go to my perception of the Black community. The hip-hop antics of so called hip-hop artists are a large part of that perception. Have you ever watched some of these guys and gals perform? In the midst of their racial and sexist and violent tirades, how many times do they grab their crotch? I am so impressed that they have one. News flash, so does everyone else. It is the promoters of this horrible stuff that proclaim this is what it means to be Black in America, and us white folks better accept it. I don’t, and I won’t. It is abhorrent behavior no matter what the color.
There is another Black America out there, one that is ignored by the news media, or worse, attacked by it. It is the America of my parents’ neighborhood, where blacks and whites lived side by side, and looked out for each other. I remember when the first black family moved in. The “For Sale” signs went up, and then they all came down. It was a neighborhood of mutual respect, friendship, understanding, and caring. Neighbors learned to attend each other’s celebrations. It was difficult, but they learned.
I have been told by various diversity gurus that Youngstown is one of the most racially divided cities in the United States. That may or not be true, but I do know that it is one where ethnicity is cherished and encouraged. In my parents neighborhood, all of these ethnic groups learned to live together while maintaining and relishing their strong ethnic identities: Italians, Jews, Irish, Poles, Greeks, Blacks, a smattering of WASP’s, along with their religious affiliations: Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Jew. There was even a gay couple, welcomed at a time when the world wasn’t so accepting. How could such a neighborhood develop in such a supposedly divided city?
Where is the voice for the Black America that has made major advances these past 50 years? In all walks of life, minorities have slowly but steadily moved into the middle and upper classes. Minority homeownership is up. Minority income is up. Blacks have made strives politically, taking power positions in all levels of government from Secretary of State to Supreme Court Justices to Senators and Congressman and Mayors and City Councilmen. The Black community has finally been allowed to follow the traditional path of all ethnic groups into the mainstream of American life, through education, hard work, and politics. Opportunities abound for young Blacks as well as all minorities. There needs to be more Bill Cosby’s and Oprah Winfrey’s to point the way. Not the doody diddee’s preaching that education and hard work means selling out one’s race.
Race relations is a long, bumpy road. But it is also a two way street. Old habits die hard in both White America and Black America. Right now, the ball is in Black America’s court. Which perception of itself does it want to project to its young people and the rest of the world? If it is hip-hop ugliness, then we are all in for a long, bad ride. If the message is that life is hard and unfair, but persistence in the face of adversity will reap untold benefits, then we all stand to gain.
Whether we like it or not, and no matter how any of us got here, America is our home. We are adrift together in a very dangerous world. Isn’t it time that we destroy the perceptions, look to the facts, search for the truth, and learn to get along?
Race relations also deal with perceptions. The experiences I listed in the previous installment go to my perception of the Black community. The hip-hop antics of so called hip-hop artists are a large part of that perception. Have you ever watched some of these guys and gals perform? In the midst of their racial and sexist and violent tirades, how many times do they grab their crotch? I am so impressed that they have one. News flash, so does everyone else. It is the promoters of this horrible stuff that proclaim this is what it means to be Black in America, and us white folks better accept it. I don’t, and I won’t. It is abhorrent behavior no matter what the color.
There is another Black America out there, one that is ignored by the news media, or worse, attacked by it. It is the America of my parents’ neighborhood, where blacks and whites lived side by side, and looked out for each other. I remember when the first black family moved in. The “For Sale” signs went up, and then they all came down. It was a neighborhood of mutual respect, friendship, understanding, and caring. Neighbors learned to attend each other’s celebrations. It was difficult, but they learned.
I have been told by various diversity gurus that Youngstown is one of the most racially divided cities in the United States. That may or not be true, but I do know that it is one where ethnicity is cherished and encouraged. In my parents neighborhood, all of these ethnic groups learned to live together while maintaining and relishing their strong ethnic identities: Italians, Jews, Irish, Poles, Greeks, Blacks, a smattering of WASP’s, along with their religious affiliations: Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Jew. There was even a gay couple, welcomed at a time when the world wasn’t so accepting. How could such a neighborhood develop in such a supposedly divided city?
Where is the voice for the Black America that has made major advances these past 50 years? In all walks of life, minorities have slowly but steadily moved into the middle and upper classes. Minority homeownership is up. Minority income is up. Blacks have made strives politically, taking power positions in all levels of government from Secretary of State to Supreme Court Justices to Senators and Congressman and Mayors and City Councilmen. The Black community has finally been allowed to follow the traditional path of all ethnic groups into the mainstream of American life, through education, hard work, and politics. Opportunities abound for young Blacks as well as all minorities. There needs to be more Bill Cosby’s and Oprah Winfrey’s to point the way. Not the doody diddee’s preaching that education and hard work means selling out one’s race.
Race relations is a long, bumpy road. But it is also a two way street. Old habits die hard in both White America and Black America. Right now, the ball is in Black America’s court. Which perception of itself does it want to project to its young people and the rest of the world? If it is hip-hop ugliness, then we are all in for a long, bad ride. If the message is that life is hard and unfair, but persistence in the face of adversity will reap untold benefits, then we all stand to gain.
Whether we like it or not, and no matter how any of us got here, America is our home. We are adrift together in a very dangerous world. Isn’t it time that we destroy the perceptions, look to the facts, search for the truth, and learn to get along?
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