“Leadership or Needership?”
Every time an election rolls around, the words fly. Yet, not one of us is able to escape the repercussions of recent history. The following discussion is not a digression from the title of this column. Rather, it is a prologue to a clearer understanding of what we face and what we must do about it.
I had a fabulous professor of African-American History at Butler University in the early 1990s. Her name was Katherine and she was very young. Perhaps barely thirty, she had just earned her doctorate and was as enthusiastic as any person I ever had the privilege of having as an instructor in graduate school.
Of all the interesting and thought-provoking elements of her class was her explanation of how the demographics of the inner cities — and more succinctly — the wider society among the twelve or so percent of Americans who prefer to be called African American than the much older term Negro or its temporary, socially-acceptable newer term Black.
Those of us who grew up in Shelbyville had a false sense of society. Yes, there was discrimination to people of color, but to a far lesser degree than in the counties around us. The mindset of those counties was punitive, caustic and often spelled out in crude signs warning people of color not to stay beyond sundown. That signs were left up speaks volumes for the residents of the counties where such signs marked city limits of county seats.
Getting back to Katherine. She explained that from their first arrival on American shores until the mid-19th century, the African American culture was based solidly on the family unit. Think back on your youth if you are close to 60 or so. If you do, you will see the evidence here at home.
I cannot recall one friend of color who did not live with a mother, a father and brothers and sisters. Often, a family also included a grandparent or an aunt or uncle whose age made it difficult to live independently.
The statistics are high, and I’m not sure I can quote them precisely, but I think that Katherine said that the close Black family unit was not only the norm among the culture, but also nearly unanimous. Pushing further into the lives of those who lived in Black areas of larger cities, evidence affirms that there was a wide spectrum of occupations among the residents. Children grew up among their own people, but they had built in incentives to aspire to choose a career. Indeed, it was more difficult to enter a college, but even hurdles that would daunt some young people didn’t deter those who dreamed of a bigger life and were willing to work hard to achieve it.
Youngsters went about their daily lives and saw black doctors, dentists, lawyers, insurance agents, shopkeepers, barbers, hairstylists, and merchants in their neighborhoods. Sadly, the greatest movement toward equality brought with it a distinct downside for the poor unable to raise themselves to a middle class level.
Once integration took hold and housing opportunities opened up for Black families yearning for their piece of the American Dream, professionals fled for the suburbs. Doctors and dentists may have kept their inner city offices for a while, but little by little, they drifted away from the old neighborhood.
As a result, poor children marooned in the central cities gradually had fewer and fewer role models. When the stable elements left the area, the criminal elements gained a foothold. The saddest point of all this is that out of wedlock births skyrocketed among the poor the inner cities, fueled by government payments to women with dependent children. Suddenly, the social stigma of unwed mother disappeared. This, however, is not a condition specific to the Black population. It was society wide and cut across the economic and ethnic spectrum.
Parallel to it, and even larger in sheer numbers were white folk who were poor, plus other minority populations who struggled to make meager ends meet. Clearly, the consequence of handing out money to those without a father in the home and to those who were not working began a downward spiral that now eclipses the lives of nearly one in seven Americans. What a travesty! What a tragedy! Removing incentive draws us close to collapse.
It is hard to estimate how many children grew up in a home without a father. Black or white, Asian or Hispanic, the children suffer. This is not to say that a single mother who was abandoned, a divorced mother, or a widow could not rear a child well. Of course, they could. However, a solid family unit is a building block of priceless value that cannot be underestimated.
Now, to elections…. Alexis de Tocqueville warned of the danger inherent when the people realize that their vote can access the national treasury. Well, isn’t that special? (Shades of Saturday Night Live’s “Church Lady”!) Nearly fifty percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes and a very small number at the high end pay nearly all of them.
I’m all for a flat tax that closes the loopholes of the super wealthy, but I lament the fact that the growing numbers of those dependent upon the government for their existence seek “needership” with their franchise, not the “leadership” that will spark a new generation of schools that teach factual American and world history, explain that no study of great art, music, or literature can be done without the basics of religion — in specific, Christianity — and focus on what freedom means and that it is not, and never has been free. This “leadership” would engender ambition and inspire those with little resources to work toward a better life.
Not all kids will achieve the success of a Donald Trump or a Steve Jobs, but each of those kids can learn the rewards of pride in accomplishment and the good feeling of a job well done. Are these within reach of them? You betcha!
Those who champion food stamps and extended unemployment insurance as a cure all to today’s ills need to get a grip on reality. The path to economic freedom is a society built on jobs. Compare the salaries of government workers with those in the private sector, but do it before you eat.
What will it be for you? Are you ready to turn this country over to those who see the people as servants rather than bosses? November looms closer and the power is in your hand as you stroke the pen on a ballot, turn a handle, or press a button. “Leadership or Needership? It’s your choice. Think about it.