The Marginalization of Black Society

Now that the title has grabbed your attention let me just pull out my soapbox, climb on that sun of a gun and rant here for a little while on what I believe to be an actual topic for a change. It seems to me that the black community is, for the most part, not only missing the point but also voluntarily marginalizing themselves as a group in our society. The latest victim of this has been a once respected black actor, comedian and activist Bill Cosby. He has been accused of racial self-hatred, bigotry, of holding truth in antiquated notions and other more vile feelings and beliefs. All because he simply stated three truths. 1: that black parents are responsible for the crime perpetrated by their children and for the poor choices that their children make that lead those children to jail, the grave, or simply to a life of toil far below their potential. 2: that gangster rap music and the lifestyle and overtones that go with it are a detriment to black society. 3: that the lingo and slang that has become prevalent in younger circles of black men and women is nothing short of a gigantic stumbling block because no one wants a doctor, lawyer, politician, etc. whose linguistic capabilities are on par with the vocabulary of Snoop Dogg or 50 Cent.

My mother once said that the truth hurts but that doesn't mean it should never be used...and in this particular case especially I couldn't agree more. Mr. Cosby got it right, again. I have no problem with a lingo that promotes togetherness of a certain group, but when an education into areas that can further one's life progress is neglected for the sake of bling, when parents (black or white) raise their children in an irresponsible manner that endangers both their children and the public at large, and most definitely when the role models of a generation do nothing more than exult criminal lifestyles, mysogeny, and a basic lack of education then something must be done. All that is happening here is the invalidation of almost an entire generation. Society as it is will not be kind to these children in their later years. I do not address the validity of a society where such is the case, all I am saying is that these children are receiving a great disservice that they will undoubtedly suffer for later in life.

Oh, one last thing before I put away the soapbox. I have used the term "black" here for a specific reason. I am aware that most people aren't truly black anymore than I am truly white....I'm more of a pinkish tan actually....however, politically correct language has never done anything but exasterbate our problems and then sweep them under the rug. So with that said, you're not African-American, I'm not European-American, people from Mexico aren't Hispanic or Latino they're Mexican, and if you have a disability you are handicapped, not handicapable. None of these terms are degrading....they're nouns, and there is not a goddamn thing wrong with any of them. Prejudice supercedes grammar and it always will. But that is a rant for another day.