Good points all. Across America this morning, Single black mothers are telling their little munchkins, “If you study hard and succeed in school you could grow up to be president.” It is a valuable tool in their almost empty toolbox and an easy out. Obama himself could do much more by speaking out and telling black fathers the unpleasant truth that they are the ones responsible for raising their sons and daughters up right. He’s popular enough in that demographic that he could get away with it.
Yep, he could do more - a lot more. I really haven’t heard him say much yet on these subjects (he has said a little).
Even though he’s done little to advance these themes, the fact that black Americans idolize him, and that idol dresses well, is married, fathered no kids out of wedlock, speaks well (like whitey, as a matter of fact), and has no criminal record may well prove to be helpful in and of itself. Most black Americans whom I’ve heard discuss their support for zero cannot articulate anything about him that they know or like or respect except the fact that he’s black: “We should have a first black president. It gotta happen.” That really is all they seem to care about. Tragic and dangerous as that is (especially for the rest of us), he nevertheless presents a non-stereotypical positive black culture image, so that may well turn out to be the ONLY positive value he has because WE know what he’s really all about.
Yeah, very, very scary times we’re in.