September 27, 2006
It's About Black Fathers, Not Better Hip-Hop
Dr. Daudi Abe teaches hip-hop theory and culture at Seattle Central Community College, and in a Seattle Times op-ed today calls out the "rims, jewelery and thongs" that have reduced hip-hop culture and its music from an early 90s instrument of social change and political commentary for blacks to one of crass materialism.
Abe's an excellent writer, but sidesteps the far larger issue identified by black author and noted liberal Juan Williams in his new book, partially subtitled, "The Culture Of Failure Undermining Black America." The ascendance of guys like hip-hop mogul cum ersatz yogi Russell Simmons - who brought his ever-expanding global branding caravan to Seattle last year, is a symptom of the ills, not a cause. Instead of lionizing Tupac Shakur and lamenting the dearth of "transformative energy around... social and political issues" in today's hip-hop music, Abe should have cut to the chase: There are way too many absent black fathers.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at September 27, 2006
09:50 AM | Email This
1. DUH...
2. Turns out that studies show that fathers have a greater impact on determining the eventual emotional well-being of kids as they grow up more than the mom--especially for the daughters. Just ignore the claims of the cultural left who say that fathers aren't necessary. Bull!
3. why is it that when a 'doctor' says this is it controversial but respected & heard--
yet when ordinary (observant) people have been saying this for years they're bigots? does a PhD trump a common man's eyes & ears? or is it the race of the researcher that matters? did Oprah ever suggest this too?
4. Last year a legislative work group met to discuss child support guidelines- they had their token black man on the team who is paid off by DSHS grants to keep his mouth shut- Rev Marvin Charles. He said NOTHING during the entire process.
The entire discussion of the work group- with prominant underbelly folks like dis honorable Judge Chris Wickham and a paid lobbiest from the National Organization of Women focused the entire group on how to drain more money out of middle and upper class families- NOT ONE PARAGRAPH on how to address those with lower incomes- namely blacks.
These same people are coming out AGAINST shared parenting laws- laws which STOP the use of kids as financial pawns in custody cases and keep dads engaged in parenting.
Despite SPECIFIC EXCEPTIONS for abuse and neglect, NOW scream queens claim the law puts women at risk for domestic violence.
It's time to demand shared parenting laws and stop DSHS and courts from using kids as financial pawns.
5. does a PhD trump a common man's eyes & ears? or is it the race of the researcher that matters?
Posted by jimmie-howya-doin at September 27, 2006 10:24 AM
+++++++++++++++
In the politically correct world of today, I'm afraid it does, jimmie. Just like the Pope using a quote from an emporer from 1,000 years ago to state the obvious fact that Islam wants to convert us all at the point of the sword, if need be.
I'll just stay an armchair Neo-Pagan, if it's all the same to you, Muhammed!
6. Jimmie: No kidding! The same applies to parents' concerns about education. There was a good article recently by Phyllis Schlafly on the readoption of "older" methods of math instruction - which parents and common-sense teachers had been pushing for all along, in favor of the trendier new methods pushed by the public education establishment.
I think the tide is turning in that area. With the advent of online schooling, and more parents choosing private or home schooling, public schools are beginning to listen to parents. It's about time!!!!
7. Hip-hop is not the only medium promoting crass materialism. Turn on the TV, it's everywhere. There's plenty of positive role models out there, you cannot control who people choose to emulate.
And as a caucausion, I'm not going to posit on the struggles inside the black community and the symptoms, and I think anyone outside their community doing it, shouldn't. They can deal with their own problems, if they want to. But when the blame game comes into play (e.g. "institutional racism"), then it's fair game.
8. Peggy U,
Yep, Tacoma just went to Saxon math instead of Investigations. I had heard about "New Math" but never really researched it until now as I have young children that will soon be going to school. Unreal, due to Clinton push for this kind of socialist, progressive, constructivist curricula, a whole generation of students has been robbed of decent math skills. Apparently parents were very upset to find that there kids could not handle basic math problems.
Parent involvement, two parent families, focus on education, discipline: you'd think this would all be common sense. All cultures are not equal. Hip Hop is a very defective culture.
9. "No fault" divorce, meaning divorce where the property division, alimony, and child support are to be determined WITHOUT REGARD TO MARITAL MISCONDUCT, RCW 26.09.080, RCW 26.09.090, and RCW 26.09.100, meaning no WRONGDOING need be proven, thus we dispense with the due process of law and go straight to the deprivation of property, and we can do that with paternity proceedings relieving young mothers of any need to offer their hand in marriage to the fathers of their children, IS THE REASON SO MANY BLACK MEN (and men of other colors) ARE UNABLE TO BE FATHERS AND HUSBANDS TO THEIR FAMILIES.
Idiot Christian and Jewish preachers (examples being the paid token Rev. Marvin Charles, Promise Keepers and people like Jeff Kemp) blather on and on about fathers "abandoning their families" but the reality is that fathers are usually KICKED OUT OF THEIR FAMILIES BY THE WELFARE AND LEGAL SYSTEMS.
To say that a father who is the RESPONDENT in a divorce "abandoned" his family is exactly like saying a bank teller abandoned the bank's money when a robber stuck a gun in his face and told him to fork it over!
For that is exactly what family law is: state sponsored armed robbery, extortion, and peonage, three things defined as CRIMES by the federal criminal code.
Know this, and you solve the mystery as to why so many children grow up fatherless.
10. I am Black and have a doctorate in Education from Seattle University. A significant number of African Americans think that hip hop culture is toxic waste. The late C. Delores Tucker attempted to get a lot of this garbage out of the hands of children, but there is always the censorship argument. Black moderates, let alone Black conservatives will not be covered by the MSM. The media loves to cover the local thug and hold them up as an example of "Black culture." The old line follow the money is apt here. These is too much money being made by those who send their own kids to private schools and who live in areas untouched by the violence they cause. Just because you don't hear from the MSM about those opposed, we are out there.
11. WVH has hit the nail on the head. There are plenty of Black Americans who are insulted by what some call "black culture." We are not a monolithic people as the media might have you believe. There are many of us who live lives of personal responsibility and accomplishment. Unfortunately, we never get any headlines.
12. The problems confronting black society are very complex and can't be distilled to a single cause the way the reactionary left and reactionary right would like it to be. The left wants to entirely absolve blacks of responsibility for their problems, and the right thinks that we are playing on a level field with whites and, by golly, all we need to do is pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.