Blacks Can't Have It Both Ways

When I hear Charles Barkley profess Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson only did to his child what every black parent in the south does, it only helps further drive home a view point many whites like me in this country have when we feel there is a segment of the black community who want life both ways. By that I mean they want to be allowed to live by a set of rules that not only go against the norms of society as a whole, but also goes against what the bulk of black America believes.

Many within the black community still believe they are not treated equally by society and by whites as a whole. They feel they are signaled out because of their skin color and not because of their actions. When Michael Brown was shot it was because of his skin color and for nothing else. To mention the convenience store robbery he committed a few minutes prior to his death or to suggest the white officer feared for his life is only an attempt to smear Michael's reputation. The reality is, white police officers account for only 0.2 percent of the gun deaths of black males in this country while black males account for the shooting deaths of 90 percent of black shooting victims. If it is wrong for a white to shoot and kill a black then where are the protests for the scores of blacks killing blacks?

This same segment of the black population demands “justice” when a white person uses the N-word but has no problem using it hundreds of times a day when conversing with other blacks. When did Martin Luther King Jr. urge blacks to use words with such a vile history behind them as part of friendly day to day banter? He urged blacks to lead by example and not by contradiction if they were going to succeed in changing the mind set of the white establishment.

The arrest and prison rates of blacks is far greater than it is among whites despite blacks making up a mere thirteen percent of the national population. It is often claimed by black leaders as another example of just how tough blacks, males especially, have it in this nation. Their drop out rates are also much higher as are their unemployment rates. However, when an articulate black like Charles Barkley claims it is normal for blacks to punish their children by whipping them or taking a tree branch to them and call it parenting, they add to the challenges blacks face in our society. To call it parenting is to fail to see how it only adds to the mounting anger found in many black males today. And when Adrian Peterson claims it was this kind of parenting that helped instill the discipline in him to become a great football player, he fails to see or accept the contradiction it has with the history blacks fought so hard to put an end to in the 1960's.

It is one thing to reject the white American culture because you do not want to lose your own in the process. Many minority groups throughout our nation's history have had to face this challenge while raising children. Irish, Italians, Jews, and Asians have had to do the same while raising families in America. However, to incorporate the very ugly components of the past white culture your predecessors fought and gave up their lives to do away with is only doing more to harm your peoples advancement than it is adding to your culture. It is not only hypocritical, it also shows a clear lack of understanding of the growth and changes made by the white culture in their attempt to learn and grow from their past. It is time for all blacks to do the same and realize they just can't have it both ways as part of a better life.