2. Bullsh*t, it is up to that man of color to make things right. "blaming it on the man" doesn't fly any longer. If that black man don't want to make the proper moves to get ahead in life then it is his fault. If that man wasn't hired at one company, move on to the next one until you got your gig. That is maintaining a career 101.
Actually, its not bull but a deadly serious reality.
Whether you characterize it as "The Man", Institutional racism, or White Supremacy, its negative impact on Black males is real.
President Obama is often used as the standard to dismiss this reality and even cite a post-racial era in America. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It's one of the reasons that I get particularly angered and disgusted at President Obama's " No Excuses" speech.
Instead of focusing on the realities of discrimination and institutional racism, he chose to reinforce convenient stereotypes to chastise Black youth for political capital.
Lets look at what was rolled out in the speech as the usuaal suspects for failure among Black males.
1. The Black community doesn't prize education
This is true. However, this only puts Blacks on equal footing with almost everyone else in this country on the subject of education. America is and always will be anti-intellectual. You see it from the founding of this nation to the present day.
There are 2 questions that arise if you accept this reality.
Why is a hallmark of American society only pathologized when it comes to Black males?
Why are males in other communities able to overcome this sentiment while a significant number of Black males are not?
2. Our kids want to be Ballers and Rappers.
This is correct. Black males want to be Ballers and Rappers right along with their White, Asian and Latino contemporaries. You can't reach the pop-culture status of a Lil Wayne and Lebron James ( Both of whom were cited) without having a broad based appeal.
Whites purchase 80% of Rap and purchase the vast majority of sports related merchandise.
Given these facts, I would simply ask this.
1. Why is the White community able to consume vast amounts of Rap and Sports merchandise while simultaneously maintaining achievement levels in school?
All of these issues play a part because they have become the narrative by which some Black women are condemning Black men.