Black Rednecks and White Liberals

As you can see from the comment section, I would have posted my Round 2 argument on time had there not been a glitch on the site (it momentarily allowed me to post comments but not arguments). Regardless of whether or not you would like to hold this againt me, I'd like to point out that my opponent also forfeited his final round, thus the elimination of these 2 rounds should not be held against either one of us - we are now debating on equal playing field. With that said, let us conclude this debate. Clearly my opponent and I agree on a lot of the issues. We are both against Affirmative Action, and we believe in many of the same principles in terms of education/work ideology. I'm assuming that while posting this debate, Pro had intended to debate someone (probably a white liberal) who supported AA and "leveling the playing field" amongst blacks and whites in America. However the differentiation between our positions is this: Pro agrees with Sowell that White Liberals and Black Rednecks are to blame for society's current perception on race relations; I believe that it is solely the fault of Black Rednecks (possibly Black America in general) - NOT white liberals. Throughout United States history there has been an unfortunate abundance of racism, especially pre-Civil Rights Movement. Those who opposed the racist practices within our society - white liberals - attempted to step up and support the black community in some of their endeavors. They wanted to show them and the world that they did not agree with current politics. My opponent discusses an example: "Many people within black America have been sold on the notion that it is liberal America that has their best interests in mind ... where liberal America has stood with racist ideologues like the Black Panther Party" Okay. First, the organization was called the BLACK Panthers - not the Black and White Liberal Panthers. Second, at its inception, the BP was an organization that was established to promote civil rights and self defense (protection from racist police brutality). However, over time the objectives and philosophy of the party shifted to include more political goals. The Party's leaders were passionate socialists, and though membership was exclusive to black individuals only, the organization "instituted a variety of community programs to alleviate poverty and improve health among communities deemed most needful of aid" as cited on Wikipedia. So here's what I'm seeing. Black individuals created a group that opposed racist police brutality, white liberals supported that notion, and somehow that makes them responsible for negative race relations today? Bull. The BP was part of the counterculture of the 1960s and developed socialist ideals very similar to the hippy population at the time. They wanted the same peace and equality that white liberals stood for (remember many white protesters were beaten and thrown in jail too). To blame white liberal support of the BP movement in terms of today's racism is a fallacy. Besides, the BP ultimately agreed with my opponent and I that black nationalism = black racism. So... I just feel that white people can't win in today's very PC society. If we don't help, we're racist, and if we accomodate black America, we're holding them down. I understand where the author Sowell is coming from (I have a pretty good idea of what he's trying to get across thanks to Pro's discussion) but like I said - it's nothing new. This is what Republicans have been saying all along. My point is that this should be a fight within the black community itself and white people... liberals, conservatives, whatever... should just stay out of it. We're going to get a guilt trip regardless of what we do. I feel that the black community has failed itself. Like Pro noted, Martin Luther King had the right idea when he promoted discipline, hard work, education, and peaceful protest. Once the community rejected that ideology for that of Malcolm X, their progress towards equality went downhill. My point is that white liberals supported MLK -- they were caucasians who wanted to see equality and change. Many white liberals (such as myself) still stand for these same beliefs. Those who are silly enough to buy into things like Affirmative Action do so, I believe, through brainwashing and intimidation from the black community. You've got these far-left morons like Sharpton telling the world that we owe something to the black community. In reality, the black community owes something to itself. Let's take a brief look at an example from American History. After the Housing act of 1937, public housing apartments were erected all over the country, including on Chicago's North Side. Many poor Italian families resided in what was known as the Cabrini-Green complex. In the 1940s and 50s, an abundance of poor blacks, mainly from the south (black rednecks) swarmed Chicago to the point where they had to build a lot more housing to accomodate the poor minority. Ultimately, the black popularion in Chicago skyrocketed from 278,000 to over 800,000 in just a few short years. The result was African Americans essentially "taking over" the housing projects in the city. But what about the all-white families that had lived in these complexes before the mass arrival of poor blacks? Well they found a way to utilize the government's assistance to the point where they were able to get back on their feet and live independently. Meanwhile, those projects have been dominated by blacks for the past 50+ years. Rather than place unfair blame on the white liberals who support certain helpful policies, we should be recognizing that the black community has failed miserably at overcoming the struggle by using the liberal politics to their advantage. In other words, Affirmative Action in its truest form may not have been a bad idea. However, this policy is ineffective because the minorities it is intended to help do not take advantage of it. Thus, the problem is not in the liberal politics promoted by white liberals. The problem lies in the mindset of an oppressed community who feels that there is no way out. This in no way is the fault of those trying to help. This is the fault of those who are unaware of the possibilities, or too scared/lazy to utilize what's out there.