Organization: Penn State University
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 04:55:46 EDT
From: <FKR@psuvm.psu.edu>   Fred Rozenblad
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Subject: Re: Clinton's Disrespect for Jesse Jackson

In article <14shf4INN155@agate.berkeley.edu> Vignes Gerard M writes:

> Too much emphasis is given to political representation and not enough to
> economic power.  Black people control much of the Oakland city government,
> the school board and its teachers and administration.

The same holds true for DC.  But I agree w/ you on economic empowerment.
But we should have to both.  But, as you say in your article, political
power does follow economic power.  We have to provide a respectable economic
front which folx cannot avoid if they want our spt in politics.  How do we
go about this?  That's the $64 G question.

Some time back, this same thread was brought up.  Kevin Tyson posted some
real interesting stuff on self-reliance, which is what we really need.
Funny many of those ideas stem from Marcus Garvey and Booker T. Washington.
And, of course, Malcolm X espoused the same philosophy.  It seems we, as
black ppl, findthis lesson a hard one to swallow.  I would say most of us
haven't learned that yet because we haven't achieved bldg our own businesses
to level where we can be an economic power to be reckoned w/.

Will it solve the problem of racism and bigotry?  Probably not all of it,
but it is hard to change some aspects of human behavior.  But, at least, we
will have the respect we want.  The Japanese surely accoplished this.

> ...another solution of our porblems is simply birth control.  With the
> invention of the Norplant device, conception can now be prevented w/ just
> one implant.  The government should pay for, and parents encourage all
> girls on  reaching puberty to get a ten year implant...

I have many reservations w/ this idea.  One, we need to stop believing the
gov't has the answers and the resources to solve all our problems.  I don't
like going to the gov't for anything, and I doubt the gov't bureaucracies
have the intelligence to solve everything.  Plus, it puts one in the pos'n
of having one's life defined by the whims of the gov't.  Is this any kind
of independence we want?

Two, the Norplant devices themselves may pose a danger.  Think of the
ramifications....having young girls receive these devices and face
possible sterilization in the future.  I doubt many really would like that
sol'n.  What we need is for parents to educate their children about the sex
education, stop depending on public schools and social agencies to tell us
about life.  We are not that dumb that we do not to understand the
consequences of sex and teen pregnancies.  Parents are failing to deal w/
their children and this part of life.  Schools and social agencies cannot
take over the role of parenting.  What the hell happened to the time when
a girl getting pregnant brought shame.  But the shame, in itself, is not the
point.  The morals issues in the AfAm community is gone w/ this generation.
Life is cheap.  That's what needs to be changed.  From there, let's deal w/
some real self-reliance issues and get off our asses and do something about
it.

Ok.  Where all this take us?  Surely, no politicians can give us the
economic independence we need.  We need to do it ourselves.  Enough
preaching for now.

--
** "No performer wants to go backwards; few are content to stand still; many **
**  are eager to move ahead."  -McCoy Tyner                                  **
--

Fred Rozenblad-"Kickin' the 3"
FKR@psuvm.psu.edu