We hear a lot about the need for more or better role models for the Black community, but I think we are all missing a very big aspect of the business of role models and that is the point of this blog.
I was just listening to the political debate and particularly Dr. Ben Carson and Bernie Saunders. Both pointed out their child hood in some way with the idea that they were good role models and I think that both are. In the case of Carson, he pointed out how he was born poor and Saunders pointed out that his father came here from Poland without anything. Each went on to describe how they worked hard. In this world, there are a lot of people who have worked hard who are not good role models. So what does it take to be a good role model if it is not hard work?
What all these guys are missing and are most people is that they never consider the "null set". What is the "null set". It is every thing else! What do I mean? Look at it this way. It isn't "not working hard". It is that set of things that are the opposite of responsible hard work, like dropping out of school, like knocking up your girl friend or doing or selling drugs. If you do any of these things in the "null set", it cancels out any hard work. I know people who are very hard workers, but are drunks. These people are not good role models and I think you would agree.
If a person robs a store and goes to jail, no amount of hard work is ever going to make them a good role model. Look at the Black community during and after slavery was eliminated in the last few states where it was legal? I think that at that time 99% of Black males and fathers were good role models and as a result their first generation did very well. Any reading of the history of the time will point this out. As time went on, the Black male community went down hill in terms of being good role models. Many still worked hard as I have pointed out above, but during the years after slavery Black male community started doing all the bad things in the "null set" that canceled out any hope that they might have had to be good role models. Don't you see that?
for reasons that I don't fully understand, the decline started to accelerate with Lynden Johnson and his "great society". On the surface, the "great society" sounded like a very good idea. The idea was to single out the Black community as a special protected class and give them special benefits. Rather than the Black community taking this opportunity to work even harder and get ahead, many chose to live what they saw as the "good life" of drugs and irresponsible out of wed lock breeding. They saw no need to work hard in school since they were a protected class with special benefits that they felt were owed them because the English imported their parents here from Africa before the USA was formed. This is a little off the subject, but I think that it needs to be pointed out that some where along the line Black males stopped being good role models and there has to be a cause and a reason for the change.
I hope you can see that a true good role model has to both "do" and "not do" things and we need more attention to the "not do" and no one is talking about this most important point. That is the object of this blog, to see if I can get some dialog started on the "null set".
PS---Another point. We are all role models whether we want to be or not. This includes football players, singers and everyone else. If the percentage of good role models goes down in a community or a country, the quality and character of the next generation will follow as night follows day.
My estimate today is that less than 50% of Black males are good role models. That means it is going to get worse for Blacks before it gets better. My estimate is that at least 95% Asian males are good role models and that tracks with the success of Asians in America.
I was just listening to the political debate and particularly Dr. Ben Carson and Bernie Saunders. Both pointed out their child hood in some way with the idea that they were good role models and I think that both are. In the case of Carson, he pointed out how he was born poor and Saunders pointed out that his father came here from Poland without anything. Each went on to describe how they worked hard. In this world, there are a lot of people who have worked hard who are not good role models. So what does it take to be a good role model if it is not hard work?
What all these guys are missing and are most people is that they never consider the "null set". What is the "null set". It is every thing else! What do I mean? Look at it this way. It isn't "not working hard". It is that set of things that are the opposite of responsible hard work, like dropping out of school, like knocking up your girl friend or doing or selling drugs. If you do any of these things in the "null set", it cancels out any hard work. I know people who are very hard workers, but are drunks. These people are not good role models and I think you would agree.
If a person robs a store and goes to jail, no amount of hard work is ever going to make them a good role model. Look at the Black community during and after slavery was eliminated in the last few states where it was legal? I think that at that time 99% of Black males and fathers were good role models and as a result their first generation did very well. Any reading of the history of the time will point this out. As time went on, the Black male community went down hill in terms of being good role models. Many still worked hard as I have pointed out above, but during the years after slavery Black male community started doing all the bad things in the "null set" that canceled out any hope that they might have had to be good role models. Don't you see that?
for reasons that I don't fully understand, the decline started to accelerate with Lynden Johnson and his "great society". On the surface, the "great society" sounded like a very good idea. The idea was to single out the Black community as a special protected class and give them special benefits. Rather than the Black community taking this opportunity to work even harder and get ahead, many chose to live what they saw as the "good life" of drugs and irresponsible out of wed lock breeding. They saw no need to work hard in school since they were a protected class with special benefits that they felt were owed them because the English imported their parents here from Africa before the USA was formed. This is a little off the subject, but I think that it needs to be pointed out that some where along the line Black males stopped being good role models and there has to be a cause and a reason for the change.
I hope you can see that a true good role model has to both "do" and "not do" things and we need more attention to the "not do" and no one is talking about this most important point. That is the object of this blog, to see if I can get some dialog started on the "null set".
PS---Another point. We are all role models whether we want to be or not. This includes football players, singers and everyone else. If the percentage of good role models goes down in a community or a country, the quality and character of the next generation will follow as night follows day.
My estimate today is that less than 50% of Black males are good role models. That means it is going to get worse for Blacks before it gets better. My estimate is that at least 95% Asian males are good role models and that tracks with the success of Asians in America.
