I have not listened to the entire NAACP speech that Senator Obama gave but what I've heard thus far has really disappointed me. I don't think the tone of his message should have been personal responsibility. There are many issues that have nothing to do with the responsibility of Black Americans but with the institutional racism that is so pervasive in our criminal justice system, schools, employment and as well healthcare system. It should be every American's responsibility to do better for themselves so why should this be the message that is preached only to Black Americans. At times I find it very shameful that we always want to point the fingers at ourselves instead of at the legacy of this country's imperfections that has lead the masses of our people in the very ill conditions that we are facing. He could have stressed social and economic justice that our community needs. He could have also called on the future administration to deal with the current crisis of the African American male incarceration rate. I'm prayful that his "personal responsibility" message will not be his only message and conversation with the African American community if he becomes the next president of the US.

Sent by Lindsay N | 4:13 PM ET | 07-15-2008

Obama is pointing the finger where it needs to be pointed. For too long thuggery has been glorified by the media and some in the African American Community. Those African Americans who have struggled hard and achieved great things should be held up to the world as sterling example of what Dr. King annd others gave their lives so that these achievements could be made.

Personal responsibility is a value that has been attacked over and over again by those who want to go on playing the blame game forever. Many people in this country have not achieved their dreams, but in what world or place has everyone succeeded? Injustice and inequality remain, but don't be blind to the achievements of those who choose to take responsibility for their lives and work for a better future for themselves, their children and the entire country, black and white. Obama represents a new and great hope for our nation for all people of goodwill. He is an honest man with the "balls" to speak the truth.

Sent by Mark | 8:36 PM ET | 07-15-2008

Unemployment, rising gas costs, the banking crisis, housing crisis, food crisis, and education crisis, etc.: these matters affect the African American community. These are the issues that blacks need to hear from Obama on. My heart aches for the African American community. Obama continues to insult us and treat us with a total lack of dignity and respect and we continue to cheer him on. It breaks my heart that the man whom could very well end up this nation's first black president, uses old racial stereotypes to pander to white working class voters. Obama treats the African American community as though it is some kind of joke. In my life time I never thought I would experience the time when blacks were treated so shabbily by a U.S. presidential candidate. The way Obama sets back race relations through his promotion of old racist stereotypes is astounding. This is painful for me!

Sent by KCW | 10:19 PM ET | 07-15-2008

Unemployment, rising gas costs, the banking crisis, housing crisis, food crisis, and education crisis, etc.: these matters affect the African American community. These are the issues that blacks need to hear from Obama on. My heart aches for the African American community. Obama continues to insult us and treat us with a total lack of dignity and respect and we continue to cheer him on. It breaks my heart that the man whom could very well end up this nation's first black president, uses old racial stereotypes to pander to white working class voters. Obama treats the African American community as though it is some kind of joke. In my life time I never thought I would experience the time when blacks were treated so shabbily by a U.S. presidential candidate. The way Obama sets back race relations through his promotion of old racist stereotypes is astounding. This is painful for me!

Sent by Karen | 10:44 PM ET | 07-15-2008

What Obama Might Say to White Fathers

by Shannon Joyce Prince

"It is young white men and women who are more likely to engage in a plethora of destructive and often criminal behaviors."

On Father's Day Senator Barack Obama walked into a white church and stepped up to pulpit, absent his charismatic smile. He adjusted the microphone and straightened his silken tie, before resting his bistre colored hands on the pulpit. After staring out sternly over the pale faces of the congregation, he began to speak.

"White fathers," he intoned ominously. "You have abandoned your responsibilities. You are acting like boys and not men. You and I know this is true. It's reflected in the fact that according to the Center for Disease Control white young people are over twice as likely than black young people to drive drunk, a third more likely to carry a weapon, three times more likely to binge drink, and twice to four times more likely (depending on the drug) to use cocaine, coke, inhalants, steroids, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines. Furthermore, according to the conservative Manhattan Institute, your polo-shirted, loafer-wearing, suburban sons and daughters are more likely than their urban school counterparts to smoke cigarettes, have sex at an early age, and have commitment-free sex. They are also more likely to sell drugs than urban students. Clearly, the absence of white men from far too many families is taking a toll on white youths. As for those of you who are not absentee fathers, it's a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don't just sit in the house and watch HGTV all weekend long. Do some parenting.

"White young people are over twice as likely than black young people to drive drunk, a third more likely to carry a weapon, three times more likely to binge drink, and twice to four times more likely ... to use cocaine, coke, inhalants, steroids, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines."

"You know, sometimes I'll go to an eighth-grade graduation and there's all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it's just eighth grade. It is time for white parents to take action against the rampant anti-intellectualism in the white community. According to the National Center for Education Statistics white parents are half as likely as blacks to help their children with homework. It's not good enough for you to say to your child, 'Do good in school,' and then when that child comes home, you got the TV set on, you got the radio on, you don't check their homework, there is not a book in the house, you've got the video game playing.

"Perhaps the disinterest of white parents in education is the reason that white twelfth graders are only half as likely as black twelfth graders to have perfect attendance. Remember how I told black parents that 'parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.' It is time for white mothers and fathers to act black, to switch off American Idol and help their children with homework, to make sure that unless their children are sick with the mumps they are sitting in their homeroom at 8 AM ready to learn. According to the Departments of Education and Justice, instead of studying attentively in school, your white children are more likely than black ones to bring a weapon there. It's up to white fathers to tell their sons, those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in my house we give glory to achievement, self respect, and hard work.

"Now I know that racism is your usual opiate, I know that you take comfort in attributing dysfunction to black and brown hip hoppers, baby mamas, and thugs, but as the above statistics show it is young white men and women who are more likely to engage in a plethora of destructive and often criminal behaviors. Clearly you, white parents, need to stop being shiftless and take care of your responsibilities. You are failing your children."

* * *

"Whites were baffled at being singled out as a race for their failings and felt unduly stereotyped."

Not long after Obama made his speech, widely lauded by blacks who were tired of seeing all the dysfunction in the white community, but, not being half-white, weren't able to address white failings with such candor, whites expressed outrage at Obama's words. They were baffled at being singled out as a race for their failings and felt unduly stereotyped. After all, Obama had given little if any acknowledgement to good white parents. A cartoonist name Pat Oliphant lost patience with the recalcitrance of whites. He drew a suit-wearing Obama saying the following words to a white man, "When are you going to get up and take some responsibility for all of the children you've fathered?" The object of his address, a white man with stringy hair, features thin and pointed until they resembled a rodent's, was lounging in a trucker cap and stained wife beater. The man, clearly from the most impoverished part of Appalachia, looked up at Obama scornfully, replying, "Hey, Obama! Stop talkin' that hate-filled, Jeremiah Wright talk, n*gg*r. Or you ain't gonna get my very precious vote in the fall. Honestly, we whites are the last group of people it's okay for y'all to discriminate against." Oliphant wrote his doubt, in a corner of the comic strip, that such people vote at all.

Whites protested that while the half-white figure was portrayed as sensible, moral, and attractive, the fully white character spoke in dialect, was ignorant, associated criticism of white failings with black radicalism, and had a stereotypically lower class appearance. Blacks pooh-poohed their claims. Oliphant and Obama are only telling it like it is, they said. It's time to stop being politically correct and address the disproportionate failings of whites. And since no one really has to listen to whites or takes pains not to cast aspersions on their humanity in this country, their criticism were largely ignored and America resumed its business as usual.

Shannon Joyce Prince is a student a Dartmouth. All of the statistics referenced in the article are true, and have previously been compiled on the website timwise.org.

Sent by cecile | 12:33 PM ET | 07-16-2008

Wednesday, 16 July 2008

by Shannon Joyce PrinceWhiteFathersDrugsFront

What if statistics showed that "white young people are over twice as likely than black young people to drive drunk, a third more likely to carry a weapon, three times more likely to binge drink, and twice to four times more likely (depending on the drug) to use cocaine, coke, inhalants, steroids, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines?" That's precisely what the statistics say - which should be a signal for Barack Obama to begin paying visits to white churches to low-rate the fathers of the congregations. We can hear it
now: "Clearly you, white parents, need to stop being shiftless and take care of your responsibilities. You are failing your children." But don't bet on it. Things like that only happen in works of satire.

What Obama Might Say to White Fathers

by Shannon Joyce Prince

"It is young white men and women who are more likely to engage in a plethora of destructive and often criminal behaviors."

On Father's Day Senator Barack Obama walked into a white church and stepped up to pulpit, absent his charismatic smile. He adjusted the microphone and straightened his silken tie, before resting his bistre colored hands on the pulpit. After staring out sternly over the pale faces of the congregation, he began to speak.

"White fathers," he intoned ominously. "You have abandoned your responsibilities. You are acting like boys and not men. You and I know this is true. It's reflected in the fact that according to the Center for Disease Control white young people are over twice as likely than black young people to drive drunk, a third more likely to carry a weapon, three times more likely to binge drink, and twice to four times more likely (depending on the drug) to use cocaine, coke, inhalants, steroids, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines. Furthermore, according to the conservative Manhattan Institute, your polo-shirted, loafer-wearing, suburban sons and daughters are more likely than their urban school counterparts to smoke cigarettes, have sex at an early age, and have commitment-free sex. They are also more likely to sell drugs than urban students. Clearly, the absence of white men from far too many families is taking a toll on white youths. As for those of you who are not absentee fathers, it's a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don't just sit in the house and watch HGTV all weekend long. Do some parenting.

"White young people are over twice as likely than black young people to drive drunk, a third more likely to carry a weapon, three times more likely to binge drink, and twice to four times more likely ... to use cocaine, coke, inhalants, steroids, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines."

"You know, sometimes I'll go to an eighth-grade graduation and there's all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it's just eighth grade. It is time for white parents to take action against the rampant anti-intellectualism in the white community. According to the National Center for Education Statistics white parents are half as likely as blacks to help their children with homework. It's not good enough for you to say to your child, 'Do good in school,' and then when that child comes home, you got the TV set on, you got the radio on, you don't check their homework, there is not a book in the house, you've got the video game playing.

"Perhaps the disinterest of white parents in education is the reason that white twelfth graders are only half as likely as black twelfth graders to have perfect attendance. Remember how I told black parents that 'parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.' It is time for white mothers and fathers to act black, to switch off American Idol and help their children with homework, to make sure that unless their children are sick with the mumps they are sitting in their homeroom at 8 AM ready to learn.
According to the Departments of Education and Justice, instead of studying attentively in school, your white children are more likely than black ones to bring a weapon there. It's up to white fathers to tell their sons, those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in my house we give glory to achievement, self respect, and hard work.

"Now I know that racism is your usual opiate, I know that you take comfort in attributing dysfunction to black and brown hip hoppers, baby mamas, and thugs, but as the above statistics show it is young white men and women who are more likely to engage in a plethora of destructive and often criminal behaviors. Clearly you, white parents, need to stop being shiftless and take care of your responsibilities. You are failing your children."

* * *

"Whites were baffled at being singled out as a race for their failings and felt unduly stereotyped."

Not long after Obama made his speech, widely lauded by blacks who were tired of seeing all the dysfunction in the white community, but, not being half-white, weren't able to address white failings with such candor, whites expressed outrage at Obama's words. They were baffled at being singled out as a race for their failings and felt unduly stereotyped. After all, Obama had given little if any acknowledgement to good white parents. A cartoonist name Pat Oliphant lost patience with the recalcitrance of whites. He drew a suit-wearing Obama saying the following words to a white man, "When are you going to get up and take some responsibility for all of the children you've fathered?" The object of his address, a white man with stringy hair, features thin and pointed until they resembled a rodent's, was lounging in a trucker cap and stained wife beater. The man, clearly from the most impoverished part of Appalachia, looked up at Obama scornfully, replying, "Hey, Obama! Stop talkin' that hate-filled, Jeremiah Wright talk, n*gg*r.
Or you ain't gonna get my very precious vote in the fall. Honestly, we whites are the last group of people it's okay for y'all to discriminate against." Oliphant wrote his doubt, in a corner of the comic strip, that such people vote at all.

Whites protested that while the half-white figure was portrayed as sensible, moral, and attractive, the fully white character spoke in dialect, was ignorant, associated criticism of white failings with black radicalism, and had a stereotypically lower class appearance. Blacks pooh-poohed their claims. Oliphant and Obama are only telling it like it is, they said.

It's time to stop being politically correct and address the disproportionate failings of whites. And since no one really has to listen to whites or takes pains not to cast aspersions on their humanity in this country, their criticism were largely ignored and America resumed its business as usual.

Shannon Joyce Prince is a student a Dartmouth. All of the statistics referenced in the article are true, and have previously been compiled on the website timwise.org .

Sent by cecile | 1:59 PM ET | 07-16-2008

Black quit crying and responsibility for your own lives, Obama got it right when he says you need to help yourself and stop making excuses for your problems you all been listning to Jess and Al too long

Sent by Vic | 4:19 PM ET | 07-16-2008

I can believe the posts here. No wonder so many of the guest on this show are anti-Obama because many of the listeners seem to be. This is unbelievable.
Before you bash our next President (Obama) for speaking the truth, you should read his views (i.e. - his two books) and listen to his speeches. He has not undermined the Black community - EVER!! Senator Obama is right and cares about all of us. A Black man, married to a Black woman, that has worked to help poor Black people all of his life has not- and could not forget us. This is our first (and possibly) last best hope. We need to get on the stick. Other communities would never do this.

Sent by MMR | 5:02 PM ET | 07-16-2008

There is no question that blacks as a whole are largely at a disadvantage, and that measures need to be taken to correct this. Racism is an unfortunately inherent human tendency, and it continues to impede equal opportunity; however, blacks that do nothing more than point fingers and decry present injustices do nothing to help this problem. While critique and revision must continue, we must complement it by taking full advantage of progress already made. On one hand, my own success as a physician has come at a far greater cost than it has for most of my white colleagues. On the other, I receive all the more respect from them and others on account of this, and that matters. Not every white I see walking through the market or at my daughter's soccer game looks at me and thinks, "Hey, that black conquered adversity, goood for him and yayyy blacks!", but I take pride and comfort in the way in which I know I affect the overall perception of blacks. Opportunity for us is not equal, but nor is it nonexistent. The best we can do for ourselves as individuals and as a community is to take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. Fighting ignorance with words has and will continue to inflict social change in the long run; but in the meantime, we must shatter prejudice by hurdling the obstacles it creates and standing proudly as its disproof.

Sent by C. Vonderahe | 9:53 PM ET | 07-16-2008