RACE AND REALITY---OR IS THERE A REALITY?

Florida Black adults protest the competency test for high school graduation. The test is so simple that failure means you cannot function in society. Parents want their stupid darlings to get diplomas anyway. There is an article in Front Page by a teacher in the Memphis school system that depicts the rampant quasi-criminal behavior of the non-students in his classes. We always need to be wary of the authenticity of these "first person" pieces, but his observations are echoed by three teachers in Los Angeles that I know personally, two of whom tell me things are even worse. However a fourth tells me that the absolute criminals in his classes behave perfectly, until they get off the school grounds; then God help you if you happen to ride any of the MTA busses that pick up these "children" who terrorize passengers, assault busses with fists and books, and behave as aggressively as media describe. Police park across the street from the school to make sure the "kids" actually board busses and don't vandalize the neighborhood.

ANOTHER REALITY---I work in an inbound telephone call center. The sales force is about 50% black, no more than 25% white, the rest being all other racial groups. Here's some thumbnails on a few of the blacks: He works an eight to ten hour shift and also works as a diesel mechanic for the MTA, he sleeps four to five hours a night; She works a four hour shift, a four hour shift as a guard, and goes to school at night where she is completing her work on a Masters Degree; He works twelve hour shifts for three days per week and is going to school on a scholarship; Another works an incredible six days per week 12 hour shifts per day and is saving money to go to school on matching grants and he is three months away from having the requisite $25,000 of his own that will be matched by three other sources; A thirty something woman works as a guard, as a salesperson at my firm, and part time at another job, she is also a mother. I could go on but you get my drift here. Many black people work their asses off, do not deal drugs, pimp, prostitute, or behave in any way other than exemplary. They see opportunity to better themselves and are "going for it".

ARE THERE TWO "BLACK AMERICAS"? I think there may be two or three in the formative stage. People like the ones working in my firm cannot be kept silent by the bums and thugs in their communities forever. They voice contempt for the "you know whats" (a direct quote) in Florida protesting the competency tests. Two were actually surprised, really surprised, that the Iraqis welcomed us into Iraq; the subtext here is that a few now suspect the "Black News" they rely on for information. Several listen to Rush Limbaugh "once in a while", watch FOX "sometimes", BUT they hold to the usual Black reaction to everything. This country stinks, has always suppressed blacks, is a racist society that owes them money, always picks on them, and so on; the talk in the coffee area is outright hate for this country.

We may be seeing the start of some change, but a change we might not like. The start of a much smarter racist black class, one that will spot the fakes among them (Florida protesters) but will continue to be an angry anti-everybody else minority group. I say this because in addition to the positives about the people in my firm, their racist attitudes, particularly toward Asians and "Latinos", are vicious. Mexican and Asian race jokes pour forth. The young guys have the attitudes toward women that are as bad as publicized. Their politics are still as an entitlement class that demands more and more. There is never enough. Everything should be free. They see conspiracies everywhere: the lotto is fixed, against them of course; LeBron James, in spite of walking away with a $100 million dollar payday at age 18, will be cheated, although they laugh with joy that "whitey" had to come up with the scratch; Shuge Knight is a martyr; Mike Tyson has been lynched by White America because whites will always bring a successful black man down; etc., etc.,etc. The fantasy world they create for themselves transcends education. I don't know what the result will be, but it doesn't look good for them. Dreams come true. Fantasies shatter.

WHAT WOULD I DO? I'd just give the Florida morons their diplomas. The parents don't give a dam about "no child left behind". I'd absolutely ban all racial graduations at all institutions in the country. Demand that either you compete or you lose, the people like the ones in my firm can compete and prove it every day. Basically I'd just stop fighting with the NAACP and the rest of the fakes. I'd tell these parents that you better admit that the school failures are a result of your failure to hold your kids accountable. I'd stop paying attention to blacks at all. Give them what they want; fake diplomas, fake college degrees in fake subjects; no tests; give them all the phony paper they want. Life will take care of the rest. Bad kids should be kicked out of schools (of course the parents won't tolerate that). A civil suit on behalf of the parents of kids who actually want to learn should be brought; sort of a right wing "Brown vs Board of Education". Then see what happens........Talk about fantasies!

Some inner city blacks are learning and maybe they will change things down the road. Maybe.