Several weeks ago, before the horrors of Syria and the thoughtless stupidity of Washington came to dominate the news, debates over the alleged racist overtones of ‘stop and frisk’ policies held the nation’s attention. On the one hand, we were told such policies were dictatorial and fascistic, bringing to mind the demand “papers please,” usually accompanied by the worst of German accents. We were told these policies were racist, targeting mostly Blacks and Latinos in poorer communities. But on the other hand, these policies were defended as being put in place to protect these very same minority communities.
Although this sounds like an argument, the positions are fully compatible. It is quite un-American to be stopped on the street without apparent cause and made to prove our good intentions. Few of us would be willing to put up with this. It also seems quite un-American to live in a community where one is in constant fear of one’s neighbors. Few of us would be willing to put up with this either. Something is obviously broken here and any proposed political solution only seems to exacerbate the situation. Tragically, seeing no other option, we assume our assigned political positions and proceed as if there were some meaningful argument here and winning it will lead to an obvious solution. I doubt this is the case.
What is required is an understanding of history and some unpleasant honesty. As for our history, I look to the unfailing wisdom of our Founders. Benjamin Franklin warned us that, “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.” This seems obvious because the counter argument would be, a people who are always into mischief require constant monitoring. Indeed, Franklin continues, “As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” Franklin implies that such national degradation is the norm and to be expected. It would be hard to argue that today’s American culture is as virtuous as it was at the time of our founding.
The hard honesty is that this moral degradation is most apparent in our minority communities. This is no holier than thou speech. The ‘majority community’ has followed the trajectory of the minority community like a trout in pursuit of the shiny lure. Most of us assumed that the integration which accompanied the Civil Rights movement would have both communities benefiting by sharing the best each community had to offer. Evidence, however, suggests we revel in sharing our baser instincts. The historic out of wedlock birth rate is only a single marker, but it is both instructive and typical. See table below:
Out of Wedlock Births:
Black White
1965 24% 3%
1990 64% 18%
2010 72% 29%
This is not a function of color. It is a function of technology, social policy, and culture. Technology has made pregnancy easier to avoid, although this apparently is not always the preferred choice. Social policy has worked to make the situation of single parenthood easier to accommodate. And our culture has striven to make single parenthood more socially acceptable to accommodate a more relaxed Black culture. In some sectors of our modern society, single parenthood is not only acceptable, it is actually revered. This ‘enlightened’ environment has led to less responsible biological fathers and less responsive mothers. More children are being raised by less interested ‘care givers’ resulting in children who are simultaneously spoiled by a single parent making up for absences which are too frequent and resentful of the lack of meaningful boundaries. This results in an ever increasing criminal class and a requirement for increased law enforcement, like stop and frisk policies, because the ability to self-edit, self-monitor and self-control is being bred out. The same police tactics required to maintain an orderly community in minority neighborhoods will be coming to a neighborhood near you soon.
The problem is not political; it is cultural. No political solution will restore the republic. It will require a cultural shift which could be measured only by the Richter scale.
Our consumer culture has flushed both parents out of the pocket. We have abandon standards in favor of stuff. Too few of us are willing to give so much as lip service to the cultural heroines and heroes who raise the next generation. The moms and occasionally the dads who stay home to raise children who are not likely to become the criminals that break into your home and take your stuff or worse, are totally discounted and disregarded by our modern society. In this modern age of narcissism, we depend on the adulation of strangers for our self worth. In times past there was an inner strength derived from the knowledge that we were quietly and privately doing good work, that we were living our lives according to worthwhile standards.
The challenge for our age is how to return to the idyllic vision our Founders had for a civil society based on commonly understood and appreciated standards. I return to quote Benjamin Franklin, “We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial, local interests, our projects will be confounded and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And, what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.”
Disparate cultures rarely produce anything other than disparity and conflict. Successful cultures have a common and understood set of priorities. Multi-culturalism is a destructive force pitting incompatible value systems against each other. The similarity between our modern culture and the culture of Babel, referenced by Franklin above, is undeniable. How can we expect a different fate? We cannot have a society which allows a culture of might and greed to flourish in the ghettos while the suburbs adhere to a culture of hard work and self reliance. Only one of these cultures will dominate and all indications are that today’s suburbanite is ill equipped to survive in the culture of our apparently inevitable future. We either have to commit to all becoming skilled criminals or to changing our future.
When did we decide to cede whole neighborhoods to a criminal class? It was a mistake and a dereliction of duty. When did we decide it was preferable to hand over our children to strangers so that we could pursue the latest flat-screen technology? It was a mistake and a dereliction of duty. When did we decide we could just make up our morality on the spot, determined by the situation and our base desires? It was a mistake and a dereliction of duty. We cannot fix anything for which we are unwilling to take responsibility. We must own this problem and fix it with the only proven tool we know – the tool the Founders referenced for guidance and wisdom. Do you know this tool? Hint – it’s a book.
