A Poverty Of Ethics

Work Ethic
Spread Ethics Not Money

Material “Poverty,” such as it is in America, is a result more of ethical poverty rather than any of sort of material barrier to people improving their material situation. This is most especially true among the Black population within America’s borders. When it comes to work ethic or the lack thereof, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) had it pretty close to right.

We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work, and so there is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with.

— Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

The Liberals and Progressives, of course, will dispute this vehemently and stridently. They will cite various material barriers to Black employment, such as: The War on Drugs, a lack of educational opportunities, the de-industrialization of urban centers, crumbling public transportation infrastructure, stagnant working class wages, globalization, and the decline of private-sector labor unions.

To no American’s surprise, they’re largely though not totally wrong and wrong in ways that are easy to point out.

The War on Drugs

It disingenuous on the part of the Left to cite the War on Drugs as a cause for Black unemployment and poverty that is separate from an underlying ethical lack and/or failure on the part of the “Black Community.” The drug trade is endemic to urban Black populations and, if they’re being “disproportionately” impacted by America’s drug laws it’s solely because they’re disproportionately engage in drug-related criminal behaviors.

Lack of Educational Opportunities

Given that a higher percentage of Blacks enroll in college each year than Whites – 7.22% vs. 5.32% – It’d be easy to just write this particular excuse off right from the start. That, however, wouldn’t really be either fair or accurate since their is a discrepancy in educational opportunities at the primary and secondary schooling level between the “Black Community” and normal Americans.

Where the Liberals, Progressives, and Blacks fail is in their assertion that it’s America’s fault that this is the case. The fault lies firmly at the feet of the Blacks who adamantly refuse to be involved in their children’s education and to fight for more resources to designated for their schools. Good schools within the government-run education systems only happen when parents demand them. Blacks rarely seem to do so.

De-Industrialization of Urban Centers

The loss of urban industry is real and has a real impact on income and wealth. Citing it as a material barrier to Blacks improving their lot in life is, however, only valid if one accepts the postulates that Blacks are somehow intrinsically different from Whites and that the Black urban population centers have some intrinsic worth and must be protected and maintained.

The loss of urban industry hit all races and cultures equally. The difference is that Whites adjusted to it, often by leaving the cities in order to go where the jobs were. Blacks, not so much. They seemed to prefer to stay in their inner city environments. You’re never going to hear or read about “Black Flight” – except in the web’s “Afrosphere” where Blacks that get out of the ghetto and don’t look back are, more of than not, attacked and insulted for doing so.

Crumbling Public Transportation Infrastructure

This is less an excuse for Black poverty than it is just another excuse for Liberals and Progressives to rant about public transportation which, while greatly less than ubiquitous and hardly great, is not crumbling – especially in urban areas, which is where a majority (58%) of Blacks live.

Stagnant Working Class Wages

This is really just another excuse for Liberals and Progressives to pull out the tired, old canard of wages. It has no specific bearing upon the “Black Community’s” economic situation. Indeed, it’s a nonsensical argument as, according to the Liberals and Progressives, there’s too few Blacks making working class wages irrespective of whether or not those wages have stagnated.

Globalization

Globalism and its horrific effects upon the American workforce is a point that one could almost give the Liberals and Progressives.  Indeed, it could replace both De-Industrialization of Urban Centers and Stagnant Working Class Wages as a reason or excuse for Black poverty. The only issues with that is that it, once again, assumes a postulate that that Blacks are somehow intrinsically different from Whites and it ignores the fact that, if Blacks are more vulnerably to it, that is largely due to them making themselves so through criminality and lack of education.

Of course, another way of looking at this is that Black, Brown, and Yellow people in other countries are benefiting at the expense of Black, Brown, Yellow, and White people in America. Hence, being a “Citizen of the World” sort sucks.

Decline of Private-Sector Labor Unions

This particular Liberals and Progressives canard is farcical when applied to Blacks. Throughout the history of Organized Labor in the US vastly more often than not Blacks and Labor Unions were directly at odds with each other. Union leaders used to threat of Blacks stealing Whites’ jobs by working for lower wages to bolster union memberships and Management hired Blacks to break the power of Labor Unions. To this very day that general trend exists throughout Labor Unions in America.

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Yet both Paul Ryan’s argument and the Left’s attempts at rebuttal – on those occasions when they actually do more than cry, “Racist!” – only address work ethics and the culture of work. They do not in any way address what is both the “Black Community’s” greatest ethical failing and the heaviest millstone around their necks when it comes to the sorry state of their economic situation.

Black Bastardy

The Census Bureau puts the poverty rate among Blacks at 35%, compared to 13% among Whites.  The single most significant cause of that disparity isn’t work ethics or supposed material barriers, it’s bastardy.

The bastardy rate among Blacks is 72%.  Comparatively, the bastardy rate is 30% among Whites.

As the poverty rate among Black married families is only 8%, compared to 5% among married White families, we can see that it is the uncontrolled and irresponsible breeding of illegitimate children that is the greatest measurable cause of poverty.

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No. The poverty of the Black Community isn’t a material poverty; it’s an ethical poverty, a paucity of self-control and care for their own young combine with a cultish desire to blame others for their own failure.

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One Response to “A Poverty Of Ethics”

  1. cmblake6 Says:

    This would equal your entire post in length for comments to each point. Suffice it to say, good stuff Jon. Excellent.

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