As a Black American, I’m sure that my perspective on politics has been shaped by my “community” history. What is “community” though? Is it inherently racial or composed of ethnic background? I have to say that I don’t feel very communal at all with many Black Americans on the issue of personal responsibility. While certain cultural practices descending from African people certainly are an integral part of my life, on this particular issue I feel distant. My stance is outside of the majority.
Black Americans are the most resilient people that I have witnessed in my 20-something years on this earth. We have overcome many obstacles, strived for excellence, and, in the past, held a work ethic that was insurmountable. What happened to that in the last 30 years is debatable, but one thing remains. Personal responsibility seems to be a conversation that we’re shoeing under the rug in exchange for a stronger focus on structural discrimination and our issues with larger institutions.
Many American conservatives have preached the rhetoric of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. ::cue patriotic music and Uncle Sam voice::
“Take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! You can SUCCEED in the American DREAM if you work HARD! Be a PRODUCTIVE citizen!”
This makes partial sense for me. I believe in the bootstrap theory IF and ONLY IF we give people boots to wear. I think most people would nod their heads in agreement to that…but where the disagreement begins is what quality of boots do people need in order to be successful (i.e. economically empowered-not necessarily rich, educated-in some capacity or field, and maintaining good health-sexually, mentally, and physically).
The majority of Black Americans will not have equal footing with most White Americans for at least another two generations. Social change takes time, lots of time. Thus, waiting for structural change instead of focusing more heavily on personal responsibility will continue to give us the same (if not worse) results that Black Americans currently see in most of our communities. In my lifetime, it is likely that we will see the one or two success stories as time progresses (i.e. President Obama).
But the reality is this: most of us will have to learn to walk in K-Mart quality “boots” during our hike to success in exchange for future generations rocking Louis Vuitton “boots” and having an easier journey. We need to acknowledge this reality and stop twiddling our thumbs waiting for real institutional change that likely won’t arrive for another century.
Is it fair? NO, but it’s a reality. I’m not advocating that we stop challenging the system (I hope you voted today), but rather our efforts need to be fiercer amongst motivating each other.
There is a level of personal responsibility that we all need to take. For example, we need to tell our kids (and some adults) that just because you’re in a school district with 10 year old text books, doesn’t mean you are defeated from learning. People of African descent come from a lineage of innovators and geniuses. Study ancient african civilizations and you’ll see a foil to the overwhelming Black American reality. Matter a fact, you don’t even have to go that far back to see our capacity for seeking knowledge. Regardless of America’s legal debauchery and discrimination, some of our ancestors learned to read through newspaper scraps and bent up religious texts. I’m sure that if we instill the right DEMAND in each other, we can manage with decade old text books in public school classrooms. We have far more resources than they did including public libraries with books of various reading levels to challenge those of us that want more. We don’t have to wait to be spoonfed, and while other races may have it easier in the education sector, we’re capable of learning under these “conditions,” which really aren’t that bad if we’d just focus.
Now let’s talk about sexual and reproductive health. Another example, just because there isn’t a free clinic on every block doesn’t mean that we can’t find ways to protect ourselves sexually and use family planning tactics through buying condoms at the corner store or local CVS. Or better yet, we can march ourselves to the clinic even if it is an hour or two away to get birth control and other safe sex materials. Our grandparents walked all types of crazy miles for political boycotts, I think we can walk a little to “get some” safely. Actually, you can even use those rights that they gave you to ride public transportation. People will travel all types of distances for new sneakers and concerts, but any lengthy steps for your sexual health are too much? Nope, stop the bullshit: take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
And what about economics? Numerous Black American families are struggling: the middle class because they spend beyond their means and to make appearances, the poverty class because they don’t have it. We need to put our money toward cleaning up our credit, paying bills on time, and if there’s money left over, saving. These efforts have to cross generations: young, middle aged, and old, we all need to help each other stay afloat financially and swim when possible. Economic empowerment depends on income obviously. Education is one tool toward getting a career that produces decent income, whether it be through college, technical training, or the military. We also need to accept that the goal should not be to get rich, but to find a career that has some sort of personal longevity with our interest and that can produce an income to help steer our families and communities back on track financially. The majority of us will not be rich, that’s just the way it is, but I do believe that we can all be comfortable if we take the proper steps and plan for our futures.
Speaking of financial planning, I’d have to advocate that we start recognizing that economic empowerment ties in with sex and reproduction. For young people (and adults) who cannot support themselves, starting a family right now will likely hurt you, the child, immediate family members, and the community. Call me classist, elitist, or whatever, but the reality is that kids cost money and if you don’t have it to spend, you need to wait until you do. I hope we one day get to a world in which everyone is financially empowered. I’d love for starting a family to simply be a personal choice. We’re not there yet though, so please take pause and plan.
The bottom line is that significant change takes time and generations. Operating without a high level of personal responsibility is dangerous regardless of the political climate. We’ve got to stop this and as much as we balk at the Bill Cosby, “Come On People” stance, it has it’s merits and we can’t continue to ignore our personal role in helping ourselves. Our efforts won’t take us all the way to change, but it’ll certainly help us more than standing still and waiting for institutions to save us.
What do you think? Have we lost an attitude of personal responsibility in our communities? If so, should that be the first thing that we work to restore rather than complain about institutional racism and discrimination?
Tell it like it is down there. Agree or disagree? Don’t hold back (you won’t be hurting my feelings)…
As many of you have figured out within the last few weeks, I cut my hair. Chopped, gone, and perhaps now in some garbage incinerator floating up to the sky. I have cut my hair before, around my 18th birthday (that’s about two years ago, yes I am young!), I told my hairdresser that I was tired of my shoulder brushing mane and to cut me the edgyist style she could think of. And I rocked it, HARD, in fact the majority of my friends in New York remembered me with my short hair cut, so when I came back to New York this summer after a year of being abroad with my hair back to my shoulders, a lot of my friends were like “huh? Arielle?”