No Country for Black Men
Black people in the United States have to fight some more for racial equality. Not only with white people, but also with themselves — a feuilleton in the “American dream book” series.
Among the abundance of gloomy information pouring in from the United States on its impending bankruptcy, one piece went unnoticed — one which is probably even more grim. Namely, we learned that the fight for equal rights for blacks, ongoing for 150 years, has been hopelessly lost, despite some people’s beliefs.
The strife began with the Civil War, which was bloodier for the United States than World War I and World War II combined. "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong," said President Lincoln. Although black men gained their freedom and the right to vote, the "separate but equal" doctrine was still in effect for another 100 years in the South. African-Americans could get married only with other African-Americans, they were required to sit in separate areas in restaurants, use separate public toilets, ride in the back of buses and give up their seats to white people, and their children had to learn in separate classes.
It was only on Dec.1, 1955, when Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old black woman from Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat on the bus, even though three white men were standing. "I don’t think I should have to stand up," she said. The bus driver called the police, who arrested the rebel, but Parks’ words were the beginning of the end of racial segregation.
Eight years later, Martin Luther King uttered other famous words — for many Americans, the most important in the 20th century: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Pastor King was shot by a white murderer, just like Malcolm X, the radical fighter for black people’s rights. However, the revolution could no longer be stopped.
On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama, the son of a black man, uttered the words known to every American: "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will execute the Office of President of the United States faithfully."
The end.
That is how a Hollywood version of this story would look like in four takes — Lincoln’s, Parks’, King’s, and Obama’s. Unfortunately, a report just published by the Pew Research Center shows that the real-life version of the story would be somewhat different.
The report, which analyzes the financial status of blacks and other races, states that in 1984 an average white family had 12 times as much total wealth as a black family. In 1991, 10 times. In 1955, seven times. And then, the tendency suddenly reversed. In 2004, white households were, on average, 11 times wealthier than black ones. In 2009 the average white family had about $113,000, whereas a black one had about $5,700. White Americans are therefore 20 times richer than black Americans!
Black people are America's pariahs. 35 percent of their families have nothing or just debts (15 percent of white families are in the same situation). Segregation, although prohibited by law, is a fact. City centers are inhabited by poor, black people. Crime levels are high here, and schools are terrible. The best example is the country’s capital, Washington.
5 percent of all black men are in prison. Every seventh was, is or will be in jail.
Why is it so bad, if it was supposed to be so good? The United States' president is black, isn’t he? Political correctness forbids us from calling black people black (replacing the term with African-American), doesn’t it? The affirmative action ensures easier access for black people to universities (they are awarded additional points for their ethnic origin), doesn’t it?
Several years ago, the popular comedian Bill Cosby, who himself is a symbol of social advancement of black Americans, stated that black people themselves are to blame. They have wasted the opportunity given to them by Pastor King and other human rights activists. Black hip-hop artists extol only violence, drugs and sex. Consequently, the greatest ambition of many young blacks is not getting into university, but owning a 20-meter-long white limo equipped with a mini-bar filled with bottles of champagne and bags of cocaine, and a large whirlpool bathtub where you can bathe with several ladies at one time.
Cosby said that it was about time black people stopped blaming whites and looked in the mirror. And his words should also appear in a film about the emancipation of blacks. The comedian was widely condemned for what he said, and some people even accused him of racism.
Undoubtedly, he carried it a bit too far; however, the fact remains that black people in America have to fight some more for racial equality. And not only with white people, but also with themselves.
Among the abundance of gloomy information pouring in from the United States on its impending bankruptcy, one piece went unnoticed — one which is probably even more grim. Namely, we learned that the fight for equal rights for blacks, ongoing for 150 years, has been hopelessly lost, despite some people’s beliefs.
The strife began with the Civil War, which was bloodier for the United States than World War I and World War II combined. "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong," said President Lincoln. Although black men gained their freedom and the right to vote, the "separate but equal" doctrine was still in effect for another 100 years in the South. African-Americans could get married only with other African-Americans, they were required to sit in separate areas in restaurants, use separate public toilets, ride in the back of buses and give up their seats to white people, and their children had to learn in separate classes.
It was only on Dec.1, 1955, when Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old black woman from Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat on the bus, even though three white men were standing. "I don’t think I should have to stand up," she said. The bus driver called the police, who arrested the rebel, but Parks’ words were the beginning of the end of racial segregation.
Eight years later, Martin Luther King uttered other famous words — for many Americans, the most important in the 20th century: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Pastor King was shot by a white murderer, just like Malcolm X, the radical fighter for black people’s rights. However, the revolution could no longer be stopped.
On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama, the son of a black man, uttered the words known to every American: "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will execute the Office of President of the United States faithfully."
The end.
That is how a Hollywood version of this story would look like in four takes — Lincoln’s, Parks’, King’s, and Obama’s. Unfortunately, a report just published by the Pew Research Center shows that the real-life version of the story would be somewhat different.
The report, which analyzes the financial status of blacks and other races, states that in 1984 an average white family had 12 times as much total wealth as a black family. In 1991, 10 times. In 1955, seven times. And then, the tendency suddenly reversed. In 2004, white households were, on average, 11 times wealthier than black ones. In 2009 the average white family had about $113,000, whereas a black one had about $5,700. White Americans are therefore 20 times richer than black Americans!
Black people are America's pariahs. 35 percent of their families have nothing or just debts (15 percent of white families are in the same situation). Segregation, although prohibited by law, is a fact. City centers are inhabited by poor, black people. Crime levels are high here, and schools are terrible. The best example is the country’s capital, Washington.
5 percent of all black men are in prison. Every seventh was, is or will be in jail.
Why is it so bad, if it was supposed to be so good? The United States' president is black, isn’t he? Political correctness forbids us from calling black people black (replacing the term with African-American), doesn’t it? The affirmative action ensures easier access for black people to universities (they are awarded additional points for their ethnic origin), doesn’t it?
Several years ago, the popular comedian Bill Cosby, who himself is a symbol of social advancement of black Americans, stated that black people themselves are to blame. They have wasted the opportunity given to them by Pastor King and other human rights activists. Black hip-hop artists extol only violence, drugs and sex. Consequently, the greatest ambition of many young blacks is not getting into university, but owning a 20-meter-long white limo equipped with a mini-bar filled with bottles of champagne and bags of cocaine, and a large whirlpool bathtub where you can bathe with several ladies at one time.
Cosby said that it was about time black people stopped blaming whites and looked in the mirror. And his words should also appear in a film about the emancipation of blacks. The comedian was widely condemned for what he said, and some people even accused him of racism.
Undoubtedly, he carried it a bit too far; however, the fact remains that black people in America have to fight some more for racial equality. And not only with white people, but also with themselves.