I have no intention of commenting to the point of who is to blame. I simply don’t know all the facts. I was not there. I only have heard what is on the news. It is not that I don’t have an opinion; I have just decided to keep it to myself. The point I want to address is the response of the masses.
It is pretty obvious that to most rational people, the looting and race baiting is the wrong response and adds nothing to the situation. I have heard all the arguments. I have watched all of the riots. The carnage brought to their communities is nothing less than a crime in itself. Then to make it worse President Obama and Eric Holder refuse to allow the State to handle its own problems. I wonder how much time either one of them has spent in Ferguson, MO?
There are many who want to compare the recent events to the Civil Rights movement. The black community blames the entire situation on racism. The white community says it has nothing to do with racism. All I see is that no one has addressed the systemic problem; that is, the breakdown of society from every angle.
No one in their right mind would deny the civil injustices enacted upon the black community throughout the history of this nation. No one can ignore the need for the Civil Rights movement during the 60s. But what is happening today is not the same as the Civil Rights movement. Civil disobedience is needed in many situations to bring attention to unjust social circumstances. But…rioting, looting, violence, and burning down community businesses is not a legitimate response. All this does is to perpetuate the stereo typical behavior that is being complained about by the black community.
There have been many people groups in the history of the world that have been oppressed and treated unfairly. The Jews were slaves as far back as Egypt. They have been persecuted and murdered throughout the world for centuries. In their entire struggle throughout their history, we do not see that the Jews, as a people group, have ever received or asked for reparations or entitlements. History does not record a time when the Jews rioted and looted their own communities in protest against unfair treatment. That kind of behavior smacks of insanity.
As a child I experienced prejudicial treatment from Catholics and black people for being Jewish. I was called a “Christ killer”. I have been beaten up a number of times for being Jewish. Does that make every Catholic or black person suspect? Should I have rioted or started looting because of the unfair behavior I received? If race relations are tense, it is not because Whites are plotting against Blacks; it is because of the poor, stereo-typical behavior enacted by those who are thoughtlessly destroying their own communities.
These are some statistics from the American Free press. Nearly 50% of all black males will be arrested by the age of 23. “African American youth represent 32% of all weapons related arrests [and] were arrested for aggravated assault at a rate nearly three times that of Whites. Similar statistics were released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the “Uniform Crime Reports.” They determined, “In the year 2008, black youths, who make up 16% of the youth population, accounted for 52% of juvenile violent crime arrests, including 58% for homicide and 67% for robbery.” By contrast, the only categories where white youths surpassed blacks were in liquor law violations and driving under the influence.
Is this as a result of white oppression? Is there a plot against black people? Has anyone looked at world events lately? Jewish people are being killed and violated all over the world. Campuses protest Israel. Major “Christian” denominations have divested form Israel. Muslim countries swear that they will wipe the Jews from the face of the earth. Synagogues are being bombed. Jews are stabbed in their own places of worship. They are oppressed by the world and then accused of being the oppressor when they defend themselves. Where is the outrage? Why aren’t my people protesting, shutting down highways, looting stores and throwing stones at the police. It might be because they are too busy trying to survive and prosper as a people group. Hey, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If this behavior is acceptable for the Black community, then it should also be acceptable for every oppressed people group. After all, the Jews are truly a minority in every sense of the word. According to Wikipedia, the world's core Jewish population in early 2013 was estimated at 13.9 million people (around 0.2% of the world population).
During the Civil Rights movement of the 60s, when the black community finally made the decision to fight against the injustices enacted against them, they did it with dignity. They fought systematically using wisdom and restraint. They were an example to the whole world. The kind of behavior that has been exhibited in modern times by the black community has been atrocious. It has been stated that the greatest revenge is your success. This is a message that needs to be preached to every black youth. Instead of rioting and protesting, maybe they could invest all of this energy into programs for the re-education of the next generation. It would be so much more constructive if they spent their time redeeming their youth and rescuing them from this ghetto culture which has done nothing but destroy an entire generation of our black youth. I say get your revenge against those who you say have oppressed you and succeed. Stop blaming the world for your problems and rise to the task of creating a successful community. Who cares what others say or think about you? We Jews certainly don’t.
One of the reasons there has been such a disparity in our black neighborhoods is because of the destruction of the family. Over 70% of all black children are born out of wedlock. According to CNN anchor Don Lemon (a black commentator) "Black people," Lemon said, "if you really want to fix the problem, there are just five things that you should think about doing."
The No. 1 item on that list -- "and probably the most important," he said -- had to do with out-of-wedlock births.
2011 Census Bureau, data compiled by Kids Count, is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The group defined "children in single-parent families" as kids under 18 who live with their own single parent; it includes children living with a parent and a cohabiting adult, but it does not include children living with married step-parents.
“Estimates for the percentage of African-American children growing up in single-parent households are slightly lower, at 67 percent.”
It makes no difference what you think, the destruction of the community happens when the family structure breaks down. This can be clearly seen. The family is the backbone of society. When the family structure breaks down, society breaks down.
As a result of this breakdown the father figure, who leads his children in teaching his sons how to be a strong honorable man, is absent. Daughters do not have a healthy example of what a faithful man should look like; therefore, they fall prey to men who are nothing more than exploiters and thugs.
Ghetto culture is not an accurate example of black culture. Ghetto culture is an example of the family breakdown, abandonment of responsibility, and abdication of a segment of our society to fulfill their responsibility to rise up the next generation ready to handle life.
Scripture states it best.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Deu 6:6 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
Deu 6:7 "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
The real issue we are dealing with in the black community is that simple Biblical precepts that used to be a major part of black identity have been totally abandoned. Families were strong then. There used to be a time when the black community embraced that identity. They celebrated it in the “Negro” spirituals. The majority of these hymns identified with Israel and their oppression. What you did not see, however, was a black community asking for entitlements or expecting a handout. Their determination to pick themselves up and move beyond their oppression was admirable, and it was the formula that finally led to the Civil Rights movement of the 60s.
It is time for the black community to be a little bit more introspective and ask the tough questions. I believe the greatest oppression that has happened to black people since the time of slavery has been entitlements. It has kept them dependant on handouts. It has not allowed them to rise to their full potential. I blame the whites and the blacks for this. It is about time that the black man has his revenge against the years of oppression that has befallen them. Let them rise to their success just like every other oppressed people group and find revenge through their success. Man’s injustice against man has been and continues to be felt in society.
The one thing I do know, however; as long as some act like animals pouncing upon road kill, they will continue to perpetuate the stereo-typical perceptions.
Pro 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.