Racial Permissiveness

You’ve seen it.  Perhaps in a supermarket or on a plane a small child throws a tantrum.  Then his mother seeks to appease him by giving in to little Johnny’s every whim.  No matter what he asks, she placates him.

Maybe this mom had a difficult childhood.  Perhaps raised in poverty by an abusive parent, she is now determined to make sure that her child has every advantage.  Mindful of her present good fortune, she is resolved not to deny him what it is in her power to provide.

The problem is that permissiveness backfires.  All too often, its recipients are not grateful.  Indeed, many become selfish adults who are utterly insensitive to the needs of others.  Unfortunately, what amounts to racial permissiveness today flourishes among liberals.  Ironically, in their quest to right previous wrongs, they inadvertently create new ones.

Although racism persists, it is a spent force.  Only a few troglodytes insist that blacks be oppressed—and they usually do not have the power to enforce their will.  The rest of us stipulate that African-Americans must receive the same opportunities as everyone else.

Nonetheless, blacks are not entitled to special privileges.  The same rules that apply to others must also apply to them.  If anything, allowing them unique dispensations is like spoiling the very young.  It robs them of the controls needed to become successful.

If proof is necessary, the Ferguson debacle supplies it in abundance.  To blame the police for the death of a young thug—merely because he was black—provides an excuse for lawlessness.  It informs out-of-control young men that only others must exercise restraint.

When the president of the United States tells the nation that he “understands” why blacks are distraught, he, in effect, justifies the rioting.  Whatever else he says is canceled out by putting the focus on police behavior—where, in this case, it does not belong.  Officer Wilson did nothing wrong!

Al Sharpton, Eric Holder, and Brown’s attorneys likewise illustrate the consequences of racial permissiveness.  By essentially claiming that bad conduct is acceptable, they undermine our nation’s foundations.  Ostensibly to compensate for a non-existent crime, they would cheerfully put the rest of us in jeopardy.

Consider the attacks on the grand jury.  It was held in secret, as are all grand juries, but now its secrecy is to be stripped away.  Why?  Because the race hustlers hope to apply pressure for an outcome they desire.  It matters not that they would thereby destroy an institution designed to protect our rights.

Or what about the attacks on the district attorney?  His character was impugned, again, to coerce a desired result.  Incredibly, he has been castigated for presenting all of the evidence to the grand jury.  In other words, unless he collaborated in rigging the decision, his detractors would not be satisfied.

Or what about demands that police recruiting be nationalized.  What makes the critics believe that federal control would enhance this effort?  Is Washington that efficient?  No, the goal is once more to use the central government to impose an unlegislated result.

Or what about the rioting?  Why wasn’t sufficient force brought to bear?  In the old day they shot looters; hence there was little looting.  While it is not necessary to go that far, mass arrests and public condemnation would have done wonders.  None of this flying in from Washington to comfort the parents!

The violence that is ripping apart black neighborhoods will never subside until blacks take responsibility for controlling it.  Blaming others merely diverts attention from the unfulfilled obligations of black leaders and national politicians.

African-Americans are not children.  Nor are they mentally or morally defective.  It is time to stop treating them as if they were.  We demand civilized behavior of others; we must demand it of them!  Writing off violent tantrums as protests is absurd.  This trivializes the freedoms for which so many sacrificed their last full measure of devotion.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University