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July 29, 2004

A truthteller

One of the characteristics of being black in America is that you learn how to live with a lot of pain. Just as professional athletes might get shots to desensitize them to physical ailments, too frequently blacks seek pharmacological cures for what ails the soul.

Humor is also at least a temporary cure. It is amazing how laughter has such a salubrious affect. That is why good comedians can attain great status in society. In ancient times comedians often were thought of as loveable fools, but now the great ones make people see the humor in human existence and the flaws in social values.

Bill Cosby came to town last Sunday to headline the tribute to the late Maynard Jackson which was organized by Maxine Waters, the congresswoman from Los Angeles. Quite appropriately Cosby was listed as Dr. William H. Cosby, Jr. on the program. Cosby is so funny that it is easy to forget that he is also very profound. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts after graduating from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Everyone in the audience was mindful of the recent controversy after Cosby criticized young black men for not getting an education and living a disciplined life. Many younger people did not fully understand the basis for Cosby’s comments. He is definitely old school. Those of his generation fully understand the indignities that older blacks had to bear with equanimity and the intense focus on education as the prescription for a better life.

Fifty years ago the technological revolution which now defines the American economy had not begun. There were many jobs for the unskilled and the uneducated. Nonetheless, there was a strong belief that a sound education was essential to one’s full human development. Racial discrimination in employment was so rampant then that there was no delusion that education would necessarily enable black men to acquire better jobs. Many blacks with advanced degrees had to settle for jobs as Pullman porters and postmen in order to support their families.

The purpose of an education back then was primarily to fulfill one’s destiny as a thinking human being. But now times have changed. A solid education is essential to employment. In this technology driven economy, the unskilled jobs in factories are fast disappearing. Young black men who have rejected the opportunity for an education find themselves perpetually unemployed. Rejection of the old school values is about to wipe out the economic and social progress of African Americans for which so many of the older generation have sacrificed so much.

A recent study published by Andrew Sum of Northeastern University reveals shocking data of black male joblessness that underscores Cosby’s concern. The study found that in 2002 one in four black men were out of work for a year or more. And the statistic would be even more discouraging if it included those who were incarcerated and therefore not gainfully employed.

Inadequate education has caused chronic unemployment which has generated a certain fecklessness in the young black male. Rather than being encouraged to take advantage of the dumbing down in white American society, blacks have fallen victim to it. This is a total rejection of the old school values.

Cosby has had the courage to step up and speak out as others have remained silent. Cosby’s pain and anguish at having to be so critical is apparent to those who are at all discerning. Time will show that Cosby has performed a great service for all African Americans.

 

 

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