Star Parker on 'Uncle Sam's Plantation'
Dutch Martin (archive)
December 30, 2003 | Print | Send
Star Parker, the founder and president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education (CURE), has written a new book entitled "Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can Do About It." Dutch Martin, a foreign service officer and a Townhall.com book reviewer, asked Ms. Parker a few questions.
Dutch Martin: Ms. Parker, I just finished reading "Uncle Sam's Plantation" and think it is an excellent read. What motivated you to write it?
Star Parker: During the welfare debates of the 1990s politicians told the nation that the era of big government was over. Yet federal spending has increased 16 percent with only half due to the War on Terror. We are supposed to be in a post-welfare era, yet most Americans are driven by an entitlement mentality and view government as a resource center. Perhaps they won’t apply for food stamps and disdain those that do, but most Americans think that wealth redistribution is a good thing when it helps them pay for healthcare, Social Security and education for their rug rats.
Martin: Despite the mounting evidence to show that the War on Poverty programs of the mid-'60s have done more harm than good, many blacks refuse to acknowledge this, in particular that welfare took away virtually any incentive to be self-sufficient. Many prominent blacks on the left know this, but are tight-lipped about admitting it. In fact, some are still unrepentant in their support for continued government "assistance" to the black poor. Why do you think that is, and are blacks finally starting to see through the nonsense?
Parker: At root of this love affair blacks have with government is their hatred for capitalism. The problem is one of trust. When given the choice, blacks trust government institutions over private institutions. Blacks have been convinced that the wealthy are exploitive thieves who have grown that way on the backs of the poor. Most blacks hate free markets more than they love freedom so the self-destructive nature of government dependency does not bother them. In fact the residual results enhance their case that America is racist. Most blacks do not want to see through this nonsense because then the responsibility to move on is individual. It is hard to live free. It is also hard to forgive. It is also hard not to envy. This dilemma of human nature is not new. Remember, when Jesus was distributing responsibilities to his disciples and told Peter of his portion, Peter’s first response was to ask what John would be required to do.
Martin: In the introduction to her book "The Burden of Bad Ideas," author Heather Mac Donald recounts a conversation she had in the early 1990's with a single mother going to pick up her monthly check at a New York City welfare agency. When asked by the author what she would do in the absence of welfare, the woman replied, "I'd get me a husband." Such a statement is very telling of the effect that "living on the county" has on marriage. This is especially true in the black community, where the 70% illegitimacy rate of black children is combined with an excruciatingly low rate of marriage. To put it another way, roughly three generations of young black women have been reared to prefer a "baby's daddy" over a loving and responsible husband. Do you see a reversal in this horrible trend in sight?
Parker: You are poor. In your country there is a war to separate religion from public life. Every institution in your country – especially the schools and media – spreads the message of moral relativists that acquisition is the highest value in life. You are conditioned through secularism to believe that the meaning of one’s life is connected to one’s physical appearance or sex appeal, one’s personal power or position over others, and your ability to purchase things. Your personal condition offers no environment for you to compete in these three areas. According to the elite standards, you do not measure up. So your government then offers you a deal. It will pay you if you have a child out of wedlock and will reward you for every additional child. It promises to take care of all of your problems. It will house you, feed you, take care of your medical needs, your retirement, and will educate your kids. If you work, save money or get married it will penalize you. What would you do? This trend will not stop until we get the government out of charity business.
Martin: As a young single black man, I was always raised to treat women with respect and dignity, to be a gentleman. Yet, many young black women view "nice guys" and "good brothers" as weak and unappealing yet hate it when these men ultimately marry white (and other non-black) women. (I'm happily married to a lovely Moroccan woman, by the way.) Has the susceptibility of black women to radical feminism, as you discuss in chapter 5 (Undermining Marriage) contributed in small or large part to this state of affairs? What other factors, as you see them, explain this tension harbored by black women toward men?
Parker: Respect is a virtue no longer taught to the most vulnerable. Radical feminism has taught young women that men are repressive and only about dominance. When someone is convinced that all of life is about power and control, there are great suspicions. This is a matter of trust; another virtue no longer taught in our society. Most black women have experienced some dimension of weakness at the hand of a man (often through their own father deserting their mother), and therefore believe that if a man is kind and gentle, he is hiding something. Most of the hardness is a guard against potential hurt. The welfare state has added to this problem of human nature by replacing the position of the man in his home with government handouts.
Martin: Recently, the Cincinnati Police Department was in the news. Several officers tried to arrest a black man, Nathaniel Jones, who became belligerent with them. They were compelled to use force to subdue him, but unfortunately he died in custody shortly thereafter. Despite the fact that (a) Mr. Jones had cocaine, PCP and methanol in his system, (b) had an enlarged heart due to the fact that he was over 300 pounds, and (c) resisted arrest, this incident (caught on videotape) has once again brought out the race relations "mod squad," resulting in charges of police brutality and excessive use of force against the Cincinnati Police Department, and the suspension of at least one officer pending a criminal investigation. This begs the question of personal responsibility. In your opinion, why is it that a large segment of the black community is still quick to excuse the criminal actions of people like Mr. Jones, yet demonize the men and women of law enforcement, who in this case did everything they were supposed to do given the situation?
Parker: When you remove absolute standards of morality from public life, all folks are subject to their own vices. Law enforcement is no longer an instrument of justice but a bunch of individuals with state authority and a gun. Blacks throughout American history have not had a good outcome with this scenario even when there was a general understanding of constitutional due process built upon moral foundations.
Martin: In chapter 6 of your book (Uncle Sam's Children), you cite John McWhorter's Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America. McWhorter lays out in surgical detail the three "Cults" that ingrip the way of thinking of many black people (Victimology, Separatism, and Anti-Intellectualism). The Cult of Anti-Intellectualism is the best explanation to date in my view of why young black students, especially from middle-class homes, refuse to apply themselves academically. In what ways have you witnessed this Anti-Intellectual manifestation in the young people you come in contact with? Are things getting better or worse among black students in California given Prop 209?
Parker: The state of affairs in black America is a mirror reflecting the moral affairs of our society. If the reason for higher education is simply to acquire money and power, why spend time studying or spend twenty years going to school when there are less stressful ways to exude power and get money. Affirmative action programs are to veil the root of the problem so that mainstream society does not have to judge its lusts or think about its responsibility to altruism.
Martin: My last question: What has the early reaction been to Uncle Sam's Plantation, particularly from African-Americans?
Parker: The jury is still out.
Dutch Martin holds a BA in international relations from Boston University and an MS in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a columnist for TheRightReport.com and a member of Project 21, an African American leadership network out of Washington, D.C. Dutch is currently a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State.
©2003 Dutch Martin |
