They say a conservative is a liberal that’s been robbed and a liberal is a conservative that’s been screwed. I don’t what category I fall into but I sometimes cringe from some of the angry responses I receive when I don’t fall in lockstep with the fringes of the Democratic Party.
I’ve had a fascination to the point of obsession about why African-Americans support liberal positions even though many minorities are further to the right on many issues than their Tea Party counterparts. According to a Pew research poll, 40% of African Americans oppose marriage equality, 52% believe abortion is morally wrong and many believe in a tighter border security on illegal immigration, along with stronger law enforcement regarding crime. Truth is, a conservative vein runs deep in the black community. Auditoriums are packed when Bill Cosby and Ben Carson preach the wisdom of personal responsibility and accountability instead of the liberal government rhetoric spewed by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. As a minority, I yearn for a new black leader to emerge, someone who will inspire a new generation of black men and women to be independent and self-reliant. That was the message preached by Booker T Washington, Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X.
The liberal DC Council and The Black Caucus are as far on the fringe as their Tea Party counterparts. Many minorities don’t believe in the victim rhetoric spouted by these groups. Nor do they believe these groups represent the views of the black community. These groups are more interested in making money off their rhetoric than in equal justice.
Being critical of the left can bring the ire of many liberals. Those who disagree or oppose what they say will be rendered heartless or racist. Someone who disagrees with their viewpoints can be branded as an Uncle Tom or a race traitor.
What turned me off from liberalism isn’t the cause but the partisans of the left. Many are sincere in their convictions; however, there are countless others that I feel are latte liberals. They champion the little people up until it’s time to punch off from work and then go off to their suburban homes pontificating about what others ought to do for humanity. Their views are not based on realities or altruism but social theories that border on arrogance. They believe they are the anointed who are morally superior and through their wisdom they can improve and correct humanity.
This put me at conflict with those I once agreed with. What I learned being homeless was that while everyone needs help, many don’t understand the best way to truly help. Giving someone a hot meal or a pair of socks is feel good liberalism. A better approach to helping the truly needy is to give them the ingredients to cook their own food so they won’t have to rely on someone to feed them. That would help them not become dependent on others and will also teach them to trust their God given ability rather than rely on others to provide for them. Giving them the gift of responsibility would teach them the skills to become producers, which will create opportunities in their community instead of encouraging dependence on someone else.
I grew up in some the worst projects and crack houses in New Jersey and Philadelphia. I saw the miracles: single mothers, junkies and criminals changed their lives when they gave up their dependency to Uncle Sam and educated themselves, started businesses and became successful. They will tell you that they encountered the same pathologies of the hood that hindered many but followed their dreams and got out of the projects.
These are my heroes. It was their example that got me off drugs and off the streets. If I had kept listening to the victim philosophy that is perpetually trumpeted by the left, I still would be homeless.
I believe that although free enterprise is harsh and cruel, it is the ticket out of poverty. The best approach is not to teach people they are victims therefore should be compensated. The free markets give the poor choices that government programs don’t provide.
I believe liberals have a hard time grasping that the best way to end inequality is not to have everyone share in equal poverty, but to embrace the free markets and the satisfaction of making and keeping money.
