[Answering a question Billy asked in a private email] Hi Billy,
On Apr 17, 2012, at 5:27 PM, [email protected] wrote: > But let me take up what you said about both narratives being true. > Or "at least equally true." Did you mean at least partly true, or at least > mostly true ? > If they are equally true then "at least" doesn't compute. So I will assume > that > you meant partly or mostly, not 1 : 1 equal but both true to some extent > and probably more true than not. I spoke fuzzily. I think they are both partly true, and perhaps mostly true, and -- in some sense -- both true to the same extent, though in different ways. Here's what I mean. In terms of raw "facts on the ground, I would agree that the "second thesis" ("Conservative View") is more factually accurate. However, in terms of "what remains to be done", I think we actually need to start from the "first thesis" ("Liberal View"), despite its many flaws. My personal belief is that the black activist community is dead right on the symptoms, but 90 degrees wrong on the diagnosis, and 180 degrees wrong about the prescription. The black community *is* still damaged. But not *only* because of slavery and skin-based racism of the Old Right, but *also* because of the patronizing "help" of the New Left. And to that extent, we who participate in the majority culture *do* have an obligation to help that community reverse those injustices. Not necessarily from any sort of collective guilt; pure self-interest is a sufficient motivation. And the fact that we on the Right refuse to face up to that responsibility is the best evidence for the underlying validity of the "first thesis." The problem is that the Left refuses to admit they are part of the problem, while the Right sees the only possible solution being a color-blind libertarian market. Both leave the black community -- and other impoverished communities - utterly stuck. We need what I call Post-Modern Paternalism: http://radicalcentrism.org/resources/the-declaration-of-post-modern-paternalism/ > We who are blessed with various resources (e.g., insight, freedom, money) > believe our greatest happiness – and highest self-interest – is cultivating > those in others. At the same time, we humbly acknowledge our ongoing need to > cultivate these in ourselves with help from others. > > In light of this, our universal policy — in our personal, professional, and > political lives — is to simultaneously Empower, Respect, Teach & Sustain > others as ourselves. > The authoritarian father of the conservative right believes in high standards, but zero support. The indulgent mother of the left believes in high support, but zero standards. The Radical Centrist Paternalist believes in high standards PLUS high support. Scrap welfare and affirmative action, but replace them with *stronger* -- perhaps even more-costly! -- programs that *build* self-sufficiency and high achievement in culturally and structurally impoverished communities. Where, for example, the goal is to raise up black fathers, not render them superfluous. Not just blacks, of course; they are merely the most visible and vocal. We need a portfolio of programs than apply to different communities based on their specific needs, focused mostly on history and culture rather than skin color. But the well-known pathologies of black culture make them the ideal "early adopter" for these kinds of efforts. The usual Christian Right answer is that this should be the church's job, and I agree 100%. But the church isn't doing it (I'm working on it ;-). If the church had solved this problem, we wouldn't be talking about it, so its hard to fault government for trying. Government has a responsibility to solve problems for its citizens, or else it loses legitimacy. But it shouldn't pretend to have all the answers. Government needs to articulate the goals, invest where appropriate, but also leave plenty of room for social entrepreneurs and faith-based organizations to work on the problem without government interference; in fact, with government support! As usual, I don't have all the answers. But this time, I believe I have the right question, or at least one of the right questions. -- Ernie P. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
