Larry Elder asks an interesting question in his latest opinion piece, Can we talk? Here’s an excerpt from his article, however let me encourage you to read the whole conversation entitled, My Dad’s Barbershop — and personal responsibility.
Customer: But you have to admit, Elder, that the playing field is not level. White people have more money and more property than we do.
Larry: (Turning to him.) Let’s say I’m white and I got money. (Laughter.) Either I worked for it or my dad worked for it, or my grandfather worked for it and I inherited it. Still, it’s my money. And guess what — I’m not giving it to you! I’m sorry about Rodney King. I’m sorry about Emmett Till. I’m sorry about Rosa Parks. I’m not giving you my money. I’m sorry they turned water hoses and dogs on Martin Luther King. I’m sorry about Rosewood. I’m sorry about the Tuskegee Experiment. I’m not giving you my money. I’m sorry about slavery. I’m sorry about Jim Crow. But I never owned a slave, and I don’t use the ‘N’ word. I am not giving you my money.
The barbers laughed.
Larry: Now, what are you gonna do about it? Take it from me? Hah! I believe in the 2nd Amendment, and I own a gun. (More laughter.) Try and come and get it. (More laughter.) Try and take it from me through politics, and I’m gonna vote Republican to keep my taxes down. (More laughter.) Now I ask you again, what do you intend to do about it? Let me offer a suggestion — invest in yourself. Get an education, learn a trade or a skill, get a job, and get your own stuff. So you can BMW — bitch, moan and whine — all you want. But I am not giving you my money.
By now, most of the men in the barbershop, including the barbers, laughed.
Barber: The man makes sense.
Larry: When can we blacks get to the point where you and I can have a disagreement — about racism, affirmative action, the War in Iraq, whatever — without someone who thinks like me being a sell-out or an Uncle Tom? Is that at all possible? Am I asking too much?
I can’t wait for these Black Liberals to call me an oreo, so I can tell them to kiss my assets!
Tag: conservatism
MY RIGHT MIND! 
January 2, 2006 at 6:15 am
01 02 06
Hey Nightfighter: Good post. I am not a big fan of Larry Elder simply because I believe he oversimplifies too many things. Yet his appeal to logic makes sense. So many Blacks would do well to examine the philosophical underpinnings of conservatism and see how it inherently is beneficial to us. First to all humans, but particularly to Blacks a message of self reliance and economic empowerment is the most useful and powerful. It really bothers me that so many of us are stuck on the liberal abyss. If you look at the post right below my current one, you will see how some people even think remote talk of the benefits of capitalism are inherently “rightist”. Damnet! If we cannot get our heads from our bottoms, we will never get ahead!!! Thx for doing this post! Have a great New Year!!!