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Why ignore common sense when it comes to black Americans? I remember reading an article about Shelby Steele, one of our country’s most insightful writers on race relations, where he said, Some kind of common sense. ” What he meant here was that his writings about the pathologies faced by black people, from affirmative action to a permanent underclass, were so obvious that it was just common knowledge. But we continue to ignore and even ignore this particular common sense when it comes to black people.
With the exception of Steele, there is perhaps no greater preacher of common sense than Thomas Sowell. I preach and work on the South Side of Chicago, and sometimes I feel like I’m alone or like a Sisyphus-like figure stuck in a vicious cycle that doesn’t move me anywhere. But when you read Sowell, those negative feelings disappear. I came away with a clear sense that I am not alone and that our problems, no matter how difficult, can ultimately be overcome.
Above all, Sowell’s common sense gives us no excuse other than to act. For example, I recently came across this word. “If you want to see poor people remain poor for generations, keep standards low in schools and make excuses for their academic shortcomings and personal misbehavior. , do not bless. ” Based on your compassion. ”
The values I rely on: The tragic murders in Chicago
In the public school right around the corner from my church, we have kids who are scoring in the single digits for their grade level in reading and math. This is a problem all over America. The common sense here is to fire the administration and teachers who have betrayed our mission to educate our future. Yet we make excuses and the current situation worsens with each passing year. That’s why I spent more than 12 years pursuing the goal of building a community center for economics and leadership that would help these children reach their potential. Common sense leads to common sense solutions.
Sowell mentions compassion in the quote above, but the question here is why do we continue to be compassionate even when it leads to failure? Consider Sowell’s words. “What the welfare system and other kinds of government programs do is they pay money to people who fail. As long as they fail, they get the money, but as long as they succeed, even to a modest extent. Even if they do, their money will be taken away.” ”
How about this compassion? Where is the common sense in establishing policies and attitudes that perpetuate the failure of a people who have emerged from the worst oppression known to humanity?
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This reminds me of another Sowell quote. “You might think that the left would be as obsessed with wealth creation as it is with wealth redistribution because wealth is the only thing that can solve poverty. But you would be wrong.” ”
I love this particular quote. Because it reminds me why the work I do in my community is so important. My goal is nothing less than creating a path to opportunity for my youth. The common sense here is that to create wealth, you must develop talent, whether it’s creating forklift drivers who can support your family or creating the next musical sensation.
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After all, as Shelby Steele wrote, “Opportunity comes after struggle. It comes after effort. It comes after hard work. It doesn’t come before.”
These words keep me going. Common sense tells us where we stand and the reality we face. Only when we are honest with ourselves can we make real and meaningful progress. So why do so many Americans ignore common sense when it comes to treating black people equally? Simply put: power. They benefit from the goodwill that comes from treating the once oppressed as forever oppressed. That’s why Americans like me on the ground have chosen to bypass virtue-mongering elites and embrace common sense as a guide to reversing the damage done to our communities.
Click here to read more about Pastor Corey Brooks’ story
