I have my father and my parents have been married for 24 years. I celebrated father’s day with my father, uncles, grandfathers, cousins, friends who are fathers and family friends. We had a brunch. I grew up only seeing black men taking care of their responsibility. Often times when men drop the ball, it has more to do with the fact that they and the mother of the child or wife have a falling out. To often, people let their strained relationships get in the way of being there for their children. However, this happens amongst all races.

Here is a funny one, as I said growing up, I only saw black men who were taking care of their responsibilities as fathers. Now amongst my white friends, they all had broken families due to divorce and other matters. Many of them lived with their stepfathers, many had strained relationships with their fathers and many of their fathers dropped the ball. The breakdown of the family is an American issue. The divorce rate amongst whites is at over 50%. If we are going to judge a man and call him a deadbeat because he is not in the home, then we should extend that over to the white family. They have nearly 4 times as many if not more single mother households (numerically). We have a disproportionate amount. However numerically, they have more.

You said this,

“In instances when the black man and black woman aren’t able to work out their differences and live together, the majority of the fathers that I know do what they can to financially support their children. The idea that black men are irresponsible and are not supporting their children is a negative, racial stereotype that uses a minority of examples to prove the whole.”

That is exactly my point. What is so sad about Obama is that he decided not to do his research before he decided to walk into a black church and ridicule black people. There was a study done that shows that black men who are not physically in the home were present in the child’s life. They were more likely to be present than men of any other race.

My cousin’s ex-fiancé is technically looked at as a single mother household. However my cousin is in his son’s life. He works two jobs so that he can pay for him to go to private school, he has him every single weekend and he talks to him each and every day. There bond could be no stronger though he is not in the home. So for Obama to look at statistics and reduce a group of people to a statistic is wrong. To assume that a man who is not in the home is a derelict is wrong. To talk about Popeye’s chicken for breakfast, how black people celebrate not being in jail and mocking black parents who cheer at their child’s 8th grade graduation is wrong. He made a mockery out of the black community and people are cheering him on. Obama painted some pretty picture of the black community with his rhetoric didn’t he. He painted such a pretty picture that a white political cartoonist was inspired to draw this:

Obama’s Father’s Day Speech Interpreted by Most Americans

Asabanga said this,

“If he was such a “change-agent” or wanted to engage in a new kind of politics, why not give a speech praising and encouraging the many, many Black fathers, like you and I, who are being responsible, positive fathers and role models to our children and community. As the “Black Messiah” and future President of the U.S.A, a speech like that could have more of a positive and influential effect to encourage those Black men who are not living up to their responsibilities to do better.”

Thank you!

This is my favorite quote (in context, of course) in this article (even though the whole post was good).

No, we’re supposed to be doing cartwheels because we could have a black face in the “White House” who isn’t carrying a service tray. Who gives a fuck?! Actually the problem is that Obama IS carrying a service tray, carrying the water for white capital. He doesn’t come out and say it and, sadly, most of us can’t read between the lines to save our lives.

If he refuses to speak to us except to criticize us, we are nothing but the mistress that he promises to leave his wife for. How does that scenario usually turn out?! He has Israel’s back hard and strong; he speaks his love for that evil state openly, unreservedly, proudly. But his embrace of us: illicit, muted.

We all SHOULD know that the presidential dance changes nothing. If we aren’t talking about destroying this monstrous system one fucking brick at a time – we’re ALL full of shit.

Just like John McCain, Uncle O-TOM-A is showing that he will say and do anything to get elected… and the surest way to get “white” people to vote for you is to evoke the spectre of the “black boogey man”. If he was such a “change-agent” or wanted to engage in a new kind of politics, why not give a speech praising and encouraging the many many Black fathers, like you and I, who are being responsible, positive fathers and role models to our children and community. As the “Black Messiah” and future President of the U.S.A, a speech like that could have more of a positive and influential effect to encourage those Black men who are not living up to their responsibilities to do better.

Have you considered voting for Cynthia Mckinney or Ralph Nader?

Blessings

But I believe that if we put something into his presidency, we will reap what we sow.

Here again: My opinion versus Your opinion. Maybe an Obama presidency would be great… maybe not. I would rather error on the side of history.