Thanks for posting this; I had missed it.
Obama’s points about self-responsibility are encouraging. One almost has to go back to Robert F. Kennedy to see a Democratic politician speaking of the use of God-given abilities and not relying always on excuses, and of addressing the balance between the need (from the liberal viewpoint) for government assistance and the need to strive for excellence and self-reliance.
His points about being satisfied with being out of jail, a “B” grade, etc. is telling. Even still, we’ve seemed to have solved the “B” problem by simply turning many of them into “A’s”. Granting that I am not an intellectual, it was the receiving of a good number of “B’s” and “C’s” in junior high that helped to motivate me to do better. My self-esteem did not suffer because of mediocre grades but it would have been injured had I been awarded grades I didn’t merit. Looking at just my 9th grade English report card indicates to me the impact the false self-esteem movement has had, leading to unhelpful grade inflation. In the midst of poor or mediocre grades there can still be encouragement and compassion, but geared toward possibility, motivation and tutoring and not toward the status quo. My 9th grade English class results (fall semester, 1969): 5 “A’s”, 7 “B’s”, 16 “C’s” and 2 “D’s”. And such, with a few exceptions, was the typical grade distribution for other classes.
An excellent speech (at least the first 8 minutes I watched). Straight talk like this is why I am very glad Obama won the Democratic nomination.
It may be too much to hope for, but if an Obama presidency can somehow help break the vicious cycle of fatherlessness, irresponsibility, poverty, and violence in the urban black community, it may just be worth the other effects of four or more years of the Democrats in charge of both Congress and the White House.
I noticed Barack “preached” to the men on being accountable for their children, but why didn’t he “preach” to the women about using abstinence or better judgement as women. I think he flopped on that one.
Thanks for posting this; I had missed it.
Obama’s points about self-responsibility are encouraging. One almost has to go back to Robert F. Kennedy to see a Democratic politician speaking of the use of God-given abilities and not relying always on excuses, and of addressing the balance between the need (from the liberal viewpoint) for government assistance and the need to strive for excellence and self-reliance.
His points about being satisfied with being out of jail, a “B” grade, etc. is telling. Even still, we’ve seemed to have solved the “B” problem by simply turning many of them into “A’s”. Granting that I am not an intellectual, it was the receiving of a good number of “B’s” and “C’s” in junior high that helped to motivate me to do better. My self-esteem did not suffer because of mediocre grades but it would have been injured had I been awarded grades I didn’t merit. Looking at just my 9th grade English report card indicates to me the impact the false self-esteem movement has had, leading to unhelpful grade inflation. In the midst of poor or mediocre grades there can still be encouragement and compassion, but geared toward possibility, motivation and tutoring and not toward the status quo. My 9th grade English class results (fall semester, 1969): 5 “A’s”, 7 “B’s”, 16 “C’s” and 2 “D’s”. And such, with a few exceptions, was the typical grade distribution for other classes.
An excellent speech (at least the first 8 minutes I watched). Straight talk like this is why I am very glad Obama won the Democratic nomination.
It may be too much to hope for, but if an Obama presidency can somehow help break the vicious cycle of fatherlessness, irresponsibility, poverty, and violence in the urban black community, it may just be worth the other effects of four or more years of the Democrats in charge of both Congress and the White House.
I noticed Barack “preached” to the men on being accountable for their children, but why didn’t he “preach” to the women about using abstinence or better judgement as women. I think he flopped on that one.
Didi — Perhaps it was because it was a Father’s Day message and because female promiscuity doesn’t cause (or excuse) negligent fatherhood.