Is Virtue-Signaling the Latest Con on Black America?

Since the death of George Floyd, I think we all can agree that America has been on a virtue-signaling overdrive. All are proclaiming that they are not racist, but it's the other guy. White America is apologizing day and night for the current and past injustices inflicted on black America. And if their white colleagues are not, they're shamed all over social media, or fired from their jobs.

 

I've seen little evidence of virtue-signaling ever helping black America nor any group sympathizers proclaim to advocate on behalf of. These symbolic gestures only make the so-called privileged feel good and less guilty. If not, why else would Chic-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy get on his knees and shine the shoes of Lecrae, a black Christian rapper at the Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA? 

Of course, he's more concerned with not having Black Lives Matter come after him and his franchise than the welfare of poorer black America. If he was really serious, he'd donate a lot of his 7 billion dollar net worth to helping all of those folks attending that town hall meeting to send their kids to college, or start young entrepreneurship programs in their neighborhoods. Better yet, start music programs and/or give underprivileged communities access to musical instruments. This won’t happen. The reality is that he got in his expensive car or plane, and went back to his mansion, while those folks continued dealing with the challenges of their daily lives in black America, unaffected by his public shoe-shining ceremony. And to his credit, millions of dollars are awarded for Chic-fil-A employees who are in need of college tuition assistance. So he's not your typical profit-hungry CEO.

At the end of the day, virtue-signaling actually leaves black America worse off. Why? The problems that actually plague us don't get addressed. Virtue-signaling is like an aspirin. It only reprieves the symptoms, it doesn't address nor gets rid of what's causing the headache. 

 

It's hard to get the picture from my head of Nancy Pelosi and members of the House taking the knee while wearing kente cloth.  It's ludicrous and helps no one, long term. It's nothing more than a photo-op.

 

If they cared about black America they would stop voting against the DC voucher program, which gives $20 million to private schools in the District of Columbia, allowing bright kids stuck in failing schools to get a good education and have a fighting chance--just like your DC politicians. Many of whom, have gotten the best education that money can buy: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, you name it. In fact, many in Washington send their own children to the Sidwell Friends School, a prestigious private K-12 school that has been the home of the children of Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama. Unfortunately, their allegiance is to the teachers' unions, a loyally Democratic voting block. Sad, but true.

One of the boldest displays of virtue-signaling came from DC. Mayor Muriel D. Bowser, who had a huge Black Lives Matter mural painted on the street, that takes up two blocks on 16th Street NW, leading directly to the White House. This virtue-signaling gesture would have been more impressive if it was in response to the 79 homicides that had already been committed in 2020. This would have been courageous and would have shown real compassion and concern for her constituents. Unfortunately, these homicides did not dominate the news cycles, so no one really cares about these black lives. 

Soon after, news stories began championing acts of vandalism in which angry Americans are tearing down statues of historical figures who were slave owners or who lived blatantly racist lives, and sometimes just because they’re white. Again, this is all symbolic and does absolutely nothing to move black America forward. If they actually cared about black America they would not be silent about the 104 shootings in Chicago on Father's Day weekend, which left 14 dead; five were children, including a three-year-old boy who was killed when someone opened fire at his father while they were cruising down the street. This is one driving-while-black story you won’t see in a constant loop on news stations.

And I could go on all day with the examples, but here’s my point: we don't need more symbolism. What we need are tangibles.

 

For starters:

• more scholarship money or forgivable loans for private schools for K - 12 grades
• increased opportunities for home ownership
• low interest or forgivable small business loans
• lowered college tuition costs
• increased opportunities for technical training
• bigger tax breaks

We need tangibles that allows us to build wealth. What all of these things have in common is that they help us while we're helping ourselves. Some would argue that one solution is to take money from the police department budget. Here's the irony: very few of these people actually live in poor black neighborhoods that depend heavily on the police to defend and protect them. Again, another example of liberal thinking that ultimately hurts the black community. Mayor Bill De Blasio is looking to cut the NYPD by one billion dollars. I propose this: If he's going to do that, he should move his family out of Gracie Mansion and into the Drew-Hamilton Houses, near where I live on Fredrick Douglas Avenue. He should have to deal with the consequences of his decisions, face-to-face. 

Back to my original point. Having resources tends to have a positive domino effect on most. It can inspire us a group to make the cultural reforms in the areas of health and nutrition, crime rates, and the diminished presence of the black father in the home. Unfortunately, the mere mention of these things gets one labeled as a racist or a coon. So important issues just keep getting swept under the rug. 

On a personal note, I've noticed significant changes in my value system since experiencing a more financially stable lifestyle. I'm more giving, more concerned about my physical and mental health, and I've learned to appreciate the simpler things in life. My day is not consumed with only trying to figure out ways to hustle people. I think more about sharing my music than selling it. My thoughts are more concerned with how I can make a difference than making a buck. Twenty years ago, I viewed every personal encounter as a potential gig, a potential addition to my mailing list,  or a potential CD sale. I thought this way simply because I was broke, desperate, and had no resources.

But I do know this: taking the knee, tearing down statues, hashtagging #BlackLivesMatter, defunding the police, and denouncing your privilege does nothing to aid that black family without the means to send their kid to a good K-12 private school or college, the aspiring black entrepreneur looking to start a business, or the musician looking to book a tour for his or her band. As I've said, virtue-signaling only gives us the illusion that change is on the way, and protects white America from the stigma of racism. The reality is that after identifying whatever privilege one has over black America, they're not going to give up any of their resources. And they shouldn't. Black America does not need anyone else's stuff, we need our own.

Booker T Washington often argued that for black Americans to advance, they must to first improve themselves through education, industrial training, and business ownership. Address these three areas, and everything else would fall into place. Of course, it's a bit more complicated than this. With any type of reform, there are always numerous false starts and mishaps. Economist Walter E. Williams argues that a more simple solution towards economic stability is this:

• complete high school;
• get a job, any kind of a job;
  
• get married before having children;
  
• and be a law-abiding citizen.
  

It seems so simple. But many are far from achieving it. Sort of like leaving space during your improvised solo.

But the central tenet of Washington's beliefs is this: leave us alone. We don't need our situation to be socially-engineered. And we certainly don't need rich, white politicians taking the knee on our behalf. Look at the gains made by black America during the Reconstruction period, in the height of racist America. Many pretend like this period never existed. No other group in history ever made such socio-economic strides in such a short period. In fact, many subsequent oppressive laws were put into place because many white Americans could not compete with this new free class of people.

Contrary to the popular narrative, culture is not inherently stagnant. The surest way, however, to stagnate a group of people is to tell them that their situation can not be changed simply by changing their actions. That power lies not in their hands, but in the hands of others.