"Pimps, Whores and Welfare Brats"

In “Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats” by Star Parker, the government has allowed for the creation of many social “structures”, which yields an inhospitable effect. By developing programs to sustain and accommodate the victims of poverty, crime, and homelessness, independence is thrown to the wayside. In the media, blacks are often perceived and “displayed” by their ability to “whine about racial injustice, which is much more telegenic than a black conservative telling an audience that America can work if you give it a chance,” Parker states.

The secularism approach that the socialists in government use is a strategy that intertwines and keeps the lower class under for good. The process starts off with the “welfare brat,” the children born to the first generation of welfare recipient. The individuals stuck on welfare and other government assistance; realize that they no longer have to work hard to obtain, what is considered, the bare minimum. This creates a domino effect within the families of the African American community, merely so that some could take advantage of the benefits that the government has to offer. The impact is so great that black family’s breakdown and is then no longer able to support their own. Fortunately, the church was primarily the institution that blacks often turned to as a source of unity and hope. Unfortunately, due to the implementation of separation of church and state, the decline in a religious bond and relationship with God has not only affected blacks, but Americans as well. Other restrictions and even barriers, or lack thereof, including abortion rights, voting rights, affirmative action, inequality and racism are observed by the conservative and issued by the political “pimps” and “whores.”

 Nonetheless, government programs provide aid to the helpless, meanwhile leaving them feeble, and perhaps encouraging the mindset "you get yours, baby, and I get mine!” Evident in the article, “Lewd Leftists: Liberals I Have No Use For!” it is the liberal social policies that has caused the tension between the black neighborhoods and white communities in America.

Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge From an African-American Female Growing Up in Rural Alabama by Bessie House-Soremekun

Before reading this excerpt, I was informed that most of the events that took place in the Civil Rights movement happened in Alabama, but it completely slipped my memory. Besides that fact, the mention of there being formal and informal realms of Southern Society is what mainly caught my attention. Just like in other essays and stories that we have read thus far in my english composition class, I have gained knowledge on how many aspects of literacy there are. As we all have learned, formal literacy is acquired through teaching and educational activities, but informal literacy has a wide range of ways to be acquired. Dr. House-Soremekun, as she would prefer to be referred to as, spoke of how her grandmother was never called Ms. or Mrs. by the white people that she took care of. When Bessie brought this to her grandmother's attention she stated that it was just how whites were taught growing up. Her grandmother needed this type of informal literacy living in the 1800's and then through the time of the Civil Rights movement. If this form of literacy was not obtained by Bessie's grandmother, it could have resulted in her death by the whites. I understood the whites feeling of superiority over African-Americans, but what I didn't understand is why someone that was younger than her grandmother, whether they were black or white, were not taught to treat their elders with respect? It upset me to hear that a teenager was calling a senior citizen by her first name, instead of with a title in front of it. I just believe that no matter what, respect for your elders should be something taught to children of all races, ethnicities, and cultures and that discrimination and prejudice should be put aside when it comes to that. I also question why whenever blacks obtain something valuable, that their congratulation consists involves their race. Why is it that blacks can never be congratulated on their hard work or their level of knowledge obtained, without someone stating "not many black people can get this far?" There are times when I feel that we will never be considered equal to the white man, no matter how many degrees or how much effort we as black people put in to prove that race and skin color should not be a factor in equality.

The New Look: Black and on Welfare

When I first saw the title Black and on Welfare, I had to admit that my mind was already judging the people involved. I had formed a hypothesis stating that most of these women will tell us how to manipulate the system. From my prior knowledge of welfare I was under the misconception that majority of the women on it was there for a long period of time. The reason I was under this belief system was because I grew up around women manipulating the system. They weren’t necessarily doing it because they were lazy but because the women knew that assistance was needed. After reading the article I discovered this view is not the case. Most women actually don’t want to stay on Welfare for long periods of time and do not appreciate the “discriminatory attitude” (27) that caseworkers often portrayed. I was also able to learn that it is most likely the government’s fault for the long term status of Black women on welfare. I found that self-sufficiency coaches (SSCs) are assigned to people who are on welfare. SSCs are responsible for finding the people on welfare a long term job so eventually the people on welfare will be able to get off of welfare. So, instead of the SSCs acquiring knowledge about the dependent and assessing them correctly, SSCs usually “ignore and disrespect them” and are placed in jobs that are “part hired… poor salaries, and offer(s) little or no benefits” (31). Thus, the dependents on welfare return to the welfare department to get a better job or something long term. In order to fix this, I believe it is as simple as checking the educational status of the dependents and putting them through some sort of training so they know the job at hand. SSCs also need to be able to put the dependents in jobs that could eventually turn into a career, something that is more long-term.