Larry Elder is an Ivy League-educated lawyer who hosts a radio phone-in show in Los Angeles. He has become
famous for his controversial views on race. By the unexpected success of his bestseller Ten Things You Can't Say in America
he has entered the American mainstream. In the New York Times his book recently leapt to ninth place.
Even if you do not agree with all of Elder's views, one has to admit that he opens one's eyes to make one
look at things from a different angle.
Larry Elder, a black himself, condemns the majority of blacks and esp. the NAACP (National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People) for upholding the prejudice of white racism against blacks, thus holding
blacks down in all walks of life. Most of the blacks, Elder maintains, still blame all ills, concerns and unhappiness on others,
i.e. whites. This is what he calls victicrat-mentality. Elder argues the reason for the misery many blacks suffer, lies
with themselves. But neither the 'liberal' media nor the NAACP want to admit this because it would not be politically correct not to sympathise with blacks.
Blacks commit half of all street crime in America. 25% of young black men are in jail, on parole
or on probation. A black man is 10 times more likely to rape a white woman than a white man is to rape a black woman, Elder writes.
On the other hand, acquittal rates in the Bronx, downtown L.A. or Washington D.C. (mostly black
population) are two or three times higher than the national average, as many blacks accuse the criminal justice system of being racist.
Elder also thinks that the fight for civil rights is long over - blacks are guaranteed to vote, to use
public accomodation or to attend a state college or university if qualified etc. The NAACP should
acknowledge these achievements and concentrate on other issues, but not play the race card anymore.
Elder even says that he would like to see the affirmative action-measure abolished, which gives preference to minorities
and women at the workplace and college. He argues that affirmative action supports an entitlement
mentality: it tends to undermine the spirit of individual initiative. Such is human nature. Why struggle to succeed when you
can have something for nothing? (an attitude which is also wide-spread in Germany..).
It is not only the 'race' topic which Elder deals with controversially, but also other topics
like gun control, the media bias, the health-care crisis (hear!hear!), the war on drugs, the welfare state and the
failing public high schools. The problem which Elder considers the most serious, however, is
illegitimacy. Today more than 30% of children are born out of wedlock in America, and this number increases to 70% among blacks. If
you want to know what the underlying reason for this plight is read this interesting book.
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