Was Former President Obama a toxic brother’s keeper? (op-ed)

This week I’m charging Ms. Derecka Purnell, a black lawyer, with insulting the public’s intelligence in her NY Times opinion piece called: Why Does Obama Scold Black Boys

During Obama’s presidency, he was accused of “scolding” poor blacks whenever he made critical statements about black culture.  So, when I saw the word “scold” in Purnell’s title I assumed Obama offered some constructive criticism at a recent My Brother’s Keeper town hall meeting and Purnell was offended. 

I figured Purnell would respond with the two most common black defense tactics.  
1). Comparative apologetics
2). The first priority principle

Comparative apologetics is justifying or mainstreaming destructive behaviors by proving the same pathologies exist in the dominant culture.  In other words, if it’s white, it’s all right.

The first priority principle means the first priority in all racial discussions is to end structural racism, and anyone that singles out cultural dysfunction, without mentioning racism first, will be accused of blaming the victim.

But Purnell insulted the public’s intelligence by willfully deviating from the first principle of disagreement, which is to have a complete understanding of the opposing argument.

Purnell said Obama and his co-host NBA star Stephen Curry discussed mentorship, masculinity, and mass incarceration.  She begins with mentorship.  For most people the word mentor means an old advisor to a younger person, but in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, before Odysseus goes to war, he put a man in charge of the upbringing of his son.  That man’s name was Mentor.  The reason why I’m making this distinction is because the bulk of Obama’s talk centered around the absence of father’s in young men’s lives, and Obama spoke from his own experience.

Now, before you cite the study that said black fathers have the highest participation rates in the lives of their children among all ethnic groups in the United States.  I have to inform you Obama’s premise stemmed from a statement made by his co-host.  The NBA star told the audience he’s always asked what was the one thing his father did that influenced him the most, and Stephen Curry stated it wasn’t one thing, it was his father’s constant presence.  (Participation rates and constant presence aren’t equivalent.)

Since fatherlessness in the black community is the first dysfunction mentioned in conservative racial discourse, I believe Purnell was offended by Obama making a point from the opposing ideological camp, and since she couldn’t blame the lack of a father’s presence on structural racism, she chose to discredit Obama by accusing him of scolding black boys and reinforcing toxic masculinity.

Purnell pointed out two quotes that disappointed her.

Obama told the young men, “If you’re confident about your financial situation, you’re probably not going to be wearing an eight-pound gold chain around your neck.”  Purnell used this to say most blacks don’t have a financial situation to be confident about and partially blamed Obama for the financial crisis. 

Obama also told the young men, “If you are confident about your sexuality, you don’t have to have eight women around you twerking.”  Purnell wrote in response to this comment, “I cannot imagine being a “boy” in that room, who feels like a girl or who is a girl.”   But Obama made these statements after he was asked a question about narrow definitions of masculinity and Obama said a lot of these poor images came from hip hop.

Purnell concluded by stating in the town hall meeting there was no black feminism, and she was more excited about programs like Assata’s Daughters in Chicago that teach black girls about oppression and how to organize social justice campaigns.

Purnell’s entire argument was designed around Obama quotes she took out of context.  Obama didn’t scold anyone and the accusation of reinforcing toxic masculinity is insulting and dishonest

First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 3/6/19