Even if it’s true, we know that truth is no defense in Canada. And there are some things we just don’t talk about. Things like the general whereabouts of babby-daddies.

Yes, ladies and gents, Barak (no middle name) Obama said something intelligent the other day. But only because he’s less likely to get tarred and feathered for saying it than you or I would be.

Barack Obama’s blunt call to absent black fathers in the United States — “any fool can have a child” — needs to be heard in Canada. From comedian Bill Cosby to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, from academics to grassroots groups, the cri de coeur about disappearing fathers is hardly controversial any more in black communities in the U.S. But in Canada, silence prevails.

Everything Mr. Obama said applies in Canada. “It’s the courage to raise the child that makes you a father,” he said in a Father’s Day speech in a black church in Chicago’s South Side. “Too many fathers are MIA, too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.”

This was not a case of a liberal playing the conservative card of “personal responsibility” to broaden his appeal. This was a politician speaking from personal conviction as a child whose [black] father left when he was 2 and played little direct role in his life.

He knows from which he speaks, and he is one of the lucky ones. His [white, racist] grandmother must have whupped him good, to help him get through school and make something of himself.

But what of our own disaffected youth? We continue to employ hordes of social workers, to no avail. We build enough basketball courts so that every gangbanger can actually have his own, yet that’s obviously a failing policy. When are we going to have the nerve to stand up to the black community and say “Hey, stop being a slut, because he’s not going to take care of you and your baby!” or even “If you get her knocked up, we will give you a court order mandating you reside with and support her and the child for at least 5 years, as a sentence for your stupidity.” Instead we just keep our moths shut while the young men kill each other, and the even younger women keep getting pregnant, starting the cycle all over again.

When Bill Cosby said the same thing a few years ago, he was denounce, called “Oreo”, and even smeared by a trumped-up sexual assault claim to ruin his credibility. Louis Farakkhan doesn’t actually have any credibility, so there was none to strip him of. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for Obama. He seems to be pretty respected in black circles - but will his words change that?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Obama, Race. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.