Tracing the American Black culture

This is a fascinating book that presents a different perspective on the generally accepted narrative. Thomas Sowell appears to have done his homework, and the extent of his work supports this conclusion. He has spoken on several topics and presents a conservative viewpoint. Thomas Sowell said in the preface of the book that "the purpose of this book is to expose some of the more blatant misconceptions poisoning race relations in our time." He believes that too much has been assumed and too little has been scrutinised. He is something that is not so common in the United States of America, a Black academic Conservative, as most academicians are Liberal, and a majority of the Black population in the US are Democrats. 

 

Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social theorist, and author, born on 30th June 1930, in North Carolina. Raised in Harlem, he served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War before earning degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. A prominent conservative thinker, Sowell has written extensively on economics, race, and education, often challenging mainstream views. He spent much of his academic career at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His work emphasises empirical evidence, free-market economics, and individual responsibility. He was once a Marxist and later joined the Democratic Party. One of his earliest professional publications was a sympathetic examination of Marxist thought vs. Marxist–Leninist practice. What began to change his mind about supporting free-market economics, he said, was studying the possible impact of minimum wages on the unemployment of sugar-industry workers in Puerto Rico as a US Department of Labour intern. 

The preface to the book states there are "blatant misconceptions poisoning race relations in our time". These misconceptions range from simple, innocent ignorance to a deliberate aim to change the general narrative and put a specific spin on whatever purpose. He has extensively studied and done research on this. He believes that some stories have been simplified to cliches and dogma, and believes that if his book provokes thought on these issues, it has achieved one of its primary goals. He also states that because of the complexity of the problem and the aim of people to misinterpret things, the book does NOT mean

1. All Southern Whites were or are Rednecks
2. All Black Americans, today or in the past, were or are Black Rednecks.
3. Jews are precisely the same as the other groups with whom they are compared.
4. Slavery is somehow morally acceptable because everyone was guilty of it.

He tries to paint the picture in the book that most of the characteristics that we label as being Black or Urban or Ghetto of the African Americans are, as a matter of fact, behaviours that were picked up from the slave masters who originated from the UK. He went further to explain where in the UK, Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland. He noted that certain behaviours such as "aversion to work, proneness to violence, neglect of education, sexual promiscuity, improvidence, drunkenness, lack of entrepreneurship, reckless searches for excitement, lively music and dance, and a style of religious oratory marked by strident rhetoric, unbridled emotions and flamboyant imagery". He did note that some of these behaviours are lacking in their modern-day descendants due to external influences and changes resulting from the Industrial Revolution. Still, there is marked evidence that their ancestors did behave as such. He also takes a different take on the legacy of Slavery, an issue which is considered a stain on American history. Thomas Sowell argues that Slavery was a universal institution, not uniquely Western or race-based. From China, India, etc., the institution of Slavery was present anywhere there is civilisation. He emphasises that all civilisations practised Slavery at one time or another and that the West, especially Britain and the US, should be credited for leading abolition efforts worldwide and with force and money. British soldiers and sailors lost their lives in making sure that Slavery ended. The final payment was only finalised in 2015 when the British Government decided to modernise the gilt portfolio by redeeming all remaining undated gilts. The long gap between this money being borrowed and the final repayment of any portion that may still have been outstanding was due to the type of financial instrument that was used, rather than the amount of money borrowed.

He dedicated a whole chapter to Germans and their history. Thomas Sowell tries to prove and show that the Germans are not inherently racist and are like other nations in their actions towards Jews and other minorities. The Germans have a cold climate, a short growing season, fragmented soil quality, and the country is almost landlocked. To survive, communities had to be highly organised and efficient in farming, storage, and planning. The Germans, or the numerous kingdoms, principalities, and shiefdoms that made up the Germanic culture, had it in their nature to always work harder. From the start of the printing press till the Reformation, Germans were very much encouraged to read the Bible themselves. That is why Protestantism started and gained ground in Germany. Then, after the Industrial Revolution had begun in Britain, the Germans, following unification in 1871, were quick to adopt it and quickly overtook the British. Hence, they were a force to be reckoned with and created a tradition of order, diligence, and rule-following as a means of managing fragmented authority.

He dedicated another chapter to the Jews and their history. One thing that he tries to explain is that whatever history revisionist might want to claim, their story is not unique in any way. Their story is that of minorities in any country. As middlemen minorities around the world, many substitute for Jews in the role of scapegoats as well as in their economic function. The middlemen minorities have never been totally assimilated, and because of certain restrictions placed on them by their host countries, they are attracted to a few professions. They dominate and can form guilds and associations, which are united to protect their common interests and can prevent others from taking up the business. He mentioned numerous times that the Igbo tribe of Nigeria were a middleman minority group. Looking at what they went through and seeing what other such groups went through, like the Armenians in Turkey, there is a similarity.

Slavery is a very contentious issue in the US, and the Civil War was fought to end it because it is always linked to race. Apart from being the war to date that is responsible for the deaths of the largest number of Americans. Under the chapter captioned "The Real History of Slavery". The causes of the American Civil War have long been a subject of contention. Especially, when those who wrote revisionist history were able to change the narrative, but Thomas Sowell immutably states that Slavery was responsible for the American Civil War. As soon as Abraham Lincoln became President, the Southern states seceded. The Southern states wanted to continue the institution of Slavery and were aware of Lincoln's abolitionist stand. However, it is impossible to know now, it was formed by anti-slavery activists who wanted to stop Slavery. Islamic Slavery was said to be the worst in many ways; it covered more time, and it went on for up to one thousand five hundred years. Male Africans were castrated before they reached Muslim lands, causing an increase in mortality, but due to the high demand and pay for such slaves, it was worth hundreds dying to achieve a few. Throughout the desert, skeletons of slaves were littered in the sand and are mainly found at the watering points. Although most of the slaves are treated better once they reach their destination, except those working in the mines and gallery ships, than the American slaves who were on plantations, this does not mean their general experience was any better.   

He believes that although racial discrimination barriers kept Blacks out of some occupations until the middle of the twentieth century. He states that the figures show that the rise of blacks out of poverty was greater in the two decades preceding the 1960s, despite the civil rights movement and government social programs. He believes that affirmative action has a negative impact, as some of the Black leaders, like Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas, who gained a lot from it and was able to go to Yale Law School. Clarence Thomas is against it because of the economic cost, as he believes that, in the long term, it is not worth it. Since "failure attracts more money than success" and politically failure becomes a reason to demand more money, smaller classes and more trendy courses without any accountability. Hence, there would be a feedback loop responsible for the dumping down of education. He believes that despite the heartening achievements of some black schools, the general picture is bleak. Those who could have helped are forced to walk on eggshells for fear of being called racists.

Personally, I have seen Thomas Sowell as a right-wing apologist. I was surprised that he said that the American Civil War was due to Slavery and not state rights. This is also the stance of another right-wing organisation, Prager University. However, when talking about the Germans and the view of minorities. Germany had several colonies in Africa from 1884 until the end of World War I, including present-day Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Namibia, Cameroon, and Togo. In German Africa, natives suffered some of the harshest colonial rule. The Herero and Nama genocide in Namibia (1904–08) and the Maji Maji famine in East Africa (1905–07) killed hundreds of thousands through extermination orders, scorched-earth tactics, and camps. Compared to British or French colonies, German rule was shorter but more openly genocidal; only Belgium's Congo was similarly extreme. I believe that his views are one extreme, and looking at the US affirmation bill and Nigeria's Quota system, one can see that, primarily, if not properly managed, they can result in hatred and discontentment, and it will not help the problem it wanted to solve. And at the same time, money should be set aside to pull up these minorities. I have noticed some African-American traits; Africans are seen as go-getters and more focused, which I thought was due to our cultural elements and traditions. The role that the British took in stopping the Slave trade can not be understated, although the British made a lot of money from it. However, when they agreed to stop, they did so.