[benjaminthomas]

Probably obvious to many of us, but it bears repeating over and over. The disintegration of the family is one of the great tragedies of last few decades.

[ClearCase_guy]

Enslaved blacks were never allowed to form families at all so that, when emancipation finally came, there was no lasting tradition of family life that could support newly freed people who were cast out into a still-segregated society.

I like this article very much. It seems obviously true. However, I think that the except above is inocorrect. I believe Thomas Sowell frequently points out the low illiteracy rates of blacks in the early 20th century. And the high rate of marriage of blacks in the early 20th century. And the low incidence of illegitimacy among black families in the 20th century.

Blacks came out of slavery and were able to do "all the right things" within a generation or two. But something changed in the middle of the 20th century which set blacks back quite substantially. It's common to blame the legacy of slavery, but this is wrong on it's face. It's the Great Society and the concept of entitlement which has put blacks where they are today. Slavery should be condemned for what it was, but not blamed for what it did not do. If we make that mistake, we allow the real culprits (leftists) to escape the blame they deserve.

[GailA]

btt

[MissMillie]

Treating fathers as optional has brought big social costs.

I wonder how many fathers are pushed out of their kids lives versus how many choose never to be involved.