I know many people have already addressed this rather ridiculous issue, so I will add my two cents into the mix.
First, here is the transcript of Bennett’s conversation:
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CALLER: I noticed the national media, you know, they talk a lot about the loss of revenue, or the inability of the government to fund Social Security, and I was curious, and I’ve read articles in recent months here, that the abortions that have happened since Roe v. Wade, the lost revenue from the people who have been aborted in the last 30-something years, could fund Social Security as we know it today. And the media just doesn’t — never touches this at all.
BENNETT: Assuming they’re all productive citizens?
CALLER: Assuming that they are. Even if only a portion of them were, it would be an enormous amount of revenue.
BENNETT: Maybe, maybe, but we don’t know what the costs would be, too. I think as — abortion disproportionately occur among single women? No.
CALLER: I don’t know the exact statistics, but quite a bit are, yeah.
BENNETT: All right, well, I mean, I just don’t know. I would not argue for the pro-life position based on this, because you don’t know. I mean, it cuts both – you know, one of the arguments in this book Freakonomics that they make is that the declining crime rate, you know, they deal with this hypothesis, that one of the reasons crime is down is that abortion is up. Well –
CALLER: Well, I don’t think that statistic is accurate.
BENNETT: Well, I don’t think it is either, I don’t think it is either, because first of all, there is just too much that you don’t know. But I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could — if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.
———-
What’s crazy is that many are concluding that the last sentence (that I bolded) was his attempt to save face.
If it were true (again, you have to hear the actual interview. Nothing gave me the impression that he caught himself and was trying to do some verbal patch work) then according to the haste logic we are using, Bennett is a racist no matter what. If he would have left that last sentence off, he would be a racist and we would have called him on it. He added it and he is still a racist.
For starters, Bennett’s hypothesis is based on a point raised in the outrageous book Freakonomics. Instead of failing to mention this fact, many who…
#hate conservatives regardless
#dislike whites and are at a rush to point out their mistakes
are too willing to buy the excerpted mainstream media coverage on the issue.
Steven D. Levitt and Steven J. Dubner (author of the book Freakonomics) also have a blog. They also partially agree with Bennett’s remarks [link]
If you ask me, these guys are enjoying the free publicity at the expense of Bennett’s comments. Why have we not seen anybody questioning their reasoning? Again, this all points back to our poor reading habits. Sound bites and visuals are all we want to comprehend.
As far as the crime rate goes amongst blacks, I have already discussed that issue:
There goes the neighborhood
Again, after both hearing the radio conversation and reading the transcript, I do not see anywhere where he is calling for the elimination of all black babies.
That is what many want him to say because they need something to justify their gripe against whites–even if it is an excerpt.
Bennett could have also suggested that if all Mexican babies are aborted, illegal immigration would go down, or perhaps to abort all white babies to reduce white against black discrimination. He didn’t. Personally, if I was white with a talk show, I would not have even mentioned this hypothesis simply because of gross over reaction that we are seeing today.
While many blacks want Katrina to be the sticking point for America to see just how “bad” the poor have it in this country, WE refuse to use this current situation to discuss the high levels of crime that take place in our own communities. How many black blogs/websites do you know of that specifically discuss the effects of black-on-black crime and how it is demoralizing and destructive to our race (perhaps someone should start a string of posts that feature the obituaries of our young black children that have been killed by another black individual. Naah! That will be too “in your face”. Circulating stories about white cops killing black kids get more millage with us)? Try bringing up the real statistics of this reality and instead of healthy discussion as to how we can reverse the problem, folks will spend a majority of the time challenging the actual numbers. We all say stupid and sometimes controversial things from time to time. People like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Farrakhan and others have all said some very spiteful things about whites–yet for some reason they are justified. Many of us will even go to great lengths to expound on “what they actually meant”. For a white male that is a conservative, just an excerpt will do.
This is a very opportune time for us to develop some real-world solutions on how to eradicate the crime rate in our community and we are blowing it…again!
In the end, Bennett’s ratings will go up and he will move on to other topics.
In the meantime, many of our young men and women are still getting picked off. Forget Bennett, what can do?
The sister of a friend of mine was killed recently in Jamaica over drugs. For some reason, I do not think this whole Bennett issue would have been beneficial at the funeral.
Very true but again I thik the main reason we blame whites is because of the effects of his slavery on our people even almost 600 hundred years later. We are angered by this and black on black crime wont stop until class is broken down amongst other things. There is a fine economic line that has been developing for the longest in this country and its becoming more clearly defined as rich or poor. I ask why should anyone be poor anywhere in the world ? This is not gods intention. I suggest reading The Willie Lynch Letter which displays a plan to keep us economically deprived and dehumanized which is the main reason we are committing these hanious crimes against our own. If you cornered an animal ( which we all are when we bite on a chickens leg) and forced it to defend itself that would be an ugly fight to the death. And our ignorance is just as responsible because we lack racial pride on a global level. Until we can all get together discuss these truths and develop a comprehensive plan to combat the psychological effects of an enslaved people we will continue to stab each other in the back. Again until we get our minds right…
Very true but again I think the main reason we blame whites is because of the effects of his slavery on our people even almost 600 hundred years later.
Brian,
Name me at least ONE ethnic group that has been perpetually handicapped by events that happened 600 + years ago?
Grecians?
Chinese?
Jews?
–You could make an argument for Native Americans, but personally I think that it was a bad move to isolate themselves from the rest of the world on reservations. Although I completely understand the intent, it just plays right into that “out of sight, out of mind” that many people have towards cultures they are not familiar with.
The Roma people (Gypsies) are one of the only ethnic groups out there I would say is still experiencing TRUE AND INSTITUTIONALIZED bigotry (meaning that in many areas throughout Europe, laws are not written to protect their rights. Also, they have been consistently held down economically throughout Europe. Also, these people do not have a “motherland”
I haven’t even touched the thousands of Africans who come to this country off of the heels of real persecution–and still many of them are able to move beyond the status of many black Americans.
Don’t get me wrong, slavery did leave an impact of black American culture, but you have to keep it in perspective to the other groups that I have mentioned.
While I’ve been indifferent to Bennet, I was disappointed and angry at his statement for several reasons. The first of which is that he referenced Blacks and the crime rate. While I agree we need to address the criminal element in our culture, his words will be used to continue the “blame game” and soap box preaching about white oppression.
I have never liked talk shows because it tends to form an echo chamber effect, and it encourages one to talk off the cuff without thinking, under the auspecies of being intellectual. Bennett stepped in it because he attempted to play the political/cultural race game, as a conservative even. He should have been smarter than that, and in order to make the race baiters irrelevant, one has to be smarter than that.
Brian,
You have just illustrated just about every post that Duane has had in the last few months. We as a people just don’t read!!!
You could make an argument for Native Americans, but personally I think that it was a bad move to isolate themselves from the rest of the world on reservations.
The U.S. government had NO role in that what so ever?
The U.S. government had NO role in that what so ever?
Sure it did, but who asked for the isolation?
Duane, slavery did not happen 600+ years ago. It was only fairly recently that blacks were characterized as equals in the eyes of the law. We’re really only a few generations into freedom.
And as far as Native Americans go… they really did not have a lot of say in the matter of their isolation. It was either that or continue to be decimated by Manifest Destiny.
While I could care less what the closet racist Bennett said nor do I think he should apologize, nor do I like the worthless grandstanding Democrats calling for him to apologize, what he did was make a connetion between all crime and blacks. That’s the problem I have with the excuse makers, he didn’t leave the connection between poverty and crime, he made a racial connection that wasn’t there. And what about high level crime that no one ever considers like the raping of Iraq and the “misplacement” of 9,000,000,000 US tax payer dollars. What about Worldcom, Tyco, the Savings & Loans scandal, crimes that involve millions of dollars.
You want to get rid of crime in black neighborhoods then there needs to be creation of economic opportunities. Unfortunately our “black leaders” seem intent on be complaining rather than being problem solvers. Reminds me of when Jesse went to Venezuela to meet with Chavez. Instead of talking to Chavez about ways to make an economic alliance between Chavez and blacks in the US he went there for a meaningless photo op and some press coverage.
Vit,
I agree. As far as I know it was roughly 400 years ago (the 600 came from the person that I was responding to).
I’m still not buying the point that they did not have any real control in the matter. I don’t know of any movement amongst them to get off of these lands. If anything, this is probably why their fight for national recognition (many of the nations including the one my family belongs to) has been difficult. Again, out of site, out of mind–unfortunately.