Opening Santa Maria's Eyes, by Jim Baxter
I am sure your readers are as pleased as my wife and I are that Andrew Petty and the Sun have recently published the article, "Manhood paid with women's tears." [Sun, Dec. 28, 2001] Such cowardly, abusive, and oppressive behavior by men in the Latino community will never buy them manhood, but does purchase contempt from their women and children and rejection and earned and deserved contempt and ridicule from civilized members of our society.
The problem, however, is larger than one ethnic group and will not be resolved until the basic cause is recognized and dealt with appropriately. It can be observed throughout our city, state, and nation, from the immature over-compensating, self-doubting male, exhibiting feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and a rampant inferiority complex, who seeks a false outlet by way of crimes against women and innocent children and their slavish submission to his "muscle-mind."
Gang membership and activity, trendy road-rage, and youth violence are all evidence of male feelings of inferiority and will not disappear from our society from resulting police action alone -- unless and until we successfully educate to the prime solution: individual value and individual character.
Measuring human value by a collectivized group is not the American Way. Until our males recognize and choose to live lives of unique individual value, we will all be burdened by those whose inaccurate, mediocre, and sloppy definitions of manhood will require one or more kind of patty-cake baby sitter. Can he take the challenge?
The young ladies of Santa Maria need not focus so much on a boyfriend's hip-hop "personality" as his self-definition, principled intelligence, spirit, and manly virtue. Can she take the challenge?
Jim Baxter
Santa Maria, CA
vincit veritasSanta Maria, CA Weekly SUN
Published January 11 - January 18, 2002
LETTERS+ + +
Individual Value or Collective non-value ????
Also see Institutional Participation of the Individual at The Robe
and TARGET at 123Beta
Add to individual value: individual self-respect, and individual responsibility and self-accountability.
All are indispensible.
Posted by: Skunkfeathers | November 10, 2007 at 04:05 AM