White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects the Decay of the Inner City

by Star Parker

Decaying values. Sexually transmitted diseases. Fatherless homes. Rampant drug use. These arent just problems for todays inner cities. Its the plight of all America. Much has been said about Bill Cosbys incendiary remarks about urban black culture and its dirty laundry. But in this provocative book, Star Parker, one of todays most controversial commentators, goes even further, proving that urban plight simply reveals a decay that is gnawing its way throughout American society as a whole. The sexual chaos, values disorientation, and social turmoil we see in our inner cities, Parker argues, is just a magnified reflection of the moral collapse happening all over in our schools, our churches, our homes. And this slide toward moral decrepitude is all due to a flagrant dismissal of and assault on Americas tried-and-true values. With startling statistics and disturbing stories about the increasing secularization and criminalization of the middle class, Parker holds a cracked mirror up to suburbia. Taking on tough subjects such as abortion, drug abuse, sexual politics, and religion, she offers a rousing exploration of the raging cultural war-taking you on a wild, eye-opening tour through the White Ghetto . Star Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education, a nonprofit organization that provides national dialogue on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods, and public policy. Star is a regular commentator on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and the BBC, which reaches 300 million homes worldwide. Her articles and quotes have also appeared in major publications including the Wall Street Journal , the Washington Post , and the New York Times , and is currently a weekly syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. Star is the author of Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats and Uncle Sams Plantation .

Genres: Nonfiction

238 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2006

Reviews

[Amanda J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Far from the promised discussion on "How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay", this book is a tirade against liberal America. The "facts" presented are based in opinion, and do not readily reflect the truth or depth of our current society.

*The following does include my personal reflections, thoughts and reactions as I read through the book. This is the official spoiler alert, should you choose to continue.*

On pg. 4, Parker cites the statistic of 1/4 of black children being born out of wedlock increasing to 3/4 in recent years. She states this is a problem of "transient fathers". While there is a cultural problem of men not staying with families and supporting children, this is a societal problem taught to this section of society by the habit of locking massively disproportionate numbers of African American males up for nonviolent and often victimless crimes - at a longer average sentence length than white offenders of the same crime. On the same page, and throughout the book, she refers to Hurricane Katrina as an example of unbased calls calls of racism by "liberal America". In this instance, she said the women and children were most affected because there was "no man to lead them out". Isn't this the 21st Century? This isn't Saudi Arabia, women can drive. Family units had nothing to do with the inability of Katrina victims to get out, but the low income, lack of transportation and movement. From personal experience in the Detroit area, most inner-city dwellers don't go outside their neighborhoods due to lack of transportation, much less have the ability to pack up and move out of harms way in cases of natural disasters.

Her internalized racism is extensive. On pg. 11, she says "integration gone awry" in reference to white kids buying rap music. I'll just leave that there for you to ponder. She continues with aggressive intolerance, citing on pg. 22, a "powerful homosexual movement in schools". Nobody is training your child to be gay. If they're gay, they're gay. It's really that simple. Pg. 24 says that "a recent Gallup poll shows that 54% of Americans today approve of homosexuals being elementary school teachers". This just brings to mind a Tweet in which someone was condemning their child's teacher for being gay with a grammatical error, and someone politely responded something along the lines of, "if they are able to teach my child the difference between they/there/their, I'll gladly have them teach."

Pg. 30 she refers to HIV instances among black women can be traced to the "appallingly high percentage of black men who have done time in prison". Prison is often undeserved, and our racially off-balance "justice" system has been privatized for capitalist gain. Attacking a community for symptoms of a disease that they have no control over is a grand sign of the institutionalized racism that is being projected in this book.

Pg. 46, she refers to "insurgents", in reference to people who are defending their homelands against an (our) unauthorized invasion. While we, as a country, have moved more towards distant drone warfare to protect our own lives, we are still indiscriminately killing women and children who these "insurgents" were protecting.

On pg. 52, Parker actually supports an argument that women could have "less inherent ability" to participate in academics.

Pg. 64, "white racism has subsided dramatically since the 1960s". Institutional racism has, but not personal encounters. I know this was written before the recent spikes in hate crimes over 2015-2016, but I do believe this is a good indicator of how intentionally naive the author is about the gravity of our current situation.

Pg. 71. "Black energy turned into a quest for equal rights", as if that is a bad thing. Not wanting to prosper under the horrors of Jim Crow and wanting to actually be equal isn't that absurd of a notion. She continues the next few pages, and on pg. 74 states "equality is determined only by God," which to me echoes the slave owners use of the Bible to justify slavery.

Pg. 85, she tries to connect abortion rights with racism. She cites that 13 million black babies have been aborted since 1973, completely ignoring the fact that leave the vast majority of abortions performed to be for white women. She also uses "black" as synonymous with "inner-city", which opens the door for many other problematic assumptions.

On pg. 118, Parker states that the Democratic party is stuck in a time warp. I don't know how liberals are in a time warp, unless she's speaking of warp-speed progressive policies that should have been implemented decades ago.

Pg. 120, she rants against communism's danger, because it creates hungry people. Our Democratic Republic faces the same issues. Capitalism hasn't saved us from poverty, but has in fact created incredible wealth inequality and ever-growing amounts of food and housing insecurity. Socialism and communism don't prevent classism, but there are a lot lower crime rates than under capitalist societies. I've heard many people - first hand - who used to live under socialist regimes state that they sometimes wish they returned due to the ability to leave doors unlocked and allow children to walk the streets at night.

Pg. 126, she again comes back to the "homosexual agenda", which she states is an attack on traditional values. I sense a major sense of memory loss, because biracial marriages were considered "immoral" until quite recently.

Pg. 140, she states "freedom produces prosperity", to which I ask: what is China's secret?

Pg. 152, she is complaining that there are not "Christian" characters allowed on mainstream TV. As someone who grew up watching Touched By An Angel, the openly religious Dana Skully on The X-Files, and continue to watch the religious struggle of Law and Order's Detective Stabler, I wonder if she actually watches TV.

Across pages 152 and 153, she makes a false equivalence between hate crimes against homosexuals and homosexuals who commit crimes. She goes so far as to insinuate that homosexuality should be outlawed because homosexual men committed crime.

On pg. 157, she again refers to "liberal courts" in reference to our Justice System, particularly SCOTUS. She is speaking about Roe v. Wade, and I'm curious as to if she realizes it was a "conservative" court that passed down the 1973 ruling.

Pg. 172, Parker asks, "have ordinary Americans become anti-religious?" To which I answer, no. Americans have become progressively more accepting of our diverse and multi-faith country. Becoming less Christian does not equate to being less religious, it is merely acknowledging and embracing our increasingly pluralistic society. She doesn't seem to understand pluralism, and is speaking outside her bounds in other areas. Pg. 173, she states "every culture and religion...divorce was taboo". Islam, for one, provides a clear outline for the acceptability of divorce in cases of necessity. It's more important for physical and psychological well-being of everyone involved to be able to move on with life instead of maintaining a shiny, false exterior image of unity. While many cultures around Islam have made it taboo, the religion itself does not.

On page 177, she asserts that the first amendment does not allow for freedom FROM religion, only freedom OF religion. Why do many conservatives try to ban burkas, hijab (re: recent 2016 Georgia bill that was to include banning hijab in public places, which as thankfully removed from consideration), or have issues with mosques being built and the call to prayer broadcast audibly?

On pg. 224, she attacks without "Islamic" countries without basis. "Islamic countries do little or nothing to benefit the poor..." In 2013, the United Kingdom acknowledged Muslim residents as having given more charity than any other religious group in the UK. Saudi Arabia, a favorite example of "Islamic" countries, does admittedly have wealth inequality rivaling what we see in the U.S., yet the government provides free school and health care to all residents. We are not a country to be pointing fingers at treatment of poor, with skyrocketing homelessness, food insecurity, and inaccessible health care.

Overall, I did not like this book. I see it to be a comforting book to those who feel threatened by the United States progression to a pluralistic, mutli-faith, multi-cultural country. I leave you with an unattributed quote, “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”.

[Taylor Rubleski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet again Star Parker has created a very literal story about what our country has come to. We have all noticed the points Parker appoints to in this book. This book is full of facts and truth about society and all the lies and troubles of our generation.
Well this is obviously a non-fiction book and as well very opinionated. Parker throughout the book brings up different topics, some topics hard to read about.For an example Parker has a section about sex being portrayed in the media and on t.v. In this section it talks about how the effects it has on teens, it says "Watching TV shows with sexual content apparently hastens the initiation of teen sexual activity"(pg.8). Heck! the title of the book is a topic in itself. The topic is the main idea of the book. The main idea is that racial issues stand out in our country and black people are labeled as "trashy", "ghetto" and "gangsters", while our race of being white or caucasian is just as trashy.
Anyone who has strong opinions on topics and can't really see anyone else's sides on things, should definitely read this book. This book helps you see the other side on rough topics in our society and has facts to prove and show that these topics need to be emphasized. Overall this holds the readers interest and it isn't very long. I thought this was a good book and I loved the authors opinions.

[Steve Presswood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant thinker about our times and culture.

[Steven H · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE POPULAR WRITER TAKES ON THE “BATTLE FOR MORALITY”

Star Parker (born 1956) is an author and columnist, who founded the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE). She wrote in the Introduction of this 2006 book, “For the past several decades, Middle America has found an easy scapegoat for the problems that face American society: the inner-city neighborhoods. Faced with the increase in crime rates, illegitimate pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases, the response of many middle-class Americans has been to point the finger at low-income and minority communities in large urban areas such as Oakland, Chicago, and Atlanta… But what if the disproportionately higher rates of crime, illegitimacy, infant mortality, AIDS, abortion, drug abuse, and illiteracy in these poverty-stricken, inner-city neighborhoods are simply a magnified reflection of a malaise that affects every neighborhood throughout the United States? What if the inner city is actually a mirror for the rest of our nation?... What if the ghetto we often imagine belonging exclusively to Harlem and Watts actually has satellite campuses in Des Moines, Tulsa, Springfield, and Anchorage?...

“But this book is not an indictment of the excesses, failures, and sins of middle-class suburbia any more than it is an exoneration of black neighborhoods. Rather, it questions why so many obvious areas of moral breakdown exist throughout the country… [This book] calls Americans to remember the bar of religious ideals and vision that the founders of our nation set for us… [It] investigates the cultural war being waged, not on the steps on Capitol Hill, but in every kitchen, bedroom, and living room of modern Middle America. It exposes the false security behind that average American household and shows that damage from an unending assault of godless ideas has reached farther (and closer) then we ever imagined.”

She states, “Certainly, the traditional American family is under siege, with the challenges for young parents never greater. The no-limits brand of freedom promoted in our country today---more aptly termed ‘license’---has sanctioned behaviors once considered abhorrent, abnormal, and deviant. As a result, we have seen crime rates skyrocket, sexually transmitted diseases multiply, and families crumble. In the name of ‘freedom,’ our permissiveness has brought upon us not the wrath of God, but the consequences of our own actions. What is the cure[?] … There is only one answer, and that is to reestablish our root in personal responsibility and the traditional sense of right and wrong.” (Pg. 40)

She notes that Lawrence Summers, former President of Harvard, “suggested that one possible reason fewer women were on science and engineering faculties might be that women have less inherent ability to perform at the highest levels of those fields. Is this theory possible? Yes. Can you say it at a liberal university? Apparently not. Summers’ remarks provoked the wrath of many members of the Harvard faculty… If the Harvard faculty had been more interested in truth than politics, they could have convened an inquiry into the proposition that women may not be as genetically disposed to math and science as men… If results showed that the theory was not a possibility, then Summers could be fired… Incidentally, what if Summers had said he simply had no idea why there are fewer women on science faculties? Or… had suggested the phenomenon was impossible to understand. These responsibilities also would have been unacceptable. The only acceptable response … was one politically-charged magic word: Discrimination.: (Pg. 52-53)

She suggests, “if anything has retarded individual and corporate black growth, it is the fact that so many African Americans have sought and still seek to lay the blame for their problems at the feet of others, namely white America… The victim mentality has plagued the black community and the nation as a whole for several decades now, and its sway over the minds and generations has not only corrupted hearts and minds, but also stifled countless individuals’ ability to succeed.” (Pg. 62)

Of the riots after the first Rodney King verdict, she notes, “In the Los Angeles riots, groups of predominantly black and Hispanic men attacked, beat, and murdered several other people (mostly minorities) throughout the city. The excuse for their behavior was that they were simply reacting to the non-guilty verdicts of the four white police officers… For the record, I’m of the opinion that those four police officers were guilty and deserved to be stripped of their authority to work in law enforcement in Los Angeles or anywhere else for that matter.” (Pg. 69)

She states, “Despite what Forbes and Fortune magazine tell you, no one can devise an exact formula for getting rich. However, we can devise a formula for getting and staying poor: Don’t work. Convince yourself that your life reflects the decisions of others and not your own. Be the perennial victim. This is the chief toll that the welfare system has taken on blacks. It established a culture of poverty.” (Pg. 110-111)

She clarifies, “in this book I use the terms ‘black’ and ‘white’… in an attempt to explain two different world-views that happen to correspond in a very general sense with those races. I am not seeking to define or explain the races themselves. To try and do so would be foolish, as each member of every race is a unique individual with his or her own set of circumstances. My pigment is only skin deep, so to center my or anyone else’s identity around skin color only demonstrates how superficial liberal politics really are. After all, wasn’t the primary goal of the civil rights movement to focus attention on character and not skin color?” (Pg. 122-123)

She observes, “Rather than seeking employment and educational opportunities based on their skills and merit, a large majority of the black community turned to affirmative action as a cure-all for the ‘racism’ they encountered. By buying into the politics of control, blacks unwittingly prevented themselves from being truly successful in their own right, without government intervention.” (Pg. 127)

She argues, “What in the world is a hate crime anyway? How did we, as a population… come to be so deluded in our thinking that we fell for the ‘hate crime’ argument? Think about it---don’t most crimes involve some level of malice? How it is NOT a hate crime when an employer kills his boss because he didn’t give him a raise? Or when a woman kills her husband for cheating on her? When is hate not involved in any violent crime? The crime itself is the real issue, not the motive behind it. Today’s ‘free-thinking’” gay activists want to make it illegal in the United States for anyone to speak against their lifestyle.” (Pg. 150-151)

She asserts, “If materialism is correct, if nothing abstract can be ascertained, then ‘morality’ is a meaningless word. Without objective standards, our biological makeup and surrounding environment dictate our values, and the only cultural creed is that no one can tell you what to do or impose their values on you. Anyone searching for social parameters---the code of ethics we once took for granted---is hard-pressed to find any boundaries in the public square. What remains is a variety of ‘suggestions’… depending on who you ask.” (Pg. 194-195) Later, she adds, “We are not debating Hindus, Buddhists, or Muslims. The people so determined to quash our most sacred beliefs are the progressive liberals we work for, buy from, and watch on TV every day.” (Pg. 215)

She concludes, “You may have noticed that one topic raging in our country was strangely absent from these pages… the merits and problems of our troops in Iraq. Perhaps that discussion will take place in another book. But for now, I have a warning for a Middle American knee-deep in arguments over the military mayhem… If we are not careful, while American media and political society focuses on the planes flying over Iraq, we will fail to notice that mounting casualties from another war being fought---the battle for morality in our country.” (Pg. 234)

This book will be of great interest to conservatives of ALL ethnicities.

[zaki]

interesting read. the concept of inner city decay being a mirror for a corrupt nation at large is intriguing. But Parker seems to think this is more because of "a radicalized progressive liberalism" than the fact that most of those in power simply don't give a damn about what happens on the urban landscape and love f*cking up housing projects for the sake of increased profit. I... strongly disagree with her conclusion. But it's a fun ride:


"Middle America is skilled at condemning faceless gang members whose arbitrary bullets cut short random lives. But we are blind to our own corruption. We criticize the welfare mother for not paying her own way while racking up thousands in debt on our Visa. Rather than addressing teenage sex through abstinence programs, we allow the public education system to cart our children off to abortion mills and alternative lifestyle seminars."

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had the honor of meeting Star Parker. She is dynamic, super intelligent, and loving. It was an absolute privilege to meet her. I think her strengths are in her short writings and speeches. This book read like a bunch of her speeches put together. That's ok, just not what I was expecting.

[Jamie Mazzeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest.