Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn

An article today in the NYT cites the following research conclusions:

¶The share of young black men without jobs has climbed relentlessly, with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990's. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20's were jobless — that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004, the share had grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white and 19 percent of Hispanic dropouts. Even when high school graduates were included, half of black men in their 20's were jobless in 2004, up from 46 percent in 2000.

¶Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990's and reached historic highs in the past few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20's who did not attend college were in jail or prison; by 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated. By their mid-30's, 6 in 10 black men who had dropped out of school had spent time in prison.

How did this state of affairs occur, given that "Dropout rates for Hispanic youths are as bad or worse but are not associated with nearly as much unemployment or crime, the data show"?

Well, that's an easy answer: put blame on everyone except the people themselves.

Terrible schools, absent parents, racism, the decline in blue collar jobs and a subculture that glorifies swagger over work have all been cited as causes of the deepening ruin of black youths. Scholars — and the young men themselves — agree that all of these issues must be addressed.

Note the use of the passive voice here. The author can imply his conclusion without actually saying it. Then he asserts the correctness of this oblique assertion with agreements from the two groups who should know more than everyone else about this subject, scholars and the men themselves. [Dear reader, are you one of these two groups? No? Then you aren't qualified to render enlightened opinion. --Ed]

Nice balance.

The final funny element of this story is an attempt to explain how so many people end up incarcerated. Expressed with a degree of shock and possibly disgust, the author's comment strikes me as laugh out loud funny:

Improved collection of money from absent fathers has been a pillar of welfare overhaul. But the system can leave young men feeling overwhelmed with debt and deter them from seeking legal work, since a large share of any earnings could be seized.

About half of all black men in their late 20's and early 30's who did not go to college are noncustodial fathers, according to Mr. Holzer. From the fathers' viewpoint, support obligations "amount to a tax on earnings," he said.

Welcome to responsibility, gentlemen.

This article is a great illustration of the gulf in understanding that exists between me and most NYT contributors.