Where, besides black churches and conferences, has Barack Obama discussed fatherhood and the lack of it in some communities?
But if we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing – missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.
You and I know how true this is in the African-American community. We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled – doubled – since we were children. We know the statistics – that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/stateupdates/gG5nFK The statement above is taken from the text of his speech on Father's Day.
So, as it turns out, Barack was speaking directly to and about Black fathers. Some would argue the venue was probably not the best venue to reach these absent fathers, as he was probably preaching to the choir and insulting the intelligence of many there who believed he was just politically posturing.
I don't know why you would say the media is playing me for a fool when I can understand English quite well. He was talking about parental responsibility in general but then quickly moved on to target AAs, making most of the speech about AAs and its absent fathers.
Personal responsibility is a given. A lot of racist white folks like a Pat Buchanan use the fact of single parent homes in the black community as THE SOLE reason blacks are behind white America socioeconomically. This view is too narrow and quite simply fails to recognize the role of certain outside forces which cause some of the problems in urban communities. A lack of jobs, lack of adequate education, health care issues, mental health issues, etc, are contributing factors. This is what Jesse Jackson was referring to. You can't blame all of black America's problems on MORALITY or lack there of, because that is not the case.
Just as you can't blame the problems in rural, white communities solely on morality issues. The fact that jobs are leaving the U.S. and it's getting harder and harder to support a family is not due to morality issues.
The underlying message people take away from single-issue or narrowly tailored lectures like this is that if only people just grabbed hold of their bootstraps and lifted themselves up and stopped complaining, everything will be perfect. It doesn't work like that. You have hard working, decent people living in the worst conditions. Is that their fault?