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Columnist Says Black Churches Criticize Black Men Too Much Is the African-American community contributing largely to the increasingly negative perception that society has of black men? Marcia Dixon of The Voice Online says yes……and she also says it needs to stop. via The Voice Online We live in a society where it seems to be OK to poke fun at and publicly deride men. Whether it’s because they are unfaithful in their relationships, commit domestic violence, don’t look after their children, aren’t able to multi-task, aren’t emotional, are aggressive, OR more prone to commit acts of crime. The list could go on. But surely the criticisms levelled at men, even within the church, is only half the story. Shouldn’t we stop and think about the impact all this negativity is having on the young boys in our midst? Not all men are badly behaved. Too many of the discussions we have in the black community about gender issues focus on the inadequacy of men. Isn’t it time for the negative rhetoric to stop and look at new ways to move forward – together? Marcia goes on to point out that there are both positive and negative examples of black men in the African-American community, those that aren’t handling their responsibilities tend to get much of the focus, which sets a poor example for young black men to follow. She also alludes to the fact that those who are doing what they are supposed to often go unnoticed by the very institution that should be uplifting them: the church. Some of our communities have imploded on themselves and become no-go areas when men have absconded on their duties. Women are left to fend for themselves and their children. Communities where men are absent become breeding grounds for gang leaders and criminals to train up the next generation in negative behaviour. And many young men themselves are bemoaning the absence of their father, or a father figure in their life, with some attributing the lack of a strong male presence in their life as the reason why they descended into crime and anti-social behaviour. Seeing as churches are perceived as the key institutions within the black community, they should be at the forefront (which some are) of bigging up men, and using the platform they have to promote the many good men that we have in our community. Not every man is absconding on his marital and parental duties. The black community is filled with lots of men who have integrity, are responsible, successful in their careers and utilising their talents in a God-honouring way. Plus there are the guys, who were, as described by the Bible, ‘on the path that leads to destruction’, but with either the help of God, the church, role models or their own personal discipline, have turned their lives around and are now exemplary role models. These are the guys are community needs to be focus on. So, what say you Bossip fam? Are we as black people getting in our own way when it comes to the downfall of our men? Or is the rest of society just as much to blame for the increasingly negative depiction of black men?

Here is the original post:
Race Matters: Columnist Says Black Churches And The Black Community Are Too Busy Criticizing African-American Men To Help Them…Do You Agree?