It's a huge difference, amigo. And its one that can only be addressed by the black community itself. Absentee fathers are a major element in the four worst problems facing the black neighborhoods. They contribute to drug use, teenage pregnancy, crime, and school dropouts by not being there to manage problems and guide them. You always had a father and grandfather who had your back and would be there for you. Many of these kids have no mentor other than a semi-literate teenage criminal down the street. I don't now how to fix this, but it must be done. Groups like 100 Black Men seem to doing the right thing, becoming mentors, advocates, and role models for the youth within their communities, but it's not been big enough to change things yet.
Couldn't agree more with this. It's hard for those of us who have been fortunate enough to know our fathers and have them around to understand what it's like to grow up without a positive family structure. On a side note, I watch intervention on A&E and my perspective has changed on it so much since my daughter was born. I now watch the show to find out what kind of f**ked up think the addicts mom or dad (typically dad) did to them when they were a kid. Typically it's molestation, rape, physical abuse to the mom or child or some other terrible even. Without fail, there is something that sets these people down the road to serious addiction and it doesn't always happen right after whatever the traumatic even was. Anyway, i basically watch the show to remind myself how much my actions have on my daughter.
