Bastard City

From the Merriam-Webster online Dictionary:

Bastard

Main Entry: 1bas·tard
Pronunciation: 'bas-t&rd
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Frisian bost marriage, Old English bindan to bind
1 : an illegitimate child

I read today, from Philadelphia writer John Baer, that the rate of illegitimate births in America's fifth largest city is now on the high side of 50%. 62%, to be more specific. Think about this: over the 15 years upon which Baer based his research, of every ten children born in Philly, more than six were born to unwed parents. I don't have stats in front of me as I write this, but based on what I have seen personally in cities all over America, I'd be surprised if the stats weren't very similar in every major city in this great land. I'd be very surprised if the rates of illegitimate births in Detroit, Baltimore, DC, Miami, Newark and New Orleans are not even higher.

Bastardy was once considered shameful. Then it was just unfortunate. Now, it's a common way of life. The effects of this have been felt for a long time now, and they ain't pretty. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

Now don't get me wrong: I fully understand that just because two people have a child or a family without first getting the go-ahead from some preacher or magistrate does not neccesarily make them bad parents. Nor does the mere obtaining of the church's blessing or the state's license make them good ones. All of us know people raising good, loving families despite not being joined by faith or law. But let's be realistic: that's not what we're dealing with in the inner cities. What we're talking about here are children who are growing up without the basic family unit, and its framework of support and instruction that is absolutley crucial in rearing boys and girls to become men and women.

Depending on who you talk to, this is the fault of feminism, or secularism, or Hollywood, or drugs, or welfare, or sluts. All of these are very real problems, and not to be ignored, but when it comes to rampant bastardy, it's been my experience that the biggest share of the blame lies, quite simply, with men.

In his basic role in society, a man is charged with many responsibilities. But his number one responsibility, above all others, is this: to teach his son how to be a man. It's a father's most important job. A woman can't do it, not even a boy's mother. Too many men now are failing to rise to this task. Worse, many of those failing, are doing so simply because they don't care. Particularly in the cities, far too many men are making babies without any concern for their offspring's well being. Their interest ends at the point of orgasm. After that, who cares?

The reasons for this are many and varied, but I for one reckon it all boils down to a simple lack of true manhood. Manhood is more than the simple possesion of a dick. In fact, the mere ability to insert that dick into anything that moves doesn't even figure into the equation. Animals rut with abandon. It doesn't make them men. In fact, it serves to illuminate the exact opposite condition. True manhood is a combination of strength, character, judgement and love which serves to guide men in all of their choices. Men who make babies they have no intention to care for, with women who are no more to them than orgasm donors, have none of these things.

I don't know quite when it happened, but somewhere along the line the masses got it into their heads that sex was somehow so damned important as to be above all expectations of judgement, restraint, and just plain simple common sense. In many circles, any suggestion that people should treat sex with a certain amount of reserved carefulness or- God forbid- forego having sex when one is unprepared to accept the consequences that might arise thereof, is greeted with a hissing denouncement resemblent of vampires watching the sunrise. Anyone who says sex is more than just a recreational activity and needs to be treated as such is labeled a prude, a theocrat, a right-wing zealot, and possibly a Baptist. I hate to tell you this, folks, but even a broken watch is right twice a day, and a Baptist can occasionally hit the mark too (not often, but it happens). Sex has a powerful biological function, and it does not care whether or not you want that function to operate. Tempt fate enough times, and it surely will. The result is babies. Small, fragile, helpless human beings with no capacity to care for themselves or sustain their own existence. They are entirely dependent on others for everything they need to survive and grow, and all they've got are their mom & dad.

In the cities now, we're seeing the fruits of several generations of children who have grown up without families. Most specifically, without fathers. The results have been tragic. Boys and girls growing into adulthood, having never been instilled with such basic things as common sense, a work ethic, and a moral compass. This is not surprising, since they were born to people who themselves had none to instill. The absence of fathers leaves an unmistakable and unfillable void. Boys become men having no idea how to be one, and girls become women with no idea what to look for in or expect from a man. Again, not surprising, since the man who was supposed to serve as the example for both was at best non-existant, at worst, degenerate.

And then we wonder why those boys grow up to be exactly the same way, do the same things, and the girls wind up popping out their babies, who are about to begin the whole cycle anew.

Sez me, this will only get worse until people learn to respect human sexuality for the powerful and priceless wonder that it is. Or at least to love their children more than they love orgasms.