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Sowell EXPOSES Diddy’s Scandal: The Decay of Black Cultural Values || Thomas Sowell Reacts
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The federal criminal trial of Shawn
Combmes, known to many as
Diddy, isn't merely a legal proceeding.
It's a stark, unflattering mirror held
up to the cultural currents shaping
significant segments of black American
life. For more than half a century, I've
studied the intricate patterns of human
behavior. Patterns that determine the
destinies of individuals, groups, and
even nations. These patterns aren't
random, nor are they inevitable. They're
the discernable product of choices,
values, and cultural habits that persist
across generations, often with profound
consequences. The charges against
Combmes, trafficking, coercion, and
racketeering aren't a mere tabloid
spectacle to be consumed and discarded
like cheap entertainment. Rather, this
case stands as a chilling case study in
the erosion of fundamental values among
those who wield immense wealth, fame,
and influence. The prosecution alleges
Combmes orchestrated disturbing
gatherings involving illicit substances
and exploitative acts with accusations
of coercing individuals like Cassandra
Ventur through a ruthless combination of
threats and financial control. Hotel
surveillance footage from 2016
reportedly shows Combmes engaging in a
physical altercation with Ventura,
corroborating her testimony of years of
alleged abuse. Th this isn't just about
one man's alleged actions. It reveals a
broader cultural rot that has taken
root. This is a crucial moment not for
indulging in salacious details, but for
profound reflection on what this case
reveals about a community that once
produced intellectual and moral giants
like Frederick Douglas and Booker T.
Washington, yet now with alarming
frequency elevates figures who embody
excess, hedenism, and moral decay. Let's
examine the DD case unflinchingly for
what it tells us about the values we
choose to uphold and critically those
we've allowed to erode. In my book,
Black Rednecks and White Liberals, I
argued that many of the acute
disparities we observe in black American
outcomes, be they economic, social, or
moral, aren't the inevitable or primary
result of systemic racism, as so many
are quick to insist. Instead, they are
in substantial part the consequence of
cultural patterns that have taken root
and solidified over generations. Shan
Colm's case illustrates this principle
with vivid, painful clarity. Here's a
man who ascended from modest beginnings
through raw talent and ambition to amass
a degree of wealth and influence most
can scarcely imagine. Yet, if the
allegations brought forth by the federal
government are true, he has squandered
that immense capital, not merely his
financial empire, but his cultural and
moral standing on a lifestyle that
glorifies indulgence, flouts basic
decency, and actively subverts the very
values that once lifted communities out
of poverty and oppression. The knee-jerk
reflex of many, particularly those with
a vested interest in a particular
narrative, is to blame the system for
such outcomes. To point exclusively to
historical injustices as the root of all
present ills. But this explanation,
however emotionally resonant, falters
under rigorous scrutiny. If systemic
racism were in fact the sole or even
primary driver of group outcomes, how
then do we account for the remarkable
progress of black Americans in the
decades following
emancipation? Figures like Frederick
Douglas and Booker T. Washington,
emerging from profound adversity,
demonstrated that success was forged in
the crucible of personal responsibility,
tireless work, frugality, and an
unwavering commitment to values that
transcend circumstance and oppression.
Contrast this historical commitment to
principle with the cultural patterns we
too often see today, starkly exemplified
by figures like Combmes. The allegations
against him, whether ultimately proven
in court or not, paint a picture of a
worldview that celebrates excess over
restraint, raw power over enduring
principle, and shallow spectacle over
meaningful substance. It's crucial to
understand that this isn't a uniquely
black problem, as some might hastily
conclude, nor is it the exclusive
product of systemic oppression alone. It
is fundamentally a cultural problem, one
with roots that stretch back not to the
period of slavery itself, but to a more
recent and for many surprising source,
the importation of what I've
characterized as redneck culture from
the white south into northern black
communities during the great migration
of the early 20th century. This cultural
transfer involved the absorption of
habits often marked by impulsiveness, a
disdain for formal education, a
glorification of violence, and a general
embrace of excess. These patterns,
rather than systemic discrimination,
have contributed significantly to the
disparities we observe today. Fast
forward to the present and we witness
the undeniable legacy of this cultural
transfer and the valorization of what's
often called thug culture. The music,
the imagery, the cultivated personas of
far too many black celebrities,
including figures like Combmes, have
elevated and romanticized the lifestyle
steeped in lawlessness, extreme
materialism, and profound moral
ambiguity. This isn't to say that all
hip hop or popular culture is inherently
destructive. Far from it. There are
countless examples of art that uplift
and inspire. But when a dominant most
celebrated voices within a community
consistently celebrate behaviors that
intrinsically undermine long-term
success, personal responsibility, and
social cohesion, the consequences become
tragically predictable. Well, the
numbers speak for themselves. In 2023,
the illegitimacy rate among black
Americans approached 70%, a stark and
devastating contrast to the under 20%
observed in the 1950s.
Violent crime rates in urban black
communities remain disproportionately
high, stubbornly persistent. Despite
decades of civil rights reforms and
trillions spent on social programs,
these aren't solely the bitter fruits of
systemic racism. They are in large and
undeniable part the harvest of cultural
choices that have been allowed to fester
and proliferate unchallenged, often
actively promoted by those who should
know better. The Diddy case with its
grave allegations of coercion, sexual
exploitation, and a sprawling criminal
enterprise isn't an isolated incident.
It's a glaring symptom of this broader
cultural malaise. It's a reflection of a
deeply troubling value system that
prioritizes fleeting pleasure, immediate
gratification, and raw power over
enduring principle, self-respect, and
the well-being of others. When wealth
and fame are used not to uplift, empower
or create, but rather to degrade,
exploit and destroy, we are compelled to
ask, what kind of example is truly being
set for the young? What kind of cultural
legacy are we actively bequething to the
next generation? In the vision of the
anointed, I critique the hubris of
elites who believe they can engineer
social outcomes through abstract
policies while stubbornly ignoring the
deeper, more powerful cultural forces at
work within society. One such
indispensable force is the profound
power of role models. Human beings,
particularly the young and
impressionable, are shaped not primarily
by abstract government policies or
academic theories, but by the concrete
examples they see around them, those
they're taught to admire and emulate.
Today, regrettably, the cultural
landscape is often dominated by figures
like Shawn Combmes, whose influence
extends far beyond the realm of music.
As a powerful mogul, he has undeniably
shaped fashion, media, and the very
aspirations of millions of young people.
Yet, if the charges against him are
true, his enduring legacy won't be one
of creative empowerment or community
uplift, but rather one of exploitation,
degradation, and moral corruption. The
tragedy here isn't merely personal for
Combmes. It's deeply communal. When the
most visible and celebrated members of a
community consistently model behaviors
that lead to ruin, behaviors that
undermine the very fabric of healthy
society, they don't merely harm
themselves. They actively erode the
priceless cultural capital of an entire
group. Young men and women desperately
seeking paths to success and validation
are presented not with the quiet
dignity, intellectual rigor, or profound
moral purpose of a Douglas or a
Washington, but with the ostentatious
success, the flaunted debauchery and the
moral bankruptcy of a diddy. The
implicit message tragically becomes
clear. Success is measured primarily in
material wealth, not profound wisdom, in
raw power, not enduring principle. This
isn't, let me be unequivocally clear, to
absolve individuals of responsibility
for their own choices. Each person,
regardless of circumstance or cultural
backdrop, possesses the inherent
capacity to choose right over wrong,
restraint over indulgence, and integrity
over depravity. But when the pervasive
cultural signals around them glorify the
latter, when the most celebrated
examples point down a path of
self-destruction, the path of least
resistance inexurably becomes a road to
ruin. The data here is chilling. In
2022, a Pew Research study found that a
staggering 65% of black teens cited
celebrities as their primary role models
compared to a mere 20% who named family
members or community leaders. This
represents a seismic and deeply
concerning shift from the era when
churches, schools, and stable families
served as the unquestioned moral and
cultural anchors of black life. The
Diddy case in this profound sense isn't
an aberration. It's a culmination, a
stark, sobering reminder of what happens
when cultural heroes prioritize
self-gratification and spectacle over
genuine service and lasting
principle. Wealth in itself is neither
inherently good nor inherently evil. It
is like any powerful force merely a tool
and its ultimate value lies solely in
how it's used. In the hands of a Booker
T. Washington. Wealth built and
sustained transformative institutions
that lifted thousands of people out of
illiteracy and poverty, equipping them
with the skills and character to thrive.
In the hands of Ashan Combmes, if the
federal allegations hold, wealth has
been allegedly used to fuel a lifestyle
of moral bankruptcy, exploitation, and
abuse. This isn't a new phenomenon in
human history. In wealth, poverty and
politics, I observed that the
accumulation of wealth very often serves
to amplify the underlying character of a
society or an individual. Those who
inherently value thrift, discipline, and
selfless service utilize wealth to
create, to build, and to uplift.
Conversely, those who primarily value
excess, self arandisment, and unchecked
power use wealth to degrade, to exploit,
and ultimately to destroy. The profound
tragedy of the Diddy case isn't merely
the alleged crimes, abhorren as they
are. It is the squandered potential.
Here was a man who, given his platform
and resources, could have been a beacon
of excellence, a powerful model of how
to translate talent and opportunity into
lasting positive impact. Instead, he has
become a cautionary tale, a grim
testament to how wealth untethered from
a foundational set of values becomes not
an asset, but a devastating liability.
The black community, more than most,
simply cannot afford such losses. Every
figure who rises to prominence carries
the heavy weight of expectation, not
merely to succeed personally, but to
demonstrate to others that success built
on principle is truly possible. When
that invaluable opportunity is wasted,
it isn't just an individual failure.
It's a grievous blow to the collective
aspiration and moral capital of an
entire group. No honest discussion of
cultural decline would be complete
without directly addressing what's often
the most pervasive and insidious
obstacle to reform. The pervasive
narrative of victimhood. In the vision
of the anointed, I meticulously
described how self-appointed elites,
often insulated from the consequences of
their pronouncements, pedal visions of
cosmic injustice and perpetual
oppression to excuse failure, deflect
personal
responsibility, and maintain their own
intellectual and moral authority. The
Diddy case, like so many high-profile
cases before it involving successful
black individuals, will no doubt be
framed by some as yet another example of
the system unjustly targeting a
successful black man. This is a tired
refrain, a demonstrably false narrative,
and one that utterly collapses under the
sheer weight of historical and
contemporary evidence. The federal
charges against Combmes aren't
fundamentally about his race. they are
emphatically about his alleged actions
and behavior. To suggest otherwise is to
ironically infantilize black Americans,
implying that they somehow lack the
agency, the moral discernment, or the
personal responsibility to be held
accountable for their own choices no
less than anyone else. This is the soft
bigotry of low
expectations masquerading insidiously as
compassion and understanding. If we're
to truly take seriously the idea that
black Americans are equal in dignity and
capability and in moral agency to all
other human beings, we must also with
equal seriousness take seriously the
idea that they are accountable for their
actions no less and no more than anyone
else. To do otherwise is to perpetuate a
debilitating cycle of dependency,
deflection, and self-d delusion that has
in the long run done more profound harm
to black progress than any external
force. Consider the data which often
clarifies what ideology obscures. In
1960, black poverty rates were
undeniably high, but they were falling
rapidly, down from a staggering 87% in
1940 to 47% by 1960. By 2000, they had
fallen even further to 22%.
This remarkable and often overlooked
progress occurred not because of some
sudden systemic benevolence or
government handout, but because of
enduring cultural values that emphasize
strong family structures, unwavering
commitment to education, and relentless
hard work. Yet, in recent decades,
particularly since the 1960s, we have
tragically seen stagnation in some
critical areas and alarming regression
in others. the precipitous rise of
single parent households, the pervasive
decline in educational attainment
relative to other groups, and the
stubborn persistence of violent crime in
urban centers cannot logically or
honestly be laid solely at the feet of
the system. They are in large and
undeniable part the direct result of
cultural choices. choices that crucially
can be reversed, but only if we possess
the intellectual courage and moral
fortitude to confront them honestly
without ideological pretense or
self-serving narratives. If the Diddy
case is, as I contend, a mirror, it
reflects a community at a pivotal
crossroads. One path leads deeper into
the morass of victimhood, unchecked
excess, and debilitating moral
relativism. a path that will ultimately
lead to further decline. The other path,
however, leads toward genuine renewal, a
renewal grounded firmly in the timeless
values and proven principles that once
propelled black Americans to heights
unimagined by their oppressor. The
choice is ours, but it begins with a
resolute rejection of the easy excuses,
the comforting alibis, and a return to
fundamental first principles. First, we
must unequivocally reenter the family as
the indispensable cornerstone of
cultural health and societal stability.
The data are unequivocal. Children
raised in stable two parent households
are demonstrabably far less likely to
live in poverty, far less likely to
commit crimes, and far less likely to
drop out of school. In 2023, a shocking
65% of black children lived in single
parent homes compared to just 24% of
white children. This isn't a racial
defect. It's a correctable cultural
pattern, and it can only be addressed
through deliberate conscious choices.
Choices to prioritize marriage,
stability, and parental responsibility.
Second, we must restore education to its
rightful place as a sacred paramount
pursuit. In the earlier 20th century,
black schools, often severely
underfunded and segregated, nonetheless
produced scholars whose intellectual
capabilities and achievements rivaled
their peers anywhere in the world.
Today, despite vastly greater resources,
far too many black students tragically
lag behind. The solution isn't merely
more funding alone, which often merely
throws money at symptoms. It is more
profoundly a fundamental cultural shift
that values rigorous academic
discipline, intellectual achievement,
and long-term learning over fleeting
fame, ephemeral trends, or superficial
celebrity.
Parents, churches, and community leaders
must unite to demand excellence, not
cuddle excuses. Third, we must
rediscover and rigorously practice moral
restraint. The pervasive glorification
of hedenism, whether relentlessly pedled
in music, through social media, or via
celebrity culture, is a poison that
insidiously seeps into the souls and
minds of the young. Uh we must with
urgent intention elevate role models who
embody integrity, self-rol and genuine
purpose, not boundless indulgence. Men
and women who demonstrate by their lives
that true success is measured not in
dollars but in strength of character,
moral courage, and lasting contribution.
Finally, we must decisively reject the
debilitating narrative of victimhood and
instead fully embrace the powerful
agency and fierce self-reliance that has
always defined the best of black
America. Frederick Douglas didn't wait
for permission to learn to read. He
seized it against all
odds. Booker T. Washington didn't beg
for opportunities. He created them.
Building institutions where none
existed. Their enduring legacy isn't one
of complaint or self-pity, but of
triumphant conquest. Conquest over
adversity through the indomitable power
of individual choice and collective
resolve. The Shawn Combmes case isn't
the end of the story, but merely a
painful illuminating chapter in a much
larger ongoing saga. It's a powerful
reminder that culture isn't a spectator
sport. is actively shaped day by day by
the choices we make, the heroes we
choose to elevate, and the values we
painstickly pass on to the next
generation. Black America stands at a
pivotal defining moment. We can continue
down the path of cultural decay,
perpetually blaming external forces for
internal failures and pathologies. Uh or
we can with courage and conviction
reclaim the magnificent legacy of those
who built remarkable progress on the
unshakable foundation of principle,
personal responsibility, and moral
clarity. Let us choose the latter. Let
us honor the memory of those who rose
from slavery to scholarship, from abject
poverty to global prominence, not by
demanding sympathy or special treatment,
but by embodying in our own lives
genuine excellence. The mirror of the
Diddy case is indeed unflattering, but
it isn't permanent. We have the inherent
power to change what it reflects. Not
through protests, not through policies
alone, but through the quiet, diligent
daily work of living lives worthy of
emulation. That is the urgent task
before us. That is the invaluable legacy
we must reclaim.
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