Brandon Johnson and the (un)talented tenth

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is the poster child for the (un)talented tenth — the black progressives who use race to secure opportunities for themselves while avoiding the responsibility that comes with leadership.

The mayor’s latest allergic reaction to accountability occurred recently when discussing a wave of shootings and homicides in his city. “Black death has been unfortunately accepted in this country for a very long time,” he said, before implying that Richard Nixon — who died in 1994 — was somehow responsible for the violence in Chicago. This is on-brand for the Windy City politician. He has a long history of making excuses for looters, carjackers, and anyone else he sees as a victim of society.

The problem with black Democrats like Brandon Johnson is that they are spin doctors, not competent cultural physicians.

Johnson is the second consecutive black mayor of Chicago, the country’s third largest city. On paper, he epitomizes everything people associate with the term “talented tenth,” a phrase W.E.B. DuBois coined to describe black elites in the early 20th century who would help elevate the race. One of the key roles he believed leaders should play was to guide the masses away from the “contamination and death” of destructive influences “in their own and other races.”

Many people have a visceral distaste for this type of thinking because it feels elitist. I understand this perspective, but every community, culture, and country has people who educate children, manage resources, administer the government, control the flow of information, and influence public sentiment. I simply prefer the people doing so to be godly, competent, and wise.

In some ways, leaders — of any ethnic background — are supposed to behave like physicians. Doctors study the human body for years. They are trained to observe symptoms, make a diagnosis, recommend a treatment, and give a prognosis.

They understand how the physical environment, individual choices, and family history interact to produce specific health outcomes. Some may not have the ideal bedside manner, but this doesn’t mean they have ill will toward their patients. In fact, the opposite is true. The entire point of their work is to see their patients get healthy.

The problem with black Democrats like Brandon Johnson is that they are spin doctors, not competent cultural physicians. They use their advanced education, political power, media platforms, and cultural influence to excuse self-destructive behaviors, not correct them.

The spin doctors among the (un)talented tenth are no different. They use distraction, blame shifting, and deflection to explain away obvious symptoms or hide them altogether. Racial spin doctors give the impression they care about their community, but they are far more concerned with not perpetuating negative stereotypes about black people than finding a cure for what ails us.

The (un)talented tenth seems to think that the worst part of having “dirty laundry” is airing it, not wearing it. These elites are wrong. Homicide is both the leading cause of death for young black men and the second leading cause of black male incarceration. No amount of spin is going to change the fact that the racial disparity in homicide victimization is so large that the rates for whites and blacks can’t be shown on the same graph.

The moral decay that manifests itself in senseless violent crime cannot be fixed by politicians and bureaucrats. Elected officials cannot force people to value their lives or the lives of others. More recreation centers are not the answer to young men who open fire on their adversaries in broad daylight without any consideration for innocent bystanders, including children, women, and senior citizens.

Those types of acts are evidence of criminals completely unrestrained by any sense of ethical responsibility. Children learn their values from their parents, so we should not be surprised by the chaotic energy that has been unleashed on a society as the nuclear family has become more unstable.

Any of the black leaders W.E.B. DuBois had in mind conceived the term “talented tenth” would have said this 100 years ago. But instead of speaking honestly about these issues, Brandon Johnson brings up Richard Nixon, past Chicago mayors, and “white supremacy” to explain the death and dysfunction that plague his city. The only thing he didn’t do was ask, “Why don’t we talk about white-on-white crime?” Spin doctors want all the attention on black people when they believe we are the victims of external forces but deflect it for any social outcome that requires us to change.

Black leaders of old knew how to balance external critiques of racism and discrimination with internal rebukes of sloth and intemperance. Black elites today, in contrast, direct their moral appeals, attempts at cultural correction, and demands to improve the material condition of African Americans outside the community — most frequently at white people and politicians.

Nothing could be less masculine than a man who runs from responsibility, whether as a father or a chief executive. It’s unfortunate that this has become part of Brandon Johnson’s brand. The mayor loves to brag about having the “blackest” administration in his city’s history, but this fact hasn’t done anything to make Chicago safer for law-abiding residents of every background. Leaders can’t cosplay as revolutionaries one minute then act like damsels in distress the next. Johnson and his fellow spin doctors in the (un)talented tenth are proof that no amount of melanin can compensate for a lack of testosterone.