Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer, Eddie Levert of the O'Jays has still 'got game.' The man delivers with a powerful voice and engaging entertainment personality. Attending the O'Jays / Gladys Knight concert at the Fox Theater (St. Louis), Levert spoke candidly to the audience near the shows end regarding today's youth. Before I paraphrase those comments let me preface by saying the audience of 4,500 people was perhaps 95% 'Black.' I make this point because it is right to do so considering Levert's philosophy about raising kids.
Lervert's random opinions are here paraphrased: 'Kids are out of control fearing nobody. They go to school and do not respect / fear teachers or the administration. In the streets they blow off law enforcement with an attitude of non-compliance and no fear of police authority. In fact, the police have greater fears that they may easily get in trouble when attempting to control the unruly youth. The kid goes home where the lack of respect and no-fear life style continues. Levert continued saying, "We parents need to knock some kids upside the head and beat the shit out of them so they no what it feels like to respect and fear."
Of course, the audience was on board with those comments because don't you just know that the few hundred white folks' attending thought Levert's comments were about 'black kids.' Give me a break...
I've got a flash for parents with doubt. Once upon a time children of all colors and ethnic background respected and feared. Today, African-American families continue to create privileged youth attitudes as have white families for decades. And if white parents for a moment believe the lack of respect/fear permeating our country is a 'black family problem only...those folks are full of crap or as Eddie Levert would say, "You need to knock the shit outta some people."
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