Random New Year's Thoughts

By Larry Elder

My father's wisdom:
       
White customer to my father in my father's cafe: "Did you hear what your leader said yesterday?"
       
Randolph Elder: "Who are you talking about?"
       
White customer: "Jesse Jackson."
       
Elder to customer: "Who is your leader?"
       
Customer: "I don't have one."
       
Elder: "Well, neither do I."
       
"Democrats want to give you something for nothing. When you try to get something for nothing, you usually end up getting nothing for something." --Elder
       
"If you believe you have more than two or three truly good friends, your judgment is bad." --Elder
       
"If you are unprepared, two things will happen. You'll get your behind kicked and your feelings will get hurt." --Elder
       
"Even the best of friends wear out if you use them." --Elder
       
"No matter how good you are, no matter how hard you work, sooner or later bad things will happen. How you respond to those bad things will tell your mother and me if we raised a man." --Elder
       
"Before you complain about what somebody did to you, ask yourself, 'What could I have done to change the outcome?'" --Elder
       
"You cannot control the outcome. But you are 100% in control of the effort." --Elder
       
"Hard work wins. You get out of life what you put into it." --Elder
       
My Dad's cafe clientele was one-third white, and I went to college/law school with mostly whites. So, I know something that many blacks apparently do not. Most whites feel really  bad about slavery and Jim Crow, despite having had nothing to do with either. So, can we knock off this nonsense about "systemic racism"?
       
Since the murders of 4 students in Moscow, Idaho, how many people have been murdered in Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, St. Louis, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, etc.?
       
In 1997, Time magazine and CNN polled black and white teens. Twice as many black teens, compared to white teens, said, "Failure to take advantage of available opportunities" is more of a problem for blacks than discrimination. That was 25 years ago. Now America is supposedly more racist?!?
       
If blacks, like racial minority Asian-Americans, scored higher on their SATs than whites but were  less likely to get into the college or university of their choice than whites, there would be mass protests. Are Asian-Americans owed reparations?
       
When "African-Americans" get reparations, will there be a requirement that blacks use part of the money to visit Africa?
       
Now that WNBA star Brittney Griner, who admitted breaking Russian anti-drug laws and whose wife played the race and  gay cards, was traded by the Biden administration for a mass-murdering arms merchant who killed Americans -- what's the over/under on whether Griner now stands up for the national anthem?
       
"It doesn't matter how smart you are in a world full of stupid motherf---ers." --"Superfly"
       
If "systemic racism" holds blacks back, why do blacks have higher self-esteem than do whites?
       
When Barack Obama got elected president, it meant that anyone, no matter his or her race, can become president. When Joe Biden got elected president, it meant that anyone, no matter whether his or her IQ is two points below plant life, can become president.
       
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." And whoever said that probably stole it from somebody else.
       
Let's see. Colin Kaepernick was born to 19-year-old Heidi Russo, who is white. His birth father is of Ghanaian, Nigerian/Ivorian ancestry. Colin was adopted by a white couple. When it comes to reparations, does Kaepernick get a check, or does he cut one?
       
Overheard a Cleveland bartender telling a customer: "The only thing that impresses me is if you're living off the interest."
       
A fact to a toe-tag liberal is like kryptonite to Superman.
       
The closer to the nerve, the closer to the truth.
       
The top two most followed persons on Twitter are Obama and Elon Musk. One is "African-American." The other is Obama.

Larry Elder is a bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio talk show host. His latest book, "The New Trump Standard," is available in paperback from Amazon.com and for Nook, Kindle, iBooks and Google Play. To find out more about Larry Elder, or become an "Elderado," visit www.LarryElder.com. Follow Larry on Twitter @LarryElder. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2023 LAURENCE A. ELDER
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