University of Louisville and the Dirty South!

Thursday, January 17 and Friday the 18th, I'll be speaking at a couple of places down south. In fact, I am already here. The first stop is Albany State University, a great school with great students. We are going to address the freshman class and give them motivation as they begin the second half of their college careers.

Those are my favorite speeches, since I love motivating young students. So many kids have a tremendous amount of potential, it's just a matter of getting it out of them. I push them and I push them hard.

Some think that because I am willing to fight the system as it pertains to racial inequality, that I somehow don't believe in personal responsibility. Those critics are just stupid. I have a tremendous belief in personal responsibility, and I honestly believe that some of our kids screw up because their parents enable them and don't make them take responsibility for their choices. I'm not talking about just black kids....I'm talking about ALL KIDS.

Here at Syracuse (and during my time teaching at 4 other universities), I've seen many kids turning into alcoholics or dropping out to go back home to live with their parents, after they've turned their lives into a mess. This is not all students of course, but there are more than there should be. When the kid gets in trouble, his parents are the first ones coming to save him and bail him out. If the child is arrested for DWI or possession of a fake id, their parents take their wrath out on the DA's office, rather than the kid, where it belongs.

My father is a high ranking police commander. He didn't play that crap when I was growing up. His rules were simple:

1) When you are 18, it's time to be a f*cking man. You don't come home begging your parents to take care of you, because you need to learn to take care of yourself.
2) If you get locked up for being a dumb ass, then you are going to stay in jail.
3) If you flunk out of school for being a dumb ass, you can't come live with me.

I didn't like my dad's rules, and I thought he was harsh. But dealing with reality at an early age made me far more responsible than my friends. College was not a 4 year drinking binge for me, it was a period of growth, enlightenment and a hell of a lot of fun.

These values should be passed to our kids. And it's not just the black kids who are missing this message.

As I was explaining to my friend the other day why my daughter is going to have a job in college (even though I can afford to finally support her), I made it clear: I am not a walking welfare office, and my child is not a welfare recipient. She is going to learn to be a stong, independent woman and I am here to guide and support her on her quest toward reaching her potential.


If you give a child a wheelchair before they learn how to walk, they will never bother to learn to use their legs.

Where Bill Cosby and I divide with one another is that while he too engages in a message of personal responsibility, he does not feel empowered to confront all of America in its perpetuation of racial inequality. I honestly think he's afraid of upsetting the folks who made him rich. I argue that the government, media and the individual all play some role in the creation of these problems, and they should all be challenged to accept their role. One cannot show up at a fist fight and place the blame solely on the shoulders of one child. That would be just stupid.

At any rate, I also speak at The University of Louisville on the 18th. Over the next few days, I make stops at St. Francis University in Chicago, The University of Pittsburgh, Indiana State University and LeMoyne College.

Peace out!