Monday, February 26, 2007

Do poor whites and poor blacks rise and fall for similar reasons?

Not always. Skin color does make life easier for some and harder for others.

But one characteristic that makes future success difficult for children of all skin colors is constant disrespect meted out by their caretakers. I have seen overly-harsh punishments and ugly language dealt to children of all colors, and I've seen the long-range harm it does.

But this morning on Showtime I saw SATURDAY NIGHT LIFE, a short, simple story of how to help one's children succeed in life by using a soft voice and a little imagination. Showtime says, "Writer-director Ava DuVernay's short drama concerns a poor, struggling single mother whose trip with her three children to a 99-cent store in Los Angeles becomes an unexpectedly uplifting family experience. The pretty-mother-next-door is Melissa DeSousa ("The Best Man"). It's family fare with a handsome guardian angel in the next aisle.