It wasn’t until gender-studies professor Brittney Cooper made her claim that obesity is a race issue that I realized victim mentality and Trump Derangement Syndrome have reached fever pitch.

If you’re a news consumer like I am and like any other well-informed American, it seems you can’t go a day without hearing some sort of half-baked, farfetched, or overblown analysis as to why X equals racism. To radical leftists, this equation is the only one that makes sense to them. In their world, problems exist and it’s someone’s fault.

To conservatives, the world works differently. Problems exist and we are charged to do something about them. Any sane person knows that this is the key to overcoming roadblocks in life — be it getting a job, finishing school, or, in Cooper’s case, achieving a healthy weight. Improving one’s situation requires picking up new habits and putting old ones down, even if they are in the form of a double-bacon cheeseburger.

In my experience, a portion of the black community isn’t privy to this earth-shattering news that they themselves can fix their own problems and their communities. I drive by neighborhood after neighborhood, homes falling apart, yards unkempt, broken down cars along street curbs, and children sitting outside with no parents to play with them. But instead of helping a black family rebuild their home or offering to repair a car, left-wing community leaders only offer these families two things — a little money and a lot of lies about racism.

Sadly, it’s easy to create a victim culture.

First, you tell a group of people that they have problems that aren’t within their control. (It is someone else’s fault and they should pay.)

Second, you pay off these newly created victims to get them to side with you (be it food stamps or other “entitlements”).

Third, you remind them that the boogeyman is out to get them — in this case, President Donald Trump (and any white person who wants the best for you).

Fourth, and most critical step, is to never ever ever allow constructive criticism to question this “culture.” Not a single word about hard work or goal setting is allowed. Nothing will ever change, and no other options exist (if you’re black, that is.).

Remind people of these four things and they will always return to the hand that feeds them, never again to the fields to sow and grow their own food.

The result — a community that never improves.

Constructive Criticism, The Cure

As for the cure: Just as diet and exercise are the way to a smaller waistline, constructive criticism paves a path toward self-sufficiency. Until we can take an honest look at ourselves in the mirror, we will never see an opportunity for improvement.

Much of the black community is challenged by critique. I regularly meet liberal blacks who live their lives in an overly sensitive stance. No good ever comes of conversations with these individuals, because to them a word of advice is a full-on assault on black culture.

Still, problems with parenthood, education, crime must be discussed in order to move forward. And if these issues affect blacks disproportionately then let’s have the conversation. However, these elephants in the room are allowed to remain, taking up space for open, honest discussion simply because it hurt a brother’s feelings.

Well, it hurts because it’s true. If there’s one fact you should take away from this article, it’s that no success comes without struggle. No hurdles can be overcome without hurt. American families have gone through all kinds of hurt — war, poverty, immigration, loss of crops and land, and then some.

Fortunately, American people embrace a strong culture that allows them to rise from their despair for generations. This couldn’t be done without taking a critical glance around and then deciding where to go from here. To love your community is to not only celebrate it but to practice criticism of it when needed. To break free from victimhood is to stop giving power away to people on the outside and flourish from within.

And here’s my friend Anthony Brian Logan talking about the issue: