Black men have a shorter end of the stick due to many factors.
Aaron attributes the breakdown of the black community to the breakdown of the family unit, driven by government support for single mothers. This led to unintended consequences whereby black women did not care about the risk of raising children as single mothers, as they could get child support.
Aaron introduces the Reality Principle i.e., if you base your decisions based on reality, they will become more effective and successful. However, the reality principle is difficult because, first, you have to acknowledge that the current situation is ‘bad’ before you can commit to changing your situation. Using the reality principle, Aaron asked two questions:
• Is what the black community doing working?
• Is what you’re doing working?
Aaron then used the Reality Principle to debunk the common myths about why the black community are struggling, which are discrimination and laziness. Aaron argues that there are two factors:
• Political factor: Politicians use black people as pawns to get more votes, despite its ineffectiveness. For example, politicians support affirmative action for poor people as it gets them more votes, regardless of the effectiveness of their policies.
• Stage one thinking: Policymakers are stuck in stage one thinking and do not (intentionally or unintentionally) think beyond the obvious goal of the policy, to understand the unintended consequences. For example, politicians support spending more money on education, despite insignificant correlations between money spent and education outcomes.
These two factors work for the benefit of the politicians as they allow them to have a scapegoat, allowing the politicians to stay in power as long as there are poor black people.
Aaron outlines the steps for black men to get out of poverty, starting from the basics. The basic is, “Don’t Fuck Up”. The major reasons people fuck up their lives are:
• Having children they cannot afford. Children are the number one cause of poverty in the world. The real cost of raising children is not money, but the time and effort to raise them.
• Having bad company. Bad stuff happens around bad people.
• Getting involved in crime.
• Not vetting spouse properly which results in a divorce.
• Getting into debt that they cannot afford.
• Having a house that they cannot afford.
• Getting an expensive, stupid degree.
• Not getting insurance.
• Not paying taxes.
After ensuring that the readers do not destroy their lives with bad choices, Aaron advocates for simple budgeting and a minimalist lifestyle. This is to ensure that readers are able to save their income.
Next, Aaron tackles education. Aaron argues that the purpose of education is to make money. Aaron suggests going into fields where everybody wants something, but not many people are willing to learn or do it e.g., many people want apps that solve their problems, but not many are willing to learn to code to build their own apps. Aaron also advocates black men go into alternative education such as trades or enroll into a certification program instead of college degrees.
In Chapter 6, Aaron provides comprehensive career advice such as acknowledging that all jobs suck, lowering one’s expectations of what the job provides and using as much leverage as possible to gain an advantage. Understand that the purpose of the job is to make money and not to have some kind of enlightenment.
Chapter 7 provides a quick overview of starting a business, common pitfalls and how to start.
Chapter 8 provides guidance on pursuing women with some warnings on not getting a girl pregnant, not dating crazy women, avoiding bad people and working to increase one’s value.
Chapter 9 discusses building one’s own family as Aaron argues that other people are the most valuable thing in a person’s life. Should a black man decide to have children, he should work towards having a stable nuclear family, adequate finances, having time to parent their children and providing parental love.
In the last chapter, Aaron discusses the shortness of human life and ultimately, everyone should strive to leave a legacy as that is all that remains once we pass away. A legacy can be family, creations, crafts or ideas. Aaron ends the book with the following:
Add all those things up and that is your legacy. Your reputation. What will last long after you are gone? Do you want future young black men looking up to you, citing you as the hero they wish and aspire to be like? … Perhaps you are the guy that will cure cancer. But none of that will come true if you accept your current lot in life. None of that will ever be achieved if you accept mediocrity, victimhood, commonness, and self-pity. You get one shot at life and as the great William Shatner said, “You are going to die”.
Do not squander it.
Adam Faliq 