[The] report served the time - tested purpose: Whenever the system is in crisis (or shows signs
of becoming transformed); whenever blacks get restless (or show strength); whenever whites in
significant numbers show signs
of coming together with blacks to confront their mutual problems (or enemies), the
trick is to shift the focus from the real struggle for political and economic empowerment to black «crime,» degeneracy, pathology, and — in Moynihan's innovative twist — the «deterioration»
of the black family.