Love: American Style

Consider, if you will, the word "Love" is not used much in song-writing these days.  This means that song writers are not using love to describe how they feel about someone significant or someone they're involved with.  Songwriting, music, and musical performances are part of the cultural matrix: It reflects what a people are about socially; sort of like a social litmus test.  A litmus test is a decisively indicative test, mainly used on soil samples and other phenomena to measure the alkalinity or acidity levels of that soil; At certain points in time, American society has become caustic—and in other times alkaline—in its approach to certain members within its perimeters. . .   

   Popular songs reflect the sentiments of most of the society at large.  Popular songs are popular, mainly because of the craftiness of its writer to say poignant or keen things concerning things people want to hear; or are interested in. Songs are sort of a popularity contest; representing the most up to date account on social sayings.  So, if you aren’t hearing the word “love” in songs today, it is because folks aren’t into being considerate in that way.  They’re not into too much consideration for things outside themselves and their personal needs.

  What do I mean by “being into being considerate about such things?”  

  I mean taking such aspects of life under consideration.  That is to say, “Love” is not just a word, but a concept which includes many other tangental qualities such as care, regard, concern,  friendliness, compassion, affection, idolization, consideration or appreciation for, keenness or fondness; to be wanted and cherished.  

So, when you remove the notion of love from the fabric of society, all these other affiliated qualities will be in dysfunction.  There will be a decline in humanity and social consideration.  

When you care for something; you appreciate it.  

When you appreciate something; you take good care of it; you don’t “dog” it out.  In Love, there are levels of care and respect; honor and protection.  You lose this when you do not consider love.

  

   Today, people are into accessing others for their own usefulness.  There is no reciprocation in their actions.  As many of the children gets older, they lose appreciation for all that was done for them by their parents.  They do not pay homage to the ancestors.  Many of the mothers teach the children to pay homage to only them; destroying their keen sense of lineage and heritage.  

Everyone today wants to be cared for and needed as well—but in this new social environment—many are into taking and not enough giving.  This makes for very temporary relationships and very little bonds or oaths.

  Very often you hear people say, “That’s because there's all this Hip Hop—that’s because of Punk and Heavy Metal. . .”  But these artists are only mirror images of the society in which they come from.  

We come from society and We voice our perception on such elements.  

In American society, there are those who descendants of the original colonists, those who come from Europe or Western society (where the colonizers originally came from), immigrants—those who descended from slaves and those who housed slavery as a way of life.  

Basically, there is mainstream society and those who are subject to Western levels of growth and development; There was slavery (based upon the mentality of the colonizers and the American government of that time), and the culture-less vacuum that American society created among the subjugated people evolved the system of slavery.

  

  Black culture in America, for the most part, is regurgitated American/Western society adapted to our perceptions on how it could and should work for us.  We keep trying to make ourselves Americans and they keep denying us the same civil rights that they have.  American society leaves us in wanting.  This system that most of us Blacks embrace is not a true culture; it is a reaction to the subjugation that Black people find themselves within White American society; America is not our indigenous society, based upon our people’s own evolution; we outlived our chattel but the society has little respect for us.  Nonetheless, because of this "niffy little arrangement" Blacks in America find ourselves subjugated the same ills that mainstream (White) society goes through as a people, and we find ourselves poisoned by the same problems that plague mainstream society for the most part (because we are functioning here under the American dream). . .

  It took a while to happen, but our young people show the same ungratefulness for what their parents have done for them—as our White American counterparts.  Rugged individualism has now become part of Black people's lifestyle in America; but mainstream America does not treated us the same way as they do White Americans.  Young Blacks pencil themselves in, and may feel the same sense of entitlement as their white counterparts, but Trump America does not acknowledge it—so there becomes a sense of inequality among young Blacks, often met by incidents of projected violence and police brutality (like the acts in Ferguson Unrest spurred on by the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in 2014).

  Speaking of trendy things; There is talk about Generation X and Y’s general disregard for old school Baby Boomers and traditional way of rearing or general wisdom.  Generally speaking, this statement appears to be true—but many of our youth are smarter than that.  Across the board—whether Black, White (or all shades in between)—there is a general disregard for what Baby Boomers and Traditionalist have to say; but this holds a different outcome for Black youth.

 You see, if you were a young man or woman in 1950, you would never heard anyone having a name like Kumbala Woody, Aisha, or Tamika.  The social conditions of that time, would have make it utterly impossible for you to have that type of freedom of choice in American society.  Most of us had European and English names.  The life we subject to by caucasians during those times, was very oppressive; So oppressive that you folks today might not believe it ever happened—but Trump’s America is actual proof that such a behavior HAD and still DOES exist!  We fought for the right to name you as our indigenous tribes might have called you.

   Hip-Hop and White children’s interest in Hip-Hop, changed the society a little; The Black Power and Grass Roots Movements during the 60’s, as well as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X provided the initial impetus to allow us to make headway in our cultural evolution; But more exclusively, those like my person lived in  those social conditions.  We felt first hand, the effects of a blatantly racist society.  This alone was some of the major impetus behind some of our parents attempting trying to recapture our culture and learn the reasons of how we got into this sort of dilemma.  Those names above are Swahili—an indigenous African language and culture combined with traditional Arabian Islamic language and culture.  

  More importantly, your parents have experience with dealing a Trump-type of America and mentality because they were literally baptized by fire and have a lot of survival skills to avoid the wrath of such narrowed minded people.

  But now that times have changed somewhat, Our children CAN go to the same schools as our White counterparts (due to a change in social and economical conditions), our children have picked up on the same social diseases and now believe they will be handled the same as their White counterparts in a court of law; but look around you today and tell me how that concept is working out. . .

  Consider this, we will never get out of this condition, until we start to put more thought and consideration into the future and direction of us as a people.  We have to learn how to care about ourselves more and learn how to maintain healthy relationships with each other as a people.  

  The answer starts with treating people how you want to be treated.  Where there’s no compassion for us as a people, your social welfare doesn’t stand a helluva chance.  

Life is reciprocal thing: No one’s going to keep putting out for you and get nothing in return.  It’s something for something: You got to give a little to get a little.  You got to look out for your mate, so she will keep looking out for you.  I always point out to people, the lyrical line in “She Useta Be My Girl” by “The Ojays,”—“She wanted more than I could give.”  Some people are simply not capable of giving themselves totally to a relationship and you should avoid ever getting serious with such folks. . .  

  Using folks is like burning bridges: Unless the other person has self esteem issues—folks are not going to keep letting you abuse them.  Experience may be the best teacher, but it doesn’t mean it has to be your on personal experience: A word to the wise is sufficient:  Parents want you to learn from their experiences; that’s what parents are here for—to evolve the family.  You show me a wise person in your life, and I’ll show you a person who paid with their lives for that wisdom and just haven’t told you or listened astutely for the many things they know.  I know some of you are pretty smart, but only the Supreme One is the best knower; the rest of us get our wisdom by learning from the true Self.

Peace

C. Be'er la Hai-roi Myers