UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Cultural Identity Crisis
Part Three
[Recapturing Our Culture Locally & Internationally]
I was once asked why my persons is such a stickler for chronology. By chronology, the word signifies a reality that others refer to as "History." History is a story told by others (his-story). A chronicle is a story synchronized upon the events that happened in some one's life and chronology is the logic of the events which happened in the passing of time. I'd like to address that. Since time tells a story through events that unfold within our lives, this suggests that one should pay attention to the quality of every moment as it unfolds within our lives. It represents a message we should "get." Those who don't know or "get" the "their"-story or "His"-story, they will be doomed to be victimized by what's not known about "his" or "her" story. Therefore, to be prepared for life, we should study what life has to offer us: stories concerning our past, (how appropriate our deeds were, etc.) so that we can best determine our future.
The nature of the mind is to solve difficulties. Time presents us with situations within our everyday living, even if it is only to make proper use of time. Most importantly, are we making the right series of moves within time. As we take this journey through time, things become apparent when we summarize the incremental occurrences within our real life motion picture: That is, we have the possibility to gain the knowledge and awareness manifested within the passing of various events, as well as obtain proper reactions to those events-- whether or not this is achieved through the repetition or accumulation. In case you haven't figured this out (or thought about it yet), there is a reason for why everything takes place. There is no coincident or accident in a world ruled by divine law and nature. This fact becomes easier to see, when you approach life as a science. As it has been once said, "There are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened." Nothing will ever change for you if you look at life as something that just occurs and you have no control over what occurs. What occurs, occurs because of what you allow and what you do or don't do. Life is interactive. You have to be pro-active and interactive, instead of just reactive. Hopefully, you are more of the former and not the later... We are not animals, we are sentient beings within human form! Studying our lives can reveal a lot of informative things for us to prepare for the future. Utilizing our discoveries can make us much wiser and far more in control of our destiny, than anything we can believe or which to happen.
Plenty of things can be discovered when you take a scholarly approach at what happens, as opposed to believing what you told in school, following some else's advice, or believing some one or something (like the Creator) is going to save you. Sure, everything cannot be proven beyond doubt, therefore requiring a small leap of faith (supported by hypothesis) but these things and approaches should be kept at a minimum. In order to approach such things in the proper manner, requires research and development: Researching our chronology, as Black people living in the diaspora, should be spurred-on by developing ideas and new questions as a result of our discoveries. This type of action, of course, will more than likely interrupt many of your recreational activities (such as watching the game or beer-arm wrestling), in order to achieve something more constructive for self development: I hope this isn't too much to ask of you... This is not something you are going to get from your average American junior high or high school curriculum. No one is going to do the work for you and you will have to be self motivated: Keep in mind, in Western ideology, schooling is part of a nation's indoctrination process. TV programs, movies and folklore are another. It (indoctrinating citizens) was devised to maintain a nation's status quo, class structure, and integrity as a society. Benefiting from free enterprise and labor is what made America strong, not entertaining programs that culminate in removal of its' menial task force.
Conscientious people know that slavery is a great American sin-- that the legalization and institutionalizing of slavery system within America is directly responsible for Blacks lack of knowledge of their previous ancestry-- but the investment to repair such damage is just not sound business policy. It is much easier to have ghettos, poor achievement and impoverish areas, which spur on self help programs which offer menial task labor as an alternative to that poverty--but nothing more (other than a tax write-off for the business which offers it). This way it looks as if the exploited person is the victim of his own device (by his own doing: a.k.a. it's their own fault). No nation concerns itself with overthrowing its own class roles by helping its lower class become upper class-- just so it can make amends for slavery. It would be much easier to hand out repatriation checks (as the country did for the Japanese-American population it ill treated during the second World War) and watch Blacks squander the money, due to a lack of financial education. There will always be a menial class within Western society and that labor class will never be fully assisted by the bourgeois and rich class of that society to "hunt-down-game" for its' unprivileged. To my knowledge, Jamaica does not have anything that resemble the Pubic Assistance Programs in America. I think anyone who thinks that the government should step in and remedy the problems that slave labor created for the enslaved, is expecting too much from the ruling class of Western society. History is a story told concerning the victors and to the victor goes the spoils. You shouldn't be expecting them to give the spoils back, should you?
This is a society that believes in Natural Selection and Survival of the Fittest. No one should believe that this type of mentality would be capable of suddenly concerning itself with "repairing the ills it created" amongst those it vanquished or displaced. It simply looks at those displaced as weak. It simply looks at those who have been tricked or lied to as "lesser than." This notion of looking for rich to uplift the poor, is expecting too much from people who do not try to concern itself with the spiritual benefits of evolving sensitivities in those areas of their lives. It is unrealistic and wishful thinking on the part of the under class. Anyone who watches the Super Bowls, NBA and MLB Championships, see how much money their is to spurge around, yet do not equate it with the society reluctance to "cure its ills." It is really up to Black people to produce our own help for themselves. After all, we are the ones who need it. Not to mention that most of White Americans would consider the act as going too far toward one sector of society (like the complaints many Whites have for Affirmative Action). Besides, we did do it before, during the Segregation period in America...
Television commercials and the media use hypnotic suggestion (along with the skillful use of words) to manipulate its viewers into willing subjects. This is performed during the most crucial points in your television observation, (when you are waiting to find out what happens next or the height of your receptivity), to plant a seed within the garden of your mind: "Buy our product!" That is what Capitalism is! President Calvin Coolidge once said, "America's business is business! This is a capitalist society. Why should anyone be looking for anything different from a capitalist? It is not a matter of right or wrong, its a matter of "state of mind." For better or for worst, America is a capitalist society and finds nothing wrong with the creation of an under class. And you Blacks in America probably wouldn't either-- that is, unless you are amongst those capitalized off of (those responsible for the "grunt" work done in this society). The reason I say this so-assuringly, is because most Blacks in America are indoctrinated with capitalistic values.
If you are amongst those looking for any of these things to change in this societal backdrop, forget it! It is not going to happen. The Western world, American society has yet to evolve to the point where true justice and equality is even a consideration. Discrimination is part of the system which works for those who construct it, to maintain what they want. Western business has always been bottom-line about things such as down-sizing (massive layoffs) and things like that. In short, they get to keep what they want-- they are not so concerned as to how. And while most of us probably will not like this, most of us have been subtly worked on throughout our lives to play our part for the benefit of big business-- while labeling it all the while "Nationalism." The sad truth about it is, most of us don't even know that this is happening! Hell, you might even think that "how you think" --is exclusively your point of view! We scream about independence and power and yet, we depend on the supermarket to be open tomorrow, so we can shop there-- simply, we do not grow our own food...
If you are amongst those looking for any of these things to change in this societal backdrop, forget it! It is not going to happen. The Western world, American society has yet to evolve to the point where true justice and equality is even a consideration. Discrimination is part of the system which works for those who construct it, to maintain what they want. Western business has always been bottom-line about things such as down-sizing (massive layoffs) and things like that. In short, they get to keep what they want-- they are not so concerned as to how. And while most of us probably will not like this, most of us have been subtly worked on throughout our lives to play our part for the benefit of big business-- while labeling it all the while "Nationalism." The sad truth about it is, most of us don't even know that this is happening! Hell, you might even think that "how you think" --is exclusively your point of view! We scream about independence and power and yet, we depend on the supermarket to be open tomorrow, so we can shop there-- simply, we do not grow our own food...
Independent my eye! Independent means to rely solely upon your own being. Dependent is when you rely on another for your sustenance. You are not independent until you own your own means to being so. Interdependence is when you are somewhat self contained, but you cooperate for the sake of expediency. Now, based upon these definitions, how would you define the Blacks state of affairs in America? There are cultural differences. We are two different people. We want our needs to be met also, but we are not sharing the same reigns of power: Nor do we have access to the same things because one group of people founded this country and the other people was brought here to slave for it. Do you believe you or I have a choice in the way things are politically right now? Where is the freedom of choice, if the society that you are in provides you with McDonald's is one corner and Burger King on the other? It is important for us to understand that Blacks in America live vicariously off the American society's sense of equality, justice, and freedom. We have not established or defined ourselves totally as a people within American society, nor have we grasped the means of taking care of ourselves entirely, should the rest of society turn bitter against us (like Bosnia, South Africa before Mandela, or Rwanda).
It is also important for us, as a people, to study the chronicles of the place in which we reside. Not as a citizen or anything like that-- but from an outside point of view-- like an alien from another place. Not as an illegal alien or immigrant: More like an alien from another planet! By approaching it this way, no detail is taken for granted. No stone left un-turned.
The reason for this is, it is equally important to understand that your chronology did not start in this country, but somewhere else where they do things totally different. This is something that we Blacks in the wilderness of North America have a tendency to forget. Most of us confuse Black code with being Black. Black code is the Blackman making the best of his being here in America, but nonetheless, it is still based upon being in America and therefore part of American behavior. Many of Blacks in America will say they know we come from elsewhere and were largely enslaved prisoners of war, but when you ask them about how much they know about their motherland or place of origin, they usually come up incredibly and hopelessly short. A people without knowledge of their past chronology, is like a tree without roots. If you have not gone through the process of research enough to establish at least family or cultural identity, you are lost in someone else's world, living under someone else's culture format. Sort of like a cookie cutter shaped, diced, piece of dough: Molded and shaped in the ways and qualities that has been defined by someone else's environment...
The reason for this is, it is equally important to understand that your chronology did not start in this country, but somewhere else where they do things totally different. This is something that we Blacks in the wilderness of North America have a tendency to forget. Most of us confuse Black code with being Black. Black code is the Blackman making the best of his being here in America, but nonetheless, it is still based upon being in America and therefore part of American behavior. Many of Blacks in America will say they know we come from elsewhere and were largely enslaved prisoners of war, but when you ask them about how much they know about their motherland or place of origin, they usually come up incredibly and hopelessly short. A people without knowledge of their past chronology, is like a tree without roots. If you have not gone through the process of research enough to establish at least family or cultural identity, you are lost in someone else's world, living under someone else's culture format. Sort of like a cookie cutter shaped, diced, piece of dough: Molded and shaped in the ways and qualities that has been defined by someone else's environment...
You must admit that you can't possibly know where you are going, if you don't know where you've been. And this represents one of the main reasons why my person studies the Chronicles of the World in detail and our chronology in specific: The practice is sort of like the science of archaeology or anthropology-- maybe even anthropomorphic studies! For example, anyone who knows the story of the twins, Remus and Romulus, and the starting of Rome-- knows these human twins were raised by wolves-- without the slightest knowledge that they were human (as the story goes). Then, there's the story about an eagle's egg that fell into a chicken's nest and was incubated by the hen. As the unaware eagle grew up, he was ridiculed by all the young chickens and roosters and made to feel incredibly sad. Until one day, he was spotted by a fully adult male eagle who questioned the young eagle's "odd behavior" and taught him of his true heritage. This sounds an awful lot like Black people in America! The moral of both of these stories is, when one does not know who where he comes from, it is easier to become other than yourself. But Black people in America were taken from several countries as captured people and prisoners of war: This would make tracing a single point of origin for most Black people very difficult.
Since the Blacks in America cannot identify one stock of Black people from Central Asia that they can all call their people, it only seems rational to study of the overall humanity of Blacks in the diaspora and on the mother continent. This way, you will not discriminate against Blacks in America who do not share your same country of origin. Just be careful when you are studying all of your people in the diaspora, not to let your Western ways cloud your perception as to what is civilized and what is not!
The chronicle of Blacks in America is largely in part an oral tradition, from our ancestors who lived through subjugation and oppression, along with an account from the descendants of the colonist Europeans who authoritatively gathered this information as well-- which most researchers rely on as historical fact. Another way of looking at this, is that the official accounts of slavery within America which were instituted upon Blacks, is authoritatively told by the same stock of people responsible for the enslavement! Strange isn't it? What is even more strange is that we are expected to accept these accounts as being unbiased and accurate!
Yet, when I present my findings to you, I must go through elaborate lengths to prove to my audience that my story of Blacks past accomplishments, legacy, with its' subsequent subjugation and suppression is not just an elaborate fabrication! This is not only my dilemma, but the issue all non-white writers find themselves in when they write for mixed audiences in America and abroad: They ask things like: "Which schools did you go to? Are they recognized (or judged by us) as an accredited school? What degrees do you have? Etc., etc., etc. This is done by folks because of discrimination based upon indoctrination. The ways of indoctrination are conducted and taught everyday. So much so, that its ways have filtered into the thinking and reasoning of Blacks in America; its prejudiced considerations have become a lot of our own considerations! And we are not only speaking about the unenlightened, but the ones who are otherwise conscious of themselves. This is why we emphasize the unbiased perspective, the scientific approach and method, the method of examining things by principle-- in other words the proper and universal way to seek knowledge.
Before exiting this section, I would like to clarify for the readers. While I advocate a scientific approach and make attempts to move away from organized religion. I, nor my associates advocate that we do not have any place for faith, for all things cannot be proven beyond doubt and therefore there must be a "small leap of faith where these things are concerned. As well, you must have belief in yourself and that aspect of the universe with its' wave of influence will chronologically move all souls towards righteousness, otherwise we wouldn't continue to do what we do-- despite the absence of having an abundance of examples of those who are truly striving to uplift Black people as an entity. What I am saying in essence is which are you more likely to follow, the man who thinks he knows where Kansas is, or the person who knows where Kansas is? At best, believing (as opposed to knowing) is a slippery slope which can bring false hope and therefore be kept at a mininum (and replaced as much as possible with true knowledge.
Yet, when I present my findings to you, I must go through elaborate lengths to prove to my audience that my story of Blacks past accomplishments, legacy, with its' subsequent subjugation and suppression is not just an elaborate fabrication! This is not only my dilemma, but the issue all non-white writers find themselves in when they write for mixed audiences in America and abroad: They ask things like: "Which schools did you go to? Are they recognized (or judged by us) as an accredited school? What degrees do you have? Etc., etc., etc. This is done by folks because of discrimination based upon indoctrination. The ways of indoctrination are conducted and taught everyday. So much so, that its ways have filtered into the thinking and reasoning of Blacks in America; its prejudiced considerations have become a lot of our own considerations! And we are not only speaking about the unenlightened, but the ones who are otherwise conscious of themselves. This is why we emphasize the unbiased perspective, the scientific approach and method, the method of examining things by principle-- in other words the proper and universal way to seek knowledge.
Before exiting this section, I would like to clarify for the readers. While I advocate a scientific approach and make attempts to move away from organized religion. I, nor my associates advocate that we do not have any place for faith, for all things cannot be proven beyond doubt and therefore there must be a "small leap of faith where these things are concerned. As well, you must have belief in yourself and that aspect of the universe with its' wave of influence will chronologically move all souls towards righteousness, otherwise we wouldn't continue to do what we do-- despite the absence of having an abundance of examples of those who are truly striving to uplift Black people as an entity. What I am saying in essence is which are you more likely to follow, the man who thinks he knows where Kansas is, or the person who knows where Kansas is? At best, believing (as opposed to knowing) is a slippery slope which can bring false hope and therefore be kept at a mininum (and replaced as much as possible with true knowledge.
See, I know what I have to say will not be an acceptable to a great many Whites, because many of their people are ancestors of the ones who "committed" the act and therefore they are very sensitive to their sorted past (sort of "blaming the victim" based upon their guilt-driven line of reasoning): Some of these same peole will be the same ones who would question my resources! A lot of their reasoning abilities has not gotten past their defensive emotional response concerning their people being depicted as unjust. The factors available have not evolved these groups of White people into such types of considerations; yet it serves as appropriate measures for their biased opinions. This, more so than any other reason, is a good reason to make certain what you say is true and factual: Because we know, if some of the education of those who speak is not from schools THEY would consider accredited (i.e. their schools, Western sources, American/ European scholarship), they will more than like dismiss the whole event; no matter how valid one's thinking and the reasoning is!
I know it must be pretty hard it is to look in the mirror and know that someone who looks just like you-- from the same race and background-- has commited such atrocities! Yet one must face the facts. Equally, it is hard to get a person who's point of view or reference which does not include certain social considerations, to see those things in the proper light of one who does (particularly when he or she views you as inferior)... But we are not here to make all Whites feel guilty, or judge white people on the whole. We are doing this to stress to our people to get back to our original mind state and level of civilization by proving to our people that we must step outside of Western cultural influences! For the most part, their type of American education has been a hinderance to our proper education. Besides, what we are discussing is NOT of the Western, American, European way-- or Western or American people when we talk about our sojourn. This slavery (as we know it as a people) was not part of THEIR direct subjugated experience, their role, or position in respect to the phenomena-- therefore Whites are not in the position to be the authorities of, past stating the chronological facts. They can not be the authority of slavery, no more than a man can talk about the feelings associated with pregnancy, in any official compacity! They have not "walked-a-mile" in our ancestors shoes, nor have they gone through anything our people went through, so how could the be the authority or the accredited source through which we view things?
Our ancestor's perspective (slave narratives and such) is more eye-witnessed and personal-- more germane to the issue or subject. From White people came the oppressors who enslaved our people, from Blacks-- came the oppressed. As a matter of fact, nothing could be more diametrically opposed. It's like a man trying to tell a woman who's pregnant, what she is going through! This thinking is purely academic and invalid for these purposes.
I know it must be pretty hard it is to look in the mirror and know that someone who looks just like you-- from the same race and background-- has commited such atrocities! Yet one must face the facts. Equally, it is hard to get a person who's point of view or reference which does not include certain social considerations, to see those things in the proper light of one who does (particularly when he or she views you as inferior)... But we are not here to make all Whites feel guilty, or judge white people on the whole. We are doing this to stress to our people to get back to our original mind state and level of civilization by proving to our people that we must step outside of Western cultural influences! For the most part, their type of American education has been a hinderance to our proper education. Besides, what we are discussing is NOT of the Western, American, European way-- or Western or American people when we talk about our sojourn. This slavery (as we know it as a people) was not part of THEIR direct subjugated experience, their role, or position in respect to the phenomena-- therefore Whites are not in the position to be the authorities of, past stating the chronological facts. They can not be the authority of slavery, no more than a man can talk about the feelings associated with pregnancy, in any official compacity! They have not "walked-a-mile" in our ancestors shoes, nor have they gone through anything our people went through, so how could the be the authority or the accredited source through which we view things?
Our ancestor's perspective (slave narratives and such) is more eye-witnessed and personal-- more germane to the issue or subject. From White people came the oppressors who enslaved our people, from Blacks-- came the oppressed. As a matter of fact, nothing could be more diametrically opposed. It's like a man trying to tell a woman who's pregnant, what she is going through! This thinking is purely academic and invalid for these purposes.
Trust me, I am not discarding the need for scholarship, White documentation or thoroughness, I am just scrutinizing what is to be called "valid sources." I would not rely on a history of Ireland, if it was not written from an Irishmen with a sense of culture and heritage, as a fully accredited source, for example. They simply could not say what it is all about from the inside-out. My sources would have to come from the same people. Same thing goes for its references. Although I don't care about their authority, validation, or accreditation, what I say must all be proven for scholarship and for good journalism sake! . There is something wrong with thinking that all Black leaders have some Christian religious affiliation and that their seminary be from a recognized Western source in order to be righteous! Since when has the leaders of oppressed people need to seek validation for their ideas concerning autonomy from the halls of the institutions of those who oppress them? That is twisted logic! Nonetheless, I present facts to substantiate my claims to Blacks as well as Whites (simply because they don't have all the facts), in order to establish legitimacy to our feelings, culture, and legacy as a people. Blacks have the bona fide right to feel as we do and to seek out our story and legacy at the hands of those of their kind.
You must remember, the slave populations were composed of Blacks from various Central Asian or so-called "African lands." It was forbidden for our people to practice any of our traditional practices in North America (although through the ingenuity of the slaves in that community more tradition was exercised in South America). By the time we were here in America for several generations, most of our traditional practices such as writing and other cultural arts, for the most part, was lost. Notice my persons said," for the most part" --because even though most slavery practices were rigidly upheld, our people still maintained a large part of our so-called "African ways" --this behavior has been labeled "African-Retention-ism." For example, Blacks still act "some kind of way," when we hear the drum. Though you may find musical duos in Western music that exists without the drum or some percussive instrument, but for Blacks this is damn-near an impossibility. Finally, no one can deny that our appreciation for the so-called "bottom" in music, is based upon bass and drum combinations-- usually following what is known as the "blues notes."
However, most of what Blacks in America know of slavery, comes through our parents and relatives (if they shared these things with us at all) and their ancestor's oral accounts of their personal experiences-- accompanied by what little was taught to us in American schools (which is how the Whites or White colonists see it). Sure you can go on the Internet and find out some interesting peripheral facts concerning this experience, but you must keep in mind that this is history and not your chronology-- that is, unless the story is told by your people.
What I am speaking about here (and my manner in discussing it), is probably being heard by many of you for the first time. How I am speaking about it, let's you know, that for me-- being black is a proud and beautiful experience. We have nothing to be ashamed of: Our ancestry is something to be very proud of--especially our tenacity. This is because of what I know and is willing to share with you. However, for some of you, it might even sound made up-- which is perfectly understandable. First of all, some of what my persons says, contradicts a lot of what you've been FORMERLY TAUGHT-- which causes a mental dilemma for many of you. As a rule, my person strives to justify my exertions, but still-- for some-- this feeling will still persist. As Shakespeare once said, "The whole world is a stage and all of us are but mere players."
Within the United States, individuals such as artists, writers, leaders, societies and/or governments write the scripts, its citizens within those societies carry out those roles. It is made up of what you were taught(and unbeknown to your awareness), are the constructs of how you process many things. What we learn in schools, the so-called facts and memorization of script, are the by-product of excellent movie screen writing, screen play, TV programing and hypnosis-- that is, from kindergarten until death. In America, this is the way a lot of Black people get the nuances and behavioral systems of Western civilization down pat.
So even though I present you with the facts and overwhelming evidence concerning your people's past, it is hard to "break the spell" of a continuous process of stockpiling information to your subconscious called Western civilization. This is also (though portrayed in a much subtle manner), where we "learn of "our place." The continual practice of this "colonial mentality" is what makes up what is called "indoctrination" for the Black man. Evidence of this is shown every time you go to the workplace and seek to secure a job before White people. Many of you don't know about indoctrination, because most of us hardly recognize it is being done to you or performed by you.
The FCC regulates what comes over the air and what TV programs can or cannot be shown. And within this power to regulate, there is a format to protect this country from "alien ideas both foreign and domestic." Sometimes, when you watch old movies about people like "Lenny Bruce," you can see beauty of indoctrination and regulation at work.. Within the South, local authorities reinforce these high society rules a little bit more direct (especially amongst Blacks). The roles of each group have already been taught to you in history classes in school and through the media... In the South, Blacks are expected to know your place (from your parents or the mores of society) which is to take on the role designed for you-- if not you get in trouble with the law. Up North, the practice is a little more subtle. Yet, most people outside this country won't get this because American society has another way in which it treats immigrants: cordial and more caring.
This is all a part of the governmental matrix: to withhold the ruling class dominance in American society. Even your low opinion of yourself, as well as the liberties Blacks know they can have within White society, is often the product of what Blacks were taught-- how they were programmed or reared by their parents and society-- which for Blacks depends on what you are aware or not aware of. Comedian, Richard Pryor, made a fortune-off of this controversial role playing.
Don't get me wrong, customs, culture, and nationalism is real good when they have your best interests at heart, but they are real bad or a poison when do not. Cultural indoctrination is like a sleepy slumber which is hard to convince others to wake up from. Sometimes it is like a dream within a dream: The dreams where you think you are awoke, only to find out that you are within a layer (a sub-program) of that same dream. This means, the mental tools in which you are using, the criteria you are using to judge what you think is real, was assembled (based upon society customs, education, beliefs, prejudices, etc.) during the uncritical thinking parts of your childhood and are currently being used without any question, to arrive at such conclusions!
Besides that, most people will not admit they are wrong, especially after they have been doing something for a number of years. So they continue to advocate this society's customs, education, beliefs and prejudices as if they were the truth ( and something they themselves came up with), which they will defend till the end!
So I present you with as much evidence as possible (facts in which has been researched as a critically thinking and reasoning adult). So when you confront me on what my person said, I will help you recognize that these were actual facts-- not my feelings and opinions camouflaged as being true. These are documented occurrences that occur real-time. Chronicles happening right before your eyes, not something made up-- based on how I want it to be-- much less some fantasy I'm trapped in! I realize it is important to substantiate my claims with documented proof, so that others can see that what they previously believed was not-- as fantastic as what I say might initially seem. In order for others to see the other premise was a trick (done with smoke, mirrors and a lot of double talk), you must do so. I know its hard to believe that the people who were responsible for your upbringing may have lied to you-- but they did so because they thought it was true! Usually the first step made by disbelievers is a denial that what is happening isn't really happening. I'm sure the students in Kent University, Ohio during the sixties thought the same way. That is, of course, before the Kent University incident (where many were wounded and four lost their lives)...
However, most of what Blacks in America know of slavery, comes through our parents and relatives (if they shared these things with us at all) and their ancestor's oral accounts of their personal experiences-- accompanied by what little was taught to us in American schools (which is how the Whites or White colonists see it). Sure you can go on the Internet and find out some interesting peripheral facts concerning this experience, but you must keep in mind that this is history and not your chronology-- that is, unless the story is told by your people.
What I am speaking about here (and my manner in discussing it), is probably being heard by many of you for the first time. How I am speaking about it, let's you know, that for me-- being black is a proud and beautiful experience. We have nothing to be ashamed of: Our ancestry is something to be very proud of--especially our tenacity. This is because of what I know and is willing to share with you. However, for some of you, it might even sound made up-- which is perfectly understandable. First of all, some of what my persons says, contradicts a lot of what you've been FORMERLY TAUGHT-- which causes a mental dilemma for many of you. As a rule, my person strives to justify my exertions, but still-- for some-- this feeling will still persist. As Shakespeare once said, "The whole world is a stage and all of us are but mere players."
Within the United States, individuals such as artists, writers, leaders, societies and/or governments write the scripts, its citizens within those societies carry out those roles. It is made up of what you were taught(and unbeknown to your awareness), are the constructs of how you process many things. What we learn in schools, the so-called facts and memorization of script, are the by-product of excellent movie screen writing, screen play, TV programing and hypnosis-- that is, from kindergarten until death. In America, this is the way a lot of Black people get the nuances and behavioral systems of Western civilization down pat.
So even though I present you with the facts and overwhelming evidence concerning your people's past, it is hard to "break the spell" of a continuous process of stockpiling information to your subconscious called Western civilization. This is also (though portrayed in a much subtle manner), where we "learn of "our place." The continual practice of this "colonial mentality" is what makes up what is called "indoctrination" for the Black man. Evidence of this is shown every time you go to the workplace and seek to secure a job before White people. Many of you don't know about indoctrination, because most of us hardly recognize it is being done to you or performed by you.
The FCC regulates what comes over the air and what TV programs can or cannot be shown. And within this power to regulate, there is a format to protect this country from "alien ideas both foreign and domestic." Sometimes, when you watch old movies about people like "Lenny Bruce," you can see beauty of indoctrination and regulation at work.. Within the South, local authorities reinforce these high society rules a little bit more direct (especially amongst Blacks). The roles of each group have already been taught to you in history classes in school and through the media... In the South, Blacks are expected to know your place (from your parents or the mores of society) which is to take on the role designed for you-- if not you get in trouble with the law. Up North, the practice is a little more subtle. Yet, most people outside this country won't get this because American society has another way in which it treats immigrants: cordial and more caring.
This is all a part of the governmental matrix: to withhold the ruling class dominance in American society. Even your low opinion of yourself, as well as the liberties Blacks know they can have within White society, is often the product of what Blacks were taught-- how they were programmed or reared by their parents and society-- which for Blacks depends on what you are aware or not aware of. Comedian, Richard Pryor, made a fortune-off of this controversial role playing.
Don't get me wrong, customs, culture, and nationalism is real good when they have your best interests at heart, but they are real bad or a poison when do not. Cultural indoctrination is like a sleepy slumber which is hard to convince others to wake up from. Sometimes it is like a dream within a dream: The dreams where you think you are awoke, only to find out that you are within a layer (a sub-program) of that same dream. This means, the mental tools in which you are using, the criteria you are using to judge what you think is real, was assembled (based upon society customs, education, beliefs, prejudices, etc.) during the uncritical thinking parts of your childhood and are currently being used without any question, to arrive at such conclusions!
Besides that, most people will not admit they are wrong, especially after they have been doing something for a number of years. So they continue to advocate this society's customs, education, beliefs and prejudices as if they were the truth ( and something they themselves came up with), which they will defend till the end!
So I present you with as much evidence as possible (facts in which has been researched as a critically thinking and reasoning adult). So when you confront me on what my person said, I will help you recognize that these were actual facts-- not my feelings and opinions camouflaged as being true. These are documented occurrences that occur real-time. Chronicles happening right before your eyes, not something made up-- based on how I want it to be-- much less some fantasy I'm trapped in! I realize it is important to substantiate my claims with documented proof, so that others can see that what they previously believed was not-- as fantastic as what I say might initially seem. In order for others to see the other premise was a trick (done with smoke, mirrors and a lot of double talk), you must do so. I know its hard to believe that the people who were responsible for your upbringing may have lied to you-- but they did so because they thought it was true! Usually the first step made by disbelievers is a denial that what is happening isn't really happening. I'm sure the students in Kent University, Ohio during the sixties thought the same way. That is, of course, before the Kent University incident (where many were wounded and four lost their lives)...
It is also painful to recognize that you may not have anyone to depend on but yourself for now on. When Blacks say that "they are American," they usually have the belief that they can have access to everything in America that Whites and other nationalities have. I would say, it depends on who's sitting across from you in the interview and how much you have to modify your behavior to accommodate your interviewer in order to land a job. Unbeknown to those Blacks who think this way, is that a lot of their behavior is created from what my person calls "survival mode" (things done to stay employed and be tolerated). It is hard to wake up from the American dream and remain alert; much less stand up on your own two feet. Hell, many people even go back to sleep after being up (awake) for a while! It is much easier to sit back and let others govern things for you, than to run the show yourself. This way you don't have any headaches or responsibilities (but you also don't have control).
Just think, Blacks once had a Negro League Baseball in this country; a league which was separate from U.S. Major League Baseball-- during the Segregation era. The Negro league and all its' associated businesses were Black owned and operated. Granted, American society did not allow Blacks and Whites to "mingle" that much by law during this time period. Granted we were forced to "do for self" and "create our own game," if we wanted to play.. Granted, the Negro League was not making as much as Major League Baseball, but it employed many Blacks within the league and it's affiliated businesses. With Black men playing like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Gosh Gibson, etc., we dominated any games played between the Negro League and Major League Baseball (even though the MLB labeled those games "exhibition"). However, when the Civil Rights struggle applied political pressure on the White power structure in the sixties, the MLB scooped up handful of talented Black players in the name of affirmative action. Players like Jackie Robinson, were inducted into the MLB-- leaving the Negro League ravished (though they still had many good players), while the rest of the league was abandoned by their own people! An industry we started ourselves was abandoned in the name of fitting in.
Did sitting next to a White man mean that much to us as a people, that we would fore go that kind of business with all its autonomy?
We're talking about concession stands, photo shoots, memorabilia, transportation, etc. Such a Fatal Attraction!
"Go Greyhound" and leave the driving to the "bus driver." Do as you are told. There are rules to riding this bus. Being here is a privilege. The Father of the Country provides you with state assistance, welfare and a few provisions. Have congress vote on it and consider what all Black society needs. Or let it be decided by some local councilman or state representative who wants a fat pay-off... But then, explain to me what part of that society does our ethnicity fit in? Are Black politicians doing what it takes to be accepted or are they truly representing our interests? What class can we put the major of Black people in? How did your ancestors arrived here? What role were they designed to play within the American social fabric? And what opportunities await you and yours as this country forges on with their future? What is the "American dream" and what provisions does it have in-stored for you? Could you change things if your best interests were not properly represented?
My best guess would be, recycling your dollars amongst your own and developing a sense of self dependency, would be a means of getting more attention. But why take these moves as a recourse as opposed to an sound agenda to live by? The chronology of our journey in this country certainly leaves no doubt that we should not be precariously (perilously dependent on chance) surviving off of the vicarious interests (endured by one person acting for another WHEN interested) of the ruling class of America. Blacks position in America is more like the junkie that will let you abuse him, as long as you will give him some money in the end. Or that hopeless sap who hangs around a girl, accepting the status as her friend or standby, hoping and praying for the chance that day when she will choose him. Either you are in control of your destiny or you are not. I say it is high time that we put more effort into handling our own business.
Just think, Blacks once had a Negro League Baseball in this country; a league which was separate from U.S. Major League Baseball-- during the Segregation era. The Negro league and all its' associated businesses were Black owned and operated. Granted, American society did not allow Blacks and Whites to "mingle" that much by law during this time period. Granted we were forced to "do for self" and "create our own game," if we wanted to play.. Granted, the Negro League was not making as much as Major League Baseball, but it employed many Blacks within the league and it's affiliated businesses. With Black men playing like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Gosh Gibson, etc., we dominated any games played between the Negro League and Major League Baseball (even though the MLB labeled those games "exhibition"). However, when the Civil Rights struggle applied political pressure on the White power structure in the sixties, the MLB scooped up handful of talented Black players in the name of affirmative action. Players like Jackie Robinson, were inducted into the MLB-- leaving the Negro League ravished (though they still had many good players), while the rest of the league was abandoned by their own people! An industry we started ourselves was abandoned in the name of fitting in.
Did sitting next to a White man mean that much to us as a people, that we would fore go that kind of business with all its autonomy?
We're talking about concession stands, photo shoots, memorabilia, transportation, etc. Such a Fatal Attraction!
"Go Greyhound" and leave the driving to the "bus driver." Do as you are told. There are rules to riding this bus. Being here is a privilege. The Father of the Country provides you with state assistance, welfare and a few provisions. Have congress vote on it and consider what all Black society needs. Or let it be decided by some local councilman or state representative who wants a fat pay-off... But then, explain to me what part of that society does our ethnicity fit in? Are Black politicians doing what it takes to be accepted or are they truly representing our interests? What class can we put the major of Black people in? How did your ancestors arrived here? What role were they designed to play within the American social fabric? And what opportunities await you and yours as this country forges on with their future? What is the "American dream" and what provisions does it have in-stored for you? Could you change things if your best interests were not properly represented?
My best guess would be, recycling your dollars amongst your own and developing a sense of self dependency, would be a means of getting more attention. But why take these moves as a recourse as opposed to an sound agenda to live by? The chronology of our journey in this country certainly leaves no doubt that we should not be precariously (perilously dependent on chance) surviving off of the vicarious interests (endured by one person acting for another WHEN interested) of the ruling class of America. Blacks position in America is more like the junkie that will let you abuse him, as long as you will give him some money in the end. Or that hopeless sap who hangs around a girl, accepting the status as her friend or standby, hoping and praying for the chance that day when she will choose him. Either you are in control of your destiny or you are not. I say it is high time that we put more effort into handling our own business.
Some people have a hard time accepting truth like this, because of their feelings or some belief or impression they have. Some have aversions about starting all over again or struggling in order to rise. Some are very stubborn, despite of what we hear: You know the type-- easy to be lead in the wrong direction but hard to be lead in the right... Others may have problems, because talking about it just gets them upset! My persons has a older cousin who is eighty-one years old (a second cousin from marriage to my great aunt's daughter), who says he cannot watch "Alex Haley's Roots" because it makes him angry. When he sees certain scenes, he gets upset because he knows about those things. He personally lived through many of the actions depicted within the film and just as soon want to forget them! However, trying to forget and not educating the youth about the dangers of trusting in the ruling class is not good either. This way, your children would never know what "hit" them or understand the factors at work which causes all of this to happen. One of the many good things about knowing, is that it teaches us how to prepare. Sure times changed, but you should never forget your past. The past often holds reminders of why certain courses need not or should not be pursued. Even in Europe, they have monuments in Germany to remind them of the atrocities Nazism perpetrated on the world, so they don't forget that it was a frenzy that overtook their own Germany! I'm sure the youth of today could hardly believe their ancestors capable of such things but, there it is-- in black and white! I know it doesn't always feel good when you learn these discoveries, yet you must be aware of what happens in life, while learning not to react to all you see and hear.
Recognize that when the Creator is sending proper messages all across the universe, feelings often interfere with proper reception. Emotions befuddle those transmissions and cloud the perceptions upon such things, so you have to learn to control your feelings and fears! Just remember, there are difficulties associated with beginning anything... Just because it may feel awkward at first, don't give up! With the confidence which comes from knowing, you will soon-- once again-- be comfortable in your own skin. This too is just a passing phase. My job is to provide accuracy, as incredible as some of it may seem... Your comments are always welcome, even if you disagree...
Recognize that when the Creator is sending proper messages all across the universe, feelings often interfere with proper reception. Emotions befuddle those transmissions and cloud the perceptions upon such things, so you have to learn to control your feelings and fears! Just remember, there are difficulties associated with beginning anything... Just because it may feel awkward at first, don't give up! With the confidence which comes from knowing, you will soon-- once again-- be comfortable in your own skin. This too is just a passing phase. My job is to provide accuracy, as incredible as some of it may seem... Your comments are always welcome, even if you disagree...
Peace and Love,
C. Be'erla Hai-roi Myers
No comments:
Post a Comment