Retrospect
I woke up this morning, hearing the words of a song, I once heard Teddy Pendergrass sing: “It’s so good loving somebody, when somebody loves you back.” I guess I was hearing it because—conversely—It’s no good loving somebody unless somebody loves you back. And judging from how you young thundercats run your show, you kats are trying to get something for nothing; simply put: Many of you don’t know what love is to begin with—therefore; many of you don’t know what you need to give, or give into, in order to get what you want. As the Black chronicle in America has evolved—many of our later generations have decided that they are not going to do what mom Dukes or pa Kettle did: Well, maybe, not so much about pa Kettle—many of you never had a father in your life [or if you did, you've labelled him a scallywag for not being there like he should/or just saying that because your mother said so]—but let’s pause that discussion for another conversation.
Maybe the youth do not believe in love, because they don’t feel the payoff is commensurate to the amount of inconvenience and responsibility you have to undertake, in order to get the richness from the deeds—but one thing's for sure—all of our existence benefits because somebody else extended themselves slightly; at least, for a moment or two, just for you: However, I also realize, “You can’t miss what you can’t measure”—meaning, if you don’t know anything about love; then you really won’t know what you’re missing. Many of folks today have a disconnect issue, when it comes to love—and that’s a big problem, in and of itself; But biggest problem of these problems is, that many don’t know that there’s a problem at all. And that’s because they don’t know what they’re missing—a.k.a., You can’t miss what you can’t measure.
When you were a babe, you couldn’t blow your nose—couldn’t fetch your own meals; couldn’t change your own clothes—italics mine. You needed someone, to lend a hand; to assist you. Now if there’s one thing everybody in this world should understand is, You’re gonna need somebody. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow—but somehow, somewhere; You’re gonna need somebody. Now babies never say, “Thank you,” and fathers don’t remind you of their tasks—but mothers never let you forget that you owe them one. Yet, over the years, as children grow up, many seem very reluctant to take on the Herculean task of being a parent themselves, but rather than respect the station, they relegate the assistance of others (like it's no big deal) to insignificance; which is pretty disrespectful and hurtful—particularly, when you’re not carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. And to that abuse, some parents say, “Wait until you have children of your own!” But who says that type of person will be good at raising children at all—or needless to say that the abused will even see that they didn't suffer at all; they just created more menaces for society (particularly the taxpayers) to have to deal with—while the parent continues to make excuses. But right now—many of you at tender ages—you don’t understand. You don’t understand:
“you don’t tug on superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old lone ranger
and you don’t mess around with jim.”
—“You Don’t Mess With Jim,” by Jim Croce
If you want something from someone, you have to treat that person with respect. Blowing up and shooting off at the mouth, is only good for firing. All this tough talking and dissing [disrespecting] in Hip-Hop has made your brains gone soft. There's always someone tougher out there, who will test your mantle. Six feet under is where the real tough guys live, simply because they refuse to learn the lesson—not everybody will tolerate your foolishness . What’s that adage: “You can catch more flies with vinegar, than you can with honey?” People are aching inside, in need of assistance; but won’t ask because of how it will make them appear, or think that you’re supposed to do for them, regardless to how they behave. . . That defies logic; but this is what happens when you let public opinion and common trends dictate your life. You start to believe that fantasy is reality. It has to be! Who else would expect to get everything one needs, from a person that one has just previously treated like crap?
Man, a social creature whose humanity relies on the concerted efforts of others; therefore behaviors that promotes social harmony are paramount to ensure receptivity to your needs. This is the very foundation through which Eastern philosophy and civilization is based. Libraries are erected to further the cause of the society to which it belongs. Collective ideas are gathered for the strengthening of the individual; to allow him or her to play his or her part, to add on to the society in which he or her lives. This reciprocity has been going on for thousands of years; it has helped men and women become socially responsible men and women, since the beginning of civilization. Quite frankly, “I am because we are!” And it is this spirit of collectivism which makes the whole universe “tick.” Ecology is just another word for interdependency and cooperation. Yet it only works effectively, when each person develops a sense of belonging to the society or land from which they are spawned; because they, in turn, will have to do things on behalf of that society later on; like go to work, pay taxes, and maybe go off to war, and dedicate or sacrifice their lives—for example.
Man, a social creature whose humanity relies on the concerted efforts of others; therefore behaviors that promotes social harmony are paramount to ensure receptivity to your needs. This is the very foundation through which Eastern philosophy and civilization is based. Libraries are erected to further the cause of the society to which it belongs. Collective ideas are gathered for the strengthening of the individual; to allow him or her to play his or her part, to add on to the society in which he or her lives. This reciprocity has been going on for thousands of years; it has helped men and women become socially responsible men and women, since the beginning of civilization. Quite frankly, “I am because we are!” And it is this spirit of collectivism which makes the whole universe “tick.” Ecology is just another word for interdependency and cooperation. Yet it only works effectively, when each person develops a sense of belonging to the society or land from which they are spawned; because they, in turn, will have to do things on behalf of that society later on; like go to work, pay taxes, and maybe go off to war, and dedicate or sacrifice their lives—for example.
This kind of attitude often develops into nationalism or patriotism; otherwise known as, love for your country--or being a man of the people. Today, however; I am sensing a decline in obligation or responsibility on the part of the individual. Today’s individual seems to want assistance from others, but refuse to play their part on behalf of the equation. Quite frankly, If you can want—you can need; if you can need, you can care: If you can care you can love [William “Smokey” Robinson—If You Can Want]; However, loving, like giving ,works both ways. You can’t expect a person to keep on giving and giving—and not receive anything in return. Otherwise, at some point, a person like you would be considered risky business—something which will never pan out to anything. Yet, I see more and more people wanting something for nothing.
I also notice that many children are quick to criticize what their father and mother did, or didn’t do for them—yet these same offspring are unwilling to watch over their younger siblings. I’ve also noticed, as well, that a lot of younger mothers are refusing to do what their mothers did—and as a result, the children of those younger mothers, are ill-equipped socially for interfacing with the rest of the strata of society; rich/poor, young/old, different races and nationalities, etc. A dysfunctional society which pours in huge amounts of dollars to engage in fantasy and rehashing of ancient cartoon heroes.
It seems no one, from the older set, ever interfaced with these younger beings on a social level—in the attempt to explain things to them or helped them distinguish things in the already established society. I remember, back in the past, there was “Family Time,” a ritualized tradition aimed at family bonding at least one time, during the course of a day. The Flintstones, Jonny Quest, Bullwinkle & Rocky, Top Cat, and The Jetsons were examples of these “Family Time Shows” being shown at Prime Time. The purpose of these shows was to promote more family interaction. It was a chance for your parent to see what was going on with their child from day to day. If a child's activity was suspicious, seeing a child for a number of hours each day would be a great way to monitor the situation and possibly remedy the situation. I watched all these cartoons with both of my parents present each day: Family Time was part of Prime Time, then (there wasn't as many personal TVs in family households at the time). There is plenty of social content and social commentary within those shows. Plenty of situations to discuss with your children. Shows like Good Times, All In The Family, The Jeffersons [Norman Lear creations] and Different Strokes were also brought in on the tail end of the era. If you study these shows, they often poked fun at characters [depicted as human beings lacking in the social graces], so that parents could comment about such things with their children. In the past, prime time was a chance for any conscientious parent to have quality time with their children; to bond with their children. Family time was an integral part of the American lifestyle during the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties—when some of you were incarnated—or so-called born.
The Business Insider, in an article called, The Most Entitled Generation Isn’t Millennials, by Ross Pomeroy and William Handke (dated January 8, 2015), states: For the first time in America’s history an entire generation of her citizens are poorer, more indebted, and less employed than the preceding generations. That generation is the millennials—our generation is the millennials—our generation. The true cause of this unfortunate situation is clear: It’s the economy. The Great Recession stymied economic growth, halted job creation, kept older Americans in the work force longer, and encouraged younger Americans to continue debt-financed schooling. The author then goes on to blame the stereotypical view that other generations have towards the Millennials and Generation X, but all of that’s a simplification. It is a known fact that all capitalist societies are roughly on a fifteen year cycle of recession, depression, recovery and prosperity. A capitalist society may do things to modify it (like insuring bank accounts by the FDIC), but the cycles are inevitable within the system America is in. The cycle that brought on The Great Depression, America recovered from a long time ago. And using The National Debt as a cause is just a convenient cop-out. Every generation inherits the growing national debt (although President Carter and Clinton did cut back on it a little). What we are talking about is attitude! America has long lost the, Yes, we can, if we all pitch in together—attitude. While it is true that the economy was bottoming out long before the Millennials and the Generation X-ers were born—the policies of departing with tradition and going one’s own way was formulating in their parent’s head, while they were producing these kids—and this has everything to do with this epidemic!
The facts and impact of certain events in America, will always be different for Blacks as the they would be for Whites; yet it is common knowledge among older people that those known as Baby Boomers gave birth to Generation X and the Millennials. This fact holds the key to the understanding to this dilemma. The Baby Boomers gave us celebrities like George Clinton [Parliament/Funkadelics], Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Sly & The Family Stone. The Baby Boomers also brought us conscious White stars like Bob Dylan, Mamas & The Papas, Peter, Paul & Mary, Lovin’ Spoonful, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Rolling Stones, and The Beatles. These artist were born in the 40s and 50s, as were many of their audience [40s, 50s, & 60s]—but most of all, these were the ideas your parents held; ideas they had while they were making babies (and you are those children)!
The rebellion started here (not with the children the Boomers were eventually going to have)—with the parents and their ideologies infused into the minds of, "All the babies on the way. . .” [lyrics from the song, "Coincidence" Hugh Masekela].
The rebellion started here (not with the children the Boomers were eventually going to have)—with the parents and their ideologies infused into the minds of, "All the babies on the way. . .” [lyrics from the song, "Coincidence" Hugh Masekela].
The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, once said, In order to understand anything of a complicated matter, you need to study that phenomena in its infancy—for only then, you will see things in the midsts of their development. The Baby Boomers generation are the infancy of many of our current day issues, as is the sixties our inception, point for a lot of our current sociological dilemmas in America. The youth of the 1960s were tired of the status quo—tired of the way things were. The Blackman had become fed up with Separate but Equal, intimidation by the Klan, and second-class citizenship under the guise of having equal rights. There was a sexual revolution going on during the sixties. There were equal rights issues as it related to sex. White youth were very disappointed with the policies of big business and American policies overseas, and socially began to openly denounce their actions with protests. Many of the children of these big business owners were among those protestors. They called themselves "Hippies." The Flower Children protested the Vietnam war. Peter, Paul & Mary capsulate these sentiments in a Pete Seeger song called, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?"
The Baby Boomers gave us the Soul Children, Flower Children, Hippies, Black Hippies, Yuppies and Buppies—as did they give us Civil Rights Activists, Non-violent Civil Rights Activism, Black Militants, Skinheads and various para-military groups. These were some of the social groups which cropped up during the sixties. Their ideologies reflect how we were dealing with the issues of the day. These groups were not all the people, I estimate them to represent less than thirty percent of either population; however, their influences upon either population was massive. As far as Whites are concerned, The Beatles were the new generation’s love ambassadors. Their words deepened the sentiments of the listeners. The listeners responded in what is known as "current events."
Now before we go any further, let's recognize a few things: "There are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen; and those who wonder what happened." As the earth axis switches from Polaris to Sirius, as its' guiding North star every twenty-five thousand years—so does the masses of people vacillate between various current influences. There are activists and then there's those who go along for the ride. The activists of the sixties were demanding social change, but not all of what they proposed were simple modifications concerning traditional approaches; some of their ideas were quite radical. Radical ideas may deal with the fundamental nature of things, but the "complete overhaul approach," is not relying on anything from the past; therefore it is unproven. It may take several years of our lives, before we'll know if these ideas will work. But sometimes in life its; "Any World That I'm Welcome To, Is Better Than The One I Come From," [Steely Dan]—meaning we just don't want to be in this place anymore. Take the Separate but Equal/Civil Rights equation as an example. However, I maintain what we propose, may not be recognized as the right thing—or the wrong thing—until several years from now.
Take the Woman's Liberation Movement of that time: While it may have given women equal pay, better jobs and better say so in political and legislation issues, not to mention more voice in the home—for years it was run by lesbians and many of their ideas were radical. The reason I mention this, is because in matters of the nuclear heterosexual family or heterosexual relations—some of the things proposed, were not only insensitive to heterosexual relationships; but oft-times with no reconciliation in sight. Now we can see that it was because it was designed by people who were not in those types of relationships, but we are just seeing all the problems these ideas would cause, some 50 years later. As I said before, "You cannot treat me any ol' way and give me less and expect me to do more for you." Nor can you act like there's no differences between sexes and the types of relationships, when obviously there is. Bonds between the two sexes are at their worst, generally speaking, and trust is at an all time low—and some of this is because one of the parties think they have options that they don't really have. And I'm saying that some of this comes from taking advice and suggestions from clandestine influences that have no interest in the reconciliation of the bond between men and women. Consider the source, along with the dicey nature of things practiced for the first time. A lot of times, those who practice this have no idea where these things will end up. It is very different lifestyle you choose when you breakaway from cultural norms that carry a honed down proven system. However, we can say that the inception of a lot of what we're seeing today between men and women, had its' inception in the free love aspect of the Sexual Revolution in the sixties.
It stands to reason that if one has an ideology, practiced it, and had a staunch belief in such things, they will also have a blind eye or blanket endorsement of those same or similar qualities, if these traits showed up in their children, eh? One of the culprits for this state of disaster is indulgence. As the fifties went out, many of the Baby Boomers developed definite attitudes about the way they were raised; And since the Baby Boomers gave birth to Generation X and the Millennials—the issues we have with Generation X, Y, etc., are the direct outgrowth of Baby Boomer's attitudes and indulgences [Boomer ideologies]. Many of the Baby Boomers didn't like that they had to work hard to earn allowance, so as a result they indulged their children: They gave allowance to their without making them work hard for it! Rich kids have the same reality, and many of them turn out to be brats—i.e. lazy, narcissistic, and a sense of entitlement—the same qualities that Ross Pomeroy and William Handke mentioned [in the article above] concerning Generation X and Millennials. There's no sense of ambition nor incentive built into this approach; as a matter of fact its more emotional than rational; Definitely lacking in forethought.
But the similarities don't stop here: Many of the rich kids of the sixties (under the influence of wanting to be cool and considerate), were not pleased with their parent's business policies overseas—so as a result, they protested in several ways; in college protests, sit-in and marches. Many of them became Hippies; the hip White man's approach to being a humanistic, sensitive, and caring individual. Their hero was John Lennon of the Beatles. They grew long hair and dressed in protest. This brought on a fall out between the moguls and their rebellious children. But that is what America is all about, isn't it? Revolt! Revolution. Many of the Fat Kats disowned their rebellious children—cutting them off from their inheritance. People of that era concerned themselves with being considerate and god-fearing; from people in the highest station to people of the lowest. All of the "sacred cows" weren't as dead as they are today. Family and its' hierarchy was still being adhered to; from the siblings to the parents and in-laws. Its' irreverence is one of the main causes of our current crisis.
Martin Luther King's following of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent protest had astounding success: By not countering the violence perpetrated upon them, King's followers also used the American media to project its' cruelty for the whole world to see. America became embarrassed into responding to the demands made by the Civil Rights Movement—just not all its' members. . . There was the Southern Christian Leadership Council [SCLC], Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee [SNCC], the emergence of Stokely Carmichael [Kwame Ture], Marcus Garvey and the remaining Garvey-ites, Grass Root groups like the Black Panthers, Charles 37X and the Mau-Maus, The Nation of the 5%, Malik El Hajj Shabazz and the Organization of African American Unity [OAAU] along with Muslim Mosque Inc., The Nation of Islam, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka [Leroi Jones], Sonya Sanchez, various poets and writers, etc. The whole world learnt of America’s brutality to its Black population, so now it was time to clean up their image in the eyes of the world. Overtly, the powers that be negotiated with the non-violent element of the Civil Rights/Black Power Movements. Covertly, J. Edgar Hoover and seemingly unrelated clandestine elements sought to assassinate the movement's leaders, without incurring blame or responsibility; from the country's president down to the local Black leaders.
One of the driving elements behind the era was love, a sense of family, humanity and tradition. This effected both Black and White, pro and con, straight and alternative; or as Sly Stone said, Love and Haight. One of the little facts about the Sexual Revolution, is that it challenged the nuclear family, traditional gender roles and heterosexuality itself; pushing for a somewhat androgynous society where sex roles are somewhat arbitrary. Now, as I said earlier, the ideology you entertain at the time, gets infused into the child during sex. If we look at the world today, we see the seeds back then in the sixties; in an infant state. Back then, there was a sense of belonging: A belonging to a gender, family, and a people—I can still hear James Brown singing, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." Negative, jealous, divergent elements within the States, assembled and attacked them all. As the Father of the 5% one said, "We don't need leaders, we need leadership as a people." The government went on the task of settling the civil unrest by attacking the problem by the head. One by one our militant leaders were either, assassinated, incarcerated or exiled. Some of the Hippies remained steadfast, but the others, rejoined their parents businesses, and became even more ruthless. After the powers that be assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King—Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis, and Andrew Young, all got government jobs—and the movement's impetus became arrested. Sell out anyone?
One of the driving elements behind the era was love, a sense of family, humanity and tradition. This effected both Black and White, pro and con, straight and alternative; or as Sly Stone said, Love and Haight. One of the little facts about the Sexual Revolution, is that it challenged the nuclear family, traditional gender roles and heterosexuality itself; pushing for a somewhat androgynous society where sex roles are somewhat arbitrary. Now, as I said earlier, the ideology you entertain at the time, gets infused into the child during sex. If we look at the world today, we see the seeds back then in the sixties; in an infant state. Back then, there was a sense of belonging: A belonging to a gender, family, and a people—I can still hear James Brown singing, "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." Negative, jealous, divergent elements within the States, assembled and attacked them all. As the Father of the 5% one said, "We don't need leaders, we need leadership as a people." The government went on the task of settling the civil unrest by attacking the problem by the head. One by one our militant leaders were either, assassinated, incarcerated or exiled. Some of the Hippies remained steadfast, but the others, rejoined their parents businesses, and became even more ruthless. After the powers that be assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King—Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis, and Andrew Young, all got government jobs—and the movement's impetus became arrested. Sell out anyone?
Giving your children more toys, don't make up for love and care. Parents which run the street, in an attempt to make up for their lost time—only makes the child feel abandoned. Generation X and the Millennials are narcissistic, because many of us taught them how to be, by way of our own new ideologies. These new found ideologies haven't been proven yet, therefore it will take years before we see the result of such decisions. Our generation was not willing to put all the time into parenting as our parents did, so even if you are one that does—your children's contemporaries will make your child the odd cog out. Giving to your child without reciprocity teaches that they can get something for nothing and fosters the false belief that the world owes them something. As said previously, our fight or our rights ended with the backups to the movement getting paid off. So even though you may have more money, public attitudes still have you as subhuman. The worst thing about all of this is that most of us do not teach our children today about America's double-standard with the law and citizenship. As a result, they are getting into trouble because they expect the same consideration as their White counterparts—and becoming blindsided by racism; because they weren't taught about it by their parents. We Baby Boomers know about the hidden color lines, but we want to try to forget it exists; even if our children get clobbered by it. We not only need to tell them the truth, we need to increase our steps towards independence and ethnic solidarity. There's so much to say, but very little space to say it. Let's just be careful of what we throw away, in way of tradition and seek to return to our roots.
Remember it's all about love. Children that have guardians that take the time with them, begin to assign value to their family time. Children that do not have a sense of family values are more likely to be influenced by friends that do not necessarily have their best interest at heart. We cannot give up on our children nor our family values. Hang in there. Love's not a bad word.
Thank you for your consideration,
C. Be'er la Hai-roi Myers
Peace.
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