That’s what asshole-in chief Donald Trump told us Black folk
when he was trollin us for our votes. Well, here we are nine months into our
national nightmare, and the question has finally been answered: It seems we got
a helluva lot to lose with this motherfucker in office. Most white folks believe
discrimination is over. Y’all know that shit ain’t true. Things are getting
worse, and not just in casual interactions with white folks. There is hard
evidence that explicit racial discrimination is a major part of American life
in the early 21st century. Most white Americans have minor opposition to the
most hateful forms of racism against us, while holding prejudiced views and having
racist behavior. That bullshit myth of “post-racialism” has by now largely been
dispelled, in part because of movements like Black Lives Matter—as well as the
rise of Donald Trump. And there seems to be a growing awareness that
“colorblindness” does more to entrench racial disadvantage than rectify it.
Thankfully, there are policies that can begin to address this profound racial
wealth gap. But we have yet to have any kind of discussion about it, even as we
barrel toward a world where most Blacks and Latinos live on the edge of misery.
The racial wealth gap isn’t yet a national priority. It needs to be. Unfortunately,
we will have to wait at least four more years for that to happen.
I want to shine a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of right-wing scams and schemes. To most white people my posts are like kitchen-table talk from a kitchen they will never set foot in. To Black folks, I’m part of a growing number of Black internet writers who have taken up the work once reserved for professional activists and ministers; the work of setting a Black agenda, shaping Black opinion, and calling attention to the state of the nation’s racial affairs.
Saturday, September 30
Sunday, May 21
FUCK THE IMPEACHMENT TALK..........HERE'S THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY GOIN ON........you been warned dammit
OK America let me explain a few things before this impeachment shit gets too out of hand. No, Republicans ain't simpletons who can't see Trump is a freakish, fool ass caricature of a president. They don't give a fuck about Trump. If he hangs by his little blue balls so be it. Or if he's pushed off the impeachment cliff, they still don't give a fuck! He's a useful village idiot who will help them replace two or three more Supreme Court justices... one of their four sacred goals.
The racist Republicans want to move the Supreme Court to permanently conservative status, something them motherfuckers can easily do in the next four years. This new and improved GOP wants to eliminate every damn social program of the New Deal which means killing off Medicaid, privatizing Social Security and drowning Medicare, and doing away with Section 8, Food Stamps (SNAP), and anything aiding Black people.
Their third goal is to invent regressive taxes that make payin Corporate taxes avoidable, and takin away any tax that don't give the wealthy more wealth. And finally their fourth goal is to gut the power of the Federal government including control over public lands, healthcare, education, labor law, unions, postal services, civil rights and our voting protections.
SO, based on basics.... their dream of shrinking the Federal government is imminent!!
So, dummy Trump twisting in the wind is just a fuckin gift to them as they tear down the temple. Imagine this shit: the Republicans burning the Capitol, then barricading all the damn roads to stop the firemen from getting close enough to put the fire out.They need Trump in office long enough to get their bills signed and when the inevitable impeachment happens, WE get duffus Mike Pence, a smoother, smarter imbecile than Trump.
So stop begging them Republicans to interrupt their viagra powered orgasm of rightwing looting and pillaging. They ain't listening to us or any of our goddamn protests! The only thing that can stop them motherfuckers is the 2018 midterm elections! And even then them assholes have fucked up the system to the point that only a complete "run the fuckin polls" will change the outcome. They don't think Trump is fuckin up America. He is their boy while they "save" America by destroying the Federal Government.
When more than half of America thought email servers, Russian spies, Bernie Sanders, Hillary fatigue, and fake ass apathy were worth staying home, they elected Trump. He ain't their problem. An unchecked, die-hard racist GOP is the problem, and unless 2018 gives the Senate to the Democratic Party and kills the GOP death grip on Congress, you can kiss America good bye and stop calling America the leader of the free world. And for all you third party motherfuckers who say the two Party system is a failure. Hope you enjoy a one party system, because America is just 18 shitty months shy of finding out what that's like....unless Black folk vote like 2008!!!!!
OK America let me explain a few things before this impeachment shit gets too out of hand. No, Republicans ain't simpletons who can't see Trump is a freakish, fool ass caricature of a president. They don't give a fuck about Trump. If he hangs by his little blue balls so be it. Or if he's pushed off the impeachment cliff, they still don't give a fuck! He's a useful village idiot who will help them replace two or three more Supreme Court justices... one of their four sacred goals.
The racist Republicans want to move the Supreme Court to permanently conservative status, something them motherfuckers can easily do in the next four years. This new and improved GOP wants to eliminate every damn social program of the New Deal which means killing off Medicaid, privatizing Social Security and drowning Medicare, and doing away with Section 8, Food Stamps (SNAP), and anything aiding Black people.
Their third goal is to invent regressive taxes that make payin Corporate taxes avoidable, and takin away any tax that don't give the wealthy more wealth. And finally their fourth goal is to gut the power of the Federal government including control over public lands, healthcare, education, labor law, unions, postal services, civil rights and our voting protections.
SO, based on basics.... their dream of shrinking the Federal government is imminent!!
So, dummy Trump twisting in the wind is just a fuckin gift to them as they tear down the temple. Imagine this shit: the Republicans burning the Capitol, then barricading all the damn roads to stop the firemen from getting close enough to put the fire out.They need Trump in office long enough to get their bills signed and when the inevitable impeachment happens, WE get duffus Mike Pence, a smoother, smarter imbecile than Trump.
So stop begging them Republicans to interrupt their viagra powered orgasm of rightwing looting and pillaging. They ain't listening to us or any of our goddamn protests! The only thing that can stop them motherfuckers is the 2018 midterm elections! And even then them assholes have fucked up the system to the point that only a complete "run the fuckin polls" will change the outcome. They don't think Trump is fuckin up America. He is their boy while they "save" America by destroying the Federal Government.
When more than half of America thought email servers, Russian spies, Bernie Sanders, Hillary fatigue, and fake ass apathy were worth staying home, they elected Trump. He ain't their problem. An unchecked, die-hard racist GOP is the problem, and unless 2018 gives the Senate to the Democratic Party and kills the GOP death grip on Congress, you can kiss America good bye and stop calling America the leader of the free world. And for all you third party motherfuckers who say the two Party system is a failure. Hope you enjoy a one party system, because America is just 18 shitty months shy of finding out what that's like....unless Black folk vote like 2008!!!!!
Monday, November 14
13% OF BLACK MEN VOTED FOR TRUMP….HERE’S WHY
According
to exit poll numbers, 13% of the Black men who voted in the Presidential
election voted for Donald Trump.
Yeah,
I know.
This
even surpasses the number of Black male voters who went for both McCain and
Romney
I
know that too.
Can
you explain how that happened? Why would 13% of Black men vote for this man?
Because
some niggas are really stupid.
Really?
Some niggas are stupid? That’s your explanation?
Yea.
There’s really no need for me to expound. 13% of niggas just don’t have the
good sense God and Isaac Hayes gave them.
Does
this surprise you at all?
That
13% of Black men voted for a man who openly engages and cultivates racists like
they’re grass-fed chickens? Yea. But, that 13% of niggas are dumb enough to do
that? Nope.
Why
not?
Because,
generally speaking, 13% of niggas are dumb. If you grabbed a
random sampling of 10 niggas, between 1 and 1.3 of them are going to prone to
prolonged bouts of dumbassshitness. It’s a science.
Now,
I’m aware the 13% of niggas being dumber than a misspelled stop sign sounds
brutal. But for comparison’s sake, 21% of men generally are dumb. So there are
actually less dumb as the fuck Black men than dumb as the fuck men in general.
Interesting!
Why do you think this is?
Niggas
just can’t afford to be dumb, which is something we all know, so it’s usually beaten
out by tree branches out of love at a young age. Grown-ass dumb-ass Black men
end up on World Star or named “Tyga.” Grown-ass dumb-ass White men end up in
the fuckin White House!!
So
if you happen to meet a grown-ass dumb-ass nigga, know that his stupidity is
intentional. Premeditated and calculated. That he’s had decade’s worth of
grandmas and teachers and coaches and homies and barbers and lovers desperately
trying to iron some sense into his natural Black ass… some even willing to
sacrifice their own asses for his… but he was so set on being a dumb
motherfucker that it didn’t matter. Know that this nigga tried his damn hardest
to be dumb; he studied stupidity; he gave more effort, more
blood, sweat, and tears into intellectual fuckshitlery than anything else.
Be
afraid of that nigga. Be very afraid.
This
is quite fascinating. So, if you don’t mind me asking, how does a grown-ass
Black man end up being so damn stupid?
There
are myriad possible causes. Some are so obsessed with being close to whiteness…
being loved and accepted by white people or constructing himself in the white
man’s image (or both) — that it fries their brain cells; effectively turning
them into a crumpled pair of white-boy Wrangler jeans. Some are hamstrung by
patriarchy, where misogyny is so deeply embedded in their sorry ass psyches
that they’re not even aware it’s there. Some treat Christianity like a
bottomless Golden Corral buffet; deciding to choose which parts of the Bible
they’ll follow and which ones they’ll ignore. Some order all of their reading
material from the ads in the back of Smooth Magazine. And some just
got really caught up in Pre-Paid Legal in the late 90s.
Add
each of these populations together (and control for the overlap) and you have
10 to 13% of niggas.
Thank
you for the explanation!
You’re
welcome! Any time!
Thursday, November 10
TIME FOR NEW BLACK LEADERSHIP
More than 50 years has
passed…..the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Selma, Bull Conner, water hoses, dogs,
lynching’s………..get my point? The start of the modern civil rights era……..all
that.
BUT………………it’s now the time for
real leadership. Old familiar faces in the same places………..it’s time to GO!
Reverends Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton….gotta go. Cornel West, Michael Eric
Dyson, Melissa Harris Perry, Henry Louis Gates, the Black Lives Matter
girls….gotta go. John Conyers, John Lewis…….outa here. Get my point?
NOW……….When Donald Trump asked
us Black people, “What have you got to lose?” his words were met with contempt
from us. But in reality he posed a good ass question. What do we have to show
for years of Democratic votes? Obama bailed out the banks, insurance companies,
pharmaceutical companies, and even Ukraine. But he didn’t rebuild Detroit or
New Orleans, bring jobs to the “inner city”, stand up to police killings, and fight
back like a brother. The water in Flint, Michigan is still poisoned and the
prisons are still full of Black folk. And the band played on…………..
YES……. Republicans have been
the white people’s party for nearly 50 years. Trump just made it more obvious. He
didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already fuckin know. Shit….we don’t have to
be the losers in this election. We need to remember what we’ve achieved in our
history. Half of Black folks didn’t even have the right to vote in the 1960s
yet we made earth shattering progress in a short time. But we must understand
the source of that progress. It came from struggle and a daring to create the
crises that always bring about change. (Real time)
BUT……..Those Black folks that
didn’t give a damn about voting shouldn’t be blamed either. They must have had
a personal introspection that is meaningful and political, or they just didn’t
give a damn. Their lack of enthusiasm speaks to the Democratic Party and Black
mis-leadership incompetence. We gotta stop the personal blame and help one
another in this process as we fight for justice and peace.
WE ARE…………The new face of our
movement will be Facebook, Twitter, and over 150 Black blogs like mine, all
united in an internet alliance. All of the past must be reconciled and put away
for future generations. We will hold Donald J. Trump to account for any lies
that he tells and any attempts to quiet us. (Attempts are already being made)
We will push back on his appeals to white identity politics that are dividing
us daily. We will continue to call out the bullies, bigots, and racist
hypocrites. The policies Trump has proposed represent a challenge to our civic
fabric, liberal values, and world order. And that is the challenge that WE
Bloggers will have to confront unflinchingly in our duty to remain active and
engaged while speaking our conscience. We will not shimmy, shake, or suck up to
those in power. We will remain steadfast in our belief that the difference
between patriotism and nationalism is at the heart of Black exceptionalism.
REALLY………I was honestly going
to stop writing and blogging if Hillary Clinton won. The passion for making my
thoughts known every night was really getting to me, but Führer Trump Cheeto
winning Tuesday and becoming our 45th President made me realize that I have to
stick around just a little longer.
After all, typing at times
might be just as good as fighting.ter all, typing at times might be just as good as fighting.
Wednesday, October 26
THE TALK WHITE FOLKS HAVE WITH THEIR CHILDREN ABOUT RACE AND THE RACIST VIEWS THEY INSTILL IN THEIR CHILDREN (THE 9 POINT PLAN)
1.
Avoid concentrations of all Black people not
known to you personally.
2.
Stay out of heavily populated Black
neighborhoods.
3.
If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park
at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with Blacks on that
date (neglect of this one will likely get you shot).
4.
Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of Blacks.
5.
If you are at some public event at which the
number of Blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.
6.
Do not settle in a district or municipality run
by Black politicians.
7.
Before voting for a Black politician,
scrutinize his/her character much more carefully than you would a white person.
8.
Do not act as a Good Samaritan to Blacks in
apparent distress, e.g., on the highway.
9.
If accosted by a strange Black in the street,
smile and say something polite but keep moving.”
Tuesday, October 25
LEAVE CLARENCE THOMAS’S COON ASS OUT OF “OUR” MUSEUM
I was overjoyed and proud of
my people for building the African American History and Culture Museum in
Washington. It's long overdue if you ask me. But better late than never I
guess. Hum? Anyway, silly me, I told myself that I was going to take a trip up
to Washington with one of my female friends, spend the night, hit up a nice
restaurant, and spend a couple of days visiting the shiny new museum. Not! What
the hell was I thinking? Tickets are sold out until at least March of 2017.
Apparently the place is a hit, and getting a ticket is almost as tough as
scoring a ticket to see the Cubs play!
So I was thinking about the
museum and all of its early success, when I read the following article about
one of my least favorite people on this earth.
"The National Museum of
African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. only has one reference
to Clarence Thomas: that of Anita Hill testifying against him in his
confirmation hearings.
But a petition launched from
the StandUnited website is looking to change that, calling for Thomas’
inclusion in the museum as part of African-American history. The petition is
called “Director for Smithsonian Museum of African-American Culture and
History, Lonnie Bunch III: Don’t Overlook African American Leaders like Justice
Clarence Thomas” and was launched on October 6. Already, it has gotten about
8,000 signatures.
“Justice Thomas is the
longest-serving African American Supreme Court Justice in our nation’s
history,” Angela Morabito, who is the senior campaign manager of the website,
told CNSNews.com. “StandUnited users are commenting on the petition about how
they want to see Smithsonian embrace history, instead of selectively editing
it.”
“Justice Thomas has a uniquely
American story, in all its complexity – he grew up in the segregated South, and
is now the second most powerful African American man in government,” Morabito
continued. “Petition signers think he deserves credit for his extraordinary
contributions to American government and constitutional scholarship.”
What the FUCK???? You have got
to be kidding my ass!! As Whitney used to say to Bobby: "Hell. To. The. Motherfuckin.
No.!!!!" First of all, this House Negro was traded from the Negro race
years ago. We disowned this Negro, and everything that his coonin ass stands
for. White folks can embrace him if they want to, and that's fine, but put him
in your own fuckin museum. I suspect that he would prefer to be there with you
in the first place.
Thursday, October 20
WHEN TRUMP LOSES, WATCH OUT FOR YOUR SUPPOSED WHITE FRIENDS
One scary story about Donald
Trump and his deplorable supporters, is the chance a racial apocalypse if he
loses. Where does all the white rage go when Donald Trump loses? Damn!! His
newly riled-up, racist supporters may not go gently into that good night. Trump’s
base is so goddamn scary because it’s not so much made up of people with shared
policy ideas, it’s more of an army filled with angry white folks who’ve been
hungry for emancipation from political correctness and DIVERSITY (Niggers &
Mexicans)! The reason Trump’s campaign events sell out . . . is because Trump
and his campaign rallies offer the racist attendees something no other
candidate does: an uncut taste of good ol’ fashioned Bigotry. Racism has been
around some 500 years, and during that time we Black folk have learned a lot
about them “good ol boys.” Not all of em are racists. And for those who are
racists, their views may not lead to threatening actions. When Black folks and
whites work on jobs where cooperation is a matter of life and death, like the
military or on a construction site, people, no matter their beliefs, tend to
find a way to get along. Hum?
THE TRUMP EFFECT, OUR CHILDREN
ARE BEING CONTAMINATED: Some schoolteachers are finding an alarming level of
fear and anxiety among Black and Hispanic children which in turn is inflaming
racial and ethnic tensions in the classroom. Many teachers have noted an
increase in bullying, harassment and intimidation of Black, Hispanic, and
Muslim students whose races, religions or nationalities have been Trump’s
verbal targets on the campaign trail. So, all of a sudden, white kids have a
newfound hate for Black and brown children? They’ve been hearing Trump’s racist
and misogynist speech for a little over a year. They’ve been living with their
parents much longer. For centuries, so-called populists like asshole Trump have
tried to create and perpetuate racial divisions for their own political and
economic gain. Divide and conquer the working class by making whites feel
superior to Black people……..even as Trump picks the pockets of both groups. Then
blame each for the other’s failure. Neat ain’t it? It’s not hard to see that
the ripping-off of America’s middle class has been underway for at least 50
years. Many are understandably angry, although too often at the wrong motherfuckin
villain. And unless Black and white working-class people come together and stop
falling for these political con games, that nightmare will continue. Plain
& simple!!
Wednesday, October 19
HOW TRUMP TOOK CONTROL OF HATE
Donald Trump may be the last
hope for a President who would be good for white people. Huh ya say? Trump is
the first Presidential candidate from a major party ever to earn his support
because he’s talking about policies that would slow the deficit of white people.
That’s something that’s very important to me and to all racially conscious Black
folk. The success of the racist Trump campaign just proves that his views resonate
with millions. His supporters might not be ready for the Ku Klux Klan yet, but
as anti-white hatred escalates, they surely will. The cheetoed one didn’t become
the object of white nationalist affection simply because his positions reflect
their core concerns. Right Wing-Extremists made him their chosen candidate and
now hail him as "Emperor Trump" because he has AMPED UP their RACIST message
on social media—and, perhaps most importantly, has damn near broken his neck to
avoid distancing himself from the racist right. With the exception of David Duke,
Trump has not disavowed one single endorsement from the dozens of neo-Nazis,
Klansmen, white nationalists, and militia supporters who have backed him. Trump,
along with his family members, staffers, and silly ass surrogates, has instead
provided an unprecedented platform for the ideas and rhetoric of far-right
extremists, extending their reach exponentially. And when challenged on it by
the weak ass press, Trump has stalled, looked duffus, acted ignorant, or
deflected—but has never specifically rejected any of these other extremists or
their ideas. Wonder why? Trump’s stance has thrilled and emboldened hate groups
far more than people think. Moreover, Trump's openness and welcoming of these
hate groups into mainstream American politics will have long-lasting consequences
regardless of the election outcome. Those right-wing fringe talk radio shows and
dozens of posts on influential hate sites tells me that what has largely been
portrayed by the media as Trump "gaffes" has instead been understood
by far-right extremists as a love for Emperor Trump! The racist right-wing zeal
for Trump went crazy after his decision in August to hire a new campaign boss,
Stephen Bannon, the former publisher of Breitbart News, and an over the top
racist, big-time booster, and far-right rhetoric king. Trump's racist campaign tricks—from
calls for us Black protesters to be "roughed up" to the circulation
of racist, anti-Muslim, and anti-Semitic literature—is proof for them that
white nationalism has not only arrived, but has found a champion in Donald
Trump, major-party nominee for president of the United States.
Tuesday, October 18
HEY MELANIA.........YOUR ASSHOLE HUSBAND IS NO BOY!!
I wonder how many of you
married dudes out there could tell your wife that you did some inappropriate shit
because some dude half your age was "egging" you on. I’m willing to
guess not that many. Of course not many of you happen to have millions (yea
Donald, millions; not billions) of dollars laying around, either. I was
listening to some of Melania Trump's interview with CNN, and you have to kind
of feel sorry for her non English speakin ass. She actually blamed her
husband's misogynist and sexist behavior on a man half his age. Hum……..Which
begs the serious question: If Donald Trump can be so easily be influenced by a
lightweight bullshit entertainer, how the hell can he stand up to world leaders
with much more influence and gravitas? Donald wasn't there during the
interview, so you have to wonder what his people were thinking. Hillary stood
right by Bubba's side as fucked everybody in Washington in the nineties. It's
ironic that Trump's wife is now doing the very thing that they accuse Hillary
of doing: Standing by her man, while Stevie Wonder can see what's really going
on. Melania said some other interesting shit
to say as well:
Melania Trump is suggesting
that, as First Lady, she could be interested in leading an effort to combat
bullying and negativity on social media.
Mrs. Trump…. whose racist husband
frequently uses social media to attack opponents - said Monday on CNN that she
was worried about its impact on children. WTF!!! She said she is concerned that
her 10-year-old son Barron would be exposed to tough talk on Twitter and other
social media platforms. Donald Trump, of course, is frequently fightin mad on
Twitter. Just earlier Monday, he took to the social media platform to unleash
attacks on both sides of the aisle, targeting both Democratic Hillary Clinton
and House Speaker (Eddie Munster) Paul Ryan and claiming the
"dishonest" media was conspiring against him. Ok Melania, so as First
Lady you won’t take on poverty, education, healthcare, world hunger or adult
illiteracy. Your issue will be bullying on social media? Well, for starters,
you might want to holla at that motherfucker lying next to you!!
Wednesday, September 28
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE
This shit is important because it
can give you white folks another glimpse of the mindset of some of us Black
folk in the African American community. Especially as it relates to your hero… Donald
J Trump.
I know it’s been a good long while since we had an honest and open conversation. I can’t say that I speak for every one of my peeps, because we don’t all agree…just as we all know not every white person thinks or believes the same. But before the shit goes too much further and get too much worse, we need to talk dammit!! Seriously talk. Not at each other, not about each other from another room, but to each other. Yep!
First: Let’s get to brass tacks about this Trump dude.
He says he wants to make things better for all of us, which would be nice. However his track record is a bit fucked up. He once did some nice shit for Jesse Jackson. Okay, that’s cool. But he was also president of his father’s company when they were deliberately trying to get us BLACK people from living in their buildings. Yeah, sure motherfuckers, that was a long time ago. In the meantime there was the Central Park Five incident, when he called for the death penalty to be used on five innocent Black teenagers accused of a really brutal rape. That one still kinda fucks with me. He desegregated his exclusive Mar-a-Lago Club, but the truth ain’t that he did that for the benefit of us brothers and sisters and Jews who had been excluded from other clubs. He only did it to get back at the Palm Beach society, which looked down its nose at his punk ass! For a lot of longtime residents, Cheeto Trump’s decision to set up camp here was bad enough. That was in 1985, when Drumpf paid about $7 million for the 128-room Mar-a-Lago mansion, built 70 years ago by crazy cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Over the years, Ms. Post's party schedule had placed the estate smack dab middle in the center of Palm Beach social circles. By the time she died in 1973, it was a local institution.
I know it’s been a good long while since we had an honest and open conversation. I can’t say that I speak for every one of my peeps, because we don’t all agree…just as we all know not every white person thinks or believes the same. But before the shit goes too much further and get too much worse, we need to talk dammit!! Seriously talk. Not at each other, not about each other from another room, but to each other. Yep!
First: Let’s get to brass tacks about this Trump dude.
He says he wants to make things better for all of us, which would be nice. However his track record is a bit fucked up. He once did some nice shit for Jesse Jackson. Okay, that’s cool. But he was also president of his father’s company when they were deliberately trying to get us BLACK people from living in their buildings. Yeah, sure motherfuckers, that was a long time ago. In the meantime there was the Central Park Five incident, when he called for the death penalty to be used on five innocent Black teenagers accused of a really brutal rape. That one still kinda fucks with me. He desegregated his exclusive Mar-a-Lago Club, but the truth ain’t that he did that for the benefit of us brothers and sisters and Jews who had been excluded from other clubs. He only did it to get back at the Palm Beach society, which looked down its nose at his punk ass! For a lot of longtime residents, Cheeto Trump’s decision to set up camp here was bad enough. That was in 1985, when Drumpf paid about $7 million for the 128-room Mar-a-Lago mansion, built 70 years ago by crazy cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. Over the years, Ms. Post's party schedule had placed the estate smack dab middle in the center of Palm Beach social circles. By the time she died in 1973, it was a local institution.
Mr. Trump arrived well-known, though
not necessarily well thought of. He brought with him a reputation as a
real-estate developer accustomed to battling local residents. In the early
1990s, Drumpf found himself stuck in a costly divorce just as the real-estate
markets began to slide. He talked shit openly about the $3 million a year in
maintenance costs that the estate was costing him. He proposed subdividing the
17-acre property into smaller lots for residential development. Hummmmmmm………That
set the stage for Drumpf’s first big battle with the Palm Beach leaders. The
town, which years earlier had approved a subdivision proposal for the site from
another developer, rejected Mr. Trump's plan, setting the stage for him to sue
for $50 million. He dropped the suit when an idea emerged to turn the crib into
a private club. The town council agreed to that shit, but placed restrictions
on the club, such as allowing no more than 500 members. In the spring of 1995,
the Mar-a-Lago Club officially opened, and is now charging $75,000 for
membership, plus annual dues. 75,000……75,000……75,000
So here’s the shit: Mar-a-Lago
wasn’t even a real club before Drumpf’s arrival, it was a private
residence. It was a crib. Trump needed to make some cash real fast,
so he tried to make it into 17 separate residential properties he could sell or
lease, which the city council rejected. That’s when he decided to make it
a private club with a $75,000 annual membership fee, like some of other
local clubs. Most of those clubs were segregated, his new club was not,
and he used that fact as a way to cry that he was being discriminated against by the city. Whoa!!
After the council refused to lift
the restrictions, Drumpf filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Palm Beach, saying
that the town was discriminating against Mar-a-Lago, in part because it is open
to Jews and African-Americans. The suit seeks $100 million in damages. Even the
Anti-Defamation League in New York, which in a 1994 battle forced Palm Beach's
Sailfish Club to open up its membership, was concerned that Drumpf was using the charge of anti-Semitism for his
own monied ends. The league's national director, Abraham Foxman, met
with Drumpf soon after to let out his concerns. According to Mr. Foxman, Drumpf
agreed to modify his claims to allege only that the town council has treated
Mar-a-Lago unfairly, compared with other clubs in town.
So just to set the motherfuckin
record straight: He was in fact trying to get a better deal out of the Palm
Beach City Council for his club, not doing anyone else a favor. However
since then, generally speaking, he really hasn’t done anything else for us Black
people. Not really. Not at all! But now he says he’s our only hope. Now he
says only he can make things better for us. And he starts out by saying
things have never been worse for us, “ever ever ever.” Do you understand
why that’s not a comforting appeal? If not, I’ll let Don Lemon explain it for me. Thoughts?
Friday, March 4
THE RENT A NEGRO PLACEMENT AGENCY
The Rent a Negro placement
agency will start gettin a helluva lotta calls from the Trump campaign starting
today! They will no doubt need some Negro faces for the ample camera shots that
will focus on the campaign as he starts to give all of his victory speeches. If
the Rent a Negro agency depended on Hillary or Bernie they would fuckin go
broke, because Negroes are going to show up at their rallies free of charge. Trump
still can't convince me, or most of us with a brain that he is not a poisonous
racist…. or at least trying to play to em….so the perfect Negro placement will
be particularly important for his ass. This is the dude who had the Secret
Service kick out approximately 30 Black kids from a campaign rally before it
even started, is just proof that Trump is a racist. And by the way, the Secret
Service is for the protection of the principle, not for ruffing up the coloreds.
As I watched Super Tuesday returns on television, and the Trump strategy to
clean up with the racist good ole boys and gals seemed to work. The networks called Georgia and some other
Southern states real fuckin early, so if you people in America with a
conscience thought that Trump letting his Klan flag fly would hurt him, you are
very wrong. Hillary's Black wall strategy seems to be working as well. Those
Southern Negroes are coming out for her big time. (Memo to Bernie: You can't
campaign with Niggas such as Cornel West and expect to beat Hillary among Black
folks. In case you didn't notice, those folks hate Obama almost as much as Republicans
do, and sadly for them, Black folks still love President Obama.) Bernie should
have paid me for my advice. I could have saved him a lot of wasted
resources.
Wednesday, September 9
BOY, I SURE MISS GEORGE JACKSON……………..``BLOOD IN MY EYE’’
I many times
have drawn from George Jackson in my posts/articles, but no amount of lil citations
or lonely articles can do his political contribution real justice. His knowledge
is critical in our current period of a never-ending war waged all over the
world against us Black folk. He always drew on the best of Malcolm X in his blistering
critiques of the bankrupt left and Black opportunists that would become our Black
misleadership class.
But perhaps the greatest gift Jackson gave to me
personally was his deep knowledge of strategy and organization. Throughout “Blood
in My Eye” you can find entire sections dedicated to urban guerrilla warfare (much
needed right now) and political organization. Jackson came to the conclusion
that a revolutionary movement required three elements: an above ground
organization that carries out political work, an independent media, and an
underground organization committed to creating crises for the establishment. Hum……..Tea
Party!
He went further
and emphasized the necessity of ideology and demands. DEMANDS!!
According to
brother George, without either, those attracted to the struggle for justice
will merely become "Amerikans" again after each demonstration,
protest, or political activity. For Jackson, the revolutionary task was to
develop soldiers for freedom, while "Amerikans" are at any given
moment subject to performing duties as soldiers for the racist American Empire.
Get it? Hum…………………………….
Jackson's
organizational skills and revolutionary ideology inspired the mutinous prison
movement of the 60's and 70's. When Jackson was murdered, the majority of Attica
prisoners fasted in tribute to his life. (Majority) A week later, they conducted
a heroic rebellion for dignity behind the walls, and later state sanctioned massacred.
(Assassinated) For you youngsters this is popularly known as the Attica
Rebellion. That was then, this is motherfuckin now. Most Black folk who live in
America have never heard of George Jackson. His work has been continually repressed
by imperialism along with the ideas that his struggle represented.
Current
conditions in America certainly reflect much of what Jackson wrote in his essay
"After the Revolution Has Failed." In this chapter, Jackson concludes
that a combination of reform and repression set back the revolutionary struggle.
This same analysis remains important today. Rapid technological changes,
austerity, stop and frisk, mass police surveillance, and the killing of unarmed
Black men have taken their toll on Black folk’s consciousness. These are but a
few changes that arose in concert with the growth of a labor and Black
misleadership class to blunt the revolutionary consciousness of oppressed people
in America.
As
developments such as Black Lives Matter continue to form an identity under the
conditions of 21st century racism, a return to the works of George Jackson will
give us a critical lesson on the importance of political consciousness in the
fight for a new world. As Jackson notes, “We are faced with the task of a
raising a positive mobilization of revolutionary consciousness in a mass that
has ‘gone through’ a contra-positive, authoritarian process.” DAMN!!!
Did yawl know
that brother George’s corpse was thrown on top of 99 books that he kept in his
cell directly after his assassination? His deep knowledge of history and theory
helped him forge the first theoretical framework of the Mass Black
Incarceration State. Jackson also made critical contributions to revolutionary
strategy in his analysis of guerrilla warfare and political organization. One
of his most important contributions to the struggle today is the work he put in
to build unity among the oppressed and clarity on the character of the
oppressor state. Although much has changed since his death, racist actions by
the right have become more common and acute. We must introduce revolutionaries
such as George Jackson in any conversation about building a radical movement in
this time so that more like him can develop in the flesh. GEORGE JACKSON’S LIFE
TRULY MATTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, September 20
WAS I RIGHT ABOUT OBAMA?
So
that’s my first Angry Black Man question, and I know it’s a lot
of ground to cover, but how do you feel things have worked out since
then, both with the economy and with this President? That was a huge
turning point, that moment in 2008, and my own feeling is that we
didn’t turn. Hum? No, the thing is he posed as a progressive and
turned out to be a counterfeit brother. We ended up with a Wall
Street President, a drone President, a national security President.
The torturers go free. The Wall Street executives go free. The war
crimes in the Middle East, especially in Gaza, the war criminals go
free.
And
yet, you know, he acted as if he was both a progressive and as if he
was concerned about the issues of serious injustice and inequality
and it turned out that he’s just another neoliberal centrist with a
slick smile, a tan suit, and nice rhetorical flair. Damn!!
And
that’s a very sad moment in the history of the country because we
are—we’re an empire in decline. Our Black culture is in
increasing decay. Our inner-city school systems are in deep trouble.
Our political system is dysfunctional. Our leaders are more and more
bought off with legalized bribery and normalized corruption in
Congress and too much of our personal life. You would think that we
needed somebody……. A transformational President who could revive
some democratic spirit and democratic possibility…That’s exactly
what everyone was saying at the time, especially us Black folk.
That’s right. That’s true. It was like, “We finally got
somebody who can help us poor folk.” And he posed as if he was a
kind of an Abe Lincoln. Hum? Yeah. That’s what everyone was saying,
especially us Black folk.
And
we ended up with a motherfuckin brown-faced Bill Clinton. Another
opportunist…. Another neoliberal opportunist! It’s like, “Oh,
no, don’t tell me that!” I tell you this, because I got hit hard
years ago, but everywhere I go now, it’s “Brother Norton, I see
what you were saying. Brother Norton, you were right. Angry Black
Man, your language was harsh and it was difficult to take, but you
turned out to be absolutely right.” And, of course with Ferguson,
you get it reconfirmed even among the people within his own circle
now, you see. It’s a sad thing. It’s like you’re looking for
John Coltrane and you get Kenny G in brown skin.
My
persistent, consistent, constant and piercing criticism of President
Obama is, for the most part, painfully true. Even Obama’s most
loyal and devoted supporters know that my analysis is factual and
true.
I
was really wrong about one thing. Obama never campaigned as a true
progressive. Ending poverty was not a top priority during his
campaigns. He never campaigned as a Black activist. He never promised
to be a strong advocate for us Black folk. In fact, his rise to
national prominence was based on his out-of-touch post-racial
rhetoric about one America during the 2004 Democratic National
Convention.
No
one should be surprised when the Obama Administration and its silly
parrots constantly repeat the silly motto that “he is not just the
President of Black America.” You will never ever hear any other
group of people embracing and repeating such a self-defeating and
pathetic slogan. Imagine the Jews saying Obama is not just the
President of Jewish America. Imagine the LGBT community saying that
Obama is not just the President of gay America. Imagine the Hispanic
community saying that Obama is not just the President of immigrant
America. Imagine white feminists saying Obama is not just the
President of women. Those groups would never spout such bullshit.
Unlike
our Black community, those groups do not surrender. They do not
accept symbols over silly ass substance. They vigorously push their
agenda. Unfortunately, we Black folks are pacified by symbols and
gestures. We are so drunk with Obama-aide and infatuated with the
concept of a Black President that many of us have lost our complete
motherfuckin minds and our principles. Besides, no one should be
surprised by Obama’s stance on the recent crisis in Israel and
Gaza. Obama never campaigned as a friend of the Palestinian people.
Like all of the clowns before him, Obama bowed down before the altars
of AIPAC and Israel. During his first and second campaigns, Obama
laced up his shoes and tap danced for em like Bojangles. Damn!!
A
majority of Black folks avoid that truth by contrasting Obama and his
past election opponents Mitt Romney and John McCain. Clearly, I think
Obama was the better choice in those elections. That is why I voted
for him. Unfortunately, both parties are owned by Wall Street and
AIPAC. In this two party corporate dictatorship we call America, true
progressive candidates and parties are not viable alternatives. Too
often, they just can't get elected. They don’t have the money and
resources to compete with the Democrats and the Republicans on a
national level. They don’t receive the same level of media
attention as the corporate parties. Until those changes, we are
forced to settle for people like Barack Obama. Do not be mad at me,
its just a painful truth, and to tell you the truth..........shit
ain’t getting any better!!!!!!!
Thursday, September 11
LEAVE MY BLACK WOMEN ALONE!!!!
Listen…those of you in the Black community
who love to play respectability politics, particularly when Black women are at
the receiving end of the disrespect, can complain about how repulsive a
specific segment of Black women are all you want, but what does the act of
shaming a Black woman accomplish, exactly? Who are you brothers trying to impress,
when you loudly declare how immeasurable you've made the divide between
yourselves and those very women, in a sorry ass bid to prove how respectable
and ‘unlike them’ you really are?
As for the stereotypes about the
frightening Angry Black Woman, I’ve concluded a long time ago, that no matter
what any Black woman does, she’ll always continue to come under harsh scrutiny;
whether it’s from the white folks gaze, us Black men, other people of color, or
other Black women. Whether they’re docile, educated, upwardly mobile,
successful, or have a recurring date to have a drink with Michelle Obama,
society will always stigmatize Black female behavior. Black women aren't saints.
None of them are infallible….they’re subject to stumble, hurt, make stupid
choices, and experience the range of circumstances and emotions just like
everyone else gets to work through. But because they’re expected to continue
playing mule alongside our Black male ego and remain unflappable but silent,
they’re humanity goes unrecognized. Yes it does, I know! Anti-Black woman
sentiment and castigation doesn’t have a genuine or vested interest in what it
is exactly, that’s making young Black women tick and lash out, because it’s
much easier to gaslight, grind and ax, and to continue marginalizing them. Even
Michelle Obama isn't above the hurtful critiques, or having stereotypes attributed to her…….hum?
Black women needing to have valid critiques
and conversations about the public displays of destructive and at-risk behavior
young Black women are caught exhibiting, goes without saying. But they need to
be productive and broken down accordingly, because it’s definitely a lot deeper
than 5-6 minute viral videos.
They need to ask legitimate questions; like
why many of them support websites like World Star Hip Hop, who thrive on seeing
Black women under pressure? And why they continue to feed into the inflammatory
commentary it stimulates? And while it makes them retreat, dismissing a poor
Black woman as a hood-rat because of her lower socioeconomic lot in life, or to
say she isn’t worthy of her humanity, mental health or rehabilitation, and
deserves to have violent acts perpetrated against her for shits and giggles, is
troubling; regardless of how far away Black women distance themselves from it. For
those Black women, like Michelle Obama, Toni Morrison, and others, who have the
mental capacity and wherewithal to remove themselves from the critical gaze of
people who don’t deem them as worthy of protection and who’d rather write them
off as angry and bitter, and who rejoice at seeing them at their lowest point,
do so immediately… for your own growth, self-preservation and peace of mind;
and if you feel inclined or have the resources to do so, mentor those young
women and girls who haven’t mastered the art of navigating their circumstances.
Because continuing to pander to folks who talk over you and are adamant about
telling you who they think you are, it’s a destructive dance.
Thursday, July 31
SUPPORT PALESTINE…..and here’s why!!
As the bloodshed continues in the Middle East , the search for a reasonable
solution must come to grips with the real cause of the conflict. Most Americans
believe that even if both sides are at fault, the Palestinians are unreasonable
terrorists who have no point of view worth listening to. Really!
My position, however, is that the
Palestinians have a real live grievance: their homeland for over a thousand
years was taken, without their consent and by force, during the creation of the
state of Israel . And all future
crimes, by both sides are birthed from this original injustice.
This post outlines the history of Palestine to show how this
process occurred and what a moral solution to the region’s problems should
consist of. If you care about the people of the Middle East , Jewish and Arab,
you owe it to yourself to read this account of the other side of the historical
record.
The bullshit Zionist position is that they
showed up in Palestine late in the19th
century to repossess their ancestral homeland. Jews bought land and started
building up the Jewish community there. They were met with violent opposition
from the Palestinian Arabs; I assume stemming from the Arabs’ hate of Jews. The
Zionists were then forced to defend themselves, and in one form or another,
this same situation continues up to right now!!
The problem with this sorry ass explanation
is that it’s simply not true.
What really happened was that the Zionist,
from the beginning, looked forward to a practically complete removal of the native
Arab population so that Israel could be a wholly
Jewish state or as much as was possible. Land bought by the Jewish National
Fund was held in the name of the Jewish people and could never be sold or even
leased back to Arabs (this same shit continues today).
The Arab community, as it became more and
more aware of the Zionists’ intentions, persistently opposed further Jewish
immigration and land buying because it posed a clear and present danger to the
very existence of Arab society in Palestine . Because of this
opposition, the entire Zionist project never could have been realized without
the military backing of the British.
A huge majority of
the population of Palestine , by the way, had
been Arabic since the seventh century A.D. (Over 1300 years) Hum?
In short, Zionism was based on a flawed,
colonialist world view, that the rights of the native inhabitants didn’t matter
one bit. The Arabs’ opposition to Zionism wasn’t really based on anti-Semitism,
but on a totally reasonable fear of the removal of their people.
One further point: my Jewish friends say
that my position is very critical of Zionism but is in no way anti-Semitic. Hum
again? I don’t believe that the Jews acted worse than any other group might
have acted in their situation. The Zionists had an understandable desire to
establish a place where Jews could be masters of their own destiny, given the
history of Jewish oppression. Especially as the danger to European Jewry crystallized
in 1937 and after, the actions of the Zionists featured real desperation.
But so were the actions of the Arabs. The
mythic land without people for a people without land was already home to
700,000 Palestinians in 1919. This is the root of the problem, as we are
witnessing right now!!
Wednesday, July 16
DON’T FORGET……THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, NO LIES PLEASE…..
After the decision by the United States Supreme Court a
while back regarding Affirmative Action, a gazillion articles have been written
for or against it. This post/article will do neither. It’s about time for the
Black community to get off the merry-go-round of lies that have been peddled to
us for way too many years and start working on our own rules for success and
full access to the supposed American Dream!
The right-wing’s quiet debate about
affirmative action is nothing but a thick smoke screen of false sounds bites
and dazzling silence that has ignored the truth in order to paint a false
picture for us. Affirmative Action has been the favorite whipping post of white
folks for decades. It’s the beauty that continues to be defined as a damn
beast. Most of the debate around affirmative action has been centered on the diversion
of racial preferences.
White America is being very hypocritical to
blame us when we use the racial preference card when it comes to college
admissions and/or government contracts, but has vast resources directed their
way every day based on race and their historical advantages.
These advantages based on race happen every
day, but have roots in years past. The white folks have access to a strong
network that is based on family and neighborhood ties that were built over
generations where us Black folk were intentionally barred from competing in
those areas is a preference based on race. Their wealth that was/is passed on
from generation to generation that was gained because of slavery, segregation,
and/or discrimination of Black people is a preference based on race. It does
not matter one bit, that today that same discrimination is illegal as long as
the fruits from the past discrimination are still ripe to help give white
people an advantage. Understand?
Affirmative Action ain’t about reparations for
us Black folks for past discrimination. It’s not about handing out preferences
based on race (although America already does a
good job against Black folks). It’s about doing away with the racial, gender,
and ethnic preferences that really are the biggest part of our society today.
It’s actually about merit. Merit ain’t what
your momma or what your daddy or your granddaddy did. It’s not how well a
silver or bronze or gold or platinum spoon fits into your damn mouth. It is
about you. What have you done on your own?
Very few people stand on their own.
Most of us stand on the shoulders of the people that came before us, so
if your father’s or grandfather’s or mother’s or grandmother’s shoulders were
bent outta shape due to the weight of the discrimination of their time, then
you may not be able to reach as many stars as someone without that
disadvantage. Understand?
When a white kid that grew up in a good to
elite school system with an abundance of good food to eat, no fear at all going
to and from school, has enough money to pay tutors to get ready for the SAT and
ACT, has good grades and great test scores, is it nature or nurture? Hum?? The
same can be asked about the Black kid that has average grades and scores but
grew up in a screwed up public school system where failure is not only expected
it is embraced, and yet this proud student is able to exceed all expectations. Is
that nature or nurture? Who is really
more impressive? Understand?
There is a tremendous wealth and
opportunity gap in America and there always
will be. While the wealth gap is real and proven, the opportunity gap may not
be completely proven; and the real problem is that both gaps are based on
racial preferences.
The wealth gap numbers speak for themselves
don’t they, and are appalling. The opportunity gap may be a lot smaller than it
was during Jim Crow, but it’s still there, and it’s still there because of the
lack of opportunity for Black people. Those gaps continue for a helluva lotta
reasons, the least of which is the institutional racism that still exist today.
But, those gaps are based on very real racial preferences, really hidden by the
lies of omission (we never discuss these truths), and the false excuses given
to distract us from the height of inequity built upon a discriminatory system
that is essentially pure racist.
White folk believe that affirmative action
is used to give undeserving and unqualified Black students admission to so-called
elite universities solely based on their race, gender, or ethnicity. Bullshit!! The funny thing is I can’t find
anybody to define what is qualified or who is the most qualified. You tell
me….who most deserves to get into a highly competitive, highly selective, and
highly ranked state university? Does the
student with access to the most money and resources deserve to be admitted
first? Understand?
Should the admission pecking order be based
on the student’s past achievements, even if those same achievements may be because
of being born into a family with vast resources as it is the student’s inner
drive? Should it be based on a student’s
established track record of overcoming obstacles and barriers to their success? Should it be based on the student’s
likeliness of success in college? Should
it be based on being able to provide a unique perspective of life in the
pursuit of higher learning than most of the other student body? Should it be based on all of the above? Hum?
I
just can’t find anyone willing to step up and answer those questions. Instead
we’re left with white folk, elitist fiction, that only the students that have
the best grades, test scores, and activities have earned the right to admission
in the small number of so-called elite schools that they believe are the only warehouse
of knowledge. The definition of who is qualified will always favor white people,
while evading the reality that a big part of who is most qualified is flawed
and biased, giving them a huge advantage. A big part of the current system of grading
students for admission to college is really screwed up. It’s screwed up in
large part due to the white belief in standardized tests that can’t predict success
in college, but the same tests are very good at giving an advantage to white
kids with resources and disadvantaging Black kids.
Surprise!
Surprise! Surprise!
The bottom line is this. Our community has
to stop accepting the lies of the past and start thinking for ourselves. We
have to be clear about our own paths to success. We have to build, maintain,
and reinforce our own networks to build our own wealth and power, which
includes more funding and attending HBCUs.
We can no longer be slaves to the white folk’s definition of what a
relevant school is or what qualified means.
Tuesday, July 8
OUR OBAMA DILEMA………..where the hell do we go from here!?!?
Angry Note: I apologize, because I realize
the nature of what you're about to read is sure to irritate and piss some of yawl
off, and confuse other Black folk. No, I'm not saying I would have voted for
anyone else. I'm simply saying that I'm not altogether pleased with the dude I
did vote for. Just trying to keep it real for the masses…
Six and a half years into this whole
"Black President" thing and I'm willing to admit a whole lotta of us
might have gotten it wrong. No, I'm not talking about whether voting for Obama
over McCain in 2008 was the right call, nor whether voting for Obama over 47%
Mitt was the right call in 2012.
What the hell I’m talkin about is the
insistence of some folk in Black America that electing a Black President would
make the lives of everyday Black folks better. Many of yawl thought this would
magically raise achievement of Black students, magically get more Black folks
to tie the knot, magically transport Black men from the trap house to Morehouse,
and magically get the sistas off the pole, and turned into a new generation of
Claire Huxtables. Personally, I always thought this shit was some pie in the
sky, "Success by Osmosis" bullshit talk. I've expressed doubt about
this repeatedly here and in my blog over the years, and many of you have
expressed your mean disagreement with me. Shit still happens don’t it?
Still, I thought the election of a Black
President would finally bring some real concrete benefits to my beloved Black
community, but what we got was a few thousand streets named after him, and some
schools renamed after him. I know yawl gettin madder by the word, but just
follow me down my yellow brick road of truth……..
I believed in his promise to start
"Urban Empowerment Zones" to help drive economic development in the
hood, his promise to copy the "Harlem Children's Zone" model and take
it to the hood to fix fucked up public schools, and his promise to make a
change in crack/powder cocaine sentencing, well, he did address that. I mean,
this shit was actually on his campaign website back in 2007, putting each and
every dream and aspiration of our entire race onto this one man. So yeah, I
expected that much, at least with that much, we would have gained some benefits
explicitly for us Black folk. Was it fair of us to expect more?
Remember when
folks like Tavis Smiley and Cornell West were tryin their best to get folks to
ask questions and get more involved in Obama's supposed "Black
Platform" during the election? Next
thing you know, they start gettin treated like traitors to the Black race.
Obama would be "America 's President",
not "Black America's President" after all. Everybody started callin
these dudes haters for just asking the President to take us seriously, the same
Black folks that went harder for him than any other. Sure, the timing and them
both sometimes hatin damaged their points, but hell, in retrospect, those
points were very valid.
Fast forward six and one half years, and well,
what they warned us about has come true. Obama has paid very little attention
to the Black community beyond the usual lip service and lecturing, then after 6
½ long years along comes the………..‘Promise Keepers’ initiative. Yea, paradin Jay
Z and Beyoncé’s ass in and out of the White House makes him seem cooler than W,
but I've always been more concerned about the lack of Black folk in White House
making decisions and pushing our policy.
With just one exception of flyin into Chicago to lecture Black
folks about personal responsibility (and to use them as props for gun control),
O has been about as visible in the hood as Rush Limbaugh. Sure, him, Michelle, and the kids will drop
into a Black church or show up at a Black commencement speech every now and
then to keep his street cred, but the topic of his speeches are always the same:
"Ya'll niggas need to stop fuckin' up
so much and get like me." Hell yea, he’d help more people "get like
him" if he pushed some actual laws that helped "us", but what's
a fuckin minor detail like policy in the grand scheme of things?
I just don’t
understand the lack of intense concern for our Black communities….last week on
the 4th of July, some outlandishly ignorant negroes opened fire all
around Chicago, killin folk (including kids), the White House didn’t do shit
but issue the typical "yeah, we're sorry that happened to you" press
release. There was no press conference, nothin! No call to examine gun laws
again. No promise to ensure children in Chi-town could go and light sparklers
in the future without worrying about getting sprayed with an AK-47. No nothing,
really. Seriously!
Now I know the right-wing has used all the
racist tactics in the world to derail any meaningful legislation, and my
disappointment in the President is not….let me repeat, not personal. But, at
this point, I just feel let down. Am I wrong?
Tuesday, June 24
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
I was watching old footage from Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in his last speech to the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC), “Where Do We Go from Here?” This was probably King’s most
militant speech during the last year of his life and…the title of his
posthumously published book. Ok, aside from it being a speech and a book title,
I believe it’s something that our present-day Black society needs to consider strongly.
No, this ain’t 1967, but in 2014, I think Dr. King is still pushin our asses to
ask ourselves the difficult questions of not just how our society is being
defined, but how we live in it, our future, and how we connect with each other.
What do we value?
A dude I kinda like, Yasiin Bey (used to be
Mos Def), best captures my point. In his creative come-back to Jay-Z and Kanye
West’s cut, “Niggas in Paris” called, “Niggas in Poorest” he ends the song by begging
us listeners, “Don’t get caught up in no throne,” and he says this shit nine
times…hell, he shoulda said it nine more. Besides that bein a fine piece of
artistic shit, Bey is doin more than just flippin Mr. Carter and Mr. West’s hit
album on its head for the sake of what a lot of folks think is a ‘diss record.’
Bey is getting at the fact that many of us Black folk seek and are defined by
the very trinkets and shiny things that are mentioned and celebrated in “Niggas
in Paris .” Understand?
Might
as well keep goin…..what’s really fucked up and really damaging to us are the
ones who have the ability to help, even on a small scale, but won’t because
they want to protect their “alleged” class status like a goddamn government
secret. I’ll give you an example. Remember back when it was a whole lot of
folks signin petitions or writing letters in support of Trayvon Martin as a
show of solidarity. I know of one group of Black men, who belong to an
organization founded to help provide positive engagement within the Black
community, who said they weren’t interested in writing any letters or signin no
petitions because the Martin case had nothing to do with them. Damn hypocrites!
These types of Black folk are
more dangerous than any racist. They suffer from the Pharisee Complex. They’re
defined by their nearness to white power and perceived privilege, and to hell
with us regular niggas who dare to compromise their happy little bullshit world.
This is just one example of how time and time again; we turn our back to the
voiceless, while watering down the integrity of our communities and any
movement for justice. A lot of them fools want to be seen as “down for the
cause” and “real,” but when you need just a lil bit of help, they start acting
real white…….but one step better than that of their oppressors. In the Book of
Luke, when Christ chastises the Pharisees he unequivocally mentions their love
for the “uppermost seats and the synagogues and greetings in the markets,”
which ain’t no different than them fake brothers and sisters who want to be recognized
as “important” in church, in their communities, etc., but just ain’t willing to
do the work required for the respect. The thought of servant leadership is lost
on em.
I now
return to Dr. King’s question, “Where do we go from here?” We must first determine
where we are. Hum? Then we need to beware of the ones who try to offer the new
fangled illusion of hope, change, and empowerment, but only want to associate in
the abstract. Yea, rhetoric is good for inspirin folks, but after the rallies
are over, and the shit that’s important to our community are no longer part of
the 24-hour news cycle, we need the brilliance, creativity, passion, and
imagination of those brothers and sisters willing to do the work required to
pick up where our ancestors left off. We need those who are ready to fight for justice
for our people and our communities…but remember as Yasiin Bey says, “Don’t get
caught up in no throne. I’m out!
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