All the news feed reports on these pro/anti rallies against fascists and white supremacy, or whatever you want to call them, read like these gatherings are the cutting edge of the struggle against inhumanity. And I'm not throwing shade at those of you participating in those rallies. I understand the emotional pull to challenge these anti-human values by showing up whenever and wherever they appear. I'm just here to tell you why you won't be seeing large numbers of African people at these events. Sure, some of us will show up because like all other people, we are a diverse people, but the masses of us will not be participating. And for any people claiming to be truly concerned about eradicating white supremacy, no matter what your nationality, you should want to know why the people mostly impacted by white supremacy aren't leading up that charge to show up (especially if you are African).
We are often talking about the need to be scientific and strategic in our organizing work. We say that all the time understanding that many of us approach this work from the exact opposite pole e.g. emotionally charged participation. Of course, emotion is important and has its place, but we will not defeat the enemies we face relying on emotion. So, despite the fact many people are still riding that emotional train, we will continue to write about it because enough people read this site, and others like it, that we know our analysis and actions are having a positive impact.
The first issue is that the right wing reactionaries objectively incorporate more science in their approach than many of you so-called left activists. The reactionaries are doing more organizing - door to door building relationships - work than you are. And, I would argue that their approach with these so-called "pro-Trump" rallies is another way they are being much more strategic than you are. You should never want to have your entire strategy based on reacting to your enemies and that's exactly what you all are doing when every time they say they are going to be somewhere your entire agenda is showing up to prevent them from doing so. You are playing entirely into their hands. Can't you see they are setting the stage for you to show up so that they can organize against you. This is what they are doing by attempting to exploit that young woman in Berkeley by obtaining and rebroadcasting her alleged pornographic appearances in videos. Please don't miss the point. As far as I'm concerned, that young woman can do whatever she wants. Her personal life isn't my point. The point is now they have many of you reacting to that, posting and running around talking about her rights to do porn if she wants. This is exactly what they want you to do because now the focus is on some sort of ill relevant moral argument while the capitalist/white supremacist/patriarchal system continues on unabated.
Then, they've now got lots of you reacting to them organizing gun clubs or whatever it is they are supposed to be doing. Do you see a sorry trend here? The entire narrative is being set by your so-called enemies. I say so-called because many of you are doing so much work that is advancing their agenda that its hard sometimes for me to tell who's side you are on. And, its even harder for me to convince revolutionary African organizers that you are on our side. Its not that we don't understand their tactics. We were and continue to be the targets of these people and their tactics before you even knew they existed. The only difference is because we have so much experience with them, we are much more effective at operating in spite of their terrorism than you are. We have an extensive body of work that demonstrates that, but many of you don't appear to be that interested in growing in this work. Still, we are here for those who are interested, wherever you are.
Anyway, some well intended folks, of which there are clearly many of you out here, may ask what it is you can do to be productive? We say again that instead of reacting to this scum at every turn...I have to just say, I was sufficiently amused by the postings of many good people from my old town Portland yesterday about some clown march they had there. People were highly upset at some white piece of trash who marched around yelling the n word. I mean people were really hurt and offended by this guy as if Europeans had declared some moratorium on the use of the n word and this guy violated some 5000 year ban by using it. Again, some people are so soft I have to explain. I don't use the n word and I haven't used it in over three decades, so please don't take this to mean I'm saying the n word is not a problem. What I'm saying is the n word is as much as part of the history of this world as anything else you can think of. That word has been profitable for centuries from hair products using it 100 years ago to popular culture songs using it today. Its been that way since the establishment of colonialism and the subsequent financing of industrialization through the exploitation of African people 500+ years ago. The entire time, dehumanizing African people has been the method in which capitalism has maintained its dominance over 6 billion people worldwide. So, pardon me if I choose not to be the least bit concerned if one two bit, lacking a bath, brainless piece of rat manure decides to walk out on a Portland street with the rag of capitalism draped from his disgusting shoulders yelling the n word. When some of you see that your emotions overwhelm you. You have to practice not letting that happen because that's exactly what they want you to do. When I see that trash man I don't wonder anything about him because he can't touch my power. In fact, I know the real reason he's out there is because the capitalist system is robbing him of his power and he doesn't have the brain matter or courage to do anything about that so he directs his cowardly anger towards the African masses because he can without consequence (today at least). So, I don't wonder anything about him. Instead, I wonder about you. Why it is you can so continuously get caught up in the trap his handlers are setting for you? Why it is that you don't engage a strategy to beat those creatures to the punch and instead of just marching in parades, you start going door to door to talk to those communities of people before the white supremacists can get to them? Why it is that you aren't talking to those communities about how this capitalist system is playing all of us against one another and why we need to decide to not continue letting them win at our expense? Why you aren't building institutions to teach people how to organize against this system? Why you don't see that if we don't start building relationships with people we aren't going to change anything?
I know the answer to those questions, but what's important is that we make sure everyone knows the answers so we can start behaving differently, more productively. Newsflash! We know this society is racist to the core. The largest impediment for us is that so many people don't know that. So, in a way, we are looking at these fools coming out as an opportunity for us to more effectively do our organizing work because with them out there, its much harder for our people to deny the truth. That means its even harder for people in white communities to deny it because its your families, co-workers, neighbors, etc., who are out there yelling in support of Trump and the capitalist system. So, I'm wondering why you are reacting to all of this like little helpless children instead of taking the bull by the horn and attacking the problem head on by doing real organizing work?
Trust me. I don't care what those people say or what their shirts say, etc., they don't want a race war. If they did, they would come to the suffering African and Indigenous communities with that message. Their objective is to side rail you and the reason not many of us are out there is because after 500+ years of this trauma, we know that. Or, at the very least, we know that if there are lots of police, that's not where we want to be. Its where we can be effective. I know some/many of you are new to this work. Five years ago when you were ignoring those of us who were then trying to tell you what was happening, you weren't engaging in ways that would enhance your experience levels. Well, Sekou Ture said that its not where you are, its how far you have come. So, maybe you should use all of this to sit down and really consider when it becomes time for you to take a real journey doing the real work that needs to be done? Ii mean, isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing the same way over and over and expecting something different to result?
We are often talking about the need to be scientific and strategic in our organizing work. We say that all the time understanding that many of us approach this work from the exact opposite pole e.g. emotionally charged participation. Of course, emotion is important and has its place, but we will not defeat the enemies we face relying on emotion. So, despite the fact many people are still riding that emotional train, we will continue to write about it because enough people read this site, and others like it, that we know our analysis and actions are having a positive impact.
The first issue is that the right wing reactionaries objectively incorporate more science in their approach than many of you so-called left activists. The reactionaries are doing more organizing - door to door building relationships - work than you are. And, I would argue that their approach with these so-called "pro-Trump" rallies is another way they are being much more strategic than you are. You should never want to have your entire strategy based on reacting to your enemies and that's exactly what you all are doing when every time they say they are going to be somewhere your entire agenda is showing up to prevent them from doing so. You are playing entirely into their hands. Can't you see they are setting the stage for you to show up so that they can organize against you. This is what they are doing by attempting to exploit that young woman in Berkeley by obtaining and rebroadcasting her alleged pornographic appearances in videos. Please don't miss the point. As far as I'm concerned, that young woman can do whatever she wants. Her personal life isn't my point. The point is now they have many of you reacting to that, posting and running around talking about her rights to do porn if she wants. This is exactly what they want you to do because now the focus is on some sort of ill relevant moral argument while the capitalist/white supremacist/patriarchal system continues on unabated.
Then, they've now got lots of you reacting to them organizing gun clubs or whatever it is they are supposed to be doing. Do you see a sorry trend here? The entire narrative is being set by your so-called enemies. I say so-called because many of you are doing so much work that is advancing their agenda that its hard sometimes for me to tell who's side you are on. And, its even harder for me to convince revolutionary African organizers that you are on our side. Its not that we don't understand their tactics. We were and continue to be the targets of these people and their tactics before you even knew they existed. The only difference is because we have so much experience with them, we are much more effective at operating in spite of their terrorism than you are. We have an extensive body of work that demonstrates that, but many of you don't appear to be that interested in growing in this work. Still, we are here for those who are interested, wherever you are.
Anyway, some well intended folks, of which there are clearly many of you out here, may ask what it is you can do to be productive? We say again that instead of reacting to this scum at every turn...I have to just say, I was sufficiently amused by the postings of many good people from my old town Portland yesterday about some clown march they had there. People were highly upset at some white piece of trash who marched around yelling the n word. I mean people were really hurt and offended by this guy as if Europeans had declared some moratorium on the use of the n word and this guy violated some 5000 year ban by using it. Again, some people are so soft I have to explain. I don't use the n word and I haven't used it in over three decades, so please don't take this to mean I'm saying the n word is not a problem. What I'm saying is the n word is as much as part of the history of this world as anything else you can think of. That word has been profitable for centuries from hair products using it 100 years ago to popular culture songs using it today. Its been that way since the establishment of colonialism and the subsequent financing of industrialization through the exploitation of African people 500+ years ago. The entire time, dehumanizing African people has been the method in which capitalism has maintained its dominance over 6 billion people worldwide. So, pardon me if I choose not to be the least bit concerned if one two bit, lacking a bath, brainless piece of rat manure decides to walk out on a Portland street with the rag of capitalism draped from his disgusting shoulders yelling the n word. When some of you see that your emotions overwhelm you. You have to practice not letting that happen because that's exactly what they want you to do. When I see that trash man I don't wonder anything about him because he can't touch my power. In fact, I know the real reason he's out there is because the capitalist system is robbing him of his power and he doesn't have the brain matter or courage to do anything about that so he directs his cowardly anger towards the African masses because he can without consequence (today at least). So, I don't wonder anything about him. Instead, I wonder about you. Why it is you can so continuously get caught up in the trap his handlers are setting for you? Why it is that you don't engage a strategy to beat those creatures to the punch and instead of just marching in parades, you start going door to door to talk to those communities of people before the white supremacists can get to them? Why it is that you aren't talking to those communities about how this capitalist system is playing all of us against one another and why we need to decide to not continue letting them win at our expense? Why you aren't building institutions to teach people how to organize against this system? Why you don't see that if we don't start building relationships with people we aren't going to change anything?
I know the answer to those questions, but what's important is that we make sure everyone knows the answers so we can start behaving differently, more productively. Newsflash! We know this society is racist to the core. The largest impediment for us is that so many people don't know that. So, in a way, we are looking at these fools coming out as an opportunity for us to more effectively do our organizing work because with them out there, its much harder for our people to deny the truth. That means its even harder for people in white communities to deny it because its your families, co-workers, neighbors, etc., who are out there yelling in support of Trump and the capitalist system. So, I'm wondering why you are reacting to all of this like little helpless children instead of taking the bull by the horn and attacking the problem head on by doing real organizing work?
Trust me. I don't care what those people say or what their shirts say, etc., they don't want a race war. If they did, they would come to the suffering African and Indigenous communities with that message. Their objective is to side rail you and the reason not many of us are out there is because after 500+ years of this trauma, we know that. Or, at the very least, we know that if there are lots of police, that's not where we want to be. Its where we can be effective. I know some/many of you are new to this work. Five years ago when you were ignoring those of us who were then trying to tell you what was happening, you weren't engaging in ways that would enhance your experience levels. Well, Sekou Ture said that its not where you are, its how far you have come. So, maybe you should use all of this to sit down and really consider when it becomes time for you to take a real journey doing the real work that needs to be done? Ii mean, isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing the same way over and over and expecting something different to result?
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