I have to admit that the most redeeming thing about these election cycles is the entertainment value involved. And I say that not needing a lecture from anyone about the seriousness of it all. That seriousness has been unrelenting for 500+ plus years. As someone who has spent my entire adult life fighting for African liberation, believe me, I understand how serious this is, but the truth is my work to organize our people doesn't change, regardless of who wins the capitalist elections. So, because my identity isn't tied into their horse and pony show, I believe I can see it a little more objectively than many. And, this year's election is really a hoot. Without even talking about the foolishness of Trump/Clinton and each of their cast of characters, just in the last few weeks we have witnessed some numbskull politician say on national television that no people of color have contributed anything to world civilizations. Then, another political fool called Colin Kaepernick a member of ISIS. Now, some kneejerk clown politician named Robert Pittinger (it should be Pitiful) said the actual race problem is that African people are jealous of White people because of White people's overwhelming "success" and our lack of it. This is the best one yet folks.
First, what success? What have White people done that is so wonderful? Bear a legacy of conquest, death, and destruction? Make a lot of money as result of that carnage? Are there actually people who really believe making money and having "things" is the definition of success within this oppressive context? How sad that is if White people anywhere really believe that nonsense. I can let you in on a secret. Even without white supremacy and capitalism, I doubt African people would excel in those same ways. Our culture is a collective one. As a people, we don't define success in individual terms. That's primarily why most of our professional athletes don't retain their money as quiet as that's kept. Some of them are mad party people who waste large sums of money, but most of them are broke because when they get paid, everyone gets paid. It was said that over two thirds of Muhammad Ali's earnings went to the people around him. Yes, part of this is due to our oppression e.g. most of us never get the opportunity to gain access to "things", but I'd argue an even larger part of it is outpacing other people at the expense of their condition is a foreign concept in our culture. That's why even in the poorest sections of Africa, people in those regions will sacrifice what little they have for you because that's who we are as a people. The concept of stepping on people to make money is still, in spite of the wicked influence of capitalism on our sacred values, an unattractive value system to most of our people. So, there's no jealously from us directed at Europeans who have obtained material success. And, to suggest that there is would be insulting if it wasn't so stupid. With all we have suffered in this society, if we rose up and destroyed this country and wrecked havoc against any and everyone we could see, if aliens found the results of the carnage a 100 years from now, and had the capacity to understand and digest the history of what led to the tragedy, they wouldn't blame us. In fact, they would have to wonder what took us so long to get to that point. So, clearly, the charge of jealously is insane.
Instead, what you are more likely to see is irritation from us against White people for their continued and consistent deniability about our suffering. Its like the sibling who is clearly favored by the parents. Who gets all the benefits while you get nothing except grief. That sibling, when confronted with the reality of the situation, acts as if they have absolutely no idea why you are upset with them. They will even charge "I didn't do anything" and they will certainly claim that they worked hard for all that they have achieved. They won't see how you were deprived because you had to take care of them and everything else. Whatever anger you would have against that sibling isn't because of what they have achieved. The anger is because they refuse to see what you have suffered. That's a far cry from jealously.
The real problem is these politicians are simply voicing what a significant portion of the white populace has believed for quite some time. And now, the environment is such that they no longer feel the need to restrain themselves from voicing this ignorance. They feel this way because they are angry about the capitalist system's inability to continue to prioritize their existence over the rest of humanity. They fail to see that the system isn't able to do that for them anymore because the system is running out of gas, and time.
This is the time for you to get yourself informed and organized. While white supremacy is coming apart at the seams, we have to place ourselves in a much stronger position to push forward. We cannot continue to act like slaves, going in front of someone as despicable as Donald Trump and asking him what he is going to do about "Black on Black crime." That's like asking a fox what he is going to do about the chickens disappearing from the coop. We have to be smarter than that in 2016. Turn inward and get organized. And the same message applies to our White accomplices. Stop making silly excuses and please go and get your ignorant and confused relatives. You have quite the degree of work to do to demonstrate to them that their anger is misguided. They are being cowardly by attacking us instead of going to the source of their grief - the capitalist system. Yes, election season is entertaining to me. Not because I take it lightly, but because the more insane it gets, the more I stay hopeful that this has to somehow mean it is running out its course.
First, what success? What have White people done that is so wonderful? Bear a legacy of conquest, death, and destruction? Make a lot of money as result of that carnage? Are there actually people who really believe making money and having "things" is the definition of success within this oppressive context? How sad that is if White people anywhere really believe that nonsense. I can let you in on a secret. Even without white supremacy and capitalism, I doubt African people would excel in those same ways. Our culture is a collective one. As a people, we don't define success in individual terms. That's primarily why most of our professional athletes don't retain their money as quiet as that's kept. Some of them are mad party people who waste large sums of money, but most of them are broke because when they get paid, everyone gets paid. It was said that over two thirds of Muhammad Ali's earnings went to the people around him. Yes, part of this is due to our oppression e.g. most of us never get the opportunity to gain access to "things", but I'd argue an even larger part of it is outpacing other people at the expense of their condition is a foreign concept in our culture. That's why even in the poorest sections of Africa, people in those regions will sacrifice what little they have for you because that's who we are as a people. The concept of stepping on people to make money is still, in spite of the wicked influence of capitalism on our sacred values, an unattractive value system to most of our people. So, there's no jealously from us directed at Europeans who have obtained material success. And, to suggest that there is would be insulting if it wasn't so stupid. With all we have suffered in this society, if we rose up and destroyed this country and wrecked havoc against any and everyone we could see, if aliens found the results of the carnage a 100 years from now, and had the capacity to understand and digest the history of what led to the tragedy, they wouldn't blame us. In fact, they would have to wonder what took us so long to get to that point. So, clearly, the charge of jealously is insane.
Instead, what you are more likely to see is irritation from us against White people for their continued and consistent deniability about our suffering. Its like the sibling who is clearly favored by the parents. Who gets all the benefits while you get nothing except grief. That sibling, when confronted with the reality of the situation, acts as if they have absolutely no idea why you are upset with them. They will even charge "I didn't do anything" and they will certainly claim that they worked hard for all that they have achieved. They won't see how you were deprived because you had to take care of them and everything else. Whatever anger you would have against that sibling isn't because of what they have achieved. The anger is because they refuse to see what you have suffered. That's a far cry from jealously.
The real problem is these politicians are simply voicing what a significant portion of the white populace has believed for quite some time. And now, the environment is such that they no longer feel the need to restrain themselves from voicing this ignorance. They feel this way because they are angry about the capitalist system's inability to continue to prioritize their existence over the rest of humanity. They fail to see that the system isn't able to do that for them anymore because the system is running out of gas, and time.
This is the time for you to get yourself informed and organized. While white supremacy is coming apart at the seams, we have to place ourselves in a much stronger position to push forward. We cannot continue to act like slaves, going in front of someone as despicable as Donald Trump and asking him what he is going to do about "Black on Black crime." That's like asking a fox what he is going to do about the chickens disappearing from the coop. We have to be smarter than that in 2016. Turn inward and get organized. And the same message applies to our White accomplices. Stop making silly excuses and please go and get your ignorant and confused relatives. You have quite the degree of work to do to demonstrate to them that their anger is misguided. They are being cowardly by attacking us instead of going to the source of their grief - the capitalist system. Yes, election season is entertaining to me. Not because I take it lightly, but because the more insane it gets, the more I stay hopeful that this has to somehow mean it is running out its course.
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