Back To The Future: What Would They Say?
“No industry is black-owned. Actually, the (NBA) Player’s Association gets 49 percent of the revenue, since most players are black. That would be the No. 1 black-run organization. It’s the chink in Dr. King’s armor. We marched and did all these things to be a part of something when we should have been trying to get our own thing. It’s like saying. ‘I wanna be in a co-op,’ instead of saying ‘I want my own house.’ So we’re in a co-op and now the building is coming down.” – Chris Rock
Today, there are just over 42 million African Americans in this country. All free agents, relatively speaking. In 1860, there were about 4 million slaves, roughly the current population of Alabama. That seems like progress.
Or how about this: A recent study by a group of University of Maryland (College Park) undergraduate researchers showed a link between slave labor and the building of the college 150 years ago. I’m sure they didn’t have black students in mind when they were building the school; after all, we were only 60 percent human. Today, I am a master’s candidate at said university.
Is that progress?
Progress is a scary word. On one hand, it denotes improved conditions. On the other, it can lull people into a mud of complacency. Take, for example, student test scores in primary schools. A spike one year will have people marveling at improved teacher efficacy, when it could be nothing more than an aberration, or just a brilliant student coterie.
Take another example: President Obama’s election. Racism seemed to have turned for the better a year ago. But there have been numerous incidents of racial overtones, monkey displays, political cartoons, Limbaugh, sustained police brutality accounts, gun rights zealots toting heat in front of the White House on a health care protest, Limbaugh, gun sales rising 400 percent after he was elected (and in a recession nonetheless), Fox News and Limbaugh.
Too often, the term “progress” lacks nuance. The African-American condition has markedly improved since 1860; that’s easy to see. We’re now 100 percent lawful humans. We’re not subject to gratuitous floggings (well, there is the police). We have a choice of what we want to do for a living (though most black millionaires are entertainers). Families can stay together and not worry about being traded off (wait, there is professional sports). We can now be taught to read and write (well, there is Gucci Mane). What was my point again?
Celebrating the freedom of not being a slave is like celebrating a father for taking care of his children: You’re supposed to take care of your children, so why should that be celebrated? To a soul in bondage, however, anything above and beyond basic human rights should be counted a positive. Right?
You don’t stick a knife in a man’s back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you’re making progress. – Malcolm X
So what would our ancestors say, given a peek into 2009? Probably a myriad of complex contradictory feelings.
Jealousy:
You’d be jealous too. Don’t flex. Last time I checked, we don’t toil in the sun all day under the threat of violence or dehumanization. Even worse, it doesn’t appear that 20th century black people pay enough homage. If you became a billionaire and your child inherits it, but doesn’t acknowledge you, you wouldn’t like it either. Well, that’s where we are.
Plus, it’s not like black people don’t have a tendency for envy. Jesse Jackson reared his jealous head at President Obama. Spike Lee expressed dismay over the success of Tyler Perry. If Perry wasn’t the most financially successful black movie auteur of this decade, Spike probably even wouldn’t bother to voice his dissent. But such is the nature of human psychology.
Shame:
BET. Reality shows that have “Flavor”, “New York”, “Chance” or “Housewives” in the title. The current status of the NAACP. Kwame Kilpatrick. If you see or read something that would make you cringe, chances are it will embarrass them as well. Well, at least these lyrics provide some saving grace:
“See I wake up in the morning, take a sh–, shower, shave. Stand over the stove and whip it like a slave. OK, new day new yay. Bet I whip it like Kunta Kinte. I’m talkin’ sugar talkin’ dough like a Beignet. I take a brick, karate chop it like a sensei.” – Lil Wayne “Whip It Like A Slave”
It’s not about perfection, it’s about not fulfilling stereotypes for profit.
Disconnect:
There isn’t much recorded on drug use during slavery. According to former slave John W. Fields, it wasn’t until he ran away that he knew “they sold anything but slaves, tobacco or whiskey.” So it’s safe to say drug trafficking is a little new to them. Along with gaudy jewelry. Or laziness. Or a general lack of desire to read and write. Or an aversion to create lasting families. Or descendants making light of flagellation in the pursuit of a rhyme (profit). Or Barack Obama’s eloquence and stature. But then again, Obama isn’t a descendant of a slave. Let’s just move on.
Gratification:
In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, Douglas said that it wasn’t unusual for slaves not to know their age as much “as horses know of theirs.” Learning to read and write was essential to Douglass seeing himself as human. As he describes it, the acquisition of these skills is inseparable from the dawning of self-consciousness.
Gratification for slaves only comes for those whose consciousness was raised prior to death. When literacy is the spur to self-discovery and awareness of the world around you, procreation takes on a whole new meaning.
What are the biggest indulgences of Black America now? It’s almost impossible to tell because Black America is hardly a monolithic group. There is the crowd who enjoys BET, but there are people, like her, who wish the network would jump off a cliff. There is the unabashed Gucci Mane-Soulja Boy-Plies loving crowd, but there are hordes who would rather intake cyanide than hear them rap/talk.
There are many who fully support the use of “nigga,” and there are more than a few who will never understand its use. There is the racially disengaged crowd, people who choose to live their life only within their circle of influence. There are the conspiracy theorists, those who totally distrust governmental authority and urge everybody else to do the same.
Whatever your philosophies in life are as a black person in America, a uniform look at the starting point is warranted. We are all here under tragic origins, bound by the same prior struggle.
But does that even matter? What good does it do to implore people to remember their history? The whole process seems banal and trite. Excitement, however, is not a requisite for success.
Where there is progress, there can be regress. Maybe a more ancestral focus will prevent the latter.
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Has anyone ever seen that episode of the Boondocks which there was an alternate universe and Dr. King was just in a comma and gave a speech calling black people niggas? Anyone? I think that sums it up.
So freakin true! That’s why the Boondocks is so prolific – that episode was deep! I even made my dad watch it. This is indeed a superb piece, Zet:)
I use MLK’s line from the boondocks all the time because its true. I pray for more positive evolving of our people.
Well written! ENCORE!
I really enjoyed this piece. I’m posting on my blog.
[...] Back To The Future: What Would They Say? | Clutch Magazine: The Digital Magazine for the Young, Cont…. [...]
…I find it funny how a piece this important gets four comments and a piece called “Why The F@%# Are They Famous” gets over 20? Black folks, I tell ya…
Great read by the way. Will be passing on.
Yeah – I have to agree. It happens a lot here on Clutch. I don’t know why. It’s sad. Every week it’s one piece that DESERVES comments and it’s one that just for fun and that one causes an uproar. I am still trying to figure out why this always happens.
@ Greg/Dede Maybe because people don’t have anything else to add?
I think part of the problem is we live in a very individualistic society and people do not see past their noses. Rihanna made a statement in her 20/20 interview that she did not realize how much influence she had on young girls and her not speaking up made DV okay. We are all not celebrities but a lot of us do not realize that we influence others around us.
Maybe this is a symptom of self-fulfilling prophecy – been told that we’re up to no good and *some of us* eventually reverting to that.
Well done – great article :o)
Wow….Very well written!
Well written piece. My friend goes to U of MD in CP and is in the PhD program :)
I think our ancestors are rolling over in their graves right now at how foolish some of the black culture is these days. There’s a lack of pride in many that’s just so tragic. I wonder if we were constantly reminded of how tough our ancestors had it (like you explained in the article) if so many would behave the way they do.
I often think of the sacrifices that those that came before me made, the hardships that my great grandmother, her mother, her father…went through so that I am her today. Though am not a direct descendant of slavery I feel it entirely, and I do not take for granted the fact that I have an education, I can speak my mind n that opportunity is @ my fingertips. African culture has always been that of having respect for our ancestors and it should continue in every way. we can start by acknowledging our history so that if our ancestors were to look on they’d be proud and see that their struggle was not in vain.
I honestly think our ancestors are not happy. A lot of our people feel comfortable calling each other n*&a*S. Our people fought so hard (literally) to be looked at as equals and we have the nerve to fight back defending the word, saying things like “we don’t use it the same way as the white people”, WHAT? I feel that is ignorance in itself and I have never been comfortable using the word and never will. Why use it? They are so many any other words to use to show each other love. Simple things like being well groomed, is not the white man’s rule as some call it, It is the way to a healthy life. So many of our youth and adults are wearing their pants low and it is disgusting. Once again, we have the nerve to argue, “It’s style”, “It’s Gansta” WHAT? Come on, really? How do you get jobs with your pants hanging low? Trust me, I have people coming in to get applications for work and their pants are low. They actually drop their application because they are too busy holding on to their pants.
Some people may think these things are small thing and their are bigger fish to fry but if you don’t get the smaller things in line the bigger issues will always be. Self respect goes a very long way and heal many issues.
I love my people and we are the greatest, we’re smart, creative, talented, beautiful and the list goes but we are keeping our selves down by not changing how we think. There will be no change unless people start to think about living and striving for all and not just oneself. I am currently working on some projects to help our youth and young adults strive for the better. I’ll keep you posted!
sorry guy I didn’t proof read this before sending this part out, “Some people may think these things are small thing and their are bigger fish to fry but if you don’t get the smaller things in line the bigger issues will always be. Self respect goes a very long way and heal many issues.”
Some people may think these things are small and it’s bigger fish to fry but I believe starting with small issue will help tackle the bigger ones. Self respect goes a long way and can heal many of our everyday problems.
To start, “foolish culture” is not exclusive to the black race. There are foolish white people, Asians, Indians, etc. Now, I know my history;I’ve read the slave narratives and empathized with the plight of the Negroes before me. I am aware that there may be odds against me because I am black, though I do not believe that every decision and move I make has to be first weighed by how substantial it’s benefits are to the “progress” of the black race. My question is: Do you believe there were any comfortable slaves, some good ‘ol ignorant mo’ fos, blacks who were satisfied with the “oppressed” state of being? Slaves that, for whatever reason, decided to skip the Underground Railroad bit and get up for work in the morning singing and smiling and picking cotton? Or do you (everyone) believe that every black slave really wanted to read, had poise, and was concerned about a day when freedom would come. I don’t believe so. I believe that the black people, all people are much more complex than we tend to acknowledge. Slave days, now-a-days, or new age, there has always been and will always be a Soulja- Boi and a Plies as long as there is an Oprah and an Obama! We are one color, not one mind, or one brain. We are permitted to oppose the views and theories of other black people! Kudos to Spike Lee for not buying into the “we-must-support-everything-black” hype. “I” am me. I support who I choose. I represent myself.
Chelobello,
I’ve heard this argument many times before, this autonomous “I am me, and I don’t represent my race,” spiel. Yes there are many divergent schools of thought within the race. Yes, there was probably lazy, shiftless ancestors who skipped out on the whole freedom talk. But how does that dismiss what the people WHO DID want freedom went through? This is not a egalitarian issue, where merits or weights to certain events should be based on the relative proportion of those who went through it. Even if only 20 percent of slaves wanted freedom and labored in the sun, then it still does a severe injustice for us to not acknowledge them in our actions. As MzVia stated earlier, African culture always recognized their ancestors. Jewish culture does the same. American culture…not so much. And that’s the worst thing about integration (as implied in the Chris Rock quote): we have become full-blown Americans. No retention – or regard – of our original culture. We totally buy whatever the white-owned media feeds us about Africa.
So you can pull the whole “I represent me” BS if you want. But truth be told, NOBODY represents just themselves. You’re here, alive and well, I presume. Able to roam as you please, yet you want to give less weight to your ancestors who ALL WENT THROUGH that not-so-pretty Middle Passage boat ride. It’s this kind of thought process that allows Lil Wayne and Soulja Boy to make ridiculous comments about slavery and feel no internal qualms about it.
Also, as I recall, Spike Lee has lamented for years about the lack of black support for his movies and other burgeoning black filmmakers. But when Tyler is making guap, he wants to clown black consumers for supporting him “because he’s black?” Gotta come better than that.
What was it the abolitionists were fighting for exactly? Was it the right to choose a profession, have a bank account, own a house, pursue a degree, and make money? Were they fighting for the right to take control of their own lives and be the captain of their own ship? Were they fighting for a level playing field?
Lil Wayne, Solja Boy, Oprah, and Obama have been able to accomplish at least one or more of the afore mentioned tasks with ease. Despite your opinions about how they got where they are today or what they represent or have regard for, they are all evidence of progress- point blank.
We can argue back and forth about the moral responsibility one has to the larger mass of people that share the same color and a piece of the same history, but when everything boils down to it we can only have full control of our own lives and our own actions; therefore, “I” represent myself. I can only hope that my actions/words would inspire some or a few to think freely.
Thank you Mike for keeping this classy! I am young, but I welcome dialogue; it helps the growth!
Well written piece, Zet!
@ Mike – you summed up my thoughts exactly. though we may have divergent thoughts, the lifestyles we live today are due to the efforts/sacrifices of others. for those of you who think you represent yourself only, tell that you your mother/father. we all represent somebody, who represented somebody, and so forth.
Great article. I’ll never forget the time when I was in a Black owned ice cream shop (A Caribbean family also had a sandwich next it). I came in with my little sister , 2 of her friends and my infant son. My son is multiracial. The owner of the shop asks me if the son of my father was Puerto Rican. I said “no he’s Mexican and white”. the owner then says “Well I knew he wasn’t no nigga”. I was taken aback and told him that he wasn’t a nigga and neither was I. He just nodded his head. And I was too embrassed because one of my sister’s friends with us was not black. It would have been just as bad if it was said in the presence of only black ppl, but I especially hate when other groups of people are around and we say some really ignorant shyt like that. And you’re a business owner, with 2 beautiful daughters and wife and you think it’s funny to make jokes like that?
And I think too many people have this “Imma do me mentality” What if Harriet Tubman had that kind of mentality? What about community? I feel like we owe it to each other to do the best we can and not be so quick to cut each other done, but not condone bullshyt because someone is making money. If you’re giving back that’s one thing, but if you’re just talking about all the bs you can buy and hos you slept with it’s garbage. Why would any black person be talking or boasting about whips and chains? Or that they sold drugs. You did it to feed your family by helping to destroy another? Way to come up.
My grandfather had a 6th grade education, all my aunts and mom have college degrees and grew up dirt poor and poverty stricken. That’s motivation enough for me to finish college in spite of the fact that I’m a young single parent. Black people (like every other group of people) are complex human beings, with a myriad of desires , hopes and dreams. Many people bitch about the youth (my generation) but what are you doing to make it better?
Bell Hooks talks about many of these things, the love, guilt, shame, jealousy and self-worth of Blk Folk in her book “Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem”.
This is so true! They would be STH in shame at us and what we have become! A bunch of modern day uncle toms as brother Malcolm X would put it. We need to wake up and see whats really going on! The only way that the masses of the black community can survive is freedom and independence! What Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party fought so hard for and lose their lives in the process. This is Martin Kings dream we are living yes! But for us this is nothing but a nightmare!
Great article.