Is this really 2010, or 1970?
I ask this questions because there are so many similarities. The hijacking of airplanes – people attempting to blow airplanes out of the sky. Trial of a massacre in a Vietnamese village – Blackwater and the other war crimes occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first ecological awareness by Ralf Nader – Global warming. The Kentucky Supreme Court upheld testimony of a white police officer, who did not see the defendant, but stated, “he sounded black!” – Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid’s comments from 2008 recently reported, “ Barack Obama should seek — and could win — the White House because Obama was a “light-skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one!” The last one…African Americans, blacks or negros whichever you choose to use made up 12% of the population then and 80% of the prison population then and now.
Will there ever be progress, equality or respect for people who look different, have a different faith? Or will we continue to repeat history over and over again? A very, very smart man once said, ““The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!”
I’m jus sayin
Yes, the similarities are there. Most likely because we have not changed. Yes we gotten older, there are more of us, and we make (and spend) a lot more money; but we are still self-centered, only concerned with me, myself, and I. If we would take a moment and be honest with ourselves we would discover that our problems are more internal than external. As a person of African descent I have to focus on changing my perspective of life from what the world owes me to what can I do for the world. We spend to much time talking about what we don’t have or can’t get versus doing something about. There is one thing about 1970 that doesn’t exist today and that is unity and pride. We still clinged to the idea that if we band together we can accomplish much. If we spooled our resources we could obtain much. But in 2010 we still owe no hotels, conference centers, county club, transpotation hubs, or the like. Our investment has solely be in the Corrections arena where we are, once again, consumers.
I’m just saying!
i used that exact same quote on an inmate in special housing once b/c everyday he asked the same thing and always got the same response from me. so one day i said that and he acted like it was the most amazing and awe inspiring thing anyone had ever said for an entire week. and then the next week he was asking me for the same crap again.
in other words, for a good percentage of this country, no there will never be any progress…
One could argue that 1970 was almost better in regards to the state of our society. It’s my opinion that the government uses these incidents (attempted terror plots on planes, etc.) as leverage against the party in charge – this time, the Dems, and B. Obama. Our war on terror has allowed us to irresponsibly group all ppl. of middle eastern backgrounds as potential enemy, and potential targets. The former administration, and seemingly, the current one, has used the fact that typically Muslims, though extreme fundamentalists, are the ones who would likely carry out these attempts. So now, driven by fear and hysteria, fed to us by the powers that be, most Americans are at least “ok” with some form of prejudice against these people, be it through racial profiling, or just elevated surveillance of them. It’s not unlike the way the Bush Administration capitalized on the fear that the 9/11 attacks invoked in Americans…and ultimately led to the exploitation of those fears in order to push an agenda that on the surface simply appeared to offer some form of security and increased protection of our own. “Our own”, however, seems to be an increasingly narrowed and reduced population…to include often only those who offer full support of our techniques. Americans largely are not in favor of torture, but under the guise of the big calamitous “what if” scenario, we’ve largely been all too willing to compromise our own individual morals and go along with what we are told by our government and media.
The over-representation of African Americans in our jails and prisons is no mistake, nor a surprise. Laws enacted (largely by the overwhelmingly white, powerful elite) have increased penalties for crimes that are essentially victimless – that is, personal consumption of marijuana, gambling, prostitution, etc. As a result, more and more African Americans are being rounded up and subject to this legislation, which on the surface appears to be an honorable system at “cleaning up” society. What the legislation fails to address is the fact that the majority of the poor and disenfranchised in this country are minorities, blacks – thus, they are disproportionately represented in the dramatic shift (increase) in incarcerations and involvement in the legal/judicial system.
On the surface, one could say with some accuracy that there are more blacks in prisons because they commit more crime. That’s an easy assessment – requiring no additional investigation into perhaps WHY that is…rather than just accepting the shallow fact that it is.
It is the case because far too many of our black (and other populations) are at a higher risk to commit this type of crime as a direct result of their life circumstances. Incidences of drug use align themselves with poverty rates, unemployment rates, and amongst those with little or no resources for any hope of achieving and type of social mobility in this country. Their lack of opportunity often leads to alternative ways in which to make a living so that they may survive and provide for their families. These alternative ways in which to make money often fall under the umbrella of such non-violent, victimless criminal offenses…for which minorities are paying the consequence at a much higher rate than, say, the white version of their same demographic. It’s no accident that the rules were written this way.
Perhaps I am being too generalize about the American people in this regard, but it would also seem that the election of B. Obama was largely a result of the catacylsmic disasters we’ve suffered as a nation over the past 8 years. While I do think it hits at racism to say that Obama may only have been elected because he’s “light skinned”, when considering the demographic of voters over the election, it’s not out of order. Sadly, the “halfness” of Obama’s blackness made it easier for those who might not otherwise vote for an African American to do so. For those ignorant voters, it was a compromise – but one they could validate in holding onto the simple fact that he happens to be half white and half black. Unfortunate, definitely indicative of underlying racial and prejudical tendencies, but certainly not shocking.
So, in answer to your question of will there ever be progress for people who look different, or come from a different faith…the short answer, I feel, is yes. There will be progress. The real question at hand is this: Will it be real progess, indicative of an enlightening of the republic? Or will the progress be overshadowed by the excuses and rationales behind the appearance of progress…the projection of the idea of equality rather than the tangible existence of it.
If we are truly over race in this country (and we are NOT), then perhaps a Muslim American ought to try to run for President…regardless of credentials and experience, this simply would not happen – and the reason is the fact that we’ve had too much exposure to the extreme elements of those religions and ethnicities…and no amount of evidence would persuade a district, or a nation, to vote along lines of ability. This is how you see prejudice and racism alive today. It’s not like the days of the KKK, or other supremacy groups. It’s become more subtle, even disguised. But the effects of the mindset and framework of racism still rear their ugly head from time to time, and as a result ,no, we are not past this history. We are destined, as a nation, to continue to behave along the lines of the definition of insanity…and while most of our intentions may be good, we will still wonder why and how it is that despite such evident radical and drastic change America exhibited in electing a “black” man to the office of the President, the same results are yielded. That is because it doesn’t matter who or what the person in charge is or where they came from. It only matters that they will have the audacity to implement and effect tangible, real change in this nation. Until someone has the nerve to do so, the status quo will remain largely what we can readily identify, and those who have suffered under Bush may very well continue to suffer under Obama. Until the PEOPLE…all inclusive…become the issue and the focus of a leader, the special interests will always be given priority and special treatment – as they possess the wealth, power, and influence necessary to effect and real sort of change that we all thought we would get when we voted for B. Obama last November…Sadly, Obama has the potential to be one of America’s great presidents – Follow in the footsteps of other radical presidents who were for the people – Sadly, it seems at least so far that this president is more interested in “showing up” his predecessor in the areas of the Afghan war, and as a result, too many of the promises of change on the domestic agenda have fallen by the way side, and every speech that Obama gives seems to lack and concrete specificity, rather, it seems to invoke many of the same sentiments that the Bush Administration used to placate the public and to give the appearance that much was being done in order to improve the lives of everyday Americans…
Has your life improved? Mine certainly has not.
Hey Keith!!
So I am not a very political person! I dont really trust anyone in government including the president! They all want the power and money, but it seems like no one has the balls to take care of what needs to be taken care of. Now, I dont know everything that is going on, because, well, my kids take up all my time. I will be coming back on to check your posts though. I find them very interesting!!!!!! Love ya
I am amazed at how easily we can say “keep government out of business”. It’s as if the private sector has done such a great job. I don’t know about you but I recall the time (and still is) when Blacks could not vote, get hospital care, bank loans, own property, buy life insurance, obtain liveable wage jobs, or get quality education. I believe government intervention made that possible, eventhough forced. Yet, still the private sector continues to change the rules, raise the criteria, and create hurdles to keep us off the path to the American dream. And when we protest they are quick to tell go back to Africa.
Someone should help them understand that the preferential treatment their great-grandfathers. grandfathers, and fathers constantly receive give them a major advantage over every minority group. Yes they worked hard but they were allowed to work, earn decent wages and prosper where Blacks were not. Those who were unable to build or buy a business were able to purchase life insurance allowing them to pass on wealth keeping progression alive within the family. It is a known fact that a poor White man fared better than any Black man, free or enslaved. So my vote is for healthcare; my vote is for government intervention because I have no trust in the private sector, any political group, or my fellow man as all are only concerned about themselves!
That’s what I’m saying
Thank you Marcus,
The intentions of the “Public Option” was blown out of the box by the Republicans and their talking heads. They began to say the government was going to take over health care. As we found out in the past if something is repeated to the american public enough times they will believe it. Remember Iraq, Sudamm, and 911. The more the Bush administration repeated it, people were like, “Yea, he did have something to do with it!” We don’t learn from history nor do many of our young people of African descent even know or care.
So when there is a plausable idea which would benefit the majority like health care, the people with intrest in keeping the seperate but unequal thought jump into action. Think of how many companies would not be able to give millions of dollars to the CEO’s for running a company in the ground.
I remember when my parents came home with their voting cards and insurance papers. Many people do not know it has not been that long ago.
Not much has changed and what is different now, there is no pride in our community anymore. NO respect for the elderly even more blunt no respect for their parents.
We need to take our family to the next level so we can pass on our heritage and history.
I want to apologize to my blog readers, I went on a tangent.
KB- Great blog with excellent topics for discussion. I’ll pipe in when my opportunity arises, don’t you worry. Short on time today, but i was able to read a lot of the existing posts and comments. Interesting “can of worms” you’ve got going here. I’ll be back. I signed up for your new blog alerts, too. xoxo TP