There's been quite a fallout since Barack Obama's speech on race. You could go in 3,000 different directions because it's so much to material.
But I want to focus on what got this started: Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor, who created a firestorm when some of his sermons were released over the Internet. In those sermons, Wright accused the government of fostering AIDS in Africa, and suggested that 9-11 was America reaping what it has sowed.
If White America really wants to engage in an honest dialogue about not only what Rev. Wright said, but truly understand the angry rhetoric, we must keep it real.
Let me tell you why black people believe so deeply in conspiracies, like Bush being behind 9-11, LBJ aiding in the plot to kill JFK, and the government being the biggest dope dealers in the world.
White America forgets that we were victims of the
Tuskegee Experiment, which was when the government willfully injected illiterate, black sharecroppers with syphilis in the 1930s. They used black men as lab rats without their consent.
Then, there was the
Iron-Contra affair. Oh, we love to forget about this one. But George Sr., Oliver North and Ronald Reagan basically funded the Contras through cocaine distribution. The CIA, the U.S. State Department and other governmental bodies allowed the Contras to distribute tons and tons of cocaine into the U.S. to fund weapon purchases, among other things. Much has been written and verified about how the Contras flooded crack into Los Angeles. In other words, the government became partner to one of the largest, drug organizations in the world. Now you know how Dubya had enough cheese to buy and operate a baseball team.
So given that history, added in with slavery, segregation, grandfather clauses, Jim Crow, etc., doesn't it at least seem reasonable to white people WHY black people consider the government under-handed? Given all that, doesn't it make sense why black people continue to be angry?
Don't get me wrong, black people appreciate living in America, but most of them won't look at the government and think they're incapable of horrid atrocities. Just look at our history. America has killed its presidents before. They've orchestrated wars over bullshit power struggles. They've enacted wrong on its own citizens.
And as ridiculous as it may sound to some white people, there is some evidence to support Rev. Wright's theory that the U.S has a connection to AIDS in Africa. Funny how when Kanye rapped about that, nobody said a thing. I mean, seriously, who could blame a Native American for not trusting or believing anything the government said, given that the U.S. broke treaty after treaty with them for years?
Some have said people just need to "get over it." Here's why the argument is insulting and downright stupid. People have to understand those same people who the cops and lawmakers were turning hoses on 30 years ago are now in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Those same people who were getting food and shit dumped on them at lunch counters, who had dogs let loose on them because they were fighting for basic rights, who were threatened and beaten up for attending a "white school" -- well, they're Rev. Wright's age and they're still really pissed off.
See, we're a society that doesn't like to read. And we're definitely a society that can't think beyond the soundbite. Instead, the media feeds this illiterate, uneducated, lazy mentality, by completely ignoring everything in a historical context. They put everything in the 'now' and look at these actions as singular events instead of in totality.
What's funny is, when it comes to Jewish people, we have no problem getting the full, historical picture. Jews are allowed to hold onto history as long as they want. Some Jewish people still won't drive German cars because of what it represents. That is their right and we have no place to tell them how they should grieve or reconcile their own history.
Yet, when it comes to black people, everybody wants to tell us how we should grieve, and when exactly we should get over it. I hear this a lot from people who have refused to study history and accurately put it into context.
I don't think black people are looking to win first place in a who-got-phukked-the-worst contest. They are looking for understanding, and a sense that there is honest respect for what the race has endured for centuries. They want people to connect the dots, so that there is a better understanding for what we see today.
If that was done, series like The Wire wouldn't be treated like a dirty-ass food stamp. That's why so many people, black and white, loved the show. It connected the dots. No one person was responsible. We all have apart in why urban cities are in full decay. We all have our role in the existence and continued perpetuation of racist ideology.
I get that white people are hesistant to discuss race because they don't want to get blamed for everything. No, they don't deserve that. But they've got to put their chin in and take the licks. There is no denying that systematic oppression of one group over such a prolonged period of time will a) enlarge the wealth and status of the oppressors and b) program the oppressed to operate with a degenerate mentality of the oppressor. That being said, personal responsibility can't be ignored. Once basic rights have been achieved, the oppressed is required to respect and honor what they've fought for.
It's a cycle.
Truthfully, racism will never end. It's too profitable. To a large degree, the country thrives on racism because we're capitalists and racism is a very convenient way to separate the haves from the have nots.
Here's a funny story: I was flipping through channels and came across a headline on Fox News. It read: Blacks Say America Is Run By Rich White People. Are They Right?
Are you serious? Is there any question?
