Don't Trip Black Folks, We Were Bred Not to Help Each Other
To all my African American readers, how many times have you had the conversation about how we don't support each other on positive things? I know I have personally had that talk more times than I care to remember. The real question is, why do you think that we behave like that? Do you think it's because we are just selfish? Could be. Do you think it's because we lack a true sense of community? That's a possibility too. Maybe it's because we secretly don't want to see one another succeed. I'm sure that plays a part as well with some. Well, let me just cut to the chase and say anything you can think of is probably spot on as to why African Americans behave the way we do in regards to support. Now, would you like to know my view on this topic? I believe we act how we do because past generations were BRED over centuries to be like this by their captors, it has become genetic, and we are the end result. That statement may be hard to hear for some, but it doesn't make it any less true. Let me say it again...our ancestors were BRED like animals for centuries to create who we are today.
Our problems started when the earliest of Africans were herded on the first slave ship like cattle to bring them to America. Once they arrived, the institution of slavery began plowing forward like an out of control locomotive. Unfortunately, since people have a tendency to not want to be stolen and held captive against their will, uprisings were prevalent. It is suspected that there were over 250 before the emancipation proclamation was enacted. Since slaves continued to attempt to escape and fight back, the scary slave master had to find a way to curb those "animal" instincts. They needed to come up with a method to keep the slaves from communicating, so laws were created to keep them from congregating. They also broke up tribes and families because they spoke the same language and could work together to revolt. They figured if one can't understand what the other is saying, they can't make a plan. Another approach used was the creation of the field slave and the house slave. Even though they were both in bondage, it was perceived that one's life was better than the other, thus creating division. These are just a few of the early tactics used, but they still wanted more control over their "property". Enter Willie Lynch and his "The Making of a Slave". This was by far one of the more effective procedures used. Sadly though, and as much as I know some of you may hate the hear this, the introduction of Christianity was, in my opinion, the worst. I just don't understand how we could think that a race of people who viewed us as less than human, who beat, maimed, and tortured us would want to offer us hope with the bible and their god. That makes no sense to me, yet we still vehemently cling to that dogma to this day. Then again, slaves were mated to create the best product for their owners, so the more docile, the better. Last but not least, we had the civil rights movement. As much as I understand how that was supposed to work, all it really did was make us depend on ourselves less. Once we were able to eat in their diners and shop at their stores and live in their neighborhoods, our communities began to deteriorate. Our desire to be included clouded our need to remain self-sufficient and the by-product of that is what you see in us today.
As much as it pains me to say this, we are a racist white American science project gone bad and most of us don't even see it. This damning fact has made us our own worst enemy. African slaves were bred by their captors to be like crabs in a barrel and it is still working to this day. Those colonizers created a race of people to be and do exactly what they need us to be and do. As with all things, their plan wasn't foolproof. Somehow, a few of us managed to slip through the cracks and see the agenda for what it is, but most will go to their graves never knowing just how broken we are as a people. We built this country in bondage and we continue to do so to this very day in the form of dead-end jobs and mass incarceration. To further perpetuate the situation, we do things like throw a huge party for our cousin who just got released from prison but, when his brother gets his Masters Degree, most of the family won't even know. The same holds true with jobs. We'll buy the bar out if you go to work for someone else, but when we venture out to start our own business, the echoes of laughter and ridicule permeates the air like teargas in Ferguson. I guess that's understandable though since we were bred to serve. I don't know if some of my people just can't understand the power of self-employment or if they are just afraid. Whatever the case, that same ideology that keeps us trapped today, is the same that kept those slaves on the plantation when the others were trying to escape. They couldn't see the bigger picture. In the thought-provoking words of Eric Killmonger "Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage." At some point, we have got to realize that not supporting each other when we are making strides to break free from the pack is the worst type of bondage for our people. What's the point of being alive if you are afraid to live?
I feel very fortunate to have been raised to think for myself and not allow others to spoon feed me the information they want me to have. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for so many that look like me. They walk through life every single day not understanding that we are our own salvation. If we work together and support one another we can save ourselves. The issue is, we have always been trained to look outside ourselves for the solutions to our personal problems as well as those in our communities. We are taught that from a very early age. I grew up in church and I remember hearing this certain scripture all the time. It was Proverbs 3:5-6 5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding." Scriptures like these are taught by black pastors every week and when you think of the "god" we are taught to lean on, you should see why this is a problem. Ask yourself how God and Jesus depicted in the majority of black churches? I am not telling you not to trust God or even Jesus if you choose, I'm just asking why are we not taught to rely on ourselves? Almost every other ethnicity can find a way to work together for the greater good of their people. When you go to Hispanic communities, the business owners are Hispanic. When you go to Asian communities, the business owners are Asian. The same holds true with Italians, Jews, Middle Eastern, and Europeans for sure. That all changes when you come to the black community. Who owns those businesses? I'm not saying there are no black business owners we live, but they're considerably more outsiders there than you will find in the aforementioned neighborhoods. Then again, African Americans are also the only group of people on the planet that doesn't really have a true home. Our history has been erased, so the "African" portion of us is a mystery and the "American" portion of us is hated. We don't fit in anywhere because we are ethnic gypsies. Since we can't pinpoint a specific place of origin, we try to get in where we can fit in. This is also why we can't agree on anything. If we had a true sense of community, socially and financially we would be in a much better place. Again, because of how we were bred, the majority of us can't see that.
Think of the billions of dollars we spend annually with companies that truly don't care about us. Look around your home at the items you own. Where did you buy them? Who made them? Then think of all the times you've walked past the black shop owner without giving them a second look. We support established entertainers en masse, but ignore those closest to you who are doing the exact same thing and in some cases better. How do we ever expect to grow when we don't even recognize what dying looks like? Just because we were bred to behave a certain way, doesn't mean we have to remain with that mindset. There's an old adage says "each one teach one...each one reach one". I love that concept, but if you aren't aware that something is wrong, how will you know that it needs to be fixed?
As optimistic as I want to be that we shall overcome, I am equally afraid that things for us will always be the same. I would say God help us, but truthfully, I believe that we are at a point where we really need to learn to help ourselves.
be PEACE...be LOVE...be ONE
To learn more about me visit www.whoisderekandre.com
Our problems started when the earliest of Africans were herded on the first slave ship like cattle to bring them to America. Once they arrived, the institution of slavery began plowing forward like an out of control locomotive. Unfortunately, since people have a tendency to not want to be stolen and held captive against their will, uprisings were prevalent. It is suspected that there were over 250 before the emancipation proclamation was enacted. Since slaves continued to attempt to escape and fight back, the scary slave master had to find a way to curb those "animal" instincts. They needed to come up with a method to keep the slaves from communicating, so laws were created to keep them from congregating. They also broke up tribes and families because they spoke the same language and could work together to revolt. They figured if one can't understand what the other is saying, they can't make a plan. Another approach used was the creation of the field slave and the house slave. Even though they were both in bondage, it was perceived that one's life was better than the other, thus creating division. These are just a few of the early tactics used, but they still wanted more control over their "property". Enter Willie Lynch and his "The Making of a Slave". This was by far one of the more effective procedures used. Sadly though, and as much as I know some of you may hate the hear this, the introduction of Christianity was, in my opinion, the worst. I just don't understand how we could think that a race of people who viewed us as less than human, who beat, maimed, and tortured us would want to offer us hope with the bible and their god. That makes no sense to me, yet we still vehemently cling to that dogma to this day. Then again, slaves were mated to create the best product for their owners, so the more docile, the better. Last but not least, we had the civil rights movement. As much as I understand how that was supposed to work, all it really did was make us depend on ourselves less. Once we were able to eat in their diners and shop at their stores and live in their neighborhoods, our communities began to deteriorate. Our desire to be included clouded our need to remain self-sufficient and the by-product of that is what you see in us today. 
As much as it pains me to say this, we are a racist white American science project gone bad and most of us don't even see it. This damning fact has made us our own worst enemy. African slaves were bred by their captors to be like crabs in a barrel and it is still working to this day. Those colonizers created a race of people to be and do exactly what they need us to be and do. As with all things, their plan wasn't foolproof. Somehow, a few of us managed to slip through the cracks and see the agenda for what it is, but most will go to their graves never knowing just how broken we are as a people. We built this country in bondage and we continue to do so to this very day in the form of dead-end jobs and mass incarceration. To further perpetuate the situation, we do things like throw a huge party for our cousin who just got released from prison but, when his brother gets his Masters Degree, most of the family won't even know. The same holds true with jobs. We'll buy the bar out if you go to work for someone else, but when we venture out to start our own business, the echoes of laughter and ridicule permeates the air like teargas in Ferguson. I guess that's understandable though since we were bred to serve. I don't know if some of my people just can't understand the power of self-employment or if they are just afraid. Whatever the case, that same ideology that keeps us trapped today, is the same that kept those slaves on the plantation when the others were trying to escape. They couldn't see the bigger picture. In the thought-provoking words of Eric Killmonger "Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage." At some point, we have got to realize that not supporting each other when we are making strides to break free from the pack is the worst type of bondage for our people. What's the point of being alive if you are afraid to live?
I feel very fortunate to have been raised to think for myself and not allow others to spoon feed me the information they want me to have. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for so many that look like me. They walk through life every single day not understanding that we are our own salvation. If we work together and support one another we can save ourselves. The issue is, we have always been trained to look outside ourselves for the solutions to our personal problems as well as those in our communities. We are taught that from a very early age. I grew up in church and I remember hearing this certain scripture all the time. It was Proverbs 3:5-6 5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding." Scriptures like these are taught by black pastors every week and when you think of the "god" we are taught to lean on, you should see why this is a problem. Ask yourself how God and Jesus depicted in the majority of black churches? I am not telling you not to trust God or even Jesus if you choose, I'm just asking why are we not taught to rely on ourselves? Almost every other ethnicity can find a way to work together for the greater good of their people. When you go to Hispanic communities, the business owners are Hispanic. When you go to Asian communities, the business owners are Asian. The same holds true with Italians, Jews, Middle Eastern, and Europeans for sure. That all changes when you come to the black community. Who owns those businesses? I'm not saying there are no black business owners we live, but they're considerably more outsiders there than you will find in the aforementioned neighborhoods. Then again, African Americans are also the only group of people on the planet that doesn't really have a true home. Our history has been erased, so the "African" portion of us is a mystery and the "American" portion of us is hated. We don't fit in anywhere because we are ethnic gypsies. Since we can't pinpoint a specific place of origin, we try to get in where we can fit in. This is also why we can't agree on anything. If we had a true sense of community, socially and financially we would be in a much better place. Again, because of how we were bred, the majority of us can't see that.As optimistic as I want to be that we shall overcome, I am equally afraid that things for us will always be the same. I would say God help us, but truthfully, I believe that we are at a point where we really need to learn to help ourselves.
be PEACE...be LOVE...be ONE
To learn more about me visit www.whoisderekandre.com
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