Today (Tuesday, November 16, 2010), I came across an article in USA Today which really pissed me off. At first glance I was irritated, but then I read the article again to try and understand why I was so agitated.
I have tried to STOP myself when I get pissed off and acknowledge what my knee jerk reaction is caused by, and effectively think it out.
The title of the article, in fact, is so offensive, I almost didn’t read the article itself, but realized in effect, I was ignoring the war, not another battle. “If young Black men don’t learn now, we’ll all pay later”, is the title of the less than informative article.
If the title weren’t offensive enough, the article goes on to depict a fast food experience the author had with a less than competent cashier, who happened to be Black.
Are fast food cashiers now the select echelon of society’s educated masses, and this poor Black chap happened upon this job by his equal opportunity status, quite unlike the rest of the Blacks in this country - lawyers, doctors, professors alike who happened upon their career paths as well by the gift affirmative action? Are Black men the sole worker bees amassing the up and coming entry level positions across the country regaining the speed and strength of our economically challenged country? Are other cashiers across the country, all races and ethnic backgrounds, who can’t count or read, excused from this article because the issue is, in fact, that Black uneducated men (as opposed to the uneducated masses of Americans who are being spit out of schools daily) are the problem?
As I re-read the article, I realized what was pissing me off was the “so subtle”, but still neck-hair raising, immediate stomach churning statement of racial hatred and stereotype, every minority has felt at least once in his/ her life.
This country stereotypes and perpetuates (through the media) fear of Black men. This article not only fed the monster, but based it’s concept on undisclosed facts and a single experience of the author in a subpar environment. The article, distributed nationwide in a publication I had respect for, until this morning, identified a group of Americans by skin color, and went on to discuss the potential downfall of an entire country by this race in a specified amount of time.
WHAT THE FUCK!
The percentage of Black men in this country isn’t growing at the rate of minorities. And every man with brown skin is not a Black American. Get it right America.
Here we are 2 years into the first glimpse of racial equality, which in effect was another gifted token by the culture of equality and supremacy (and celebrity), showcasing a Black, excuse me, bi-racial President of the US and USA Today is beginning the media infiltration and domination of the next political arena with its racist, taunting depiction of Blacks as a threat - Black man’s ignorance as the future of America. Next, we’ll see the media rise in Black on Black crime, then the rise in Domestic Gang warfare, which stereotypically depicts Black youth.
Sound familiar? We, as a country, are prolific in raising awareness when it suits a political agenda, and guess who wants in office next term? Or, should I say, who we want out of office?
I have traveled extensively. I know why other countries hate the concept of America and the petty, simple, racist, greedy, ignorant Americans who live here. I get it. I am still proud to be able to live by Amendments which created the Freedoms of this country. I am proud to be Black. I am proud to be a woman. I am a cross selection of everything that exists (good and bad) within the history of the U.S. And I will fight for it.
One of the most disturbing issues I had with this article is the fact that it was in the USA Today news section. This paper is in every airport, hotel and business traveler accessible arena across the country. The estimated daily reader count is 1.8 million readers[1].
This article is not only a virus spread faster than Fox News, or Entertainment Tonight, it is the death of education being transmitted like a trash rag to our supposedly educated, passport holding, upper class working America – the people that actually are out there in the world making a difference. Maybe I am not giving enough credit to the educated, who have the opportunity to read and discuss, to form their own opinion, but the fact is, a man with an opportunity to make a statement, and a difference, chose to instead propagate a stereotype. And it is sickening.
Black Americans are fully aware of the split in culture between, as Chris Rock so un-politically correctly stated, Black People and Niggers. Black people are educated and raise kids in four year colleges, with the value of education and strong work ethic, and financial security. Black people resemble the Huxtables, with the now reasonable goal of becoming President of the United States. Then there are Niggers, who write gangsta rap songs(and articles) about our culture, deal drugs, love their bitches and ho's, showcasing how ignorant the young, poor afflicted are, instead of raising up the culture with information and positivity…based on facts, not stereotypes; In fact, stealing from our own history and culture to keep a Black man a negative figurine in the eye of the majority and his neighbor. Whether a drug dealer or a “stereotype pusher”, niggers work the system, to help racists keep Blacks in their place.
Yeah I said it.
The views of this article are solely my opinion – perhaps Mr. Wickham would think about making a similar disclosure next time he writes an article based on one experience he had almost a decade ago.
Hey! DeWayne – the education issue we have in this country is hardly limited to black men. It’s an epidemic, and I deal with uneducated masses daily, with an average percentage of black men being less than 1% of my 3000 person per day customer base.
[1] The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the paper has 1.8 million copies as of March 2010[1] compared to the Wall Street Journal's 2.1 million though this figure includes the WSJ's 400,000 paid-for, online subscribers. USA Today remains the widest circulated print newspaper in the United States. USA Today is distributed in all fifty states, Canada, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the United Kingdom. Courtesy Wikipedia :)
Unfortunately I think your perspective on the writers viewpoint is one that is somewhat skewed based on your own experiences. My experiences, as a black man myself, is that for too long rich white liberals have preached to poor black men that they aren't as good as whites and need help to make it in what is obviously a white man's world. Personally I have never felt like nor am I victim. Too many minorities are so caught in the web of entitlement that they forget that they are only entitled to the opportunity, the hard work still needs to be done in order to be successful. The handicaps of the past are largely gone. Each man is responsible for his own success or failure. Success is still earned regardless of the color of a persons skin. The authors frustration is that he sees so many young black men pissing away the opportunities that so many fought so hard for them to have. Maybe it's a tough thing to hear, but maybe it's also worth saying.
ReplyDeleteI understand your post - my point was there is underlying racism in this country which needs to be addressed as much as, if not moreso, that the "black male education" issue. My point was education is color blind and this article could have been as well.
ReplyDeleteAs to "pissing away opportunity" at least this kid had a job, in a world where a fast buck is perceived as better than taking a hard earned road - he doesn't know if this kid is in school, or what his history is - who is he, to judge a working class American?
Also, Anon, in response to your perception, of my skewed viewpoint, the author states, "If the nation continues this neglect, underachieving black males will produce enough dead weight to sink the American ship of state."
ReplyDeleteThe ship has been sinking since slavery, and these particular Black men were in shackles then, and will be in shackles when the ship goes down UNLESS the educated start taking responsibility for passing the torch, not turning their noses up at the lesser masses who do not have the same opportunities.
This country spouts about opportunity, then acts in the most selfish manner only considering opportunity for self.
side note: my personal experiences are those similar to the author himself; private college educated, with a degree in Communications, well traveled, astute Black American. My life's path has been blessed with choices. I also know the difference between "capable and empowered" and "disenchanted and overlooked".
ReplyDeletePortraying a victimless society is a charming fairy tale, and yes, like some rape victims, who "brought it on themselves", SOME Black men work the entitlement card - this is not the case for every victim of our imperfect society.
Sorry Anonymous -- white privilege is real, it's pervasive, and it is the real "affirmative action" that has been ensuring an unequal playing field (along with the "old boys' network" exclusion of women) in this country since its foundation.
ReplyDeleteYou are simply buying into the dominant (and false, albeit seductive) paradigm when you attempt to justify your success, and others' failure, as happening in isolation.
In reference to "webs of entitlement," why do you restrict your scope to "minority" entitlement? As a bi-racial male who looks (in the words of a colleague of mine) like a "swarthy southern European," I see a hell of a lot more entitlement in upper- and middle-class white circles than I do in the African American community.
It is easy to make it and then pat yourself on the back and construct a (false) narrative that your success is entirely and solely due to your own efforts, but that isn't true. Hard work alone isn't enough. Luck is a factor, as is having the opportunities available in the first place. You do your fellow human beings a terrible disservice by pretending otherwise.
-- Another Anonymous
Much appreciated viewpoints~
ReplyDelete