Sincere Fictions Pt. 2: the Radical Black Man weighs in by Jersey Campbell

 

Sincere Fictions Pt. 1

In response to the sentiments expressed by the Well-Informed Black Guy, the Radical Black Man reveals his opinions on the state of race relations in America. 

 

Excuse me, for I am no racist (bet the real racists would call me “reverse racist” or some ridiculous shit like that), I simply expose the world to truth. The well-informed Black Guy needs to change his title to “some dumb ass House Negro”, because I have never seen nor heard such malarkey in my life. No, that’s not true; I hear that every time I read the newspaper or turn on the news when the subject broaches race relations. Let me reveal my clean glass of water to you, so that you may recognize your glass as filthy.

            We live in a racially organized society. To suggest otherwise is to deny the truth. Black people have had major victories in America, the anti-slavery acts culminated by the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13^th 14^th and 15^th Amendments to the US Constitution, Brown v. Board of Education, The Civil Rights Act of 1964, and most notably, the election of President Obama. What all these events have in common is the dependence on the power structure (read: White Man) to get them done. This is how it has always been. When we wanna get stuff done, we gotta go to the White Man to sign off on it. In a way you are correct in stating that “the White Man has helped us so much”, but there is a limit to that help.

            As the dominant culture in our society, white people have an incentive to keep that power in their control. Any social programs directed at wiping out discrimination will ultimately end where true black empowerment and enlightenment begins. They’ll try and lift us up, but if we get too far they’ll put us right back down. Looks like another one of your statements is marginally correct, “It is time we helped ourselves.”

            You’ve organized your beliefs of our society according to the sincere fiction. We’re ignoring the contemporary and historical implications of slavery; there is more than one way to skin a cat. We are no longer slaves, we are equal under the law, yet we still occupy different ends of the social, economical, and political spectrum. This problem persists in light of legislative, executive, and judicial decisions because people are still racist. Declaring America color-blind would have a measure of truth to it if one were only analyzing laws of the state. But obviously, the means of the state clearly fail in creating a truly color-blind society.

            Other minorities who have been discriminated in the past were oppressed under circumstances less drastic. The ethic groups you mentioned-except for the Chinese*- were never taken from their native lands and sold like cattle to be used as mere mechanical tools. They didn’t face wave after wave of state sanctioned blockades permitting them from voting and gaining employment. They didn’t struggle against Jim Crow laws, COINTELPRO, crack, and racist fucks who prevented blacks from doing anything of significance over the years. The effects of these heinous actions are still haunting the black community.

            Citing statistics without knowing the story behind them is always misleading. Blacks are disproportionately incarcerated because the black community is subject to obstinate racial profiling. Law enforcement officers abuse their authority, effectively claiming that blacks have no rights or privileges other than the ones given to them by these authorities. The “War on Drugs” is phrase used to justify the extensive police activity in black communities. It’s kinda funny because the White Man put the drugs there in the first place. Now we have a “war” to eradiate the black community of the pharmaceutical imploding devices by the very entity that planted them. What a game.

            Furthermore, when we do get to court, we lack the monetary resources necessary to adequately defend ourselves. The imperfections in the justice system approach the trillions. Natural deterrents imbedded in our justice system and society encourages prosecutors to convict black defendants before their white brethren. Prosecutors know the jury will harbor some prejudice towards a black man, the black man will most certainly opt for a public defendant and not a high-level lawyer, and perhaps most importantly, prosecutors want a high conviction record to boost their personal profiles. This, along with a trillion other variables, contributes to the high incarceration numbers of blacks.

Racist, discriminating white men own a majority of businesses, their hiring practices shut out people of color. People of color have no work, so they turn to the other highlighted aspects of our society. They mimic the behavioral characteristics of the tv personalities, the cultural icons, which again, have to be signed off by The White Man. All the goodwill and positive energy Obama has figuratively imbued into the black community cannot outduel the negative, corrosive aspects of the black culture sustained via the efforts of the cultural power brokers.

            Culture, or the lack of it, is not the fault of the individuals in black communities, nor is it an adequate explanation for the deplorable conditions the majority of blacks find themselves in. We have every right to broadcast our grievances to the rest of America, and the world. To not speak out against the system that created these conditions would be foolish. When you have a community influenced by figures who idolize pleasures which please only while the pleasure is enjoyed, the youth will follow these figures and wish to be like them. There is a culture of ignorance rampant in our community, and the only just thing to do is reveal the reasons why our conditions are so. Without a firm knowledge of the reasons, we will never be removed from this condition.

           

* The coolie trade: poor Chinese people were recruited or kidnapped by coolie agents and shipped to Cuba and other colonies as cheap labor. They were referred to as indentured servants. Of course we didn’t learn this in school.

 Sincere Fictions Pt. 3

Sincere Fictions Pt. 4