There have been a number of fights on Facebook that have gone viral between African American youth. These fights are vicious, and they are between boys and boys, girls and girls, and, believe it or not, girls and boys.
Teachers in inner city schools are familiar with this situation, and it makes their jobs very difficult. People who are middle aged or beyond can’t really relate to this state of affairs; they grew up in a much different time, and as a result, they may have a romantic view of what happens in schools with “innocent children.”
Those who have been working in schools for a while, however, have seen a distinct change in behavior in many Black youth. This behavior is reflected in their dress, in the devolvement of language, in fights and in a focus on materialistic or sexual forms of entertainment. Jaded adults witnessing these trends think that it is unrealistic to go against popular culture to teach youth (teens) to abstain from premature sexual experimentation and materialistic behavior.
Gangsta’ Rap, on the other hand, provides education of another stripe, and our youth are caught up in its nihilistic tentacles.
Popular culture is steering our youth toward devolvement, and they are consequently populating jails and prisons at a disproportionate rate. The embracement of base values underpins this situation, and provides fodder for the perception that Black youth are natural criminals. This perception has become its own self-fulfilling prophecy in the eyes of miscreant law enforcement personnel who believe that it gives them the right to disregard the importance of the lives of a whole segment of the American population. This is one of the reasons why the Black Lives Matter movement is so maligned; opponents, like rogue cops, see very little value in the Black community, and especially in Black youth.
Now, on other fronts, there are persons who are running the world and making decisions on a level that Black people are barely noting. The issues that face the community are so pervasive they serve as a literal psychological fence keeping the Black mind caged in oppressive psychic prisons. Consequently, what tends to garner little attention in the Black community is climate change, a global economy that is becoming more and more violent, and threats of a nuclear holocaust, among others.
All of this boils down to the notion that while the world is careening headlong into chaos, Black communities are giving scant attention to the larger issues facing life on this planet due to being stuck in communities plagued by Black on Black violence; self-hatred activities like playing the dark skin vs light skin game; worshipping drug and alcohol gods; or fighting each other. While white supremacists are becoming more emboldened and ready to wage war on the community, the community is waging war on itself.
Of course, there are a lot of African Americans who don’t fit that mold and are waking up. They are looking more critically at socio-political issues that impact the community and are beginning to give a little bit more than mere lip service to the concept of “buy Black.” They are publishing books about substantive issues, and are creating art and music that reinforces the greatness of Black culture and enhances critical thinking.
With that said, these are crucial times in the world; and they are especially crucial in the African American community. While the world is seemingly about to spin out of control, bad situations are threatening to get worse. What must occur is that a whole new unity must materialize in order to offset the sociological entropy that is engulfing the American empire and, by extension, Black people.
As above, so below – wars at the top translate into wars in communities. The only thing that can reverse this negative tide is working together; we must somehow reach enough Black people who understand what is going on and who are not hypnotized by the gods of crass materialism and division. We must unify socially, economically and spiritually.
With a buying power among African Americans said to be more than $1 trillion, there is more than enough clout to turn the negative economic tide into positive community success. After that, we must seek others outside the community of like minds, to reach toward spiritual unity in order to save the planet! A Luta Continua.
