The "Black National Anthem?"

Listening to one of the political talking heads today, I heard about the NFL's plan to honor black Americans and call attention to the racial strife America is experiencing in recent times by playing what is being called the Black National Anthem (Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson), followed by the Star Spangled Banner, as coaches and players alike take a knee during the latter. I'm in agreement with the talk show host in his observations that the NFL is essentially walking toward ringing their own death knell if they actually follow through with this plan. Americans as a majority (even as sports deprived as we are due to the Covid-19 situation) still hold value in the American way of life. We still honor our flag and, what it stands for. We Still take pride in our freedoms and the good that has come of our example across the globe. This attempt to portray our country as having been founded in the institution of racism, this false narrative of law enforcement systematically  hunting down black American males and taking every opportunity to kill those they find unarmed is not the prevailing belief across America. Too many of us have seen through the propagandists that call themselves the news media to fall prey to this destructive notion. The NFL only serves to alienate their fan base. I think they risk doing so permanently. It isn't difficult to find the truth about crime statistics and, once one does the picture is very clear. Black American males account for a disproportionate amount of crime in America and, despite this fact are less likely to be shot by a white police officer than white police officers are to be shot by them. Add in the fact that white police officers are less likely to shoot a black suspect than even black police officers are and, the whole house of cards the political left has built on this topic crumbles. These truths run counter to the political left's narrative and therefore their political aims to reform the nation into their amorphous utopia. So, they push and push harder their falsehoods, accompanied by the threat of cancellation. Without a convincing argument they stand upon a false moral high ground in order to convict dissenters in the court of public opinion.

Notwithstanding the ridiculousness of the NFL's plan to suicide their monopoly over the Football entertainment industry, what strikes me most is the idea that there is something called the Black National Anthem. I can recall singing this song as a young boy in elementary school. It was never spoken of as the Black National Anthem by those who taught it to me. When did black Americans gather to decide on this "anthem?" Can anyone point to this event in history? Who decided that Lift Every Voice and Sing  would be the song to represent…well what exactly is it supposed to represent? The Star Spangled Banner was officially chosen through congressional resolution on March 3rd 1931, to represent the pride we as Americans have in winning our independence from a tyrannical king. Lift every voice and sing however, was intended by James Weldon Johnson to commemorate the abolition of slavery, making the newly freed black residents of this land into American citizens and, to honor the man who accomplished this great feat. Black Americans are AMERICANS! We don't belong to some other nation called Black America.  Our story is an uniquely American story. The culture that has arisen from our time on this continent has produced celebrated facets of the American experience. Yet, I hear the political left harp on the idea that we as black Americans have contributed to the building of this nation, while at the same time adopting an idea of separation by laying claim to a separate anthem.

 I'm not criticizing the song it's self. In fact I like the song. The days of singing it as a boy has built a fondness for it's melody, and reading the lyrics in my adulthood has given me greater appreciation for it. Even so, how can we stride forward toward unity if we constantly hold to the separatist idea of blacks in America being a nation unto ourselves? It's not as if we are as the Nation of Islam, being separate from all other religions. Most black Americans are Christians as are most white Americans. Most black Americans speak English as our native tongue, as do most white Americans. Miscegenation (as is natural in a pluralistic society) is ubiquitous in America. When Martin Luther King Jr. stood for equality, he demanded equality under the same laws that govern white people. He didn't demand a black government, or a separate land for blacks. No! He stood for integration. He stood in defense of the founding ideals of this great nation. He demanded that those ideals be fully realized and, through peaceful protest won his war against the injustices of the day. Dr. M.L. King Jr. was not a separatist. If black Americans continue to separate ourselves from the rest of America through laying claim to cherry picked aspects of American history, rather than taking pride in the whole of American culture, we'll never fully realize Dr. M.L. King's dream. It's time we embrace our American heritage and honor the last words in the lyrics of James W. Johnson's song.

 "May we forever stand,

True to our God,

True to our native land."

Portland Police Chief Steps Down

Amid riots, protests and political beatings in the streets of Portland the city's Police chief decides to relinquish her post in favor of her XO. She describes him as "the exact right person at the exact right moment." Why you mask ask, would she herself no longer be the right person for the job after serving just 6 months in the post? Apparently newly minted Chief Lovell's supply of melanin is his highest recommendation for the post during a time when the extremist mob stirs racial strife and, her own miniscule amount of pigmentation is simply not enough to satisfy them. Despite the clear virtue signaling and pandering to an irrational mob, what galls me most is that Chief Lovell would accept the position! The man is being handed a job simply for possessing an inherited and immutable characteristic yet, is not at all shamed in the accepting. He's hailed as the person to "re-imagine, reform and, rebuild what public safety looks like"… why, because dark skin is better qualified to understand the needs of the public?

I call BS! Portland has been a welcoming and supporting home to Antifa for a long time now. The very same young black clad, white faces out there beating people for carrying the American flag. The same people burning the police precinct down! Portland's first Black chief of police who's name was literally Outlaw was just as warm to these bullies as they rioted to silence would be Conservative speakers. She didn't publicly denounce ethics professor Eric Clanton's cracking skulls open with a bike lock (nor his soft sentencing to probation after) , or Andy Ngo's being attacked and hospitalized for simply being at a "protest." If Chief Lovell doesn't condemn and suppress the senseless violence and rioting in the streets he will be no different from his predecessors. Dark skin doesn't make liberal polices any more effective! I won't hold my breath waiting for true effective reform as he promises "I'm going to listen" to people like the ACLU who call any show of force by the police against these useful idiots in the streets as excessively violent and dangerous. 

Portland residents, it's time to #WALKAWAY from all the BS! Vote these blatant panderers out of your public offices!

See Source Article Here

#WALKINGAWAY

Truth be told, I don't really have a walk away story, as I was never truly a Democrat. I grew up with divorced parents. One of which (my mother) was not particularly political, and the other a Jehovah's Witness.  So, I was not taught to be political by either parent. I was taught to focus on spreading the word of God as Jehovah's Witnesses understood it to be, rather than concern myself with a system of things that were not of God's making, but of Man's. This all happened mainly in East Oakland, CA. A city that happens to have been run by Democrats since at least the late 70's, and has sadly seen major decline since. Especially among their population of minorities. I left home at the age of 17. Without a high-school diploma, but in possession of a sharp mind and a talent for learning on the job.  During this time Bill Clinton was being impeached by the evil, racist  Republicans. He was being called the "First Black President,"  and hailed as the "cool" President. Someone who cared about Blacks. He was a Democrat and therefore he was for "us". I didn't know who Democrats were vs Republicans. All I knew was that the President got caught cheating on his wife with an Intern (which was supposed to be "cool," even "manly") and was therefore being impeached. I was 28 by the time I discovered he'd been impeached not for adultery, but for lying under oath as a POTUS.

Most every one I encountered were Democrats in all my travels after. From Oakland, to SF, to Atl, to Buffalo, to Seattle and many other places. Everywhere, in my circles of friends there were Democrats. You see, I happen to be a black, non-religious, gay man, yet still have never actually been a Democrat. I wouldn't chose a "side" if I didn't know anything about either, save what I was told.  What I was told was rather homogeneous, but was most often lacking in detail and logical explanations, but passionately expressed. But I wanted to know, why were the Republicans so evil? How could there be a moronic, racist, dastardly evil President of the United States? This is what was being said of G.H. Bush during the time I began to really ask questions and become intrigued, which was just after the events of 911. I'll never forget that day, but it's a story for another time.

My experience with Politics began to change around the age of 22-23 when a 6'3," burly, blonde, Scandinavian guy perhaps in his mid 40's, approached me at work with a business opportunity. I would later discover that it was a multilevel marketing program, but too I would gain a friend, business mentor, and roommate in this guy. I asked him about his opinions on Bush and, was treated to my first sober discussion of politics. I discovered that my roommate was a Republican and so was therefore thrown into a world I was told did not exist. One where a white, Christian, hetero, male, Republican could be a kind, giving, caring, and encouraging spirit and friend to an openly gay, black, non religious man.

There was suddenly much to learn, as I realized the world I lived in was full of falsehoods! But who to trust? With time, and the understanding of which questions to ask, I began to meet others who were not what their stereotypes would have them be. I met a Libertarian man at work, who introduced me to Glen Beck, back when he was on FOX. I would follow those chalk board charts with rapt attention! Wow! There was so much of history and philosophy I was introduced to. Thanks to Glen Beck I found my heroes. Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, David Barton, Ludwig Von Mises and, F.A. Hayek. I learned about Socialism and it's history…it's death count. I learned about how much of Black history  was left out of my education or twisted in order to favor Democrat hold over the black vote. It was an interesting moment discovering that the man my high school was named for was actually the 1st ever Republican nominee for the POTUS (John C. Fremont). I was in that East Oakland high school for 4 years and, was never encouraged to discover that fact, or the fact that the party was an abolitionist party. During this time of learning I also met my love, my home and life partner, who happens to be a white, non-religious, gay Conservative man. It's amazing what having principles and values does for a relationship when they match between the couple. I flourished intellectually and in my political awareness under this circumstance and feel incredibly blessed for it.

I was never an Obama supporter, because I was equipped by that time with an awareness of what Socialism is, who Saul Alinsky was, what was meant when Obama spoke of fundamental change. I knew to ask what he wanted change to look like. I wasn't enamored by the idea of finally showing the country and the world that we could be post racial in the U.S. because I knew that most of the nation already was. Barak Obama wanted me to ignore what was right before my eyes, which was that most people I'd encountered in all my life had no concern over my race. I was never denied work because of my race, or business, or friendship. In fact, to some condescending degree I was advantaged by it because I speak English properly. Which is supposedly a surprising juxtaposition over my skin color. I'd hear "You don't look like what I thought you would over the phone." During Obama's time in office I saw such things as Black Panther members intimidating voters at a polling station. The Affordable Care Act passed under the darkness of night during the Christmas holiday without even being fully vetted by those voting to pass it. It galled me to see Nancy Pelosi tell us it had to be passed before the American people could know what's in it. Then Hillary Clinton let American Citizens die in Benghazi, and blamed the attack on a video, despite knowledge to the contrary. She even jailed a man to support  her claim, and lied directly to the face of the deceased's loved ones. That was near the time Treyvon Martin was shot and, NBC doctored the 911 call to paint Zimmerman as a racist. That was a major eye opener for me. It was my first evidence that the media had lost all subtlety in their attempts to deceive. Then Michael Brown was shot and "Hands Up Don't Shoot" became a mantra for a movement that was built on a lie. So many examples of hypocrisy and deceit have followed among the Democrat party and it's advocates in the new media that I'm sure have influenced many of you to #Walkaway too.

In 2018 I came across Brandon Straka, and the Walkaway movement. I was elated to see the evidence of so many people out there that are truly awake, and beginning to see the Democrat party for the political "vampires" they truly are. I watched hours and hours of testimonials. They were uplifting and heart warming. I felt encouraged and no longer so lonely. By this time I'd begun to lose friends for having differing ideas about the world. But one friend in particular wanted to convince me that the #Walkaway movement was really just a bunch of Russian bots. I remember sitting in the park that day having just told him of all the people I'd been hearing testimonials from and, just being flabbergasted that his reply was to say it was all fake. The work of Russian bots and propagandists. This friend too later abandoned me because I have "a flawed character " as he put it. Conservative values means flawed character apparently.

My point in sharing my story is to say that I share your disdain and distrust of the Democrat party. That I'm joyed by the growth of the #Walkaway movement and am pleased by the opportunity to be a part of it. I've watched a few of the town halls and one of the most indelible messages I take from them reminds me of my childhood as a Jehovah's Witness knocking on doors. That the best thing I can do to help others is to spread the word. To use my voice in defense of truth so as to empower others. It's not easy, as I have lost and fear I will lose even more friends. But I feel that here is a good place to start. Thanks for reading this far, and be well my fellow patriots! I'm proud to say I voted for Trump in 2016, and am even more excited to vote for him again in 2020.

#WALKAWAY

Leaving the Political Left

Responding to a Friend...

TP:

I have read this entire document, GOP 2016 Platform , and I am not able to align myself with this thinking. Especially regarding “family”. I believe family is how each of us chooses to define it. I also believe in the constitution of the United States of America and the bill of rights. I can not find where the US is a “Christian” nation to be ruled by Christian beliefs. I think the constitution offers each of us to choose, or not, any religion we want and do so without persecution. I think we are allowed to have our beliefs and do so without persecution. Therefore, if a religious book has specific teachings, we are allowed to believe in those teachings and it is up to each of us to follow what we believe. If someone believes same sex marriage is a sin, then they should be marry the same sex. At the same time, they should also not be condemning others for not following their belief, nor should they be writing laws to fortify and harm others with different beliefs.

VH:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts regarding the Republican platform. I appreciate your being willing to engage again on political topics. I’ve lost a friend that I cherished once, simply because he read one of my posts, and disagreed with my point of view. I don’t think politics should come at the cost of valued relationships, though it sadly often does. Your message covered topics that are important and are very difficult to give comprehensive responses to without offering a lengthy read. I take your reaching out with your commentary as a sign that you are really interested in what I think. So, I’ve taken time to offer something that I hope you’ll find valuable.

I agree with your assertion that family is how each of us defines it. The government has no place in defining our relationships, nor their value to each of us. Having said that, I think it would be folly not to consider the lessons we’ve learned about society through observation when considering what produces a strong society. The Republican platform sites the observation that children tend to have healthier lifestyles when raised in two parent homes, avoiding many of the pitfalls that often plague children of single parent homes. This observation does not state that it is due primarily to the sex of the parents (though they call the male/female pairing the cornerstone of the American Family) yet, I am convinced that the sex of the parents does play a role in healthy child and ultimately adult development. I believe that alternative family structures can indeed produce healthy adults, however this is often a greater challenge to achieve when one of the sexes is missing from the parental dynamic. 2 moms and 1 dad in the parental dynamic would be better than 1 dad only, or 2 moms only. Though successful child rearing is not an impossibility with alternative approaches, they do have their challenges.

I like to look at it this way. Males and females produce different influences on their children, serving different roles during their child’s development from one another. If one part of the male/female dynamic is missing the child misses out on the influences that sex could have brought to the development. I also believe that it is possible to adjust, to provide some approximation to compensate. For example, I as a human male have certain developmental stages that I am bound to pass through simply because of my DNA. At the age of 39 the stage I’m in is that of child rearing age. I believe that children place parents under pressures and stresses, forcing maturation and evolution of character, which often occurs within my age demographic. Not having children therefore denies me the experience of the sorts of pressures they place on one’s life, and subsequently leaves me with a choice. Either I seek out parenthood, I find alternative ways of accomplishing the same sort growth and development, or I simply live out my life as a stunted man-child. I could get a pet to compensate, or I could open a business, perhaps find some other form of purpose in life that produces similar pressures and stresses. However, none of those options will ever be able to fully compare to the effects of parenthood. The growth experienced from those approaches may have great value for my life, yet still will never be the experience of parenthood. I can sell my business one day, would have to put the pet down at some point, and life’s purposes can often be fleeting. I concur with efforts to preserve and support the traditional family structure in society, as it has proven it’s-self to proliferate healthy adults most consistently, without the need for compensation of missing influences in a child’s life. That statement is not intended to imply that all male/female parental pairings are successful in producing healthy adults. I recognize that much more than the sex of the parental unit affects outcomes.

I don’t advocate for any law that mandates a specific family structure, nor does the GOP platform. In the “Values” section of the platform it states that they are the party of  “independent individuals and the institutions they create together- families, schools, congregations, neighborhoods- to advance their ideals and make real their dreams. Those institutions standing between the citizen and the power of government, are the pillars of free society.” Individuality is made paramount in their platform so as to preserve a free society. I’ll sum it up by saying that the status quo is not enough for me. While I agree with the Supreme Court’s moral argument behind the decision to legalize gay marriage, I think the federal government needs to step out of the marriage aspect of our society all together. I feel that it’s overstepped the bounds of it’s responsibilities. I agree with the platform’s position that the foundation of our nation is the American family, and that the institutions that we create are the bulwark against the encroachment of the Federal government into our lives when allowed to serve their proper roles in society. Public service is derived from the strong families, strong communities and communal institutions. Not Federal mandate.

I‘m very glad to know that you see value in the American Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I think our founding documents are crucial to the preservation of our Democratic Republic, which is why I advocate for supreme court nominees to be strict Constitutionalists, rather than partisan activist judges.  I also understand your point of view regarding the freedom of religious practice as granted to us not by the Constitution, but by the laws of nature, which existed prior to any government. It is the Constitution that protects this right, along with the other unalienable rights it enumerates. Taxation without representation was not the only catalyst for the founding of our nation, but too the religious restrictions found in the man-made religious organizations of the time. For example, under the law of the king, English bibles could not be printed by any but the church. I suspect this was to prevent subversion of the King and the Church’s version of the word. It was only after the founding of our nation that English bibles began to be printed on this continent. Guess who printed it. The United States Congress, for the use of schools. They also printed a version of the bible called the American Revolutionary Bible.

When people make the statement that the United States is a Christian nation, it is not meant to say that America mandates a Christian religion. Nor is it intended to mean that the United Sates is comprised of only Christians. The founding fathers clearly did not want the institution of a mandated religion, so as to protect the individual right to practice as one wishes. But too, they believed that when the Christian values are presented in a free market of ideas, they will win out above others. They believed that the Christian faith was the best path for humans and, when one sees that one is likely, though not guaranteed to choose it. There was no need in their minds to mandate Christianity. 

Now, allow me to take a step back and share what is actually meant by describing the United states as a Christian nation. Though the Founding fathers were not all comprised of the same Christian denomination, they were all guided in their daily lives by Christian values, all derived from the basic set of morals found in the 10 commandments. We are all taught that many of them were actually Deists, but when we look at ancillary writings from the lives of the founding fathers we discover that they reference a Christian god repeatedly. The peace treaty that sealed our independence from the British Empire in 1783 has written at the top of it “In the Name of the most Holy & undivided Trinity.” The Trinity is a uniquely Christian hierarchy, and this treaty was signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. Benjamin Franklin even used Christian imagery when describing his idea for the great seal. Then too, John Adams wrote the following to Thomas Jefferson in 1813 -

““The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.””

Which sums up exactly what is meant by the Constitution being a Christian one, or America being a Christian Nation. Even the Name of our country translates into something like the Estate of the Kingdom of God.  The Constitution and the Declaration of independence both are built on Christian principals. The principal of Free will is a Christian one, and is from where the concepts of Freedom, Individual responsibility, and personal governance come. This is at the heart of our founding documents. The ideas that were put into the Constitution did not arrive from out of a vacuum, the Founders pulled from examples in history, and from their Christian faiths to create something that would limit the tendencies of man and government (that man requires limitations in it’s self is derived from the Christian concept of free will).

Having shared this information, I think it only fair that I disclose that I am not personally a Christian. I simply do not deny that our system of laws has Christian underpinnings, or that our Founders envisioned a society that focused on faith. There is a preponderance of evidence for this, and much of it shared by people like David Barton of Wall Builders and columnists like Douglas V. Gibbs I would encourage you to find out for yourself about the Founders and their original intent. In fact, David Barton has written a book called just that, Original Intent -The Courts, the Constitution, & Religion- where he discusses the founders original vision for our country, referencing several original documents from their time. Another resource is a book called the Five Thousand Year Leap -28 Great Ideas that Changed the World- by W. Cleon Skousen. It discusses what the founders believed were the proper roles of government and religion in society along with other aspects of American society that are derived from Christian principals.  

As to laws that harm people who are not Christian, heterosexual, Republican or fortify either group. I cannot find anywhere in the Republican platform where such is advocated. If you wish to interpret that to mean tax laws that benefit child rearing families, then I can’t stand with you on that one. As I said before, I support the American family as I think it is the source of a healthy society. The less of a family’s money taken by the government the better chances of raising happy healthy children and ultimately adults participating in society. When it comes to gays, the fact is that legal marriage rights for gays is the law of the land now. The Republican platform does not denounce homosexuality, but neither is it required to advance the idea that homosexuality is moral. I can support their platform despite our difference here, as the issue has been resolved by the Supreme court when it comes to systemic institutions, plus much else in the platform is in line with my principals and ideology. I am not a single-issue voter, as I believe compromise can move a society forward.

One does not have to share the Christian faith in order to live by Christian values. I view them as universally preferable, and as an integral part of our society. If you sit and read through the ten commandments, can you find anything that infringes upon your personal rights? I will venture to say “no” in your stead as I am certain that is the point of the commandments. Peaceful living. To advocate for the these values is not to advocate for the institution of a specific religion. 

The Disintegration of Group Think

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I rely on a number of sources to keep myself informed on current happenings. One such voice is that of Tim Pool, youtube vlogger who provides commentary on top news topics and politics. The video title was Why Millennials are Becoming Conservative. I was heartened by the news and, I got thinking bout the fact that there was a time when I thought that I was born at the wrong point in history. I longed to be part of the counter culture of the 60's and early 70's, protesting amid political strife. I wanted to devote my energy toward making a difference in the world. To set things right. I'd discuss philosophy with friends who were attending college, and romanticized eras past. I felt as if my generation was missing out on something.

I started to read about what it meant to be a Progressive vs a Conservative, a Democrat vs a Republican. I looked at the lineage of the respective ideologies, and my mind, my heart could not ignore the destruction that has been left in the wake of those who advocate for, and work to implement the ideas and policies of those labeled today as the "American Left." I saw that the lineage runs deep and, spans far past the shores of America. I realized that my generation was indeed missing out on something.

My generation was missing out on the chance to rise up against the true villains of our history. I realized that the fight waged here in America is not between the various classes we're divided into, not between the rich white man and the black poor. The real fight is between collectivists and individualists. Between those who want to consolidate power to further their own ends, and those who want to disperse it as far as functionally possible. My generation missed out on the chance to raise the voice of the individual. To exalt the concept of complete individual agency. To stand up and say I AM NOT DEFINED BY THE GROUPS I HAPPEN TO BELONG TO! To demand recognition of one's character over one's appearance, economic status, sex, or sexual preferences.

Yet, today...today there is hope that perhaps the flag that lay wasted upon the ground during my generation's lost opportunity, is soon to be held above the fray so that the individual stands as the symbol of every man and woman. My dream is of a world where prejudice is recognized as a human problem not a racial one. My dream...my dream is of a world where words have clear, immutable definitions and our youth are not abused through efforts to twist the truths of the world. A world where right and wrong is not defined by feelings and social climate alone. I think that time is coming, the long march doesn't have to be toward the outdated and failed ideas of the ideological left. We as individuals can determine our own courses, marching to the beat of our own hearts and minds. No more political party plantations. No more monolithic expectations.

The Issue of Kanye

O.K. time to weigh in on the Kanye issue. We all know that Kanye is a Trump supporter and have since at least the time of Trump’s candidacy announcement. Kanye’s support isn’t something new anymore. We all know that he’s a free thinker. Free thinking is precisely what he’s encouraging others to develop. Kanye has been consuming words from thinkers like Thomas Sowell and Jordan B. Peterson, and I believe subsequently is talking about individualism. About separating one's self from group think. He encourages self development through self-education, and speaks of freeing the mind from preconstructed notions of victimhood.

““He chooses a different term from slavery to clarify and unite peoples by using the word imprisonment to emphasisze the notion that this is a human condition, not just a racial one.””

He makes this point in his TMZ interview, with his example of slavery. By saying it’s something that’s been going on for 400 years. Legal slavery was abolished 153 years ago in America. Since then blacks struggled through systemic racism for a while, under such institutions as Jim crow laws, which were also done away with 50 years ago. But blacks were not legally slaves after the ratification of the 13th Amendment to U.S. Constitution. So what is he talking about when he says 400 years? Depsite the abolition of legalized slavery in the U.S., slavery can be said to have taken on another form. He’s talking about how slavery can also be of the mind. He chooses a different term from slavery to clarify and unite peoples by using the word imprisonment to emphasisze the notion that this is a human condition, not just a racial one. Kanye knows that the enemy blacks are fighting in the simple struggle for survival is common to us all.

The enemy of the black man isn’t white people, I label the American ideological left as the enemy of all Americans who believe in freedom and individualism which includes the black man. The enemy are those who work to convince us that the country is designed to impede minority prosperity, and to drown our youth’s minds in messages of victimhood. Blacks, women, any other minority group they can label are all victims. Homo, Asian, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re not an American white male, you’re a victim. This victim mentality is detrimental to us all as it only creates minds who live in constant strife. It encourages people to believe they can’t get ahead in life because a nebulous outside force is holding them back. That is mental slavery.

““Why dream if one can’t pierce gale force winds of oppression every moment of every waking day?””

Think about it. If you’re a black male growing up in an inner city, you’re educated in liberal public schools where you’re taught what to think about the world, rather than how to think critically for yourself. You’re socially bombarded with the message that as a black man you have a built-in impediment to success by dent of the melanin in your skin. You’re taught that the only way you can get ahead in life is to depend a government provided education, or perhaps become some sort of celebrity, sports, music…etc. But you can never become a wealth generator as a black man. Only a consumer of the small slice left behind by the rich, who all bear no weights as heavy as melanin. You’re taught that as a black man your enemy is the very law under which we should all seek protection, and those who risk their lives to enforce it. Isn’t that just a depressing way of seeing life? No agency over one’s self. No ability to climb, scratch, crawl if one has to toward one’s dreams. Dodging the law out of fear for one’s life. That is mental slavery.

I found freedom through educating myself rather than rely others. I find it very freeing to believe that my choices and consequences are my own, no matter the conditions into which I was born. I find it freeing to believe that despite challenges, hard work and the proper tools can move me forward in life. Why dream if one can’t pierce gale force winds of oppression every moment of every waking day? Isn’t it more likely that one will find success in life if one’s mind isn’t focused on oppression? Isn’t it more likely that if one is focused in beating the odds the odds become less of a hurtle? People get so caught up focusing on the past, rather than looking forward. This is what Kanye wants us to hear in his message. We can move forward from here instead of dwelling on issues that are really outdated. We as Americans need to look at the real issues instead of dividing ourselves into groups just to build coalitions. We are already standing on common ground in that we are all Americans.

I say Kanye is a man with great opportunity, as his voice is backed by his celebrity. I’m glad that he has chosen to use it in expressing his individuality. I hope that he continues to fight through the storm of social and professional derision, a I feel he’s only getting started on making the difference he’s equipped for. More and more young Americans are coming to realize that the “Democrat plantation” is open to all colors. More and more are walking away from said plantation towards individuality. More and more people are looking at the way Kanye is being treated and are realizing that the social orthodoxy is suppressing free thought. 

Until next time, dear reader....