Serious Questions
6/1/06 - Note to the reader: In Aaron's posting, he referred to the commentary section as regarding race relations. This posting however is not addressing race relations.
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I have some very serious questions for the black community of Milwaukee. And I know I should be long past caring, but I am not. I never will be.
Now. I need the audience to put themselves in a different frame of mind. Depending upon your approach to life, you will need to be very open minded in order to complete this exercise.
Let's suppose that racism does not, and never existed. That slavery never occurred and that black people migrated to the US through the immigration process of all American immigrants. Let's say that the civil rights era was never necessary, because the context of the relationship between blacks and non-blacks was not historically rooted in a racial divide. That the services like education and basic social integration were always a part of black life.
If a magic wand could be waved and all was healed...
What would the black community look like?
What would it feel like?
How would day to day life be conducted? Tell me about the social structure - the morals, the mores, the value system. What would, and would not be tolerated? And would those two sides be either supported or enforced? Would there be nuclear families? How would the children be raised? How would your politicians behave?
How would those basic day to day behaviors that support such a society look like?
And if you did not know, would you be opposed to someone outside of your race, helping you? Would you be open to learning from someone else - as in taking in what they had to teach you and take in that self-sufficing responsibility? Would you not wait for things to happen, and start making your life work, each and every day? Would you demand the same of others, because you have worked hard to create the value of your life?
What would it feel like to own all of it? All of your life? The whole thing?
Can you for one moment imagine how it would feel to cast off everything you once thought about what it meant to make it? Or what it would be like to live in a community where everyone was in some way, shape, and form, on the same page as you are? At least where the basics are concerned?
Everything you could possibly need in order to make it happen is at your disposal. It really is. But you have to let go of everything you ever thought about what it means, because it's the opposite.
If it's going to happen anywhere, it will happen in America.
--------------------------------------------------------
I have some very serious questions for the black community of Milwaukee. And I know I should be long past caring, but I am not. I never will be.
Now. I need the audience to put themselves in a different frame of mind. Depending upon your approach to life, you will need to be very open minded in order to complete this exercise.
Let's suppose that racism does not, and never existed. That slavery never occurred and that black people migrated to the US through the immigration process of all American immigrants. Let's say that the civil rights era was never necessary, because the context of the relationship between blacks and non-blacks was not historically rooted in a racial divide. That the services like education and basic social integration were always a part of black life.
If a magic wand could be waved and all was healed...
What would the black community look like?
What would it feel like?
How would day to day life be conducted? Tell me about the social structure - the morals, the mores, the value system. What would, and would not be tolerated? And would those two sides be either supported or enforced? Would there be nuclear families? How would the children be raised? How would your politicians behave?
How would those basic day to day behaviors that support such a society look like?
And if you did not know, would you be opposed to someone outside of your race, helping you? Would you be open to learning from someone else - as in taking in what they had to teach you and take in that self-sufficing responsibility? Would you not wait for things to happen, and start making your life work, each and every day? Would you demand the same of others, because you have worked hard to create the value of your life?
What would it feel like to own all of it? All of your life? The whole thing?
Can you for one moment imagine how it would feel to cast off everything you once thought about what it meant to make it? Or what it would be like to live in a community where everyone was in some way, shape, and form, on the same page as you are? At least where the basics are concerned?
Everything you could possibly need in order to make it happen is at your disposal. It really is. But you have to let go of everything you ever thought about what it means, because it's the opposite.
If it's going to happen anywhere, it will happen in America.
posted by Phelony Jones at 8:07 PM
5 Comments:
What would the black community look like?
Condi Rice? Collin Powell? Clarence Thomas? David Clarke? Bill Cosby?
Another question: would it look like what the white community would assume it would?
Ahh... You see that I was picking Oreos or Uncle Toms.
How about Michael Jordan? MLK? Wanda Sykes? Oprah?
There certainly wouldn't be any Chris Rock or Dave Chapelle, because they'd have no material.
The term uncle tom really bothers me, especially because I like Clarence, Condi, etc. To me personally they are role models.
My point is more this - would it be anything like anyone is currently assuming it would be or should be.
I have a pretty strong feeling that nobody has thought about what it might look like. In order to do that, you have to assume that a culture war will eventually be over. Don't you know, you're never allowed to win a culture war. To many people have to much stake in continuing it.
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