Signifyin’ 01-06-21
- I made a few dollars betting friends that no charges would be issued against KKK-nosha police officer Rusten Sheskey who tried to kill Jacob Blake by shooting him in the back seven times last August.
- Obviously, they assumed that since the Blake shooting was publicized so soon after George Floyd’s execution in Minnesota, justice would be served in Wisconsin.But as I explained, America’s JUST-US system is modeled after the apartheid system in South Africa, and thus moral authority and righteousness take a back seat to White privilege.
- But, on the positive side, I told the losing bettors Tuesday that I didn’t want to profit from tragedy and thus allowed them to pay off their debts with a contribution to their favorite charity, helping a needy neighbor…or buying a bulletproof vest.
- In 2019, Milwaukee was listed 149th out of 150 large cities for employment opportunities. At the end of 2020, WalletHub listed our ‘great city by a great lake’ at 148th.
- Combine that abysmal status with our leading the nation in seven negative social indicators for African Americans, and it’s understandable why our city suffers from a ‘Black Brain Drain.’
How long do you think it will take for Milwaukee to move up to 147th place?
- Can we blame the contaminated water system for the epidemic of reckless driving? They say lead destroys brain cells, which could explain why so many Neckbones are driving through our neighborhoods as if were going to a free chicken give-away across town or the grocery store was about to close.
- A dozen groups are focusing on this pandemic of urban terrorism, but short of rescinding civil liberties, nothing seems to deter the madness.
- A thought came to me after learning of another ‘parent’ who nearly killed her child last week while speeding through a northwest side neighborhood: Henceforth, charge adults who put children at risk with child abuse and attempted murder!
Seriously.
Taking their license (if they have one) has no impact. Slaps on the wrist and fines won’t deter the irresponsible fools.
Take the children, put the parent under the jail, and publicize their fate on county buses and garbage trucks—both sites would be sadly apropos.
- How in hell can a national magazine justify giving its most admired person of the year award to both Michele Obama and Donald Trump? That’s like comparing sugar to dog dodo.
- Are we so preoccupied with the COVID-19 pandemic that we ignored the other one:nearly 140 Black lives lost to violence in 2020?
Does it make any difference that 63% were between the age of 18 and 39?
Or then again, maybe we didn’t ignore that tragic reality. Perhaps we just don’t care. Apparently, ‘Black lives don’t matter’ to many of ‘US!’
- Since everyone must wear a mask and stay home, does that mean the teen pregnancy rate will drop this year?
- Will God return in 2021?
I don’t mean to imply God—aka Nyame, Jehovah, Abba, Nana, Allah— abandoned us in 2020. But instead that most of us rejected, forgot, or ignored Him/Her.
Far too many of us think God is represented by an expensive gold cross, a series of misunderstood quotations, or the moans of a sexually aroused woman. Others believe the bible is an evolving document that adapts to changing lifestyles or fads.
All I have to say is: ‘heaven is not gonna be a very crowded place.’
- Conversely, I have heard many posit that the pandemic, Trump’s reign of terror and error, and the resulting epidemic of violence are evidence of Nyame’s anger and disappointment with us.
The year past was a ‘wake-up call’ opportunity.
If that’s the case, 2121 will be just as bad because we surely didn’t understand the message.
- How to end racism in America?Maybe by eliminating race.
Think about it: if we accepted the fact that there is but one race and recognized the false contention of a multiracial paradigm as nothing more than gasoline to help fuel division, we could theoretically end racism by not recognizing it. No more Black, white, yellow, or brown.
Theoretically, it could work. For a minute or two anyway.
- Have you noticed that old westerns on cable television now carry the disclaimer ‘outdated cultural depiction?’
In case you don’t know what that means, it’s a recognition that the westerns of my generation were based on racist ‘His-story’ and not factual events.
In other words, Jesse James wasn’t a hero; he was a bigoted murderer. So were Davy Crockett and Wes Hardin, who killed Black men for sport.
The Lone Ranger was based on a real African American hero, Bass Reeves–who was a U.S. Marshall–who gave out silver bullets and traveled with a Native American friend, unlike the fictional Tonto, who in the TV series was either an indigenous version of an Uncle Tom or a fool.
In truth, the Indians were the good guys, and most Texas cowboys fought for the Confederacy to preserve slavery.
- Is it possible to enact a one-month-old moratorium on generalizations? The truth of the matter is no ethnic group acts in solidarity. Nor do they talk, think, or act alike. All Black women are not overly aggressive or sexually promiscuous. And all Black men are not dogs.
- Isn’t it time for us to begin to enact term limits for politicians? We need new ideas, new commitments, and new energy. Politics should not be a lifelong job, particularly since far too many politicians get too comfortable and stale.
- How will our children make up for the lost year, their stagnated education under the virtual paradigm?Why has the school board and teacher’s union swept this problem under the rug?
- New research reveals a similar number of African Americans voted in 2020 as did in 2016, and the number who voted for 45IQ went up 50%.Data also shows a large percentage voted ‘against Trump’ versus for ‘Biden/Harris.’
What does that portend for the future? Is Black political apathy growing, or are more tribal members realizing neither party has our real interest at heart.
Do we need another Million Man March, a day of atonement and reconciliation? What about a new Black Agenda that our political ‘leaders’ would follow, versus the dictates of other special interests?
- Is Black marriage on the endangered species list? Immediately after the 13th Amendment, 70% of African Americans were married. Today, 70% of households with children are headed by a single parent, a tiny percentage of whom are necessitated by divorce, death, or imprisonment.
- The pandemic allowed me the opportunity to catch up on my reading.
In fact, among other interesting works, I appeased my appetite for uncensored knowledge by finishing over a dozen history books ranging from a biography of Josiah Henson (the real ‘Uncle Tom’), the Evolution of Racism by Pat Shipman, to a great book on African religions and culture by Grace Chavis Butler.
That latter book explored the introduction of (white) Christianity and Islam on the Motherland and the impact of great African nations on the world.
One of my favorites was ‘Everything You Were Taught About the Civil War is Wrong,’ written from a southerner’s perspective.
The book was initially earmarked for MCJ Editor Thomas Mitchell, who refused to ‘waste my time’ reading it. I found it an eye-opening work that explores propaganda and white supremacy on both sides of the Mason Dixon line.
Collectively, those books and others would make for an exciting history class for Black students.
However, it would probably be dangerous to introduce them during this current state of racial unrest.
Being a student of American hypocrisy and human nature, I can accept the realities of living under apartheid.
However, many young brothers and sisters might explode instead of imploding and take out four centuries of frustration on the oppressors without separating the evil-doers from the innocent.
- Among other revelations, my reading exposition led me to the one question I’ve asked every year since my first confrontation with bigotry:why do so many white people hate us?
What threat do we pose?
What have we done to them other than to occasionally express a desire to be treated as equals?
What is it about our darker hue that provokes them so, to the point where they seek to exterminate us?
Racism, unlike bigotry, is nonsensical. It goes against logic and critical thinking, or the basic tenets of most religions.
There is indisputable evidence that aside from our hue—melanin—we are genetically the same.
And with access to information available to anyone within a microsecond, even a hillbilly can obtain proof of that fact in the time it takes Granny to spit out her tobacco.
- How long can a brother look at the sister’s butt in sexy yoga pants before it’s considered inappropriate or an invasion of privacy?
I asked that question earlier this year after a brother told me of a confrontation he had at a fitness club for looking (he didn’t say staring) at a sister on the elliptical in front of him. She accused him of assault and said he ‘stared at her, versus looking.
He acknowledged he glanced at her, but it was only human nature, and he didn’t mean to offend.
We jointly surmised a man can ‘analyze’ a behind for three seconds without being arrested. Four seconds if it’s a big Black booty.
- Will Democrats finally acknowledge we have no money to waste on their self-serving endeavors.
Most of us can’t afford to contribute to their defense funds, reelection campaigns (which start 24 hours after they are elected), the Georgia senatorial elections, gerrymandering slush fund, and consultant fees for research on how to get more money out of the poor and faithful.
If you have ‘extra’ dollars (after paying all of those taxes our politicians force down our throats), I suggest using it to help a neighbor, fund medical research, or help pay for the funerals of victims of violence whose poor parents can’t afford to bury them.
- Jesus wasn’t born on December 25. That date was chosen because it coincided with a ‘pagan’ (whatever that means) holiday. Moreover, Jesus didn’t have blond hair and blue eyes. In truth, he looked more like me than Brad Pitt.
- Is it true that if you did a profile silhouette of the African American female anchors of the evening news, you couldn’t tell the sisters apart?
I’m not criticizing, all of them are talented, but it’s obvious their respective station HR departments believe a sister with an Afro or braids is unacceptable to white viewers.
- Can we assume that Santa had the virus in 2019 and spread it around the globe?That explains why he didn’t show up in the hood last year, even though the disc jockeys played James Brown’s ‘Santa come straight to the ghetto’ all day.
Actually, I think we should ‘pull a Trump’ and ban him from flying through American air space.
Panelists on the ‘Revolt Black News’ program were in near consensus that Black men have been ignored or excluded from the Democratic Party conversation. Somebody told the party hierarchy that they only needed Black women to win the election.
Control the Black woman, and you don’t need the Black man. They proved that with the Johnson welfare policies.
- Plus, Black men are too needy and frequently make the mistake of asking too many questions. As activist Telyn Figaro said during one recent program, the Dems ‘don’t speak to the issues’—educational options, economic development, and jobs—and thus, Black men are either not voting or beginning to look at political alternatives.
- Does the size of the engagement ring determine how much you value or love someone?
What happened to the good ole days when love, respect, and accountability were the most critical factors, not how much you are willing to mortgage your future.
- Pence in 2024? He’s almost as bad as Trump, though he’s obviously smarter than 45IQ. That makes him more dangerous.
- Speaking of expensive engagement rings, why don’t women give one to their men?
- Will you take the COVID-19 vaccination? Everyone acknowledges the past sins of the health care system. But safeguards have been put into place to ensure we will never again witness a Tuskegee experiment or learn of another Henrietta Lacks.
Without our participation in the vaccination process, the pandemic will continue. Remember, this isn’t just about you. It’s about your neighbors, children, and our collective future.
Hotep
Leave a Reply