Monkey Business - A Reply To My Frat Brother

(Redacted To Protect The Innocent)

Brother:

No need to couch your comments to me. There is nothing that you or
anyone else can say to me to hurt my own perceptions of myself. The
only thing that words said to me by someone can do is impact my
perceptions of them. At the end of the day - isn't what this debate
is all about?

Let me say before I go any further - I have not yielded from my view
that Barack Obama was NOT the target of this cartoon. The metaphor of
a monkey "screwing things up" is the basis for these images.

In my objective research on this matter what we have is what is in
effect a new set of rules because a "Black man" is now in the White
House. You and others are bringing to the table the history of
"monkeys, Sambos and Coons" used to mock Black people. Thus any use
of these characters affords the individual observing these images to
apply their own unique experiences is off limits because Barack Obama
is not only the President but a Black president.

(Once again, not yielding my point about the cartoon) I have seen a
history of "Presidential Monkey" picture - George Bush, Bill Clinton,
etc. In addition there have been all types of offensive caricatures
about every single president. What you are arguing is that those who
traffic in these images ADD some additional sensitivities as to the
images that they use with THIS president because he is Black AND comes
to the office bearing the burden that Black people have been peppered
with.

I must ask you Brother the reverse question: What about these
"Presidential Monkey" images was NOT true about the White men to whom these were attributed to that IS true to Barack Obama, the Black guy? We as White and Black are 100% genetically similar. Race is nothing
more than a series of "mating decisions". Black people from a
physiological consideration are no more "apes" than White folks.
Clearly this argument is 100% mental and emotional rather than
scientific.

Thus the old saying "It is not what you are called but what you ANSWER TO" which must be the case.

It is my belief that there are two forces which reside in our thoughts
which knock people off their equal playing field. The most well known
of these is the active force of "White Supremacy". I don't need to
tell you about the long history of how this thought was enforced at
the barrel of a gun, a baseball bat and a system of laws which branded
these notions into the White beneficiary and the Black or Native
American receiving the blows.

Brother, the other force that we need to talk about is "Black
Inferiority". While you are about 15 years older than I am, the young
brothers who are 15 years younger than I am cannot claim to have lived
their lives in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. The active
brothers in our chapter right now could have been my sons had I had
one while in college. Since they have never had the blunt force of a
baseball bat which convinced their mind that the White man who was
swinging upon them was indeed "superior", in case they forgot that
this was the case, it can only be that "Black Inferiority" is
communicated via mental images that are communicated virally between
people.

This concept of "Black Inferiority" is not my own. If you read the
words of both Louis Farrakhan and Marcus Garvey - they both key in on
these concepts. They both talk about the need to build up our "racial
confidence and consciousness" as a means of owning our own self-worth
rather than have it fall prey to the whims of others.

It is my opinion that this force within SOME Black people allow them
to see a monkey and then look around at OTHER PEOPLE to make sure that
these other people are not projecting this image upon them. This is a
mental transfer of one's own self worth upon another person's actions.
As a result that person will spend most of his time marketing and
managing his own image to this other person and worried about what
they say rather than governing himself in a way that he is satisfied
with himself and doesn't care about what these others say. In fact
the overwhelming evidence projecting from this person would make any
attempts at molesting their images laughable.

Brother I am not naive toward racial stereotypes used for malicious
purposes. Imagine, however someone attempted to make the case that:

* Indians (Asiatic) are dumb
* Chinese are "Welfare Cases" who don't want to work

The preponderance of their own actions would not allow these attempted
slights to stand.

Brother - I knew that there would be "Days Like This", with a Black man
as the President of the United States. Those who see Barack Obama as
an embodiment of their own dreams will look to protect but also
project their own racial sensibilities by living vicariously through
him. You and John Legend have every right to speak out against that
which you were offended by from where you stand. I am not willing to
"connect the dots" as quickly as you are.

At the same time I argue that the best use of Black people's time is
NOT by running after ever single apparent racial slight done by White
folks who you don't agree with ideologically. Instead we as a people
need to be more clear on what our "Permanent Interests" are and insure
that Barack Obama and anyone else who purports to be working in our
best interests are in fact advancing these interests.

From where I stand these interests are:

* Local Economic Development within our communities
* Safe Streets and Justice within our communities
* Healthy Lifestyles among our people
* Quality Education to allow our people to expand into their full potential

As I look at the protesters who were triggered to protest outside of
the New York Post building this week I am more inclined to judge their
commitment to the "Black Best Interests" by measuring them against the
framework above rather than their capacity to respond to slights from
White folks. They have proven their acumen for "defending the Black
Honor" against all White Conservative offenses. Many of them are in
turn woefully incompetent at effectively managing those things which
are critically important to our community.

Take a look at the present "activism" of the group "Color Of Change".
They are a left wing protest group that is in effect "MoveOn.org" in
Black face. I have learned that it is a waste of my time to attempt
to argue against them with respect to that which they focus upon.
They will always try to attack MY BLACKNESS for not being "down" with
that which THEY promote as the priorities for Black people. "Are you
going to sit there and allow THEM to attack Black people like that?
You sellout!!!" are the words that we are likely to hear from them.

Now Brother - I just read about a Black woman in Rochester New York who was arrested for taking her child out of the failing school system in
Rochester and putting her in a neighboring system in which her child
would receive a better education. This struck me because I see this
happening all over the country. Locally in Clayton County Georgia, in
Baltimore, the list goes on. Now I assure you that if "Color Of
Change" and other left wing groups were to forge a protest of the
situation - they would go to the court house that was holding these
parents and demand that they be released.

All the while, Brother, the key concept that would fly over their heads
is that almost exclusively these BLACK PARENTS are pulling their
children out of failing school systems that are run by people who the
BLACK COMMUNITY have promoted into power, as the "best people" to
advance our community's BEST INTERESTS. Almost inevitably these
parents are putting them into schools that are dominated by people
with ideologies that most Blacks say are hostile to Black interests.

Now think about that perversion for a bit. The educational "best
interests" for Black people is achieved by placing Black kids in
schools that are dominated by those who are said to be counter to our
interests? These best interests are not obtained by the schools that
WE have control over???? Is this a state of affairs that is healthy
and maintainable for a conscious people?

You see Brother - it is not that I disagree with these protesters. The
problem is that I SEE THROUGH these protesters and their antics. They
need to control the BLACK AGENDA and have Black people follow THEIR
narrative. As a result we go on a course of "RACISM CHASING", going
anywhere where Blacks are under assault from White folks.

It comes as no surprise that the most sustained, damning and damaging
assault to Black people happening today is coming from WITHIN the
Black community. This same community is being dominated and managed
by Black leaders of this type of consciousness that I have described
above.

Brother I am a strong critic of the present Black Establishment. If there is one clear need for CHANGE it is within this group. Despite having more power and control over were we as Black people live in our
highest concentrations - our future has never been in greater flux.
They successfully get the balance of Black people to believe that the
Republicans and Racists are our problem. In as much as they control
the messages that flow into our community - they are able to escape
accountability for their own failures.

Believe me Brother- we are going to see MORE PROTESTS over the next 4
years as they seek to make the case that in "Protecting Barack Obama"
THEY are "Protecting The Black Best Interests". Any Black person who
doesn't follow along we receive the same treatment that "Nigger
Lovers" used to receive from the "White lynch mob".

Ironically in my noting the similarity between these same group of
bigoted activists, White and Black I am attacked for daring to make
note that Black people can be motivated by highly charged issues that
play on our emotions but they are ultimately being used by operatives.
These operatives don't want this mob to focus on the real issues
because in doing so, those in power would be put out of their seats
for their failures.

Brother - I realize that, just like "a soft tissue injury" it is not my
place for me to tell you that your "pain" over this issue is
contrived. You own your own experiences just as I do mine. Instead
of attempting to change those who I disagree with I chose to be clear
on what my racial goals are and thus inspect these other individuals
to a more comprehensive framework.

I ask that you review the list of priorities above and ask if this
issue is a priority on that list.

I think we need to have more of these type of discussions without fear
of "offending" anyone.

I think we all have the same objectives, only different methodology
for obtaining it.