Hair

7.10.2009

Death Of Slave Mentality

Artists if you can even call them that, these days are getting hits with songs titled "the death of auto tune". Lesson learned? Music without substance sales. Okay I'm not saying that Jay- Z's song lacks substance, the general out-put of music today lacks substance. When an artist has to stop making quality music to send out a PSA to the masses we've hit an all time low. This teaches us, the public will soak up anything they are given, and accept it whole hearted as reason.

Knowing how fickle the general public is, why doesn't someone kill the slave mentality plaguing the black community? Race has been a rising issue in the weeks following the death of the world's "King of Pop", Michael Joseph Jackson. Ironic how a man who had us all singing at the tops of our lungs to look at the "Man in the Mirror?", because "You are Not Alone" let's "Beat It", by "Human Nature" "It Doesn't Matter if You're Black or White" just "Heal the World". Is now currently still being ridiculed by the ignorance of most, after death.

The only come back our black leaders can come with is that our psyche has been tarnished by the angst of slavery. Really, are you serious? Listen here, Michael Jackson was a grown behind man, and though many black people do hate their blackness, and it may partly stem from slavery we can not continually blame "the man" for our short comings in the department of self love.

If you've been under a rock lately, you probably have missed the passing of Michael Jackson and the following bashing by Bill O' Reilly on his black iconic status. Leaving you at a lost about my ranting. Yet, I highly doubt event the comatose have missed this.
O' Reilly's argument is that because MJ bleached his skin, and chose to have children that are white, black people shouldn't accept or call him a black/AA icon.


Last I checked O' Reilly was white, so to me his opinion of what I or other black people should do has no merit. It's simple mathematics. MJ's momma and daddy are black, entire family is black, his birth certificate most likely states he is black, and I'll go further to say his death certificate says so as well. This equation equates to this, nothing he ever did to his outer appearance could ever change the fact that he was born and died a BLACK man. White children do not automatically take your black card. Sorry O'Reilly, if so we may have to give Madonna and Angelina a black card for their house full of adopted black children. Saying you have vililago or bleaching your skin, which ever it was that he did, can NOT remove ones blackness. So, even if he tried to run from it he could not.

No matter how often slave masters, put blacks against blacks, for the color of their skin, the texture of their hair, the girth of their hips, the width of their nose. In the end, they still shared commonality. They were and would always be black. Genocides stem from this ignorance, and nothing can easily erase hate let a lone self hate. But when our ancestors, and others fought for our freedom and won. We also gained the responsibility for our actions. If we failed to teach our people that we are beautiful and worthy of love as we are also made in His divine image. Then this can not be blamed on the white man any longer, but the failure is in our teachings.

I just had to get that off my chest, because as a dark skinned, black Haitian-American woman I love all of my blackness, even in the darkness when you can't see me unless I open my eyes and smile! I love the texture of my woolly hair and take pride in my regal nose. One day I'll even embrace my child bearing hips if I ever get some! Michael Jackson is not the first nor will he be the last person on earth to ever change their appearance now that technology and medical advances permit them to do so. When attacked for wearing weaves, and colored contacts,bleaching or tanning, ones skin, the counter argument should not readily be fired back "it's because of slavery". BULL DOOKIE!!! The chains were broken long ago, kill the mentality. It is because we have failed in teaching how to love properly.

I read and heard the news of his passing, and ignored my television, but even after his memorial the ignorance still continues. It's weird how I cried out for joy at hearing the NOT GUILTY verdict but haven't cried tears of mourning for his passing. I think a part of me is elated that he may have found rest in the arms of the Prince of Peace.

We really shouldn't waste our time arguing against fickle people especially with such a weak argument. We are no longer slaves. Point blank, Michael's contributions while living to the global community fit the definition of humanitarian, his music broke molds defining him as an innovator, his music gave inspiration, by definition he is classified iconic, and by birth he is a black man.

Get a better come back!

CheChe

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