--- On Thu, 2/7/09, Gene Tinnie <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Gene Tinnie <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Fw: You MUST read this....
To: "Wainwright, Jolita" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask], "S. E. Anderson" <[log in to unmask]>, "KINAD" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask], "Yvonne Tucker" <[log in to unmask]>, "Herman Ross" <[log in to unmask]>, "Jomo Faulks" <[log in to unmask]>, "MoVision Productions" <[log in to unmask]>, "casinoleo3" <[log in to unmask]>, "Winnie-Muhsinah" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask], "France Jackson" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask]
Cc: "DIONNE CALLOWAY" <[log in to unmask]>, "Darwin" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask], "Tanya Simons-Oparah" <[log in to unmask]>, "Terry Lewis" <[log in to unmask]>, "Tyson Jones" <[log in to unmask]>, "jTomJoyner" <[log in to unmask]>, "Frank & Audrey Peterman" <[log in to unmask]>, "Anne Humphrey" <[log in to unmask]>, "Linda A Dorsey" <[log in to unmask]>, "Penelope Alleyne" <[log in to unmask]>, "Rev. Dr. Al Sampson" <[log in to unmask]>, "Carolyn Kennedy" <[log in to unmask]>, "Curtis & Pearl Mozie" <[log in to unmask]>, "ELGIN JONES" <[log in to unmask]>, "Nadine Hankerson" <[log in to unmask]>, "Que/Julie" <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask], "Joy Vaughan" <[log in to unmask]>, "Rev. Dr. Mack King Carter" <[log in to unmask]>, "Dr. Rovan Locke" <[log in to unmask]>, "Michael Carn" <[log in to unmask]>, "MJ" <[log in to unmask]>, "Nadine Patrice"
<[log in to unmask]>, "ms. Olivia williams" <[log in to unmask]>, "Stephanie Pollard" <[log in to unmask]>, "Rasheed Baaith" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, 2 July, 2009, 3:17 PM
Thanks, Al,
Folks,
It is true that in some matters, we just can't have too many reminders. This has been making the rounds of the e-mail circuit for a while, and only the most disingenuous or dishonest ones among us would deny that there is some truth to these words. And, of course, this is nothing new. We have been hearing about these same issues ("the best place to hide information from Black people is in a book," and Black mis-spending of our supposed economic clout, not to mention our live-for-today values) since at least the 1970s. We can go back, of course, to the 1920s and Carter G. Woodson's The Miseducation of the Negro, or to the 1830s to David Walker's Appeal. (And how many of us have read either of those books?)
This, as we can see, is a cute, sensational ploy (not the first time this has been used either), which is a timely reminder of our Great Unfinished Business, and, as such, it has value, especially since it contains "some truth." I have responded to this once before, with the important caveat that it represents SOME truth, which has two meanings. On the one hand, it means that everything in this message is not necessarily true, and on the other hand, it means that it does not represent the whole truth of what we might call The Black Condition.
In the first instance, we must acknowledge, for example, that the little scenario of Tommy Hilfiger dissing black folk and being asked to leave Oprah's show has been exposed as a false rumor and a hoax (see Snopes.com), although the basic argument about the exploitative economics in the Balck community stands correct.
Of greater concern, however, is the fact that this (like Cosby's now famous arguments) only represents a portion of Black life, albeit a significant one. Too many of us are, by our perverted values, the agents of our own enslavement, as we crave and desire consumer products that are of no real life-giving or life-sustaining value in a belief that these things actually somehow confer status. These are the same values and desires that got a whole lot of our Ancestors put onto ship (including some of the putters-on). This is a global crisis, as we can see throughout the African continent, the Caribbean and the Americas, where so many supposedly independent countries are run by self-serving cliques of sellouts and ninnies who survive as parasites on their own populations.
But let us put this in context. The absurdity of this Black behavior is only more evident because we are usually at the bottom of the economic ladder (in terms of monetary wealth) and can least afford such fantasies. Fair enough, but it can only be understood as something more than absurdity when it is placed in the larger context of all HUMAN behavior. We can start near the top of that economic ladder and do not have to come very far down before we find willing and compliant "debt slaves" who are far more invested in the madness than the average Black person might even dream of being. The nonsensical pursuit of validity through consumer possessions is not, in other words, by any means a "Black" thing exclusively, or even mostly.
The fact is that we live in a world of "things": things to have, things to do, things to be, all available from the marketplace for a price. That is not only a price in money, but also, potentially, in parts of our souls that we trade for them, and, not to be overlooked, a price in damage to humanity and the rest of nature, as the global proliferation of sweat shops and environmental disasters will attest. Black folks deserve to be slammed for our willing participation because we are the ones who are supposed to know better. We come from cultural roots that are almost embarrassingly rich with wisdom on just such matters, and we have the historical experience that confirms our role as forced, obligated, challenged and blessed truth-knowers, truth keepers and truth tellers. We have less of an excuse for being seduced, but the culture of 'things" is, unfortunately, very pervasive (where does one go to escape it?) and, like heroin, very addictive,
altering our very physical and mental chemistry so that sickness becomes normal and health feels like sickness.
This is a welcome reminder of our need and our mission, so to speak, to "keep it real." So we won't flinch from or deny the accusations, but we will "keep it real." In doing so, we also have to recognize that this article (like the Cosby statements) does contribute in its own way to the old notion that Blackness is first and foremost a problem. (All the wisdom and praiseworthy efforts of the Harlem Renaissance, including Alain Locke's classic essay on "The New Negro," have not succeeded in dispelling the notion that the Negro is a thing for America to fight over, argue about, decide what to do with, etc. Rare indeed is the news media reporting on Africa or African America in which the primary story is not negative, often shockingly so. Etc., etc., etc.) We know from experience, however, that we would never have survived this long in so hostile an environment without a huge portion of positive energy in community-building, spiritual uplift,
artistic pursuits, athletic achievements, etc., etc.
If we truly mean to assess and evaluate Black social behavior, then we are best served by applying the scientific principle of cultural relativism, which recognizes that all cultures are equal (although not the same): they all reflect the geographical setting, the historical experiences and the aspirations of their respective people. In other words, there is no human behavior that is without a cause. If Black people seem to reject what others consider to be opportunities, if our priorities seem skewed out of any logical sense of purposefulness, if we are individually self-serving instead of collectively responsible, all of this has its reasons, good or bad. Everything we do is not good, but it is not all bad either. In addition, as the young genius Paul Laurence Dunbar (who died at age 33) eloquently reminded us and the world, "We Wear the Mask." "Why," indeed "should the world be overwise" as to our thoughts and intentions? It has not served
our survival in the past. Others might be, but we can ill afford to be fooled by appearances.
To those who question the apparent lack of interest in achievement on the part of the African American I suggest that we put ourselves in the place of that Ancestor of ours who survived weeks of horror, death, filth and disease crossing the ocean, emerged naked, emaciated, shackled out of the dark, sweltering hold of the ship into the bright glare of landing in a new place where, like Kunta Kinte in Alex Haley's Roots, only knew that whatever was to come next would be worse than anything he had already experienced. What interest would that man or woman have in "succeeding" in this new environment by emulating the behavior, speech and thinking of the perpetrators of his or her condition? What service would that Ancestor be providing to the world by diligently working to enrich and empower a class of enslavers, who would only use their wealth and power to deepen and spread slavery even further? How excited are people supposed to get about the romance
of capitalism, when,not so very long ago they themselves would have been capital, and, in fact, as such, the bedrock of the capitalist economy that now thrives, mainly off new forms of enslavement (prison, migrant labor, sharecropping, but also, yes, consumerism, which, as we have seen, is even more of a problem for the population that imagines itself to be "free")?
Like all peoples, the African World and African America in particular, have developed cultures which respond to our circumstances and aspirations in ways designed to foster survival. All of what these cultures produce is not necessarily positive, but it is purposeful. This article rightfully laments our general lack of interest or competency in reading. We do not need degrees in sociology to know that if the materials being presented by means of the written word were relevant, exciting or empowering, the motivation to learn to read would be higher. But there is another side to this as well. Educators might assess the reading levels of the children in their charge by any number of standardized measuring systems. They will inevitably conclude, statistically, that the Black students tend to achieve less. Yet, right outside the school, and maybe on the building itself, might be the scrawling of graffiti, some artistsically embellished, some
gang-related, and many of those same educators will be totally unable to decipher what these messages say or mean.
So who is more illiterate? What confers more "status," a college degree or a nickname on the street? Who is more enslaved, the "middle class" citizen up to his or her neck in debt (some job interviews are really about how indebted the applicant is, and therefore how dependent on the job, and therefore how compliant a "company person" he or she is likely to be), or the so-called "street kid" with his or her transitory values and fantasies?
This is not to excuse or romanticize behavior that is basically non-productive and all too often even anti-social; it is our responsibility to rectify that. The fact still must be acknowledged that Black people, for the most part, have been systematically excluded from the fruits of the capitalist dream. Many who aspire to start businesses, own homes, and provide higher education for their children run head-on into discriminatory lending practices, code enforcements, etc., etc., while many others have even received government assistance and benefit from a general pool of wealth that was created by slavery in centuries past. Consequently, too much of the Black economy rests on government and illicit activities like drugs and prostitution, sad to say. By "government" we include those aforementioned corrupt heads of state and their ilk. (It is noteworthy how many positive leaders have been either routinely assassinated or otherwise driven out
of positions of effectiveness.)
All this to say that there are balancing points to this alarmist message, which might otherwise have us believing that we are just a bunch of dismal failures, conspiring on our own oppression. To the extent that this is true, we must face up to it and be thankful for the reminder, but, as the proverb says, "It is better to light a lamp than to curse the darkness," and, as Alex Haley reminded us in his later years, we need to "Find the good and praise it." Bless Dee Lee's heart for sounding the alarm, but this is not a new sound in our family home, and many more of us know what time it is than it might appear to those who REALLY do not read.
Best,
Dinizulu
On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Al Calloway <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: tyrome dalton <[log in to unmask]>
To: vandy brisbon <[log in to unmask]>; Elsaida Clarke <cptn_baby@yahoo..com>; [log in to unmask]; "Harold Gould, Jr." <[log in to unmask]>; pastor frank a. lloyd <[log in to unmask]>; calloway al <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 9:26:09 AM
Subject: Fw: You MUST read this....
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "McIntosh, Luana" <[log in to unmask]>; "Tarpley, MI'A" <[log in to unmask]>; "Hall, Ketaschi" <[log in to unmask]>; "Hardy, Penny" <[log in to unmask]>; "Reason, Sherion" <[log in to unmask]>; "Robinson, Daniel" <[log in to unmask]>; Patrick(P-Fuck) <[log in to unmask]>; "Malcolm, Nair" <[log in to unmask]>; "Guy, Charlotte" <[log in to unmask]>; "McCurrin, Dennis" <[log in to unmask]>; "McIntosh-Tunkara, Natalie" <[log in to unmask]>; "Chambers, Bernell" <[log in to unmask]>; "Dalton, Tyrome" <[log in to unmask]>; "Harris, Leah" <[log in to unmask]>; "Odoms, Larry" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 3:30:25 PM
Subject: Fw: You MUST read this....
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
From: "Garner, Beverly M."
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:14:30 -0500
To: 'Lovie Robinson'<[log in to unmask]>; Lewis, Donielle P.<[log in to unmask]>; Swilley, LaVonna<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>; Cattenhead, Kellye C.<[log in to unmask]>; 'Bianca Garner'<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>; 'Gina'<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>; Brown, Charlean<[log in to unmask]>; Benton, Willis<[log in to unmask]>; Nady,Marie<[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>
Subject: FW: You MUST read this....
From: Brickel, Robin
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:23 AM
To: Garner, Beverly M.
Subject: FW: You MUST read this....
From: KEITH TERRY [mailto: [log in to unmask] ]
Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2009 5:24 PM
To: erik Jones; Helen Giles; James Bohannon; Joyce Everette; Kevin Godfrey; Rachel Lake; Brickel, Robin ; Roschelle Weekley; Ty Phipps
Subject: FW: You MUST read this....
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask] ; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:36:49 -0500
Subject: RE: You MUST read this....
I did read, and you know what………………………….I agree with several of the statements.
Betty
From: TONYA LOVE [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 5:57 PM
To: [log in to unmask]; Harris, Betty; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask] ; [log in to unmask]; Abe Potts; [log in to unmask]; CRYSTAL MONTGOMERY; Brenda Walden; Charles Martin; Carol Tucker; William London; Tiana Tucker; PAM BLACKMAN; NatalieP Puryear; Miranda Adams
Subject: Fw: You MUST read this....
Tonya Love
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Jamane Hinton <[log in to unmask]>
To: Jamane Hinton <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 4:19:20 PM
Subject: You MUST read this....
All I can say is WOW!!!! This is what they REALLY think about us….You MUST read this in its entirety…
PLEASE, READ & HEED. POIGNANT.
The sad thing about this article is that the essence of it is true. The
truth hurts. I just hope this sets more Black people in motion towards making real progress. Chris Rock, a Black comedian, even joked that Blacks don't read.
Help prove them wrong! Read and pass on.
Please Note:
For those of you who heard it, this is the article Dee Lee was reading
this morning on a New York radio station. For those of you who didn't hear it, this is very deep. This is a heavy piece and a Caucasian wrote it.
Dee Lee, CFP
Harvard Financial Educators
Dee Lee
THEY ARE STILL OUR SLAVES We can continue to reap profits from the Blacks without the effort of physical slavery Look at the current methods of containment that they use on themselves: IGNORANCE, GREED, and SELFISHNESS.
Their IGNORANCE is the primary weapon of containment. A great man once said, "The best way to hide something from Black people is to put it in a book." We now live in the Information Age. They have gained the opportunity to read any book on any subject through the efforts of their fight for freedom, yet they refuse to read. There are numerous books readily available at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com, not to mention their own Black Bookstores that provide solid blueprints to reach economic equality (which should have been their fight all along), but few read consistently, if at all.
GREED is another powerful weapon of containment. Blacks, since the abolition of slavery, have had large amounts of money at their disposal. Last year they spent 10 billion dollars during Christmas, out of their 450 billion dollars in total yearly income (2.22%).
Any of us can use them as our target market, for any business venture we care to dream up, no matter how outlandish, they will buy into it. Being primarily a consumer people, they function totally by greed.. They continually want more, with little thought for saving or investing.
They would rather buy some new sneaker than invest in starting a
business. Some even neglect their children to have the latest Tommy or FUBU, And they still think that having a Mercedes, and a big house gives them "Status" or that they have achieved their Dream.
They are fools! The vast majority of their people are still in poverty
because their greed holds them back from collectively making better
communities.
With the help of BET, and the rest of their black media that often
broadcasts destructive images into their own homes, we will continue to see huge profits like those of Tommy and Nike. (Tommy Hilfiger has even jeered them, saying he doesn't want their money, and look at how the fools spend more with him than ever before!). They'll continue to show off to each other while we build solid communities with the profits from our businesses that we market to them.
SELFISHNESS, ingrained in their minds through slavery, is one of the major ways we can continue to contain them. One of their own, Dubois said that there was an innate division in their culture. A "Talented Tenth" he called it. He was correct in his deduction that there are segments of their culture that has achieved some "form" of success.
However, that segment missed the fullness of his work. They didn't read that the "Talented Tenth" was then responsible to aid The Non-Talented Ninety Percent in achieving a better life. Instead, that segment has created another class, a Buppie class that looks down on their people or aids them in a condescending manner.
They will never achieve what we have. Their selfishness does not allow them to be able to work together on any project or endeavor of substance. When they do get together, their selfishness lets their egos get in the way of their goal Their so-called help organizations seem to only want to promote their name without making any real change in their community.
They are content to sit in conferences and conventions in our hotels, and talk about what they will do, while they award plaques to the best speakers, not to the best doers. Is there no end to their selfishness? They steadfastly refuse to see that TOGETHER EACH ACHIEVES MORE (TEAM)
They do not understand that they are no better than each other because of what they own, as a matter of fact, most of those Buppies are but one or two pay checks away from poverty. All of which is under the control of our pens in our offices and our rooms.
Yes, we will continue to contain them as long as they refuse to re ad, continue to buy anything they want, and keep thinking they are "helping" their communities by paying dues to organizations which do little other than hold lavish conventions in our hotels. By the way, don't worry about any of them reading this letter, remember, 'THEY DON'T READ!!!!
(Prove them wrong. Please pass this on! After Reading it..)
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