kNOw Justice, kNOw Peace

Oh, I was going to get to this sooner or later. I held my tongue when Lupe came out with "Bitch Bad," a song that was supposed to hold a mirror up to Black society and preach about the abomination it's turning into, but was instead met with "Oh, shut up, Lupe." I didn't say a damn thing about the ignorant backlash regarding "Hunger Games" star Amandla Stenberg (a mulatta) playing the part of Rue, who readers had (mistakenly) thought was a precious White girl. Enough is quite enough.

Amandla Stenberg

Before you proceed, please heed this caveat and abstain from getting the idea that I am lumping any race into one category. When I say Whites, I am speaking of a very specific group of White people: those who perpetuate intolerance and/or ignorance. Back to your scheduled program.

On Sunday, Jamie Foxx was presented with the 2013 Generation Award at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards (which I don't go out of my way to catch anymore). As he walked onstage, he gave the cameras, and the world, a clear shot of his t-shirt: an homage to Trayvon Martin and the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Above a big portrait of Martin were the words "kNOw Justice" and below the photo the words "kNOw Peace." Surrounding Martin's massive portrait were smaller photos of the children who perished at Sandy Hook. 

The backlash was immediate and unfiltered. People (specifically, White people) on Twitter were pissed. How dare he wear a controversial Black face so proudly near his heart? What nerve he had to make Martin's face bigger than the innocent (mostly White) children. The audacity that he can't just let it go, that he's standing in solidarity with an important face of the Black struggle, the Black injustice, the Black truth.

Jamie Foxx at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards

Because that's always been a problem, right? It's seen as unity and comradeship when Asians help their fellow Asians, when Hispanics look out for their fellow Hispanics and when Whites support their White brothers and sisters. But when Blacks have each other's backs, we're being exclusive. We're racist. It's a problem. It's scary. That's why we've always been divided, isn't it? They love seeing us fight each other. They bring out their popcorn and enjoy the show, the gaping fissure they've created that causes tension, even hatred, among Blacks. The second we start getting along and banding together, we must be stopped. Stopped before we become too powerful. Before our voices are heard and the truth rings free, out in the open.

Some of the tweets that were publicized in reaction to Foxx's statement t-shirt were just ignorant and others were downright hateful and meant to be degrading. It doesn't surprise me that racial tensions are at an all-time high. In fact, according to a Huffington Post article I read a while back, the percentage of White racists today is higher than it was right before Obama was elected into office. Now, don't get me wrong, we've come a long way. And I have tons of White friends who couldn't care less about race. But in this day and age, we should be a little further along than we are collectively.

Then again, we are in the age of the Internet. Where people are free to say as they please. I believe what these people do is put out this vitriol under the cloak of anonymity just to ruffle feathers, just because they can. But they spend so much time doing so, they really begin to get sucked into the contempt they put out; they become the hate they create. Perhaps so much so, that they begin to live the atrocity that they had previously preached only for a reaction.

Most of the tweets that were highlighted in the article referred to Martin as a "thug," a "nigger" and a "criminal" who got what he deserved and was rightfully wasted from this world so that he could no longer carry out crimes that CLEARLY all Black men exclusively are bound to commit. They even called Foxx a racist who "wouldn't be wearing that shirt if Trayvon Martin were white." Again, standing up for each other is "racist." Would Jamie Foxx have worn that shirt if Trayvon Martin had been White? Honestly, probably not. Not because he's a racist, but because of the cultural significance the Trayvon Martin case had in America.

Just some of the Twitter backlash in response to
Foxx's shirt (Photo courtesy of Public Shaming Tumblr)

Black culture is riddled with adages made popular by 90s hip-hop like "fuck the police" and "the White man's always trying to keep the brothers down." Of course, many people have chosen to turn a blind eye to the injustices done to African Americans both through individual racism and systematic racism. These ideas have been brushed off as conspiracy theories and excuses made by the Black community to justify their servile standing in society. Imagine the guilt that would befall White people if they had to admit that the system was really designed so that Black people have to work ten times harder just to have a remote chance at the American dream. It's comfortable to live in ignorance. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss. 

If we didn't flip the channel every time a poor child in tattered clothing in a third world country showed up on the TV screen, we'd be forced to think about the things we take for granted everyday. We'd have no choice but to rot inside at the thought of living our hedonistic, gluttonous, ostentatious lifestyles. So it's comfortable not to know. Because there's a certain discomfort that arises, a guilt, if you will, when our actions don't match our beliefs. This feeling of unease is cognitive dissonance. In order to alleviate this vexation, we pretend we don't know so that we don't have to readjust the way we live to match what we actually do know to be the right thing. 

Trayvon Martin wasn't harming anyone. Nor did he have any intent to harm anyone. What he may or may not have done at any point before that night had nothing to do with the fact that he was merely walking down the street minding his own business. What happened could have been avoided had George Zimmerman followed police instructions and stayed put. The consequences of his actions exposed on a national scale what Black people had been saying all along: we're targeted simply for being Black and in the wrong place. In a place we are not welcome.

Yet still, while most of America conceded that his murder was undeniably wrong, certain people sought any reason to demonize Martin. They dug up any dirt they could to assuage the guilt of witnessing the slaughter of a teenage boy who was armed with nothing but a few snacks. Rather than calling him a "guy," "young man" or a "person," they refer to him as "thug," "nigger," "criminal." Anything that takes away his humanity and replaces it with bestiality. And they wonder why Black people get so riled up about this.

One of my favorite books is Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, about a Black man trying to find his way in a society that consistently degrades him until he is forced to become a recluse and live outside the law. From that book comes one of my favorite lines: "To whom can I  be responsible, and why should I be, when you refuse to see me?" A perfect example of what sociologists refer to as the labeling theory. If you tell someone they are something enough, eventually, they will believe it and become the very thing you've labeled them as. You tell a woman she's ugly enough, no matter how scientifically beautiful she actually is, she will begin to see ugly every time she looks at herself. 

This is what Black people have succumbed to. So long have we been told we're not good enough, we're not worthy, we're not beautiful, we can't make it, being brutish is in our nature, that we actually start to believe it. Many of us either stop trying, dumb ourselves down, act out violently or start trying to live up to White standards of perfection. For example, Nicki Minaj, who fancies herself a "Barbie" and models her look after a European aesthetic (blond hair, blue contacts, light make-up, etc.). So essentially, White people paint a picture of who they think we are, we subconsciously live up to it, and they're provided with more ammunition to say "I told you so." It's like asking someone repeatedly to slap you in the face and then getting upset when they actually do it.

Great quote from a very wise man (Photo courtesy of
Interracial Dating Facebook)

When is it going to be okay for us to stick up for each other? We've been pitted against one another for so long because they fear that when we stand together, we will become a force. We will be powerful beyond measure. But we've bought into it. Light skin vs. dark skin, Black Americans vs. Africans vs. Haitians, upper class vs. lower class. We divide ourselves up into any category we can squeeze ourselves into. It has to be okay for us to come together. It's not a matter of gathering an army so that we can take over, but so that we can merely stand next to our brothers and sisters of all races and ethnicities in equality without any struggles for power and superiority.

I wish I could relay that message to these Internet gangsters. These people who feel so safe behind the veil of a computer screen that they can so easily spit quick, reckless, spontaneous bits of venom that spread like wildfire and become immortalized in the vast abyss of the World Wide Web. But I know many of them are far too proud, too resistant, too set in their ways to listen to reason. But I want them to know anyway, that we will continue to wear these bold displays of support for all of our brethren who have been wronged, be they Black, White, Asian, Green, Red or Blue. If there is no justice, there will be no peace. And until we know justice, we cannot know peace.

Reaction to the Boston Marathon Explosions

The statuses and messages I've seen throughout the day regarding the tragedy at the Boston marathon has been overwhelmingly synonymous: look for the helpers. Don't think about the lowlives who did this; think of those who are pulling together to fix it. In all other tragedies I've lived through,

A popular photo currently making the rounds on social media.

Columbine, 9/11, Virginia Tech, Aurora, and Sandy Hook, to name a few, the reactions were all shock, horror and disgust in the realm of "What kind of monsters would do such a thing?" and "What kind of a world do we live in?" 

Today, most people didn't bother to ask. They ceased to ask these questions that prove to be counterproductive and instead their instinct was to help, to do something. To answer one of the questions above, we live in the real world. A world that has never been devoid of tragedy, horror and villains. And it is tempting to focus on the villains because we cannot comprehend what would possess someone to do this. We, with our golden hearts, who would rather create and heal than destroy and break. It's moot trying to rationalize the actions of such cancerous psychopaths. Some things are beyond comprehension. 

I think the most important thing is to show them that they can't so easily break us. We may bend and get shook up, but we mustn't break. No matter how far removed we are personally from these incidents, we should take the perspective that if it affects one of us, it affects us all. We need to reach out to our neighbors and help strengthen them so they feel less like victims and more like warriors. I believe that if we rally together in this way, then, and only then, will these perpetrators learn to fear us rather than us loving in constant fear of them. They will want to shake and rattle us. Let them shake and rattle us, but let us not stir or stumble.  Let us stand firmly as though our feet are nailed to the ground. Let them know that they can stand with us or against us, but it is in their best interest to stand with us because together, we are a force. Together, you really don't want to piss us off.  

Today, I heard the voices of people who have had enough. Who know there is more to come and are willing to fight and start focusing on the positive in order to make the negative feel more insignificant. Today, I saw the faces of people who did not hesitate to lend a hand in any way they could, who did not let their shock keep them on the sidelines. Today, everyone was on the front lines, and although I still feel a heaviness in my heart, I still retain faith in humanity.

We live in the real world. We can say all we want how we shouldn't have to teach our daughters how not to get raped and teach our sons how not to get themselves killed, but that's not how life works. In life, there are and will always be bad guys and good guys. Good guys are not those who refrain from delinquent behavior. They are those who risk danger to fight the good fight. Who deliberately try to restore the damage caused by the bad guys and bring them to justice. Teach your children that. This is the real world. It will get tough. You will cry. You will want to give up. But you won't. Because you're never alone in the fight. Because for every villain, there are multiple times as many helpers. 

Politics and the Youth

Yesterday was Midterm Elections and, being a journalism student, I'm pretty much forced to care by my professors. I can't tell you how many projects I was assigned relating to the elections. As journalists, we have to know and, more importantly, care about what is going on in the world around us. Even though my niche is magazine journalism, I've written for news publications as well. People look to journalists for information and clarity. But are some people not looking enough?

When I was younger, I never pictured myself taking an interest in politics or news. It seemed as though all adults were obsessed with the news and I figured it was something that would come with being an adult. But the older I got, the more I feared I would never care. That I'd be the oddball adult who didn't watch the news and keep up with the latest.

Then I switched my major to journalism. It was a completely different atmosphere than business. I was not learning about how to make a buck. I was learning about the world. My world. And I was understanding it in a way I never had before. I still don't watch the news as regularly as I should because I find that personally it drains me emotionally, but I make sure to keep up with what's going on.

I did not vote in the midterm elections because I am not an official U.S. citizen and therefore my vote means nothing to this country, but I live here so even though I was completely absorbed in my crazy busy life, I still found myself invested when the results were being streamed. Sure, I was forced to watch it by my professors, but I actually cared.

Especially when the Republicans began dominating. Now I'm a liberal and it's obvious, and I've never been able to comprehend black conservatives anyway. Like A. Leon Higginbotham said to Justice Clarence Thomas in his Open Letter, "What is it that you are trying to conserve?" Or something along those lines.

While I was immersed in the results, I logged onto Facebook mindlessly and saw that hardly anyone else cared. They were worried about the Bad Girl's Club and whatnot. I understand that in Maryland (where I'm from) it's not as big of a deal as it is in Pennsylvania, but there's an absolute lack of concern for something that could completely change our country.

We may be young but we're not kids anymore and pretty soon we will be on our own, and directly affected by our government's policies. If we don't start thinking about it now, I fear that we'll start when it's too late.

In yesterday's elections only 9 % of the voters were18-29 year-olds, and only 10 % were African-Americans. For the two groups who may be the most affected by the results of the election, I find it shocking (but not really) that these numbers are so low.

So what do we do about this problem? What will the consequences be for this lack of participation?

What's the Most F-ed Up Thing You Can Think Of? Ok, Now My Turn.

     A man in Orange County has just been arrested for.....ejaculating in a female co-worker's water bottle...twice. TMZ reported the story earlier. Yes, TMZ.

     According to officials from the O.C. District Attorney's office, the man walked into his co-worker's office in January and rubbed one out into her water bottle, which she went on to drink. But after consuming the water, she felt "sick and irritated" and threw the bottle away.
  
     Three months later, the victim and the suspect were both transferred to another branch...where he struck again. And she drank it...again. This time, however, after feeling sick, the woman saved the bottle and sent it to a lab to be tested. The results allegedly confirmed that the water bottle contained semen. And the DNA was later connected to the suspect.

     The victim has now hired famed attorney Gloria Allred to represent her. They should just hand her the money right now. This story deserves to be told...to everyone you know. Now that I've disturbed you...I'll watch you squirm as you drink your next bottle of water.

The "N-Word"...Again

     *Sigh* Countless discussions, debates, arguments have led nowhere apparently. I cannot recall how many times I have had this discussion with numerous people to no avail. And the word "nigger" keeps creeping up to the consciousness of our society again and again. This time, talk radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is the bad guy who dared to not just utter the word, but blurt it out...over and over again. Eleven times, to be exact. After years and years of this issue being pummeled and beaten unconscious by society, it still has not died. In fact, I'm forced to accept that many white people, unbeknownst to us black people, use the word.
    
     Honestly, why should we blame them? Why are we being so hypocritical and childish, demanding that we have free use of the word to our hearts content yet no one else should have the audacity to merely think about using the word. Can't we just retire it completely?

     What do we really get out of using that word? A lot of black people defend the usage, saying they are reclaiming the word when it just appears to me that they are simply keeping it alive. When a white guy is listening to rap music in the privacy of his bedroom, do you think he skips over the n-word knowing that no one is around? And what happens if he then accidently blurts it out while no longer in the confines of his room? He's a racist, right?

     Some black people even now put their own twist on what the word means. I recall back in middle school I was friends with an Asian girl who was well-known among the black community as "one of us." She talked like us, dressed like us, listened to the same music, and lived in the same poverty. One day, as a group of us were standing around checking out the cute guys passing by she  shouted out, "Damn, that nigga is fine!"

     I looked around immediately, fearing that the black girls around her would be angry, but no one seemed to mind. I later approached on of my black friends who had witnessed the occasion and asked why that didn't bother her. "Who cares?" she said. "'Nigga' is just another way of saying 'good-looking guy'."

     It seems that every black person has a different  opinion about the word, and that's when the debate gets messy. After reading a post on theroot.com about the incident with Dr. Laura, I must admit they made a good point: Why do we give people like that the power to work our nerves?

     Dr. Laura has since quit her radio show because of all the backlash from the word, but why do we allow that word to get us so riled up? And it does give them an awful lot of power knowing that by merely uttering that one word, they can ruin our entire day. What people neglected was that in the same day, Dr. Laura went on to accuse the majority of the black population for voting for Obama only because of his race.

     People were so blinded by the word, that they failed to recognize how much more insulting that is to our intelligence and our integrity. We don't just vote for any black person who runs for office. Condoleeza Rice is a black person, however, she does not have much support from the black community. Why? Because black people tend to be Democrats and vote that way.

     I'm retiring this issue for now with this final thought: It's not that serious. Stop using it if you don't want to hear it. Enough already.