Just Thinking

At a crime scene the other day, the head of a young black man lay cheek down on step, while the coroner's office prepared to take him away.

Another young man watched the grisly scene and couldn't stop shaking his head. He'd come to the scene to see if the body belonged to someone he knew, and left with thanks on his lips because it didn't. The young man turned to me and said simply "Something needs to be done."

We both knew what he meant. Death visits black men in my city far too frequently and far too soon. People don't ignore the violence, but they've come to accept it as part of the landscape. As the young man said "Nobody seems to think it's important."

Some things have become accepted facts of life in America: Black men will be gunned down on a nightly basis, and the police will use that violence to abuse and denigrate mostly innocent black men. It's the cycle of life. Our violence provides a ready made excuse for the violence of those charged with protecting and serving.

And people will continue to shake their heads and assume that's the way things have to be.

But, they really don't. Young black men do not have to live fast and die young, and a police horror story is not a prerequisite for manhood. Those things are not immutable laws of life no matter what we have internalized and been taught to believe. Things can change if enough of us demand a change.

But how?

First, black people have to demand that ALL of us be treated as American citizens, with the full rights of citizens. We can no longer afford to classify ourselves as "good niggers" and "bad niggers" when it comes to the rights and privileges afforded us by the police. We can no longer accept that the police will have to break a few eggs to make their safety omelet. That sort of reactionary and unimaginative thinking is what led us to the inane crack cocaine/powder cocaine sentencing disparity, and the rapidly growing prison underclass of black men.

We have to have the courage and fortitude to stop expecting other folks to solve our problems. In turn we have to stop being willing to sacrifice our freedoms to get those problems solved. Crime is a terrible blight, but that doesn't mean we have to accept harsh and illegal police tactics to feel safer.

We don't have to eliminate people's rights to make the world a better place. That's fool's gold. We can demand equal treatment from the police, and, if necessary, we can police our own communities to reduce our dependence on outside forces. We have that power.

As for the problem of young men dying, we need to join with the thousands of people across this country who are working to the slow kill of our families and communities. We need to first change mindsets, then change environments and ultimately we will change lives. So many of the young cats I meet can't seem to find the middle ground that allows most of us to be productive and fairly happy individuals. They either dream massive dreams, or they don't seem to dream at all.

We need jobs, we need education, we need God. But, most importantly, we need each other to care. Yes, the lifestyle some people lead is one that will have few positive outcomes. Yes, some of these young men who are killed are hardcore, terrible criminals who would kill anyone just as fast as they would say "What's up?"

But, not only are those folks the minority, even they are not irredeemable. We have to stop sacrificing so many of our folks at the altar of "respectability." Standards are important, but too often many of us permanently attach our hands to our backs and a stick to our anuses. We're so caught up in congratulating ourselves on how we "made it" that we forget that "making it" shouldn't have been the only goal.

We have to start caring again.




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The Train is Coming

Sometimes I read my little boys the story of the "Little Engine that Could."

The book was one of my favorites as a child, and I enjoy passing it along to them. I try to impress on them the importance of "I think I can, I think I can" as we read about the little engine doing its job.

But, there is another aspect of the book that I'm thinking about today. Before the positive thinking engine saves the day, there are several other engines who refuse to the do the job of carrying the dolls, toys and food across the mountain to the waiting boys and girls. Two, of those engines decline out of self-importance. But, the other declines simply because he's tired.

"I'm so tired. I'm so tired. I need to rest my weary wheels, exclaims the old ragged engine before he puffs off exclaiming I can not. I can not.

Now, this engine is held up as the antithesis of the little blue engine. His negative attitude is supposed to be his biggest problem, while the little blue engine succeeds because he's positive. It's easy to see the message being promoted by the book's author.

Only, it's not that simple to me. Right now, I feel like that old, ragged engine. As I gaze at the swirling issues of race that are dominating our news cycle despite the best efforts of the country's first black president to downplay them, I just feel tired. Lies, misdirections and vitriol are everywhere, and while I understand it in no way compares to what my ancestors once faced in this country, I still feel tired. I'm tired of listening, I'm tired of discussing, I'm tired of being bothered.

I can not.

This has been building for a while. It's why I've posted somewhat less frequently, why I completely avoid most television news, and why I generally do not feel like talking to people about what's going on in the world. My focus is turning inward. I'm looking at my life, my behavior and my actions and thinking about what I can do to correct them. It's not that I've given up on people changing, it's just that I've decided they first have to show some desire and commitment to change before I get emotionally involved.

I'm not convinced that the majority of people this country, or in this world are truly interested in equality or justice, or challenging themselves to, honestly, be better human beings. Hell, often I'm not interested in those things. Like most people, I'm interested in being comfortable, in having enough, in not doing too much and in being "happy." Like most folks, I see happiness as an emotion dependent on my external circumstances, instead of a state of being dependent on my internal fortitude. I want the world to make me happy, when only I have that power.

So, like that old train, I've decided that right now is not the best time for me to be climbing certain mountains, even if it means some jobs won't get done. I haven't quit, I haven't lost hope, I've just lost a little vigor. I'm trying determine a new path that allows me to reduce frustration and stress, while at the same time feeling like I'm still getting things done. I still want to confront and discuss issues involving race, but I'm trying to discover a way to approach these issues that's satisfying instead of frustrating. The blog will continue, I'm just trying to figure what to say that I haven't said already, and how to present the same topics in real life.

In the mean time, all the Little Engines that can will have to do the heavy lifting.





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Spreading It Around

I have a lot of sympathy for Muslims in Western nations these days.

From the French telling Muslim women they can't wear their traditional religious dress in public, to Facebook telling some Muslim groups "Thanks, but no thanks," being Muslim in majority white-spaces isn't easy these days. As a black man, I can relate.

It's strange how ideas, particularly those founded on distrust and outright hatred can gain traction so quickly. So many people seem to think that a belief in Islam is definite proof of a bent towards terrorism. Trust me, I'm not blind to the fact that there are many Muslim terrorists, but I'm also not blind to the fact that "terrorism" is a loaded and misused word. One man's tea is another man's poison, and one man's terrorism is another man's War On Terror.

Think about it.

Sadly, most people don't think about it. Instead they make convoluted arguments that seek to justify religious profiling, all while denying that it's a problem. They seek to impose restrictions on others that they would chafe under themselves. And they excuse their own bad behavior, or the bad behavior of those that look like them, all while blaming other groups for the bad behavior of a small minority within that group.

All of it sounds mighty familiar to a black man in America, and I'm sure it sounds familiar to many of you. It seems that just like the Indians, Chinese and Jews all had their turn to join black folks as America's bogeyman du jour, Muslims are now treading the same path. One consistent thing about America is that if you're a minority, particularly a non-white minority, there will come a time when you are viewed with widespread suspicion, and you will have your rights challenged or removed. It's as certain as corruption on Capitol Hill.

The sad thing is that most of the minority groups who have faced marginalization and abuse will be at the front of the line when it's time to denigrate a different group. We are all like dogs fighting for scraps at the big table; howling and biting while we desperately attempt to avoid a swift kick to the ribs and eat our fill. Even though we all know that it will be our turn soon enough, we still rush to condemn and punish others.

We all should be troubled by the way Muslims have been treated around the globe since September 11. I don't condone, or excuse the actions of extremists or those who shelter them, but I do understand that things are rarely black and white, or simple, when humans are involved. I understand that many of the folks who turn to "terrorism" feel like they have serious grievances that are not being addressed. And while I disagree completely with their methods, I sympathize with their pain and frustration. Thus, it saddens me to see so many other folks fail to acknowledge those concerns, and instead blindly accept the latest manure being shoveled out by the powers that be.

Just spreading it around.





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What If It Were You?

Last week, the Internet was buzzing about the capture of infamous Barefoot Bandit.

Y'all may remember the young man from this post I wrote back in March. This kid became a bit of a celebrity in some circles from stealing cars, boats and planes, among other things, from the wealthy and jet-setting around the world. His arrest has broken some people's hearts because they feel like "The Man" has finally captured their hero.

Um, that is a lot of crap.

America loves its bad boys, particularly the white ones. I'm not saying that black ones don't get love, hell the entire rap industry is built on the premise that white kids want to live the black thug life without actually having to worry about getting shot, but white bad boys are really king. Nothing gets white folks talking about freedom and the American way like a white bad boy giving "The Man" the business. They eat that stuff up.

The arrest of the Barefoot Bandit has been lamented by certain folks because they believe he lived life the way it should be lived. He wasn't tied down by mortgages, or jobs, or morals. He took from those who had excess, and dared to make his own rules. At least I'm sure that's how the book deal and movie deal about his life will be sold.

The reality is a little different.

Yeah, this cat stole from rich folks who probably amassed their wealth through nefarious means. It almost sounds like a modern tale of Robin Hood, or successful socialism.  But, in actuality, he was just stealing. He wasn't doing it for justice or to right a wrong, he was doing it for the thrill and to sate his desires. There was nothing noble about it.

See, when you steal from rich folks, it doesn't just affect rich folks. Investment banks and Wall Street should have taught all of us that lesson. There is a ripple effect when rich folks suffer, and unlike in nature, the effects of the ripple are actually much worse the further you get away from Ground Zero. Angry rich folks are vindictive. Angry rich folks fire their workers and abuse their staffs. They cause problems.

But, more than that, stealing from people who have more than you only sounds cool when you feel like one of the have nots. It looks much different when you're a have. And what most Americans celebrating the Barefoot Bandit don't realize is that there are many folks in the world who see them as a "have."

You think the folks who commit petty burglaries or thefts do it just for kicks? Nah, theys see things they want, that they can't afford and they decide that the rules about ownership shouldn't apply to them. They decide that they don't care about the ripple effect of their actions, they just care about living the life they want to live. And that's how your nice new car disappears from your driveway overnight, or how that shiny Ipod gets snatched from your gym locker. Somebody decided they wanted to be a "have" at your expense.

It doesn't sound so cool when that's the scenario. I would bet that most of the folks cheering the Barefoot Bandit wouldn't like for the regular, fully-clothed bandits in their neighborhoods to start living the "free life." They probably get insulted when somebody steals from them because they work for their nice things, or they really don't have that much.

Well the rich folks vicitimized by the Barefoot Bandit to satisfy his lusts felt the same way about their things. They didn't think that just because they have a lot, it's ok for others to take it from them. After all, if you're an American, there is ALWAYS somebody who has less than you do, it's just about whether you encounter them today or not.

See, people don't like to see the obvious because it ruins their little fantasies. In real life, stealing just for the sake of stealing is a problem, but in the myth of the Barefoot Bandit it's striking a blow for the little guy.

But what happens when you're not the little guy?










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