The Pope Said So

To every problem expressed against you kneegroes, someone and there's always someone who is responsible for mouthing those famous words: "What's the solution?" Indeed. What is the solution? How about abandoning the "What" of the problem and concentrating on the "Where" as in: Where do we start? or, "How" do we address the problem?, which are many.

For starters how about being a little bit civil to each other? It's a small thing and all it's gonna cost you is a breath. Yep. A tiny exhalation of air as in "Hi" as you pass. The Fool knows that some of you Kneegroes out there would rather have hot pokers shoved up your asses before you would even begin to acknowledge the existence of another black person. You'd probably shoot that poor Kneegro for stealing your air. Okay then, let's try this one. How about going old skool and just giving the nod? It's just a teeny weeny tip of the head in an upwards motion. It says that I see you and I don't mean you any harm. And you might as well add: "please don't shoot me" to the description cause these ain't the old days.

It's something to build on. And it's funny because when you black people are surrounded by white faces, the first thing you look for is another black person. I can't figure that one out. That's cogitative reasoning at it's worse. For you more bolder souls out there, a smile would be nice with eye contact. Note. I did not say stare. I said eye contact. Staring is another one of those things that will get a cap busted in your ass. Please remember this. There ARE rules.

I have to ask. How did it get this way? When did kindness become a weakness? How can such a small insignificant word like "Hi" hold so much negative power? Is this another one of those slavery things? Someone, I forgot who, postulated that black people suffer from Post Traumatic Stress from slavery, which seems kinda far fetched to me after so much time has passed. Another rather unorthodox theory out there is Stockholm Syndrome wherein the captives become sympathetic with the captors. Hmmmm? I don't know.

So. As if you didn't know, the Fool has his own theory and being the Fool that I am, it's kinda out there. For instance when our ancestors first came to this country, (Yep. Back to slavery) they made it here in a state of shock, those that survived. The human mind can take just so much shit before it turns in the keys and checks out. These people went through something so unimaginably brutal and horrible that it's hard for us to imagine it. And as a side note here. I am not talking about the people, black or white who instigated the conditions those people found themselves in. I'm talking about the people who actually went through those horrid changes. There is a difference.

Where was I? Okay. You got this brand spanking "new" thing in front of you. The scuttlebutt from the ships was that they weren't quite human, but they were strong and capable of learning. Even the church had given it's blessing or in the words of the Pope, God had said have fun and knock yourselves out and good luck.

So there they stood. Devoid of religion. Devoid of culture. Devoid of pride. Just a human shell filled with fear. This was truly a case of survival of the fittest. The only problem was that the lights were on, but nobody was home and nobody thought or wanted to check to see if there was a faulty connection somewhere because after all, they weren't like "you and me" and there was work to do. So began our ancestors indoctrination into the white culture of the time.

I use the word indoctrination in it's sluttiest form as opposed to absorbed, because there was no way in Hell white people were going to absorb us into their society. A belief system functioning to this day. In the end, it's all academic because at the time our ancestors were in Pavlovian mode. Punishment and reward. From the beginning black people were divided. Off to the fields you go. Welcome to the big house for you and you over there. Yeh, you. You are a fine turn of a woman. You. Up to my bedroom with you. We gonna have some fun tonight. God is good.

And that's how it started. An abbreviated version. The point is this. We are still involved in this hellish indoctrination whether we want to admit it or not. Studies have proven that your little child would rather have the little blond doll over the black one. Maybe we treat each other so badly is because we are ashamed that we are this way. We are ashamed because we are/were made to feel ashamed. Because we were used and ostracized by a society that at one time said we were free to do... what? Get the shit kicked out of us because some white person was having a bad day? Because we are so fucked up in the head that we still carry around the belief of "good hair", light to bright skin and "talking white". Believe it or not, these are all the things that we, in our kookoo state of mind, use to identify ourselves with those who twisted us into this simulacrum of white people. We are ashamed ....and angry. At what? Because having "good" hair or light skin makes a black person just a little bit closer to being white? Is that it? Is that one piece of the puzzle? Is that one of the things that light your fire? Hell I'd be ashamed to admit that to my own damn self. You think the Fool is crazy? You think the Fool has lost what little mind that he had? Fair enough. But please explain to me the existence of the Brown Bag Clubs. And yes, they still exist. Or how about the obsession with the Prezs' skin color. Oh my Lord! Really? I did warn you.

On the other hand, if you're secure in yourself and your own skin, then what I have said means nothing. It was a bunch of crap, but I suspect I did slip one of the board pieces into place and given enough time the whole picture will eventually come into view.

Alternatives

Since today is Sunday, I thought I would do a little public service announcement. A little light reading if you will. Us kneegroes don't as a matter of course, blow our own horn, unless it has to do with sports or entertainment. Well there's a lot more to us as a people other than running with a ball or dribbling a ball or making white people laugh or dying in front of a camera at the movies There are highly educated black people in this country and the world who just go about their jobs and keep a low profile. Whether or not the low profile thing is by choice or that the white MSM refuses to showcase them is a post for another time. Lord knows we need to let our young people know that there are alternatives to poverty, gangs, dancing and rapping.

Anyway. First up is Professor Aaron S. Evans. That's him on your left.

Aaron S. Evans

born: June 1968, place: Texas

pre-doctorate institution: B. Sc. (Physics & Astronomy) University of Michigan (1990); M. S. (Astronomy) Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii (1993)

doctorate institution: Ph. D. (Astronomy) Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii (1996)

area: Astronomy

current employment: Asst. Professor, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, SUNY at Stony Brook

Damn. Impressive, yes?

I chose a black man to start with for the simple reason that black men in the general population seem to be at a crossroads. Almost 70 percent of black children are born to single mothers. Those mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty. They are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children. It's pretty hard to ignore facts like these.

We need to let our young people know that there are indeed alternatives to sports and entertainment. We need more people like Professor Evans. We need to let them know that they can be whatever they want to be and that we, as adults have their backs. We need to let them know that there is no such thing as "acting white". Knowledge is colorblind and will not be denied, no matter who you are. Smart people will always find a way, that is, unless they spend the better portion of their lives being beaten down and told that they ain't shit or being called animals. That's a shout-out to the Big Giant Heads. You know who you are.

Here's some more stuff on Professor Evans.

My current research primarily deals with observations of colliding galaxies and their associated phenomena (starbursts and active galactic nuclei [AGN]). The study of these galaxies requires a multi-wavelength approach, which to date has included optical to mid-infrared imaging, as well as near-infrared and (sub)millimeter spectroscopy. The observing facilities used to carry out these programs are the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii (UH 2.2m, UKIRT, JCMT, Keck), the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Owens Valley Millimeter Arrayin California, the Steward Observatory 12m telescope at Kitt Peak, Arizona, and the IRAM 30m telescope in Spain.

BAM!!!!!! Take THAT bitches!

Note: Professor Evans. If you, by chance happen upon this site, please don't sue me. I'm just a poor black fool.

The Truth is a Skanky Bitch

I snatched the below snippet from Clutch. It says what I have been ranting about, only in a more refined way. I am not refined. I am a fool. The good thing about being a fool is the ability to say a lot of outrageous shit, because one aspect of the truth is it's outrageousness. Lies are always smooth and flowing. That's what draws you in. The smoothness. No matter how many holes can be punched in lie, you want to believe it, you're compelled to believe it, because, well...it sounds like the truth.

A lie makes the truth seem boring, especially when there's a tiny germ of that truth buried within the lie. Those are the good ones. It's a funny thing. A lie can be shown to be a lie with all manner of proof to back it up and the truth laid bare for all to see. But the truth is often so over the top outrageous with it's twists and turns that the majority of people would still prefer to believe in the lie and will be happy to kick the shit out of you in its defense.

Isn't human nature the funniest thing? It. Is. Hilarious. Anyway, the four paragraphs below were taken from the original article: Towards An International Black Identity and was written by Lexis B. who I hope doesn't sue my ass. Hey, you can't sue somebody who's not right in the head, can you?

We have thought of ourselves as separate for too long. This thinking has brought war at its worst and a waste of our richness as a group on an ongoing basis. As children of Africa we cannot remain divided, preventing cultural gold and intellectual silver that could be circulated for powerful growth from flowing because of the misconception that we are different. We must redeem our sense of unity to move ahead, because no one is going to help us, but us.

We are used to fighting to achieve our goals. But our final battle for oneness will be ironically be won only through the power of love. This story can help us make the much-needed switch in approach.

The first female president of an African nation, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was elected president of Liberia in 2005. At the time of her election, Sirleaf was a seasoned politician, but it was not her track record that got her elected. Sirleaf’s rise was fueled by the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, which unified a country that had been divided by civil war for 14 years. This small group of women sat in the middle of a war zone and refused to move until the warring sides put down their guns. Simple and successful, their movement put a woman in their nation’s top spot without throwing a grenade. President Sirleaf has used this power to rebuild her homeland based on the principles of truth and humanity. This amazing feat shows the power of the black woman’s spirit to heal and unite. The power of love to redeem old wounds and create oneness.

Self-value in our oneness as a people will help us recognize and purposefully utilize the African riches that have built up other countries for ourselves. No matter where we are on the globe, we are called by that familiar “Afro-“ or “African” preceding the nation where our ancestors landed — an eternal umbilical cord connecting us all to an immortal mother. No mother likes to see her children fight. Mother Africa wants to see us united and strong. We must see that no group of blacks is better than, less than, or immune to each others’ problems. We are seen as one, and we can achieve as one. We are one and we must unite.

Did you notice the use of the words, love, oneness, spirit, to heal and to unite? My favorite was/is "Children of Africa". It sounds much better than African American, at least to me. By default, I am an American. My spirit, through it's many incarnations is African. Thus I am a child of Africa. To any white person reading this, you can be a child of your country of origin too, whether it be the misty isles of Ireland, the white cliffs in England or the steppes of Russia. Children of the Sands sounds pretty good for the Arabian people.

I am reminded of a poem by Kahlil Gibran.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread, but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping; For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together; For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

This was a long post. But, I think, worth it.

The Corner of Survival and Just Getting By

There is a saying that's been floating around and has been for awhile, especially in the body building world: What doesn't kill you, will make you stronger. I tend to disagree. I believe that what doesn't kill you , will fuck you up for the rest of your life. And the strong don't always survive. Those are just the facts. Reality is a bitch. Because the meek will never inherit this Earth. This reality, by design is structured on survival for the fittest. You can be predator or you can be prey.

Black people have been chosen or depending on your point of view, assigned the role of prey. Was it through no fault of our own? Or was it meant to be a lesson? If it is intended to be a lesson, we haven't learned it very well. Some in the religious community believe that we were assigned this role through divine intervention. I don't know about that. I am a fool. But any "God" that would purposely give dominion to some of "his" children over the rest of his children has some serious personal issues on a cosmic scale. That's just my personal opinion and coming from a microscopic piece of dust such as myself, means nothing. I admit it.

There are black people in this country who have done very well for themselves and there are those of us who have not. The majority of us exist on the corner of Survival and Just Getting By. We are not ready... for anything. We are still too busy arguing amongst ourselves to realize that something is coming down the pike, to coin a phrase. Have you black people ever heard of survivalists? These are white people who are getting their shit together. And they are not crazy. They are getting prepared. A lot of people are getting prepared. We as a people are stuck on a hill with our gears frozen in neutral and our foot on the brake, trying to prevent the inevitable and uncaring force of gravity from dragging us backwards and over the cliff onto the rocks below.

We are stagnating. The furthest that we will go into the forest is to rant about the politics of politics, not realizing that around the next tree is a very large bear trap that will spring close on our ankle, probably shattering the bone and sending us into shock. Reality, which has a very nasty and untimely way of intruding on ones life, strolls over and takes a big chunk out of our ass as our neurons go into overdrive and come up with this amazing protracted theory that no one will be coming to help us and sooner, rather than later we will have to contemplate the unsavory decision to chew our leg off, because that's what politics is all about. Traps. Very dangerous traps. And there's no help in sight.

At the other end of the spectrum there are those of us who are just plain lost in the forest. We went in too deep without a compass, because we figured we couldn't read one anyway, so what was the use of bringing one. And surprise. There's no cell phone service and we don't have any matches, because we don't smoke and oh yeah, food wasn't a problem. There's a MickyD's right down the road. So while we were contemplating the beauty of the forest and what it must have been like in Africa, we lost our way. And incidentally, there's no help coming.

At some point we, as a people have to realize that we are on our own. We are responsible not only for our own behavior, and our own well being, but how we define ourselves and the spirit that dwells within. We have to be prepared for what's ahead, because the worlds stage is being remodeled before our very eyes and we will be needing totally different costumes and scripts when the casting starts for the new mega blockbuster that's in production and will be coming to a theatre near you and if you don't have your back stage pass, you'll be left outside in the alley to fend for yourself with the rest of the people on the Northeast corner of Just Getting By.

Race and Spirituality

Does the word spirituality have to have the word "black" in front of it? Is the word spirituality only valid when used by white people? Is it necessary to use any type of word in front of spirituality? Why is the word black in front of spirituality even necessary? It's just something the Fool has been thinking about here lately.

I think about spirituality often as opposed to religion, especially organized religion. A lot of people claim to be spiritual in nature and yet I have heard or read of these same people telling someone who disagrees with them to stick their opinion up their ass. I have seen these people gloat at the death or misfortune of another human being. Some how this just doesn't gel in the Fools mind, which means it just forms little globs of inanimate matter and oozes out of my ears. I would like to know how these two very different and wildly separate point of views can exist in the human form. After all, you might say: Hitler loved Eva Braun, that being a wildly divergent statement, yet illustrates my point.

Are we these spiritual beings that we purport to be or are we just too lazy to fess up to the fact that we don't want to join one of the many popular religions that permeate our society and just blurt out to anybody that is listening that, "I am a spiritual person." I mean you can be into witchcraft, Satanism, Druidism, Emissaries of Divine Light, Ananda Marga or any of the thousands of religions and cults out there and call yourself spiritual. You can even be non spiritual and call yourself spiritual. It's all semantics.

What I'm trying to get at here is, do you believe in a higher divine power and does this power have a preference as to how it is known to you since you think you should delegate the word "black" as a means to identify your belief system? Apart from the verifiable cults and focusing on one divine force (we're still talking spiritual here), why is it necessary to superimpose race onto the divine? Organized religion has done a pretty good job of that through the centuries and way back in the good old days more than a few white people thought heaven was segregated and their churches reflected their beliefs. And if you were to go backwards a few more steps in time, you would find that a lot of those kindly slave owners believed that their slaves would be with them in the hereafter to tend to their needs. I guess they believe that at the end of the "day" their servants would retire to the ghetto section of Heaven to await their call to duty for the next day.

If you think about it, the Egyptians believed the same thing. How weird is that? And how come God didn't say anything about all the Africans held in bondage? Oops. My bad. I promised to stay off the subject of religion.

Is being spiritual having your own personal relationship with a higher power than yourself and understanding that this power has your benefit at heart and that you are a part of everything and everything is a part of you and believing that when you commit a wrong, a wrong will be committed against you because the universe works on cause and effect and good and evil and positive and negative and so above as below. Is this what you define as spiritual? Because if it is, then you wouldn't be doing and saying some of the crazy, insane, vile and nasty shit that you do. And you would drop the word "black" from in front of spiritual.

All is borrowed energy, neither black, white, red or yellow. Neither good or bad. It's how you apply this gift of life in your daily travels through this temporal plane. You can make your little light shine brighter than the brightest star or you can make it flutter as if deprived of oxygen. This gift is only a loaner. Be careful how you use it, because there's no renewal on this contract.

But, like I always say, I am just a Fool. What do I know?