Posted by Min. Paul Scott Min. Paul Scott Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I dont know If I go by the headline story in the newspaper, I am a Now more than ever, we must begin a process whereby, Historically, the image of Afrikan people popularized The images have also served as membership boosters for The reason for this shift in attitude is because white This should be of special concern for the Hip Hop Economically, the warped image of Afrikan people has We cannot even begin to start thinking politically There seems to be a need in the white community to So, our goal today must come up with a consensus of Once this is done we must challenge as a collective, As the old saying goes, I think, so I am. We, as
on 12/10/2002, 11:39 pm
64.12.96.136
Time for Us to Redefine Us
who I am. Not that I bump my head in the middle of the
night and wake up with amnesia but I am at a loss to
come up with a working definition of what it means to
be a Black Man/Afrikan/Brotha in 2002.
potential sniper. If I go by the images on Cable music
channels, I am a THUG or by the other 100 channels on
my digital box , I am nonexistent. So, I walk around
all day, confused. I am a social chameleon adapting
to whatever background I find myself. I am the victim
of a continuous, unstable metamorphosis with no solid
form other than which white America would like me to
have at any given moment.
we as Afrikan people begin to redefine what we are(
not in our worst state but at our best) There must be
a careful analysis of where we are and where we are
going. As the hip Brothas from the 1970
Blaxploitation movies would say , What it is; what is
was and what it shall be. Ya dig?
in the media has been whatever serves the purpose of
white folks at any given time. Whether it was the
image of short, Africans with bones in their noses
circling around innocent European explorers chanting
yum yum eat em up. or a brotha named ODog blasting
away at a convenience store owner and stealing the
surveillance video to show his boyz over popcorn and
malt liquor, the manipulation of the Afrikan image has
a strong precedent. What is disturbing is that these
images are always followed by some sort of action from
the white power structure. For instance the image of
African people as soulless cannibals was used try to
justify Americas legacy of slavery and many
politicians have gotten elected by pushing get tough
on crime laws based on the O-Dog character.
We see these backward characterizations so frequently,
that many in the Black community have become
desensitized to the far-reaching ramifications of
these images both in the news media and the
entertainment industry. We have forgotten the way that
the media/entertainment industry has a way of making
fantasy into reality and vice versa.
the Ku Klux Klan and other organizations who feel it
is their god given duty to protect the virtues of
white womanhood from rowdy colored folks and other
blood thirsty Negroes. I remember when the news that
the suspected snipers were Black broke; I got such a
cold look from an old white dude in the grocery store
that I thought that he was going to roll up on me like
the rapper NORE. What ya gonna do..nothin! What ya
tryin to do
nothin!
folks know that at this time in history they have the
full backing and support of the entire police force
and military and all they have to do is yell Help!
to have a Brotha locked down for 5 to 10, whether
guilty or innocent. White paranoia runs deep. I can
see it now. Upset that the price of coffee has gone up
to 35 cents , Junior Executive Tyrone Jefferson
protests loudly at a staff meeting and walks outside
only to find his car surrounded by FBI agents. We are
approaching a time that any Black man who is not
bowin and scrapin will be considered a sniper or
terrorist.
Community, especially rappers who have a strong,
socially conscious message. According to the rules and
regulations of a paranoid, post 9/11 white America
there is a thin line between kickin tha TRUTH and
inciting a riot or some other sort of illegal
anti-establishment activity. It is no wonder in this
era that white America has so readily accepted rappers
like Nelly, even putting his music in car commercials.
As long as the subject matter surrounds taking your
clothes off instead of fightin the power, Hip Hop
will have no problem getting mass exposure.
been good for many industries including the gun
industry, the prison industrial complex and
door-to-door security alarm salesmen. I am sure that
the young high school kid who comes on the intercom
when Im trying to find a new shirt shouting
Security, aisle Four!!! has been fully briefed on
what a potential shoplifter looks like if not by
management by the media images that bombard her
everyday. Call me paranoid, but I still get a little
nervous when I walk through those electronic theft
detectors at the mall. Even though I am not a thief I
know one of those suckas is gonna go off one day and
a Brotha is gonna have a lot of explainin to do
unless we change the way the media portray us as a
nation of thieves, robbers and cutthroats. Even if we
do get people elected
into office most of their time will be spent passing
new laws to protect them from us.
have a Black boogey man hiding behind every bush.
Every generation seems to need a Willie Horton or an
OJ Simpson.
I cannot count the times when I have heard a Brotha on
a white talk show begin to run down the long list of
atrocities that the European has committed against the
nonwhite people of the planet in chronological and
alphabetical order, only to have the host use as a
comeback, Yeah, but OJ did it!!!
what it means to be Afrikan. We must establish a code
in our community that must not be violated under any
circumstances, such as Black on Black violence, the
degradation of women, selling drugs to children, etc.
the forces that continue to put anti-Afrikan
propaganda before the world. Every instance of
anti-Afrikanism must be met with resistance, even if
it comes from the hands of other black folks.
To define and redefine ones self is not an easy task
and takes a lot of soul searching and inner thought.
This is especially hard for a people who have been
taught by an educational system not to think but to go
along with the flow.
Afrikan people must begin to think again so we can be
again.
Min. Paul Scott is the founder of the Durham NC based
New Righteous Movement. He has also started the
National Hip Hop Reformation Campaign. For more
information contact: operationmedia@yahoo.com
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