The Global Conundrum of Black Liberation Philosophy: Jungle Anxiety?
While America is branded as the 'center of the universe’ as historically it has been branded as the global model that all other action should emulate - voluntarily, or by force.
But, true of false, this has been the general accepted narrative for at least nearly a century.
Reflect on the most recent usage of the phrase: “You’re either with me or against me” proclaimed by President Bush as he rushed off to war Iraq in 2001 based on false intelligence. [Actually, his exact words were: 'You are either with us, or with the Terrorists' - 2001-09-21/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_either_with_us,_or_against_us
This wasn’t necessarily just a clarion call to American citizens; as much as it was a challenge for the fake international coalition of democratic societies (Branding can work miracles).
But actually the origin of the phrase can be attributed to Jesus (The Synoptic Gospels attribute the following quote to Jesus: "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters" (Matthew 12:30), as well as its contrapositive, "Whoever is not against us is for us" (Luke 9:50; Mark 9:40). Honestly, variations of its usage can be traced throughout history.
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Blacks and the Broken Thread of World Connection
This article is by no means meant to be a complete thesis on ‘how blacks (especially in America) are disconnected from kindred spirits throughout the world – that would be to belittling the depth of an importance the subject. But, it is meant to either revitalize and/or replenish a conversation that should have started a long time ago - or, never stopped -
nourishing generations without interruption.
The global thread of black connectivity has been broken - as planned. And, I am proposing that what we value as 'shared' or 'common cause' is a distortion of reality. My choice here of dispensation is a combination on a Kantian 'priori' argument (data depends on deductive reasoning) and ‘a posteriori' (depends on data gathered from past events).
Yet there are three (3) specific presuppositions, following, that I would like to present, briefly that I feel prequalifies that an argument should be made that shows that Blacks living in today world have been thoroughly dislodged from their original roots - not whether it's good or bad as much of the fact that, literally, the preordained cultural threads that had been holding the global Black community as a distinct, operative body of chosen ones is no more.
The Separation-Physical
The ‘cause and effect’ of Capitalistic world (where power and greed ravages the weak), this hegemon has been a natural (or unnatural) occurrence for several centuries. I'm of the camp that says it has been intentional systematic genocide of (other) cultures, races, tradition of many people as opposed to the supremacy of the white race. Hence, you were either one of us, or you shall be either destroyed of emasculated.
The primary modes of destruction were (and still are) included ‘slavery and theft’. Complete annihilation was a combination of many victims being ‘enslaved and emasculated’ by ‘theft of their land and heritage’.
This combo of aggression is now manifested as what we have today: Neocolonialism, neo-colonialism or neo-imperialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country in lieu of direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political control (hegemony).
Also, it is important to keep in mind that we are in an age of 'neo' where things are repeating themselves from the distant past (neo-slavery, cultural appropriation, warring against [perceived weaker nations, distorting or rewriting historical facts, etc.). (Note: It's hard to believe that there are Blacks who subscribe to Trump's MAGA ("Making America Great Again".
Once again, the aforementioned neocolonial vibes should upset many - much more Blacks. Either, Blacks don't now American history; or, their minds, bodies and souls have been successfully reconstituted - as intended.
Concerning the latter, there evidential occurrences that we can build on here, but the space can no contain it. Yet, it appears that Blacks connection to the past has either been obstructed or destroyed. If not completely, it can be argued that systematic emasculation process through the years has surely presented ongoing events that appears to a thwarted nature.
For instance, it would seem like a natural repulsion to hear that Libya is selling Black slaves - today - no public outcry or no global resistance to add-up to anything.
The riddle today is can be found in a ‘historical cognizant dissonance’ – meaning to say that is history, and this is today. However, as I mentioned earlier the word systematic, when something becomes systematic this means that the approach may be different, but the effect is ongoing – it never stops.
blob:http://time.com/f89a7caf-a5f3-4624-8269-ff8724fbf8ef
It's sought of surreal that when the core of Black liberation movements and thinking for the last century have been motivated by the [physical] drive unshackle.
The Separation - Spiritual
So, through systematic machinations (slavery, discrimination, separation, lynching, distorted education etc.) Blacks have been (seemingly) permanently disenfranchised from their origins.
No, this physical disenfranchisement can easily be seen as the Middle Passage horrors have not (In this writer's opinion) fully been revealed. And, for that matter, why should it? Once again, it was never the intention for the white superior machinations to accommodate the humanity and dignity of a distorted Black diaspora - with the prescience of knowing that reconnecting would be a thorn that would interrupt the process of complete emasculation of races of people - not just Blacks but also the native Indian, and most people of color whose collective self-worth as a people has been utterly destroyed, or should we say, is now manageable.
Still to complete the dismemberment, and beyond the physical record, the minds (and maybe spirits) of Black people has been completely reconstituted. It may sound strange but even those left behind in Africa have not been immune to the dissemination of the human mind.
The pervasive mind altering effects of colonialism have passed down from generation to generation. I refer to it as the 'master's spell'. While would anyone in a right mind want to cross over, again, the treacherous seas where many of the ancestors have perished?
This reality is becoming more and more self-evident. One simply has to see the dull response as to the carnage being wrought on nations of color. Yes, if one pays close attention, many of the soldiers, commanders, and fighters are also a part of the armies of destruction. Remember the saying "A house divided can't not stand? Of course you do.
As mentioned early the primary tools utilized to destroy 'lesser' people are slavery and theft. These two have been implemented in the physical and mental spheres of Black people for centuries. The effects of these abominable acts come in many forms (as some have already been mentioned.
To use the analogy as when a child is separated from its mother womb - He/she comes into a foreign world. In order to survive, they must indoctrinate themselves to the environment that they are now in (Even as some babies refuse to let go – grown and newborn – the choice is clear as it’s natural development and adaptation for all humans in their particular environments.
However, there’s a primary difference between natural development and unnatural development. Beyond the physical birth process, Blacks remain like refuges in a foreign land. It becomes systematic when generation after generation is obliged to pass down this unnatural predicament which leads us to an unnatural state of black people (throughout the world).
And, since the intended process has been infinite, what we see today is a mutation of black people (Yes, that’s right). The genocide, emasculation, thievery, and all of the schemes of a white dominant world is finally achieving it crowning effect of subordinate black people – or whatever you want to call them. For sure, it’s a distorted reality that no one wants to talk about – that much.
The Separation - Emotional
Then final submission in attempting to outline the stark disconnect in the evolving indigenous displacement can be found in the word emotional. In others, one experience cognitive dissonance which is to forgetfulness or/or forgot.
We now that many cultures deliberately celebrate holidays to help remind them about the uniqueness of their cultures - and for the record, some of this cultural reinforcement goes back centuries. For instance, the Irish, Jews, Persians, Greeks, etc. can map their indigenous roots down to centuries. It's not unusual for an Irishman to travel back to Ireland and to feel right at home; or even cultures of the white races to travel to Europe and commune with their cultural traditions and its people.
This is not the case for Black people. Sure, most Blacks now that they are originally from Africa; and many historians and scholars have attempted to make the connection (at least scientifically). But, beyond the empirical evidence, there's no connection with Blacks whose ancestors were a part of the Middle Passage. To be sure, casual observation reveals that Africa is the least place that Blacks in America desire to visit - opting for European destinations. Why is that so?
Not trying to sound repetitious, but as earlier mentioned, the thread of connection has been completely destroyed by machinations of white hegemony and world dominance.
That's not to say that Blacks don't have an imagination. From Black holidays like Kwanzaa to a few take a rare visit to Gory Island there has been some effort to reconnect to the Motherland. Movements like Pan-Africanism even went a step further by attempting to develop an infrastructural philosophical foundation that would bring all people of color back together) Note: Pan-Africanism will be discussed further in another submission.
The iconic activist Marcus Garvey literally when as far as to plan the return with a ship line and is considered one of the founders of Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism. This writer is comfortable in presenting Garvey as the most important person in the reconnect movement. This one article cannot give total consideration to the importance of his work. Yet it is plausible to suggest that Garvey came as close hen anyone reconnecting Black Americans (as well and others in the world with African Descent) to their roots.
In retrospect, is also clear that now it can be seen as a lost opportunity - one that did have life. Yet when he died at 52 years old, his actionable efforts seems to follow him to his grave. Not standing hat his work has been destroyed, but it has come to rest in the graveyards of museums and street signs. No other mental energy from this man and his period will ever probably be replicated - on the light that Blacks do not have the time, or the emotional resolve to go back anywhere. Today, Blacks have been completely reconstituted by the system of the white race - completely.
Conclusion
If you are reading his article, you can probably agree that the thesis is provocative, as somewhat controversial. In summary, what's being said is that Blacks of African descent has been reconstituted - a process that has been ongoing for centuries forged by a system of racism and world dominance by the white race.
What is being here is because of this mighty aggression (slavery and Theft) American Blacks (and other Blacks of the Diaspora) are incapable to responding to crisis that threatens other blacks in the world - not because they don't generally care, but quite the opposite - Blacks do care. Yet their caring has been designed to see what they care for through the lens of others (the white race).
What is being said here is that the circle has been broken into pieces - mainly, the emotional, spiritual, physical aspects - there will be no returning, but a reconstitution in a the form of a mutation that consists of ideas foreign intruders. This writer opines that the constitution is complete, and is manifested in every daily activity of Black Life except for peripheral musings of blackness.
In world of others, if the aforementioned is true even things lie 'rap and gangster' music do not reflect the historical primordial existence of blacks (even if its creative and marketable within another's system) but a mutation that is bound to local parameters - disconnected from the motherland.
Last, but not least, this writer advocates a 'new' paradigm for critical discussion based on reality. Yes, we live in a post-racial society (so to speak), but the damage of the theft and emasculation of the indigenous culture of Blacks could never be replenished without divine intervention - Blacks (nor their white contemporaries) are inseparable in being against digging-up past truths because over the centuries the planned and complete disruption of the indigenous Black diaspora is complete.
One Separation aspect that needs more attention is that of 'Intellectual'. As People of Color are being dehumanized throughout the world (Libya, Yemen, Europe, America, etc) in real time, Blacks appear preoccupied with other things. It's not that Ivy League schools are not meeting its quotas for Black scholars - or Historical Black Colleges don't exist anymore. This aspect will be discussed more in future submissions.
Notes
Black Liberation Theology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_theology. Black theology seeks to liberate non-white people from multiple forms of political, social, economic, and religious subjugation and views Christian theology as a theology of liberation—"a rational study of the being of God in the world in light of the existential situation of an oppressed community, relating the forces of liberation to the essence of the Gospel, which is Jesus Christ." James H. Cone, Founder
Neocolonial (definition) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocolonialism
Pan-Africanism (Is a worldwide intellectual movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Africanism
The Libyan Slave Trade Has Shocked the World. http://time.com/5042560/libya-slave-trade/
Kwanzaa (American Black version of Christmas). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa
*Marcus Garvey. He was a leader of a mass movement called Pan-Africanism and he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Garvey