Common Unity |
The Flea in the Jar Theory
When you place Fleas in a jar, they will jump up the roof of the jar. But, hitting their heads on the roof, they will be conditioned to only jump up to that ceiling and no higher. So if you remove the lid, they still won't jump out of the jar.
This is what Dr. Amos Wilson talked about in The Falsification of Afrikan Consciousness and his discussions of Pavlov's dogs or Skinner's Rats. African Americans are the dogs and the rats. Put through a series of conditions and stimuli to induce a desired response.( Pavlov wanted to test how to control a dog's response to certain stimulation. So he would ring a bell seconds before he fed his dogs. At the sound of the bell, the dogs, would salivate because it was feeding time. After a while, Pavlov would ring the bell, but would not produce any food. The dogs, now conditioned to believe feeding occurred at the bell still salivated for the food even though there was none. It was called conditioned stimulus and conditioned response.)
Likewise, Dr. Carter G. Woodson described it perfectly in his powerful book, "The Mis-education of the Negro." He said the Negro will do what he is told and will go to the back door. If there is no back door, the negro would cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary. His education, his training, his conditioning.
Think about it. African Americans today have been the product of this seasoning. The breaking process did not begin with the current generation. It occurred long ago. In other words, African men and women, free and self-determined were broken down into negroes with an inferiority complex. They were presented with a lid on their jar and as they jumped to the top they always hit the lid and went no further. As a result, many have rescinded themselves to staying on the bottom of the jar. Broken, dejected, depressed. They believe it is better to stay in the jar, prey and attack each other, go for self and ignore the strength that comes from unity and remain in a state of apathy and lethargy. So when the lid has been removed the African in America still remain in his jar. In his place. He remains in the same spot where he was conditioned to be in 200 years ago.
What am I saying? Looking at the current state of Africans in America we see this:
1. It can be said that the election of Barack Obama to the highest seat in American Politics is an example of the lid being blown off. However, the unemploymnet rate of African American males is almost 50 percent. The incarceration rate, especially for young African American males is the highest of any subgroup in America. Self-genocide, i.e. the attacks back African Americans against other African Americans resulting in death and bodily injury is around 80 percent. That means 8 out of ten African Americans who died, were killed or injured by another African American.
2. On the other hand, we see other Africans in America enjoy great success and wealth. We see some like Jay-Z who was once just another young rapper from Brooklyn become a multi-millionaire and corporate business owner. At the same time that we see this, we see, or sense a certain disconnect from Africanness. In other words, as he rises in wealth and stature, African culture and heritage doesn't rise with him. We may find him in a taylored suit but not in a tailored Dashiki set. He is becoming more American than African.
So what does all of this means?
It means Africans especially African Americans need to detox. They need to purge themselves from the toxic beliefs and attitudes that keep them back. First, Barack Obama as powerful a symbol he is for the masses of African people doesn't translate into substance for those people because a disease of the mind still exists within them. The disease of self-hatred. Likewise, as African Americans become more rich, more famous, more influential, they also become more American, than African. They move away from African consciousness and idealogy.
What's the Solution?
The solution is for people of African descent to learn to embrace their full African selves. This will take a re-education and re-awakening. The Willie Lynch letter states that the mind has a tendency to correct itself if it can touch some substantial historical base. Therefore, the answer lies in understanding our history, our story. If we learn our story then we will become proud of our heritage and our ancestors. We will strive to reflect all that is good and meaningful and work to eliminate all that is negative and destructive. Being African is being excellent. It is not being criminal.
So read, study African history and culture, find value in contemporary African expressions such as Hip-Hop, appreciate African style and language such as Ebonics, celebrate African cultural Holidays such as Akoma Day, Black Love Day, Malcolm X Day, Gye Nyame, and Kwanzaa. Emerse yourself in all things African and acquire the taste for it. Once you have done this, you can engage other peoples and other cultures without losing yourself or feeling ashamed of your own.
As I grew into embracing my Africanness, I began to wear more clothes traditionally worn in West Africa. As a teacher, my students would ask "Is today a special day/?" They asked believing that to wear such clothes signaled something about the day. I would replay, "yes today is special. It is Tuesday and I'm alive and proud to be African." They would ask," That's it?" I would reply, there's nothing more. I wear my Africanness because I chose to. You can take or leave it.
Most of them took it.
YOU can be your African self because you choose to. America could take it or leave it.
Dua ( Give Thanks
Medjhuty Ra En Ma'at February, 2010
This is what Dr. Amos Wilson talked about in The Falsification of Afrikan Consciousness and his discussions of Pavlov's dogs or Skinner's Rats. African Americans are the dogs and the rats. Put through a series of conditions and stimuli to induce a desired response.( Pavlov wanted to test how to control a dog's response to certain stimulation. So he would ring a bell seconds before he fed his dogs. At the sound of the bell, the dogs, would salivate because it was feeding time. After a while, Pavlov would ring the bell, but would not produce any food. The dogs, now conditioned to believe feeding occurred at the bell still salivated for the food even though there was none. It was called conditioned stimulus and conditioned response.)
Likewise, Dr. Carter G. Woodson described it perfectly in his powerful book, "The Mis-education of the Negro." He said the Negro will do what he is told and will go to the back door. If there is no back door, the negro would cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary. His education, his training, his conditioning.
Think about it. African Americans today have been the product of this seasoning. The breaking process did not begin with the current generation. It occurred long ago. In other words, African men and women, free and self-determined were broken down into negroes with an inferiority complex. They were presented with a lid on their jar and as they jumped to the top they always hit the lid and went no further. As a result, many have rescinded themselves to staying on the bottom of the jar. Broken, dejected, depressed. They believe it is better to stay in the jar, prey and attack each other, go for self and ignore the strength that comes from unity and remain in a state of apathy and lethargy. So when the lid has been removed the African in America still remain in his jar. In his place. He remains in the same spot where he was conditioned to be in 200 years ago.
What am I saying? Looking at the current state of Africans in America we see this:
1. It can be said that the election of Barack Obama to the highest seat in American Politics is an example of the lid being blown off. However, the unemploymnet rate of African American males is almost 50 percent. The incarceration rate, especially for young African American males is the highest of any subgroup in America. Self-genocide, i.e. the attacks back African Americans against other African Americans resulting in death and bodily injury is around 80 percent. That means 8 out of ten African Americans who died, were killed or injured by another African American.
2. On the other hand, we see other Africans in America enjoy great success and wealth. We see some like Jay-Z who was once just another young rapper from Brooklyn become a multi-millionaire and corporate business owner. At the same time that we see this, we see, or sense a certain disconnect from Africanness. In other words, as he rises in wealth and stature, African culture and heritage doesn't rise with him. We may find him in a taylored suit but not in a tailored Dashiki set. He is becoming more American than African.
So what does all of this means?
It means Africans especially African Americans need to detox. They need to purge themselves from the toxic beliefs and attitudes that keep them back. First, Barack Obama as powerful a symbol he is for the masses of African people doesn't translate into substance for those people because a disease of the mind still exists within them. The disease of self-hatred. Likewise, as African Americans become more rich, more famous, more influential, they also become more American, than African. They move away from African consciousness and idealogy.
What's the Solution?
The solution is for people of African descent to learn to embrace their full African selves. This will take a re-education and re-awakening. The Willie Lynch letter states that the mind has a tendency to correct itself if it can touch some substantial historical base. Therefore, the answer lies in understanding our history, our story. If we learn our story then we will become proud of our heritage and our ancestors. We will strive to reflect all that is good and meaningful and work to eliminate all that is negative and destructive. Being African is being excellent. It is not being criminal.
So read, study African history and culture, find value in contemporary African expressions such as Hip-Hop, appreciate African style and language such as Ebonics, celebrate African cultural Holidays such as Akoma Day, Black Love Day, Malcolm X Day, Gye Nyame, and Kwanzaa. Emerse yourself in all things African and acquire the taste for it. Once you have done this, you can engage other peoples and other cultures without losing yourself or feeling ashamed of your own.
As I grew into embracing my Africanness, I began to wear more clothes traditionally worn in West Africa. As a teacher, my students would ask "Is today a special day/?" They asked believing that to wear such clothes signaled something about the day. I would replay, "yes today is special. It is Tuesday and I'm alive and proud to be African." They would ask," That's it?" I would reply, there's nothing more. I wear my Africanness because I chose to. You can take or leave it.
Most of them took it.
YOU can be your African self because you choose to. America could take it or leave it.
Dua ( Give Thanks
Medjhuty Ra En Ma'at February, 2010