What's on my mind?

What's guys? So what's on my mind today? Capitalism. Okay, guys let's get into this. 

Too often, people accept the narratives that capitalism is natural and inevitable, that it promotes freedom and democracy, while also fostering innovation and progress, at the same time reducing poverty and inequality, and is also compatible with environmental sustainability. If told someone that I had a pill that could do all of that for them, I would get laughed out of a building and be branded a charlatan.  But, people are naive about what capitalism does for them and what it does not do for them and that they could be better served by a different economic system. 

Let’s start by looking at the claim that capitalism is natural and inevitable. Capitalism, like all economic systems, is a human invention. It is not a force of nature or something that will always exist. I mean animals don't use capitalism. Capitalism is a set of rules and regulations that are designed to benefit certain people and groups while marginalizing or exploiting others. So, it is not natural or inevitable - it is a choice. 

The idea that capitalism promotes freedom and democracy is also a myth. Capitalism relies on large concentrations of power, typically in the hands of a few wealthy and powerful individuals or corporations. This power imbalance can lead to a lack of freedom and democracy, as those with power can influence or control the political and economic systems. 

When it comes to innovation and progress, capitalism has had a mixed record. While it has certainly been a force for progress in some areas, it has also hindered others. For example, capitalism can lead to a focus on short-term profits, which can limit the development of innovative technologies that have long-term benefits but may not be profitable in the short term. 

The claim that capitalism reduces poverty and inequality is also false. In fact, capitalism has been linked to increasing levels of poverty and inequality. This is because it often leads to a concentration of wealth in the hands of the few while leaving the majority of people in poverty. 

Finally, capitalism is not compatible with environmental sustainability. Capitalism relies on the exploitation of natural resources, which can lead to environmental degradation and pollution. This has a negative impact on the environment and can lead to long-term damage to our planet. So, as you can see, people are often quite naive when it comes to the role of capitalism in their lives. 

For us, it is important to recognize the myths and understand the reality of how capitalism works so that we can make informed decisions about our economic and political systems.

Okay guys, that's what's been on my mind today. Peace Out.

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What’s up, guys? So what’s on my mind today? Why did the right co-op the word woke? Okay guys, let’s get into this.

The word woke has a long history in African American culture and activism. It originally meant being alert to racial injustice and discrimination in society. It was used in songs, poems, speeches and movements that challenged racism and oppression. It gained more popularity in 2014 with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, which protested against police brutality and systemic racism.

However, in recent years, the word woke has been co-opted by some conservatives as a way to mock and dismiss progressive values and causes. They use it as a pejorative term or as a term expressing contempt or disapproval to label anyone who supports social justice issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights, climate change action, immigration reform, and more. They accuse them of being unreasonable, extreme, or hypocritical. They also use it as a scare tactic to rally their base against what they perceive as threats to their traditional views and privileges.

But this is a false narrative that ignores the reality of social problems and inequalities that affect millions of people every day, even affecting people from the right. These people vote against actions that may help them. Being woke is not about being trendy or fashionable. It's about being aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues that impact our society. It's about being compassionate and empathetic towards others who face discrimination and injustice. It's about being willing to learn from different perspectives and experiences. And it's about taking action to create positive change in our world.

So don't let anyone tell you that being woke is bad or wrong. It's actually a sign of strength and courage. And don't let anyone use the word woke as a weapon to silence or shame you for caring about others. It's actually a badge of honor and pride.

Okay, guys. That’s what’s been on my mind today. Thank you for listening and stay tuned for more insightful input on other current issues. Peace out!

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Okay, guys, this is part three. Let's get into this.

One of the worst things that people can hear about themselves is that they are racist. But if a person votes for someone that puts racist policies in place, then why shouldn't that voter also be considered racist.

In August of 1955, two men kidnapped Emmitt Till and brutally killed him. Those two men would go to trial in September of that same year. After the trial was over and the evidence deliberated by the jury, those two men were acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury despite overwhelming evidence against those men. All the men that participated in the murder trial of Emmitt Till had at least two things in common with him. They were all males, and they had all been 14 years old once and no one on the jury could see themselves as 14-year-old kid. Whiteness won.

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What's up, guy? So, what's on my mind today? Prejudice and Racism.

Okay, wait, before we get into this there is one thing that we need to do, all of us. We will do it together because we have to put a steak in the sand and say this is the starting point, zero. Because if we don't all start from the same position, then some of us are going to end up in the wilderness wandering around. Okay, guys let's get into this.

The definition of prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. 

The definition of racism is a belief that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

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Okay, guys this is part two. Let's get into this.

The cases of Emmitt Till, Charles Lewis, Horace Duncan, Fred Coker, and many others are true stories of racism in its purest form. Remember, racism is prejudice plus power. Events like the Tulsa Race Riots, Rosewood, and The Red Summer, marking a time from January to December of 1919 where no less than sixty documented events of white mob violence to place, all demonstrated how the power of the U.S. government and capitalism would let racism flourish. White mobs felt safe going into black neighborhoods to loot, burn things down, and kill black people. Many people in these white mobs face little to no punishment at all.

Now, why 1919? Even though there had been many episodes of racial violence against black people before 1919 and since, the year 1919 would be known as the Red Summer. White mobs looting and burning black own business and homes and murdering black people.

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The myth of black on black crime. The way we phrase things matter.

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Hmmm? I got questions!

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What's up, guys? What's on my mind today? The Veil. Okay, guys, let's get into this.

The definition of a veil as a noun is a piece of fine material worn by women to protect or conceal the face. But we will look at the verb tense of the word veil, which means to cover, hide, or disguise.

A textbook case of someone using a veil (to cover, hide, or disguise) is the statement from Nikki Haley, about living in a South Carolina town divided by railroad tracks. Full stop right there. Why? Why did the railroad tracks divide the town? I'm sure many black people know what she was saying, but she never speaks the truth about why. The fact that she never addresses why the railroad divided the town is problematic, this is her using a veil to cover up, hide, or disguise. But I am black and from one of those towns, so I can tell you this. She grew up in a town built on racism, redlining, and jim crow laws. I know this because I grew up in the same small type of town in Mississippi. Indianola was a little unique, in that, the railroad tracks and the bayou winding through the town combined to create an artificial and natural boundary between black and white communities in the area. Towns like these are dotted across the south. The railroad track or some other natural or artificial landmark acts as the boundary.

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What's up, guys? So what's on my mind today? Guilty. Okay, guys, let's get into this.

The United States of America would have you think it does not believe in collective guilt.

But this is 100% incorrect.

When over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II because of Executive Order 9066, the survivors received an apology and reparation, from the United States because the United States of America recognized its collective guilt. After a decade-long campaign, the Japanese-American community won congressional approval for a law, The Civil Liberties Act, signed by President Reagan in 1988 and paid each surviving victim $20,000 in compensation to try to right a wrong.

It is not bombastic nor grandiose to say that the ancestors of many Black Americans suffered far more significant losses concerning life, liberty, dignity, and the pursuit of happiness than any of our fellow incarcerated Japanese Americans. If the pain and indecency suffered by our fellow Japanese Americans were considered a ten on a suffering scale, then the ancestors of many Black Americans suffered a million times worse. It is also noteworthy that this nation not only apologized to those Japanese Americans, thus admitting its collective guilt or moral fault, but the United States of America also paid them reparations. The reparations were intended to provide some restitution for Japanese Americans' suffering and injustice during World War II. They were also meant to acknowledge the past's wrongs and demonstrate the nation's commitment to justice and the protection of civil liberties. Millions of Americans were responsible for paying these reparations, promised in 1988, in the form of taxes, despite not being involved in the decision, in 1942, to incarcerate Japanese Americans at all. The collective guilt of this country was responsible for an awful act, thus requiring all Americans to bear the culpability or blame for such an appalling decision, even after several generations had passed.

Why pay the ancestors of enslaved people? That's a fair question. Here is the answer. This country promoted, allowed, and they made it legal, but its most essential flex, this country made it profitable to enslave my ancestors. I am, and millions of others like me are all that remain. I am the amalgamation of this country's rancid, vile decision to make my ancestors profitable. My enslaved ancestors are dead. But I am their voice; I am their face; I am their proof of this country's deed. I am the bill that is marked overdue, and it is time for this country to pay its debt for the capture and enslavement of my ancestors the foundation.

The country's founders purposely set this nation on a path of oppression, subjugation, enslavement, and disenfranchisement, of a group of African People that committee no act of war or invasion. They violated no treaties against this country. Nor did this group of people try to achieve economic or territorial gains from this country or try to change the religion of the country's people.

This country sought to uphold the vile practice of chattel enslavement for no other reason than capitalism. This country's practice of chattel enslavement benefitted the federal, state, and local economies, banks, and other institutions. 

 Those Africans were brought here for enslavement and became the nation's foundation and scaffolding. They grew the wealth of this country, without benefitting from that growth or wealth. They were brought here, against their will, to work the fields for the capitalist system of this government.

The United States of America should be held guilty as a collective because it passed on many opportunities to abolish the practice of enslavement. The 3/5th compromise, the Dred Scott decision and the fugitive slave act all solid

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What's up, guys? So what's on my mind today? Racism. Okay, guys, let's get into this.

Racism is more subtle now, but subtle does not mean racism doesn't exist. Subtle is defined as delicate, elusive, or something achieved through clever and indirect methods. Before the civil war, the practice of racism was overt, it was in your face, and racist white people didn't care if their racism was known. But after the civil war, the practice of racism has moved slowly to something more subtle and has given some white people the braising idea that racism no longer exists. Subtle racism is the same as overt racism in what it plans to achieve.

Subtle racism initially included things like Jim Crow laws, black codes, redlining, segregation, poll taxes, and others. With the help of the courts, Black people slowly chiseled away at those forms of racism. But instead of racism disappearing, racist people have become even more subtle with their racism and practices. They are so subtle with their racism that, at least to themselves, they believe that racism no longer exists or that they are not racists.

Politicians, all from the right,  often use the word like 'woke' as their silent dog whistle. Blaming this so-called 'wokeness' for making white children feel inadequate because if they learned the history of what their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and ancestors did to give them the white privilege, it may make them feel bad.

Subtle racism has been weaponized and it affords the user of such tactics the ability to 'throw rocks' (to put actions and methods in place to boasters racism or enhance systemic racism) and then hide their hands, you know, make up an excuse of why they are doing it, plead ignorance, or downright deny the action that are doing are should be considered racist.

Today, most people know that being overtly racist can come with detrimental consequences. And in an unfortunate twist of faith, efforts to stomp out overtly racist people and or systems have caused overtly racist people to use more subtle ways to practice their racism. The people putting politicians in these places that will make laws that will target a specific group of people are now the pariahs of the system.

Racist people have found new ways of having their cake and eating it as well, in the form of subtle racism. The challenge then becomes what do you call people who claim they are not racist, but all their actions, their voting habits, prop up this racist system. Well, that's easy. Racist by proxy.

For a racist system to work, you must at least two types of people, one the racist people and two the people that racist people marginalize. Which camp do you belong?

Okay, guys, that's what's been on my mind today. Peace out!

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