Have Black Men Lead the Community As Best They Could?
I was over at Black Conscious Thought when I came across an interesting comment on a post about the gender war in the black community:
I was over at Black Conscious Thought when I came across an interesting comment on a post about the gender war in the black community:
The black man stood up to the white man, but what great effect could he accomplish without SUPERIOR ARMS? That's right. I'm talking about weapons. The american indians fought wars against the white man's rifle, using bow and arrows, and what became of them? They got pushed to the brink of oblivion. All of america belonged to them and they couldn't hold their turf. The black race in an alien world, and even without access to arms, has grown stronger than the indigenous people. If after all of this the black woman can say the black man is not a man, then what should the american indian woman say about her race of men?I am not part of the American Indian community so I have no clue what Native American women think of their men. I do know that the Native community faces the same joblessness, substance abuse problems, poor education attainment, etc. as the black community. I do know that the Native community has decided to stick together despite all of their issues.
So if we are being honest and objective, would it be fair to say that despite the CURRENT state of the black community, African-Americans have done tremendously well post-slavery without any real source of power to fight racism and oppression? Despite our lack of firepower, African-Americans survived the brutality of the slave trade, Jim Crow, separate and unequal, "the war on drugs", etc. Toss in other issues such as liberal white feminist government policies, media-induced self-hatred and an education system which teaches minority students racial inferiority and it's easy to see why we have reached a precipice.
All of this "surviving" without an ability to "fight fire with fire" is an interesting idea to ponder. If Africans had access to weapons both on the continent and here in America, would we even be discussing the "issues" within the black community. If black men were able to match the weaponry of white men who bought and sold their women and children, would we even be debating whether black men can be "providers and protectors"?
All of this "surviving" without an ability to "fight fire with fire" is an interesting idea to ponder. If Africans had access to weapons both on the continent and here in America, would we even be discussing the "issues" within the black community. If black men were able to match the weaponry of white men who bought and sold their women and children, would we even be debating whether black men can be "providers and protectors"?
I have been meaning to do a post on this topic and eventually will. I don't buy the Black men failed to protect Black women from rape during slavery as the cause of the problems. Besides the Native Americans (whose women were also raped) you have Jewish men failing Jewish women during the Holocaust, you have men in South Asian countries failing to protect South Asian women from being "comfort girls" to Japanese soldiers in WWII, you have all forms of sexual explotation going on in Eastern Europe, etc.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I think Black men are the only group of men who have to consistently endure hearing about how they failed to protect their women, mostly from Black women, even though none of us were alive during the attacks in slavery and in the aftermath. There are still Jewish people alive who actually lived during the holocaust and South Asian men alive who actually lived during WWII who do not get their failures thrown in their face by their women.
Sad but true, too many Black women are using it as a weapon against Black men to try to harm Black men feelings. I think this is mostly in retaliation for some Black women and their perception of being the least desired women on the planet more than anything that has happened historically.
Look at Haiti as an Example. The Haitians did oust their White Male Oppressors. But Haiti was undone by the next weapon. Free Trade.
ReplyDeleteA successful Black man or country cannot reside on its own. There needs to be networks of influence to sustain each other.
You both make very interesting points. I hope we can all talk more about this topic on our blogs. It is at the heart of the relationship between black men and women not only in America but throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I totally feel you on Haiti. Free trade has been another weapon against developing countries (mostly black & brown). Sadly too many of "us" don't know the deal at all.
Obviously not. If we'd had their firepower, we would've massacred them...that's just how we (ppl of the African Diaspora) are. We would've still been at home without them raping the Continent of its people and resources.
ReplyDeleteThat being said...you can only blame the white man for so long. BM have enough firepower to do a helluva job killing each other these days, but still, no protection for our communities. In fact, they've become the people we need protecting from. I suppose that's all on the white man though...he is really a lot more powerful than I think HE even knows!