So far, there have been five churches in the Ferguson area that have been burned*, and they've declared that arson is the culprit. That's a good thing, right? But most of the media has been silent on the matter. This doesn't exactly surprise me due to how the media has been as of lately, however I have a few questions:
Why don't these churches have security cameras? Churches are sprinkled throughout Black communities all across the country, but the ones that got burned don't seem to have any video footage of the folks who burned them. One would think that they would want their patrons and their buildings to be safe. However, I get the fact that churches are supposed to be open, sacred and safe on their own because of "Jesus" and whatnot, but these church burnings are proof that Jesus isn't really looking out for them like that. Now I can understand why the church buildings in the 50s and 60s not having any because they didn't actually have the technology for video cameras and such, but now?
I know I sound like an asshole right now, but I'm serious. All that money devoted to Jesus and they don't have the ability to provide security for their buildings?! This raises a question I've been asking since 1992, when I was first invited (read as 'forced') to go to church as a kid: Where is all of the money going?
When I was going to church, I noticed some of these pastors and their wives show up to service decked out in stuff I know my family couldn't afford. And some of these church members have to choose between Jesus, food, and medicine after all the bills are "caught up". What kind of bullshit is that?! They mean to tell me that the church can't help those members? After all of the money they gave, they can't extend a hand back to the people they serve? No matter how you slice it, these are some serious and grave failings. The church is supposed to serve the people. They're supposed to be able to help members who fall on hard times. They're supposed to care for the elderly, the sick, and alleviate impoverished conditions of the neighborhood in which they serve. But no. Like many Christian organizations in the United States, they want to retrieve revenue, and lead people into giving it to them. That being said, I don't exactly know the status of these particular churches, all I know is that none of them have presented any video evidence of the churches in the process of being burned.
I know what you're thinking... How can they show video if the building had been burned down? Well, there are many security options that would allow a person to view their property while away from the building. It could be viewed by using software on a computer, and they could be viewed using a cell phone. In fact many have services where you could log into a website designated for your security system and you could view the information any time, day or night. I wonder if anybody had anything like that set up, I mean after all that happened in the 50s and 60s, you'd think that would have been the route they would have taken in order to protect those particular Houses of God.
Now I understand what good comes out of the churches, and all churches aren't corrupt. And I know the majority of church members aren't using them for personal luxuries. BUT I'm just saying the churches should have some sort of video surveillance in order to make sure the churches continue to be safe havens for the people at the very least.
As for me, I'll be waiting to see if there is any actual video footage. If not, then I can't really feel bad for the churches because they've bilked so many dollars from poor Black people only to finance themselves that I just don't have the energy to give a damn about the churches like that. If anything, this should cause a lot of Black people to drop out of Christianity all together because Jesus really isn't on their side if he doesn't want them to be safe, in good health, and spirit while worshiping him. I'm just saying...
*Update. The number of church burnings has increased to seven since this blog entry was written.
August 25 marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.
This is a grand time for folks to get a chance to point at Black people and say things like, "Look, they still can't get it together! It's been fifty years and they are worse than before, lol."<< Get the Fuck Outta Here With That!
Now that I've got that out of the way. Here's how I really feel about it.
There have been so many blatant in your face gratuitous 'fuck yous' given to Black people over the years it's been ridiculous. It's not just White people giving them, but it's every immigrant who dares to move to the US has engaged in such sports (Bobby Jindal, cough) . We have a Black man who was elected for president twice, considering it was hell for a certain cross section of people to vote due to all of the obstacles presented in 2012, due to wait times, and changing the poll locations in the first place. Aside from that, Obama is not doing his job, and the same people who were mad about him being president the first time are still mad, while conveniently ignoring the fact that Congress had no interest in cooperating with the president. I won't go into too much detail because I already covered the president's treatment in a previous blog, so I won't waste your time, but as you can see in all of my blogs, race relations are at an all time low.
Honestly, I am really glad race relations have gone completely downhill right now. This way, all of the crap that people were desperately and not so desperately trying so hard to hide can no longer be hidden and we can call them on their bullshit. Unfortunately sometimes their behavior looks like it's bringing us back into the 50s again (read as right where we left off before MLK Jr left this world). Maybe it goes to show you that you really can't drag the ignorant kicking and screaming into a so called bright future. They will resist, and make sure it doesn't happen (read as you can't make a bunch of people like you regardless of how well you dress, how poised you are, or how beautiful you appear so stop trying).<< Boy were they correct on that one, but I digress.
As a result, I've been thinking a lot about what The States are going to look like in the future. I also think about what American history is going to look like. Things are looking really really bleak right now, so I have no idea what to expect, however as a result, I have had many dreams related to this and what may come out of it:
I can definitely see The States breaking away and forming their own countries later down the road. That may not necessarily be a bad thing. I honestly don't think this country could continue to be run by a group of people in a small district on one side of the country like it has been. I believe strongly that once the states secede, things will be easier for the citizens of said countries because they can govern themselves and have more say in what's going on where they live. Big government is bad, it has been said and seen time and time again and it is also seen to the same effect in overcrowded schools. A teacher can't effectively teach 27 children, the classrooms have to be smaller in order to create a better experience. On a brighter note, I can also see that Black people are killing it with technology right now. We have all of these online radio stations, blogs YouTube channels, and it's wonderful! We have access to BandCamp and SoundCoud so we can put out meaningful music without being subject to a greedy record label whose only interest is to pimp so called "urban" images as a means to exploit 'what's hot' right now. This technological movement among Black people has me wondering, "What will go down in history? Is it possible that our future generations will read about the pioneers who made a way when the future was looking rather dim? Will the blogs be used as an archive to represent the latter part of Black history, with all of their sources tied in a neat (or not so neat) package? Will our rants, raves, critiques, photos and events be looked at in several African -American Studies classes in the future? How will our presence shape the North American continent? How will we be viewed all across the world?
I think people overseas will eventually see what Black people have created and they will flock to those places like people in The States currently flock to various places in the Eastern Hemisphere. The North American continent will have it's own version of Black Rome (Detroit), people will study the Motown Era of Black music, and what caused the empire of Detroit to fall. Chicago will be visited for it's variation of blues, 1520 Sedgewick Ave in The Bronx will be the Hip Hop Motherland where all cultures interested in the music would flock just to get a taste of where it all began. People will visit various places where early hip hop took place, they will dissect and be interested in what factors in said area influenced the rappers from that particular region, their style and what regional sounds influenced their production. Watts and Compton will be the go to areas for California, people will want to know where and how Afro punk fits into Black culture as well, and will be enthusiastic about searching for its history. They will examine our fashion, regional vernacular, and influences in other genres of hip hop and other art forms created by us, and people will search high and low to come up with obscure pieces of work done by early African Americans. Honestly, I think Blacks will be seen in a great light. It may even be possible that others will see what's going on over here right now and American Whites will end up being the ones who get treated like crap based on their history, and how they warped so many minds to think otherwise. Maybe they'll have to watch their Ps and Qs and be required to bend over backwards to prove they can spend time in a foreign country without attempting to destroy every other culture in some random way that had been witnessed throughout American history.
Sometimes I wonder. Each generation says something to the effect of "I don't know what's wrong with kids today", or "This world is gone very bad. What happened?" I can't tell if it's gotten worse, or if it's just our turn to see the same stuff. The only difference is that our media scope is far greater than that of our grandparents. Hopefully we can use it to our fullest so others can read our stories and learn from them. As of right now, I get very discouraged, but it was fun to dream about what greatness Blacks hold in their future.
I just hope I get to be alive and well enough to see and experience it, and maybe be a part of it.
First things first. Let me say that I believe gay people should have the right to marry anyone they want, they should be able to enjoy the tax benefits of marriage, be able to choose the better medical benefit package that works out for them. They shouldn't be denied a place to stay based on their relationship status, and I feel that anybody who feels that a certain group of people should be denied these things must have some deep seated issues they need to work out.
That being said, here's the scoop.
Gay people need to stop bastardizing the Civil Rights Movement. Stop hiding behind the Negro spirituals, and using Dr Martin Luther King's legacy to support their agenda.
I can hear the anger and vitriol right now, so let me state my case:
Gay people have the luxury to hide their sexuality if they want to. In some cases, no one knows they're gay until they open their mouth. Granted there are some cases where a person can tell if another person is gay, and someone may be nosy enough to ask. In that situation it is pure speculation, and hearsay. Even if someone is gay or not, that doesn't make it mine or anyone else's business. I can't hide the fact that I'm Black when I walk around town. Making a decision to come out of the closet and tell my parents that I'm Black is not going to make them disown me. I can't tell my best friend that I'm Black, and have her hug me, and tell me that she still loves me anyway, or lose her friendship because of her stance about my sudden Blackness. In fact, she's most likely to laugh at me, and say I was stoopid for that.
Don't get me wrong, it is dangerous to be gay right now. People can end up losing their jobs once the employer finds out that the employee is gay. Matthew Shepard was killed in Wyoming (The Equality State, no less) for being gay. The gay person doesn't lose these privileges until someone finds out they are gay. Many successful people were gay all throughout history, and that didn't stop them from gaining success. Black people wouldn't get hired, or were forced to take low paying jobs, or got paid less than other workers who held the same job title and were being killed based on their skin color alone even if there was a hint of Black blood present in their lineage. Sure, no one wants to hide who they are regardless of who they are. I get it. Love is universal and should be between two consenting adults. Again, let gay people do the activities that other straight people could do, plain and simple, but they need to stop equating their struggle to that of Black people because they want to have sex whomever they want to. Blacks were killed and denied for just for existing even when they were having sex with their own race and not bothering anybody. Nobody was burning down the homes of two men or two women living in a place of residence. They would get treated as room mates and left alone. Black families had their homes burned down because they had the audacity of living in the area while being Black at the same time.
Hey, at least a gay person has the option to decide if they want to let the world know if they are gay or not. I guess that's what it really means to come "out of the closet". I can't go in my closet and say, "Hmm, I'm finna be Japanese today, Mexican tomorrow, and White the day after that. If I were to come out of the closet (if I were gay for real), and I decided to date outside my race, I would still get flack just for being Black in an interracial relationship.Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit.
And for god's sake, let gay people adopt kids if they want too and stop using that sorry, stale argument by saying that it messes up the child if they have two mothers or two fathers. What? All of these fucked up people that came out of straight families don't exist? All of these serial killers, rapists and child molesters aren't real? I wonder how many of them had straight, or so called "normal" parents. Go somewhere with that "having two parents of the same sex could turn a child gay" mess. I guess straight families could never, ever produce a gay child, because the straight family is the best environment a kid could ever ask for. Where did gay people come from then? Did they just drop out of the sky? Did aliens come down and probe them in their sleep with some sort of gay inducing technology?! Is gayness the result of a genetic mutation or something like that?! < Some folks have got to be crazy if they think this kind of stuff is true. And get the fuck outta here with that 'sanctity of marriage' bullshit. People need to stop acting like they don't know that marriage was considered a business transaction back in the day, and that people who married for love were classified as stupid. Why do people think parents of the bride to be would ask, "What does he do for a living?" They wanted to insure that the daughter would be taken care of and that the children would be in a seemingly secure environment.
And fuck Westbro Baptist Church. That is all.
