Quote:
Originally posted by Blackwatch
Very good responses and insight from Doggystyle (as usual) and brainzandbeauty. I too am frustrated over low voter turnout and political apathy in the black community. I do not think though that it is all about people not caring or not taking "personal responsibility", but it is more about ignorance (I don't mean this in a bad way), but people just don't know. We do not understand politics and how policies effect us. We don't understand that it's the three strikes law that got "junebug" locked up for 20 for stealing a snickers as his third offense (as in some areas). We don't understand that the Judge that just enforced the law without considering the heart of the law was appointed by the governor that you didn't see the need to vote against last year  .
I see the dire need for political education on the grass roots level. Forums would seem to be the likely solution, but people are not motivated to deal in politics. I think one resource in our community that gets heavily underutilized in our political and economic struggle is the church. Politicians come to the church to ask for votes, but do churches take an active part in educating the congregants on issues? I teach a Sunday School class at my church, and I always talk about how we as Christians are charged to be the light of the world. This means not to be "snooty", but to be the conscience of the people. This entails understanding things like oppression and injustice and fighting against it. Our People will not go to a political forum, but our people do go to church, and trust the Pastor. There needs to be a push to have smarter, more socially aware pastors who recognize their influence and use it to help educate and motivate people to vote and remain politically active.
I say this because I do not think the solution is to give up on our people and say "if they don't care, then I don't care about them". Because it is not about "us vs. them" because we are all in this together. Your degrees and your manicured lawns don't protect you from oppression as much as you think. Many of us in the "middle class  " are just a CEO's decision away from the "other side of the tracks" so to speak. We really don't have wealth; we have income, that is dependant upon someone else's capital. It is because of this fact that we have to continue to fight for our empowerment. Yeah it gets frustrating when you see things some of your brothers and sisters don't see, but keep in mind we still live in a White Supremacist, capitalist society. While your economic class can make up for some things, your skin color still takes away many things as well.
Blackwatch!!!!!!
|
Blackwatch, my Brother, you speak with a forked tongue. On many an occassion you show support for one position only to return to your ultimate socialistic viewpoint. America will always be a capitalistic society and its not gonna change to appease 5% of 12% (Black Folks) of the population.
The pastor of your church is there to preach the word of God, not advocate a political viewpoint. If you need politics in your religion, seek out Falwell, Robertson, Jackson, and Sharpton. As you can see by those four, they all fall short of the Glory of God. Again, our people are too used to being told when to do for self. We wait til church to open the Bible, we wait for the 1st and the 15th to get paid, we wait for food stamps, appointments at the public health clinic, we wait for some new Black political messiah ad infinitum. We, as collective individuals, need to empower ourselves. Iyanla Van Zandt, E. Lynn Harris, Michael Bolden, Oprhah Winfrey can't do it. Just the man/woman in the mirror. Are we children that need to be told everything. Are we so petulant and intellectually immature that we need outside stimuli (motivation) to act in our own self-interest? What you are basically saying Blackwatch is that our people are so stupid and inept to the point that they need the enlightened few (talented tenth, 5% Nation, whatever) to tell them what to do. Isn't that the same patronizing, paternalistic viewpoint that so-called well meaning white folks did with us. Negroes need evolution, not revolution. Evolve from that docile passivity that you advocate to one of self-empowerment. If Black folk are gonna do for self, they have to start with self.