Sunday, May 26, 2013

Blacks & The Gay Agenda: Setting the record Straight


I don’t like writing things like this because many White people are too quick to agree with criticisms of People of color, but are absent when it comes down to acknowledging Black liberation, or any type of Afrocentrism in a positive way. My fear is that this may be used to solidify stereotypes about black people with Afrocentric leanings. Be that as it may, I feel it’s necessary to set the record straight. To be clear this article isn't intended to claim that all Black people (Afrocentric or not) are Homophobic. Its intent is to acknowledge the problem of anti-gay bigotry in Black communities and make clear my opinions about this form of bigotry.
Homophobia is just that, a phobia, an irrational fear. Too many of my people feed into the strange idea that gay equals bad, or weak. Sorry (not really), but I just can’t fuck with that. I don’t care what tradition one claims to follow, or what pseudoscientific study one chooses to bend their mind around; if you’re trying to be free of the white-supremacist power structure you're deluded if you think being anti-gay is the way to do it.
The frustrating thing is that many so called conscious Afrikans think they’re fighting a European agenda by being homophobes, when in reality they are being duped into following an agenda so discussing, and idiotic that most whites won’t allow it in their circles. As a matter of fact, most of the Whites who go for this anti-gay stuff are, typically, of the same conservative strand that think Black people are inferior. When have Eurocentric forces ever fed Blacks anything but garbage? Now many Blacks are allying themselves with the most destructive elements of Western imperialism and pretending that it’s somehow a way to gain freedom. Ridiculous!
Right now, there are rightwing Whites who strive to do missionary work in Africa. Why? Because they believe that those Blacks aren’t corrupted with thoughts of liberation, like us Americanized Blacks. They see Africans as dumb and gullible. They want to bend Africans to their will. Hasn’t this always been the case? If these people had it their way most Africans would be expendable soldiers in their unholy war for power. Manufacturing a fake enemy is the oldest way to rally desperate people, and many people in Africa are in desperate positions. Many Blacks throughout the world are in desperate positions as well, so who better to exploit. The reality is that Black people are being conned again, but it’s not all the “White-mans” fault. We’re perpetuating this nonsense and justifying Nazi style ideologies, all while pretending to be Pro-Black.
The idea that homosexuality is robbing Black men of their manhood is garbage. Who decided what a man should be like, or for that matter what a woman should be like? Perhaps when the entire universe was created and all life everywhere in the world was magically conjured up, some powerful being proclaimed “No Gays!”, but somehow gays appeared anyway. Of course we see homosexuality in other organisms in nature, but who needs science when it’s not convenient. No, with all the beautiful diversity in the world somehow men and women can only be one way. Women should submit to men, and not feel oppressed. Men, on the other hand, should be the masters of the house and their dicks are their royal scepters. Now this next part is the most important; men should only have sex with women because it’s gross any other way… I mean it would kill all life on earth if they did it any other way… yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket. Come on Black people we’re smarter than this.
I understand the actual arguments that fuel anti-gay agendas. One is the idea that the traditional family must remain intact in order for Blacks to succeed, and that family is led by one man and his wife. There’s no accounting of whose tradition that is though. Another argument is that Black men are being de-powered with the loss of their manhood through taking the submissive role of a woman during sex. This second suggestion is based on so many offensive ideas I don’t want to commit the time to address them. The pseudoscientific idea that gays cause HIV and Aids is another motivation for people to reject homosexuals. By that logic heterosexuals may as well be blamed for all other diseases. Come to think of it I’ve never seen a gay person with chickenpox. Gays are pedophile is an excuse for seeing homosexuals as immoral. This idea rests on the notion that heterosexuals don’t commit crimes of that nature. And last but certainly not least; the idea that homosexuality is bad because God said it is. Well I can’t argue with that, rather I won’t bother to argue with that. To me the “God made me do” it argument is just as valid to me as the “devil made me do it” argument. There’s no need to argue against an idea that places responsibility outside of the physical world. I instead would spend my time arguing against the negation of responsibility. There are more justifications to be anti-gay out there, and they like all hate ideologies start with the hateful conclusion then formulate justifications for that hate. So yes, I understand anti-gay arguments, I just don’t agree with them.
Don’t get me wrong, I see how many liberal Whites are willing to acknowledge issues that face homosexuals, but pretend that racism isn’t a problem. I see how Black men are lampooned and clowned for the amusement of white people. The feminization of Black men is just as much of an issue for Black men as it is for women, that is, if you care about women’s liberation. What I mean is if feminization equals subordination then I personally don’t support it for any group. Think about it; patriarchy is so oppressive to women that being likened to a woman is seen as a form of humiliating oppression. The feminization issue actually speaks more to how women are treated in our society. I’ve witnessed White people try to frame arguments in ways that put Black people, particularly men, in direct opposition to women, and homosexuals. The thing is that the issue here isn’t White people its Black people, and what we do. So the question is; are we going to be part of the oppression of another group of human beings?
I am Black, intentionally, and proudly and I know that many other Black people like me reject anti-gay bigotry. I’ll end this by acknowledging that clearly I have a fundamentally different value system from some of my people. Here’s where I stand: To me liberation isn’t based on following some antiquated tradition mindlessly. I reject the idea that preserving gender roles, which I find oppressive, are the key to success for Black people. I am inspired by my African ancestry, and consider my spirituality to be Afrocentric, but I look to the future for answers, not the past.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Dynamics of energy in liberation and oppression



What I describe here isn’t a matter of morality (good people and bad people), but instead it’s a matter of dynamics. Regardless of the politics a person claims, if they thrive in this system they shouldn’t be trusted, or expected to try to change it. Those who benefit from the oppressive, capitalistic system exist in equilibrium with it; this is so, even if they’re place in the order seems oppositional. This pseudo-opposition is part of the balance keeping everything in orbit. Being privileged in the system nullifies one’s ability to change it in a meaningful way or aid in the liberation of the oppressed. The act of liberation is only possible through revolutionary power which stems from potential energy that is derived from truly feeling and experiencing oppressive forces.
               Caring, as in being aware and taking an ethical stance, about oppression isn’t the same as taking action for the cause. The cause to which I’m referring is ending oppression. Caring and doing aren’t comparable to potential and kinetic energy. Feeling is the key. Feeling, from experience and struggle, creates the potential energy needed for change, as in changing the oppressive system. Change, in this case, is the result of kinetic energy, but the type and the quality of change that occurs is dependent on how the energy is directed as well as its source.
Many white liberals, for example, “care” about issues like racism, but they benefit from it on a daily basis, and on many levels. The sense of “caring” they feel may be based in guilt, anxiety, or empathy, and the motivation will naturally be to eliminate these unpleasant feelings, NOT the elimination of racial oppression. “Caring” about this issue causes many white liberals to deny their privilege, the benefits of their privilege and their actions which stem from their privilege. This denial is a defense from unpleasant feelings. In this case, much energy is spent on denying reality and very little is allocated to changing it. The potential energy from caring about racism manifests quite differently from the built up energy that comes from being oppressed by racism. Knowing, from theory, and feeling, from experience, are not the same.
The realities of ending racism (or “racial-capitalism” as I call it) and monetary/resource based capitalism would be devastating for many privileged people including affluent leftists and anti-racists. Without the stabilizing forces of privilege, many people would fly out of their comfortable orbits. Although the empathy some privileged people have for the oppressed is appreciated, it directs energy toward feeling good as opposed to making things better. Our current sociopolitical and economic system is held together with a great deal of energy and those who thrive in this system are conduits helping to complete the flow regardless of how they feel about it. This flow of energy creates a web of oppression that is manifested by receiving and using one’s various unearned privileges. The web holds the conduits in place, and the conduits maintain the web. Only those who struggle, as oppose to thrive, in this system can ever hope to change it. Struggle disrupts the streams of energy holding the system together.
Oppression causes suffering, but there can be meaning in this suffering should one choose to find it. Those who struggle against the forces of oppression may siphon that energy, transform it, and become galvanized with revolutionary power! This energy is the right frequency to disrupt the equilibrium of oppression and create something truly new and positive. We exist in a galaxy of energetic forces; the manipulation and transformation of these energies is what makes us alive. Clearly knowledge and dedication are required to transform oppressive force into revolutionary power, but one cannot find the exact formula to accomplish this on a blog, in an article, or within the pages of a book. I don’t claim to know the correct equation myself, but I suspect it takes a personal stake to truly understand. One irrefutable truth is evident though: The act of liberation is only possible through revolutionary power which stems from potential energy that is derived from truly feeling and experiencing oppressive forces. To put it plainly, if we want freedom, then we must free ourselves!

Readers