Solving the Police Problem
Part 3 — Conclusion
The cure for a bad idea is a better idea. Good and better ideas emerge when we welcome healthy respectful debate — even if the debate exposes the flaw or weakness in our ideas.
If we can’t stomach the fact that our ideas may be found absurd, flawed, or weak — then we are likely ruled by ego and are not really interested in solutions. Such an attitude proves we lack humility and are more interested in our reputation before men — than what’s good for the community.
Such people (famous, powerful,or not) posing as leaders and Actorvists (waxing eloquent in the press about what’s ailing the black community and painting police with the same broad brush they would be offended if used to paint black community) are no good for the improvement of the black community’s condition and mindset. They and their, unfortunate, influence are part of the problem. We need truly humble leaders and activists guiding.
Also, I am aware that some would advocate a political solution — i.e., electing more black people and what not. I’m envisioning that a grass root solution, as mentioned in Parts 1 and 2, would be most effective to address and alleviate racial tensions more immediately.
I suspect that when you start politicking to solve such problems, FIRST, the problems either get worse, or never get solved at all.
To that end, the elephant in the room is more than one major city where minorities are suffering the most injustice and poverty are (or recently have been), run by mostly, black elected officials (usually Democrats). Baltimore and Detroit come to mind. This gives me the idea that electing more “black people” is obviously NOT the answer.
Although, I believe there can be place for a political solution, I don’t believe it’s the first or primary solution. Doing it from bottom up, puts us in control to define our own problems and needs — instead of politicians coming to us defining and telling us what our problems are and what we need to do solve them — which is usually vote for them.
Again, I believe if these problems are addressed in some fashion similar to what I suggested in Parts 1 and 2 of this opinion, then we would discover and be emboldened by just how much, we the people, have the real power to chart the course of our lives.
Can I be honest? What we see with current protest movements — in my opinion — resemble toy, hashtag, revolutionaries. Young and old drunk off civil rights nostalgia, over-reacting and trying visibly hard to manufacture a 1960s-like rage and bravado. In other words, it’s all social vanity.
Well-meaning we are but totally unaware how much we are actually pawns being exploited and played by the hands of political puppeteers in high places (some of whom are financing our protests — Google “Cut The Check” Black Lives Matter). Young millennial Black people, especially, have no clue that they are willing participants in the very institutionalized racism they complain and protest about — oh, the irony.
I know I just lost about half of you all with that opinion of the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLMM). Stay with me, though, if you are really brave.
It’s time we look in the mirror. In a new article, coming soon to Medium, I will share the five top reasons the BLMM does not move me and why I’m not interested in being associated with it — as a black woman whose melanin is always poppin and whose fro stay fantastic. :)
That piece will explain more of exactly what I mean by some of these unpopular assertions I’m making, here.
In closing, I believe young and old progressive minded college professors, activists, entertainers, politicians, authors and media personalities, are sincere. I believe they believe they are helping.
But actually if you look and listen very carefully, they are reinforcing a message that encourages Blacks to constantly see ourselves as irredeemably inferior. Again, my next commentary analysis will get into the details as to why I suggest this.
Their lectures, grievances, music, films, speeches, books, and news stories are reinforcements of the inferiority complex slavery left.
Is it me? Or, could we be giving white people way too much credit? They are human beings not superheros unable to be out maneuvered. What maneuvers or strategies are our media personalities, Hollywood actorvists, social justice crusaders, college professors proposing? I know we’ve been getting together for fifty+ years to “dialogue” and give moving speeches. Where are the results? What’s the aim? How can we even measure success? What is success?
Now that we’ve opened the dialogue, what are the action items? Where are we executing in a way that the “big, bad, almighty, powerful white people” will have to respect?
How about we switch to a 21st strategy that shows us smarter than our “oppressors?” How about we employ some covert nighttime maneuvers — more action, less talking? (Nighttime Maneuvers is my ode to hip-hop, 9th Wonder and Little Brother.) :)
By working on the problem from ground up, blacks would also likely discover that our appetite or palate for a political solution will be very different from times past. We’d likely have new demands from politicians. That is assuming, of course, the black community is really interested in solutions.
For more counter-cultural social commentary, stay connected with me here on Medium, my site www.clarityspeakz.com.
