Look at us. The black culture. A poor, lost group in continuous longing and searching. For what; Acceptance, understanding, leadership, guidance. The Pessimist in me, feels we’re nothing but Conformist, made weak with the passage time. If this is true, This would be one of our lesser qualities; however – this isn’t entirely our fault. 300 years of slavery and hurtful ideologies like the Jim crow law will do that. Don’t get me wrong, I love our people; But I have an unrivaled distaste for our ways. At our worst, we are what the stereotypes perpetuates us to be. At our best, we are relentless – A force capable of implementing radical change on a historical level for years to come, despite any iniquities or obstacles that try to yield our momentum. but this “call to arms”, takes so Much (Ferguson) for people to see this side of us.
Once again, is it really our fault, after long contemplation and endless rationalizing, I realized, it’s never really been a point in history where we’ve had a continuous leader. (Aside from the civil rights movement). So one could look at something like the jonestown massacre, and you momentarily understand how our people got pulled in. Psychologically it’s called Normative social influence; and by definition, they say its influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted. Now, I’m sure like me, you tell yourself endlessly, that you could never fall victim to the ill, false, lure of a cult. I’m also sure you’ve heard the name Jim Jones and have made a few jokes about cults, but never truly understood the Meticulousness of Jones. (Perhaps out of ignorances.)
Around 1956, his religious movement was created. Jones called it, People’s temple – many know this to be the cult that resulted in 950 – 1000 casualties in mass suicide. but understand, most didn’t see it as a cult; simply put, no one ever joins anything that would hurt them. At its height, Jones had a congregation over 3- 5000, people and by 1970, it had 12 different locations in California and Its Congregation consisted of mix ethnicities but was predominantly African American. Growing up Jones studied the communist movement of Karl Marx and Dr king and adopted his methods as his own. Although he had trepidation of backlash for using the Communist methodology, this later would play an essential role in his growth amongst the black community. After a few failed attempts, In 1956, Jones bought his first church building, in a racially mixed Indianapolis neighborhood. This was a pivotal move for jones. understand that around this very time, the civil rights movement was just beginning to thrive. So everything Jones preached was a breath of fresh air In a racially charged atmosphere, filled with brainless brutality and segregation. As always we were vulnerable, much like now.
Its best to come to terms with the idea that, so long as man inhabits the earth, racism will live along it’s side. My fear isn’t the perpetuation of racism, but the lack of perception that we have as a species, history repeats itself, in sad, repetitive, repetition without remedy and we Will Continuously find ourselves susceptible to moments like Jonestown, Ferguson,Sean Bell, Ronald Madison, if we don’t pay attention. We don’t need anymore false leaders or momentary Martians, who protest today and gone tomorrow. We don’t need fake anger- We need leaders that will endure and show us the way in times of strife and during times of happiness. We need leaders whose names will be echoed on ears without want for years to come….
We often refuse to accept an idea because the tone of voice which it has been expressed unsympathetic to us – Friedrich Nietzsche
DropaJewel, because someone has to 