Ok… here we go… my first stab at a blog. I will preface this and each future effort with the disclaimer that I do not portend that I am an expert in any subject nor do I have the moral authority to cast the first stone. Therefore, all of my posts are meant to be entertaining and if germane to your interest perhaps thought provoking.
Now, let’s get started…
Should black MEN be placed on the endangered species list? Hear me out before you apply any labels or cast any judgments on me, please.
I live and work in the Washington , DC
For the past two years, as mentioned, I have used Metro – the Green-line to be specific, and for those of you who can relate – to get back and forth from work. What I have seen while riding the train for the last 730 days can be described in many ways, vexing being one adjective that immediately comes to mind.
To be clear, I have watched boys – I hesitate to call them young men, as the connotation doesn’t seem appropriate – who share the train with me, seemingly lost in what has become a faltering culture. Why someone would wear their pants hanging off their backside is beyond any reason I can fathom. Additionally, to wear a pair of jeans that, if anything, is more effeminate than masculine further confounds the mind of any reasonable, rational person. Couple this with the fact that our kids are more androgynous than ever and the spectacle becomes almost too much to bear.
Admittedly, I grew up in a time when fathers challenged boys to grow up to be men. Today, unfortunately, the father figure is missing in many black homes. I regrettably concede this point. And to this end, the challenge that once existed seems to have disappeared with our black heroes, soldiers, martyrs, dads who were indefatigable in their effort to raise good men.
Arguably, we have black role models who illustrate the achievement possibilities for the black male. Yet many of these examples have wealth and success acquired through God-given abilities and talents, exhibiting their physical prowess for the enjoyment of the masses. Or, their success is so far removed from the neighborhoods and communities these boys live in they are no more tangible than Shrek and happily ever after.
What is evident today is that many black men are infatuated with lifestyles they can only emulate with superfluous imitation, desperately seeking the latest embellishment to appear the part of their idols. They fail to see the need to educate themselves or the need to assimilate to the work environment so that one day they can ascend from their pointless world of “chillin” and graduate to the world of responsibility, presumably instilling the proper morals and values in their offspring as they pass the torch to the next generation. **sigh**
Truthfully, I am despondent and quite apathetic on this issue. I believe in many cases it is hopeless. What I see are boys who have no direction and no desire to get any. They lack respect for themselves, their families, their culture, their nation and their future. Essentially, what we see before us today are boys who will never move beyond the station they have already achieved in their short lives. Tattoos are the watermark in their lives, leaving indelible marks of false prophets, stupid mantras and inexplicable affiliations. They mill about their communities in a perpetual farce, reenacting the same routine day in and day out in a perverse version of the movie Groundhog Day, unfortunately never learning from their mistakes.
With these salient points, I again ask the question should black men be placed on the endangered species list. For me, the answer is unequivocally yes. Though, if they happen to survive their trivial and sometimes mortal pursuits, we will have an abundance of black BOYS who know little about how to “be a MAN” and even less about being accountable and responsible for themselves, their families and their community.
The truth is we may have to shutdown the man-card factory, as their maybe too few candidates to justify the need.
S. McGill
One of the most powerful things in this world can be obtained and used liberally by anyone who chooses to use it. “If” can be the beginning of something great or the acquiescence to defeat. How will you use your “if” today?
1 comment:
I can add that we can all sit around and talk about the problem. It's a lost cause when we don't commit to impacting someone's life. Most black middle class families continue to live life as if it is not an epidemic, as long as their families are safe and "tucked" in at night. I look at certain communities like the Jewish and Asian community that create so many resources for their own; where they work hard so that there wont be any need. Where are the black role models that sacrifice their time and money to impact the life of another??!! We should make lifelong commitments to pour into someone else's lives besides our own?
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