Black Contrarians — Who Hurt Yall
This video by viral comedian Shiggy sums it up best.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHTnqYln16t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
They were mad at Obama cuz he didn’t do enough, wasn’t mad at Trump at ALL for singlehandedly undermining generations of civil rights work and progress and now have got so much animosity for Biden & Harris like they set you back personally in their political careers. Yes, Biden was the author of the crime Bill which was signed unanimously by all 100 senators in 1994. He was also that same guy when y’all endorsed him as Obama’s VP in 2008. While DA of California Kamala Harris had many improprieties on her resume, and hopefully both of their past transgressions leads them to moments of atonement very soon.
You may have valid reasons to dislike them, but where was this energy during the primary??
We could easily be awaiting Bernie Sanders inauguration…..yet instead Black Contrarians have nothing but negative criticism after over 75 million Americans supported Biden/Harris to lead the nation going forward.
Like Really Who Hurt Yall???
Before the invention of the internet no one else unknowingly spread misinformation about the government more than the Black Man!!!
Is the FBI an anti black organization?
Is the US army no place for a black men?
Are the doctors out to get us?
Does The Illuminati, The Bilderberg Society & World Bankers pick the President?
Can a black man ever receive fare treatment in the eyes of the law? And many more.
All of these questions have validity if looked upon through the context in which Black America has.
For every Hidden Colors documentary series, which i can attest is a source of cultural and intellectual inspiration curated by top scholars in regards to history of African contribution to modern society and culture. You will find 5–10 conspiracy theorist, historical revisionists spewing half-truths and misinformation that gets lumped together with everything that is true. From who killed JFK, Martin & Malcolm up through Flat Earth Theory and now Pizzagate & Q-Anon
Todays Youtube videos have replaced the casual barbershop talks that are/were(Covid context) a staple to our culture and was an indirect history lesson for many. The first place I ever heard of the Tuskegee Experiments was in a barbershop under the context why a particular gentlemen wasnt interest in a flu shot. A sweeping generalization with out any context is as dangerous as any type of false information. Before the internet most Black people were taught and trained to think a particular way by so many sweeping generalizations.
Dont talk to Police….. being another huge one.
Black men raised in the inner city differ completely from some one from a suburban two parent household with children. Sentiments in regards to police are stark, city dwellers have countless examples of police misconduct without the community or connection so all police officers are viewed as immoral and corrupt. Someone from a small town who has a rapport with the local sherrifs office an has had instances where a police officer has come to their aid/defense that persons view on the job of police officer would be different even of both men were black.
News Flash, News Flash!!
Black men aren’t a MONOLITH, we all haven’t encapsulated our experiences through the same lenses. DEFUND THE POLICE could sound very scary to someone of a certain level of affluence who’s primary concern is protecting everything they have worked hard for, or someone who has law enforcement employees in their family and all these factors could be divisive.
We all dont see ourselves as descendants of chattel slavery, dont have the same stories and legacies attached to our lineage. Indians, Middle Eastern, Africans & West Indians who migrated to the US after the civil rights, voting act and anti discrimination laws benefitted directly from the work of people like Martin Luther King Jr. All of which create the individualism that permeates black culture almost to a fault.
The Lil Wayne’s, Ice Cubes & 50 Cents are all fruits of the same tree.
Your individual struggle doesn’t outweigh the struggle of the collective. Brothers complaining about taxes they dont or wont actually pay…… (all of which cud be offset if you gave away a bit more) as a reason to not vote for Joe Biden is dangerous and short sighted. Take note on how LeBron James who has more money than the other Black entertainers stumping for Trump, has maintained his goal to empower the disenfranchised knowing that our ceiling is much higher if we raise the floor for us all.
Fake woke brothers will spend hours on Obama’s presidency citing quotes from Cornell West or Tenahasi Coates from nuanced conversations on the prospects of all that was accomplished during Obamas historic two term presidency. While they mention Barak’s shortcomings or lack of specific action towards the needs of black people in this country, although huge gains were made in rights and protections against discrimination, the tone has taken to “throw the baby out with the bath water”.
As the first black president, Obama had an uphill fight, Senators were blocking his initiatives for no other reason than because he was black. Despite it all, so much was accomplished Donald Trump was able to misrepresent himself and administration using Obamas strong economy which he inherited as well as low unemployment rates. HBCU funding was increased under Obama by almost 75% Trump just kept it going.
Much good is found in the quest for knowledge, and more can be said for the painful & shameful rhetoric that has embodied much of our nations history.
Many are aware that the US government has been complicit in wrong doings against people on this land and abroad. The Tuskegee Experiments where black men where injected with syphilis and left to die as a means of research, COINTELPRO where FBI’s director J. Edgar Hoover had a particular axe to grind with all forms of Black empowerment in this country from the work of MLK, Malcolm X, the NOI and the Black Panther Party, and Iran Contra where US supplied Nicaraguan cartel forces with weapons in exchange for Cocaine which was streamlined and distributed in urban communities which fueled the drug arrest stats for the so called “War on Drugs”.
Although these acts of injustice came from government organizations its was more the acts of rogue and distrustful leadership and most of the participants responsible are long gone and deceased.
For all the negatives in Anti Black Conspiracy Theory it can be said the black conservative and upwardly mobile African American is birthed from this fire. Having little faith in government institutions has giving more credence to an entrepreneurial spirit instead of depending on the US government to make a way for a black man an his family.
Lawrence Fishburnes’ portrayal of early woke father Furious Styles in John Singletons’ Boyz N Da Hood is the perfect example of a Black Contrarian, with his bits of factual information “Gentrification is cancerous to our community”sprinkled in with a bit of conspiracy theory “We dont own any planes or ships to bring drugs into this country”. Sweeping generalization used on nuanced discussions such as politics and crime do as much as good as harm an thats why we need a revolution of black minds.
FBI studies show that 90% of all arrest fall outside of the realm of serious & violent crimes and more than 75% of arrest stem from simple drug possession. Do the militarization of police forces across America reflect these very concrete facts? Couple that with the presence of White Supremacist rhetoric infiltrating Police Departments nationwide, I personally believe is the contributing factor to all the instances of violence in regards to African American victims. Racism is real just as white privilege is a thing, many white dont feel they are racist an they very well may be, but there are very few white people willing to give up any of the advantages that race entitles them to.
Black Contrarians tend to play the sideline and complain the loudest, some have been disemfranchised due to prior criminal convictions or non citizen immigrant status.
I’m sure the term lesser of two evils in regards to Hillary & Trump (couldn’t have been further from the truth) came out of a black contrarians mouth. Its very easy to armchair quarterback and say “Black people need to do this….” or “Black people need to do that…..” but the work is less in the theoretical and more so in the practical. Black Contrarians will attempt to sew doubt in the integrity of elections as well as the legitimacy of your vote. Lines like “Presidents are selected, not elected” pop in my head just at thought of trying to register folks to vote.
The grassroots movements that sprung about in the wake of George Floyd’s public lynching in Minneapolis, that spread throughout the country has accomplished as much to bring awareness to issues directly affecting African Americans as anything the NAACP or Al Sharpton has done in decades.
The record voter turnout in last week election has placed a spotlight on political forces like Stacy Abrams and how the black women voting blocks flipped states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. Black Contrarians cannot deny these truths, influencing elections and affecting change in the streets. The power of black people mobilizing, organizing and strategizing. The possibilities are endless!!
Citations —
Beyond Black Demons & White Devils: AntiBlack Conspiracy Theorizing & the Black Public Sphere — Regina Austin
