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Old 06-27-2012, 03:48 PM
 
14,780 posts, read 43,501,308 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SHABAZZ310 View Post
I agree with most of the things you had to say… What I don’t agree with is your assessment that the concept embodied in the letter only serves to create differences and conflict between whites and blacks. The conflict has been there for hundreds of years it wasn’t just created. It started off with the greatest genocide in the history of the world, cemented itself with the creation of the KKK, hit close to home when black wall street was burned down in Tulsa, proliferated with Jim Crow and the anti-civil rights movements, etc... Out of everything that has happened you can’t cherry pick out one attempt to explain what’s going on and label it the reason for “conflict”.
I think you may have slightly misunderstood my intent. It wasn't the letter itself that served to highlight and deepen the differences, it was the way the letter was used and the best evidence for that is the Farrakhan speech. Focus on his one quote:

Quote:
And so, as a consequence, we as a people now have been fractured, divided and destroyed, filled with fear, distrust and envy. Therefore, because of fear, envy and distrust of one another, many of us as leaders, teachers, educators, pastors and persons are still under the control mechanism of our former slave masters and their children.
He is tracing the origins of divisions in the black community to slavery and using this letter as his evidence over what caused the divisions. He then carries that forward to present day saying that the same "control mechanisms" are still being used. I suppose he would say that all of the individual acts and issues you listed, were simply an evolvement of that original oppression, at least that is the impression I get from his speech when read in totality.

Essentially he is saying in 1995 as all of these more glaring and obvious forms of control and oppression have faded away that the oppression still exists as it has been ingrained and this is the root of issues in the black community. The black community should not turn upon itself introspectively, but yet remain united in the face of this "latent oppression" and "control mechanism".

I think to analyze the letter and intent one needs to frame it against the position of the black community at the time it was apparently written, which would be in the mid-90's. While racism was certainly not extinguished by any stretch, virtually all de facto and de jure methods for propagating it had been eliminated. The last vestige of which most likely died in the early 1980's as the practice of blockbusting faded away. As overt and de facto sanctioned racism faded away there was a "mainstreaming" of blacks in both the north and the south. This began to change the identity of the black community. It was no longer united as a singular force fighting injustice, but became far more retrospective on the issues in its own communities. Think about the infamous Bill Cosby speech as an example of the divisions in the black community and black introspection.

At the same time we had a raging debate on Affirmative Action and the use of quota systems for entry to jobs and colleges, essentially "forced diversity". The black community was very split over the issue, many vocal leaders saw it as an attempt to right a wrong, while others saw it as devaluing them based on their race. Essentially, as long as the quotas existed it would always be assumed that they did not accomplish things on their own merits, but were only given the opportunity because they were black. It seemed to be the anti-thesis of "judging people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin".

The mobile middleclass blacks, the scientists, professors, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, etc. began to distance themselves from black issues as they became more associated with their contemporaries, regardless of race. The black middleclass family living in a suburb began to identify more with their neighbors in the suburbs then they did with blacks in the inner-city. The concept that there was some sort of universal oppression being propagated became a ludicrous idea to them. They would hear other members of the black community say, "we're oppressed" and they would look at themselves and say, "what are you talking about, look at me and what I've accomplished".

The Civil Rights Movement was fought with poor black blood and rich black money, all sections of the community were united against an overt racism that impacted them all. As those overt symbols faded away, men like Farrakhan and Jackson began to lose power, power that was supported by rich black money. The purpose of the Willie Lynch Letter and Farrakhan's speech was to attempt to foster a sense that the oppression was real and was continuing. Even if you were a very succesful black person that experienced no racism or had any issues, you were still being oppressed and you didn't even realize it. That is why I chose that snippet from the speech. Here it is again:

Quote:
Therefore, because of fear, envy and distrust of one another, many of us as leaders, teachers, educators, pastors and persons are still under the control mechanism of our former slave masters and their children.
What he means is that no matter how succesful you are, how much you have accomplished, you are still being controlled. When you look introsepctively at the issues in the black community and blame other blacks for their issues, you are basically filling the role of a modern Uncle Tom. We are still being controlled and exploited. We need the prominent members of the black community to not turn against people in the community and hold them accountable. We can't hold them accountable, because this entire condition is something that has been forced upon us. By stating that a poor urban black gangbanger needs to take control of his own life, get an education and make his life better, you are ignoring the oppression that has made him the way he is. Most of all though, most of all...we need your money.

This is the macro point of what was going on and what the letter said. This is why I said it was being used to deepen a divide. The less racism there is, the more mainstreamed and succesful blacks become (something that was very much gaining traction in the 1990's) the less concerned they are with "black issues". The less concerned they are with "black issues" the less they support the vocal leaders in the community. The response is the letter and Farrakhan's speech, which basically says, "whites are still your enemy even if you don't realize it". To me, that is the antithesis of what MLK fought for and what Farrakhan and Jackson say they want. When race is less of an issue, they need to find creative ways to make it an issue to keep themselves relevant and most of all keep the money flowing.
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Old 06-28-2012, 12:14 AM
 
Location: Atlanta
6,793 posts, read 5,631,408 times
Reputation: 5661
Quote:
Originally Posted by SHABAZZ310 View Post
I only challenge people with off the wall opinions. Opinions that are contrary to the facts… If you can’t substantiate your opinion with data, etc your opinion is most likely based off feelings and not fact…
You challenge others opinions but you offer up none of your own..
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