Hero Worship and Religiosity

By: Alexander K. Robinson

There has been much written and said about why those who are living in substandard conditions usually concentrated in the core of urban centers, about the causes and consequences of their conditions. Whether the cause is contributed to intergenerational poverty or lack of sense of community due to the lack of family structure and values, the effects are always crime, desperation, and desolation. 

Economists point to the lack of human capital as one of the reasons why these populations are unable to remove themselves from this state. I propose the idea that it is not a lack of human capital but a concern for issues that delivers an intangible gratifying experience as opposed to ideas and methods that will lead to preferable outcomes.

Education is always expected to be the savior of Black Americans, who in American have become a disenfranchised, marginal group. What is never specified is type, form, and purpose of said education. Should the goal be to prepare them for employment in the pre-dominant economy of our time, with the focus being high skilled service employment? 

While these questions need some serious thought in order to reach serious answers, inherent to any call for education is the presumption the those within the Black community lack education and the skills necessary to “pull itself up by its bootstraps”. This is untrue. There is a strong collection of knowledge in the Black community, but it has been concentrated to perverse hero worship and extreme religiosity.

The hero worship in the Black Community is idolatry. Rappers, celebrities, and athletes are the overwhelming percentage of role models for these misguided youth. Adulation of this sort is understandable because it is only these professions where individuals who share common characteristics of their followers and often share similar backgrounds are allowed highly visible levels of success.

Kobe Doin' Work

Additionally, these individuals appear to have skill sets that are easily attainable. Getting payed to play basketball is extremely attractive to those who play basketball everyday for free. Females follow reality TV stars such as those on Basketball Wives and imagine a reality where they would only have to shop and be responsible for the interior decorating of their husbands mansions. Those who aspire to be the next Heavy D, can rifle off countless verses of memorized prose.

Unwavering commitment to religion is a fact of life in many Black communities. A more serious concern is the fact that this religion was used as a justification for slavery, and in some places is taught in a similar fashion as it was over 100 years ago. Religion offers spiritual guidance and provides a moral foundation for its many followers. 

Mega Church Pastor T.D. Jakes

What religion also provides is the situation where one accepts the conditions around them and the statements of their leaders with unwavering support. This behavior of acceptance without question is transposed to other aspects of life, exampled in politics, where one party has routinely garnered support by Black Americans without any real policy to reverse the conditions of permanent poverty for a prominent portion of the population.

When the focus of Black America is redirected, from extreme hero worship and religiosity, goals that have more of a tangible, economic benefit, will be the day the this community begins to climb from their position on the social ladder as America’s permanent working class.

Thanks to Dr. James Chaffers for inspiring this post.

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Cultivation of Truth: Overreacting To The Confederate Flag?

TruthSpeakers,

As you know, I do social work in the state of Arkansas. I currently work in a rural area by the name of Van Buren ( Crawford County). One day I was out making home visits and I came across a client with a huge confederate flag on his front porch. My first thoughts were to keep driving because I didn't know what to expect with this family. Let's face it. We still live in racist times. I wasn't trying to get spit on, lynched, or someone sicking their dog on me. I go back to my office and I ask my Caucasian co-worker and my Mexican co-worker what are their views on the confederate flag. My Mexican co-worker doesn't feel the flag is a racist symbol. My Caucasian coworker went into a whole history lesson about the Civil war. He felt neutral on the topic. I feel the flag is a symbol of hatred. It is a plot to secretly say let's bring back slavery and it is also associated with the KKK. Some of my co-workers on the other hand, feel it is a symbol of southern pride. ...... As the only black worker in my Department, I feel people think I overreact when things like this arise. But if they could walk a mile in my shoes, I can't help but wonder would their views change. As a young black woman in a society proudly waving the flag that caused so many deaths in America and promoting the enslavement of African Americans, am I really over reacting???

As a TruthSpeaker in search of the truth, I would like your help in unmasking the controversy of the Confederate flag.

TruthSpeaker,

Thank for your your letter, it greatly assists us in our effort to identify issues that over time have become ignored in our society.

Your co-worker is correct in referring to the Civil Way as the source of the Confederate Flag. It was one of the official flags flown by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, where over 1,000,000 Americans were killed. The fact that it was used by an enemy of the United States of America, in a conflict that erupted primarily over the states' rights to own slaves, is a reason why the Confederate Flag should be disrespectful to all Americans and why its manufacture be made illegal.

The Confederate Flag is easily the most recognizable flag in the U.S. behind the American Flag. Knowledgeable Americans know the history of the flag and the current uses and implications of its symbolism. A symbol of resistance to Lincoln's America, a rallying point in the fight against the desegregation of the Civil Rights era, and now a tool to incite fear, used for the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, Aryans, and other white-supremacy groups.

I recommend the manufacture of the Confederate Flag, opposed to the total abolition of the flag because it may still hold meaning in the minds of some Americans. Some states still fly the Flag, Mississippi has even adopted its likeness into its own flag. Breaking with an idea that many view so strongly will have to take time. That's why the illegalisation of the manufacture is a preferred method. It gives those who want the flag a chance to keep their flag, honor it, memoralize it however they see fit, as long as they don't infringe upon the Constitutional Rights of other Americans.

So no, I do not believe you are overreacting to the use of the Confederate Flag.

AKR

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Time to Start Talking : The Reality of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Vanessa Cullins, Vice president for Medical Affairs at Planned Parenthood Federation of America

How many negative statistics do we have to read before we get the message? When it comes to practicing safer sex, much work still needs to be done. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur in the U.S. each year. While STIs cross all racial lines, African Americans are disproportionately at risk for such common infections as chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis. African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, yet in 2009 we accounted for approximately half of all new cases of chlamydia and syphilis (48 percent and 52 percent respectively), and some 71 percent of gonorrhea cases. We also experienced more than half of newly diagnosed HIV infections; in fact a report last month from the CDC found a significant increase in the number of new infections of gay and bisexual African-American men between the ages of 13-29.

African-American women must take the first step to protect our health: Talk about sex. I know that can be difficult. Many of us live in communities that consider explicit discussions about sex embarrassing or shameful. Or we may be too worried about what our partners will think or do. Will he think I'm promiscuous? Will he get sex from another woman? Some women have been led to falsely believe there's a shortage of good men out here and feel pressured to please their partners, even when they refuse to use condoms. Some women falsely think they're not at risk.

Think again. The truth is all of us are at risk. The misconception that you have to be promiscuous to get a sexually transmitted infection just isn't true. We have to be just as honest with ourselves about our risks -- and the reasons why. For a number of reasons -- including a lack of affordable health care, men who have multiple sex partners, bisexual men, and the high incarceration rate of African-American men, who are exposed to STIs, including HIV, while in prison -- these infections are much more prevalent in African American communities. If you live in an area where an infection is widespread, your risk of meeting an infected partner is automatically higher -- and protecting yourself takes even more diligence. Untreated infections can not only lead to HIV/AIDS but to infertility, chronic pelvic pain, cervical cancer and other serious conditions.

Remember, you only know your own sexual behaviors and sexual history. And you trust that what your partner tells you about his or hers is true. But until you are feeling supremely trustful, or are in a serious, monogamous relationship, do whatever it takes to protect your health and wellness. When it comes to sex, that means honest discussions about sex, since dialogue and observation of his or her behaviors are the only way to determine trustworthiness. That doesn't mean you have to give up sex to stay safe. But you do have to use protection; there simply is no reason for anyone not to.

These things may not be easy to talk about, but the conversation has to happen. Start by asking your partner if he or she has ever been tested for a STI. Then explain that it's important to you to use protection -- to not only prevent an infection but an unintended pregnancy. Talk about the different kinds of protection, what will work best for the two of you, and then find ways to make using it fun.
You also need to get yourself tested every year. So does your partner. Don't let cost or embarrassment keep you from getting tested. Nowadays, the urine tests are quick, painless and readily available at Planned Parenthood health centers and other community clinics. And don't let fear hold you back. Any sexually transmitted infection can be controlled with medication, and many can be cured completely. Even testing positive is more an opportunity than a curse, both for you and your partner, because if you don't know you're infected, you can't get treated and stay healthy.

You can only protect your health -- and that of your partner -- by taking the first step. Talk.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-cullins/african-american-std-sti-prevention_b_959269.html

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