A Little on the Top, or A Lot on the Bottom
May 10, 2006
We have talked about the pros and cons of Black faces in high places on this site before. This is a concept worth revisiting in light of a survey by the Washington Post that says the G. W. Bush has brought on less females and minorities in his administration than Bill Clinton.
Conservative reaction to this story is not surprising (an example is here), but it does raise an interesting question. To quote conservative columnist Michelle Malkin:
“In other words, Bush is an enemy of progress and civil rights because he has appointed too many minorities and women to top Cabinet positions–and not enough to lower, less important jobs!”
This is a matter of quantity versus quality. I think you can have both here, but maybe you can’t. Which would you rather see: a few Black folks in prominent leadership positions or lots of Black people working in lower positions?
Iran’s 18-page letter
May 10, 2006
So if you haven’t heard yet, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an 18-page letter to Bush outlining contradictions in the international arena. And if President Ahmadinejad is nothing else, he is not stupid. He made some points that are so clear that they can’t be denied. I encourage all of you to read the text for yourself rather than having someone tell you what it meant. Unfortunately, the link I have is only 8 pages but that is better than nothing.
And what really disturbs me is that not in any world could I see Bush writing an 18-page letter on ANYTHING, yet alone engaging President Ahmadinejad in a meeting of the minds. Now was Ahmadinejad’s letter purely political, probably so, but what isn’t in international affairs. And more importantly, why does Bush insist that all options are on the table when he keeps ducking opportunities to talk. It may be because all the options only include sanctions or military strikes because diplomacy doesn’t seem to exist with this administration. And just what may I ask is wrong with talking or writing letters?
Isn’t communicating the most productive feature of human civilization? And that is what one of the traits I disdain in Bush, he seems to relish the point at which talking is no more feasible rather than take advantage of the time when it is.
Stay up fam,
Brandon
Slavery Remembrance Day in France
May 10, 2006
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that today is France’s Slavery Remembrance Day. I wrote about this topic earlier when President Jacques Chirac first announced it. Most of this day is about symbolism, not structural change. But my hope is that this day is not an exercise is exploiting “white guilt,” but for Black people to “understand who we are and understand that we can overcome victimizations of the past and use the strength built from those experiences to be triumphant in the present and the future.”
So I wondered how much would be gained from having a Slavery Remembrance Day here in America. And you know what makes me upset? It’s my fear that Black people would probably be the most outspoken opponents of honoring such an event. We already have folks like Morgan Freeman talk about the lack of a need to have Black History Month. I don’t think we have enough Black History if for nothing else because of the asterisks that represent the often hushed sacrifices that Black people have made to make this country great. Thomas Jefferson*, George Washington*, The Missouri Compromise*, Three/Fifths Clause*. And the list goes on and on and on.
And I think Black people are afraid to embrace this list just as much, if not more than White people. We as Black people can’t be afraid to embrace our history, which unfortunately includes slavery. Sometimes I get the notion that some Blacks think that our ancestors swam over the Atlantic just dying to be enslaved. And the one I love the most is, “Why didn’t the Africans just fight back or run away?” I will wait to address that ignorance in another full post. So just take a second to check out what they are doing in France and think about our ancestors today, and every day for that matter. Our generation has not had to truly fight for anything in terms of protecting our rights as a people. So if nothing else, we need to fight to save and preserve our history.
Avancer France!!!!
Stay up fam,
Brandon
White Guilt, Black Victimization
May 9, 2006
Shelby Steele talked with Ed Gordon on NPR about his book, “White Guilt” a couple days ago. The subject is interesting because it talks about Black folks playing on this “White Guilt” concept to gain concessions from white people. This is in many parts true. But it falls short in some explaining some things.
I had a mentor describe the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1900s as being built on a “moral argument.” It said, “I am a man the same as you. Therefore, we are equal and should be treated as such.” Those with Steele’s viewpoint would argue that this argument worked pretty well, and caused our white brethren to feel “guilty” about the wrongs they’d done. That feeling, where “guilt” is actually felt, is legitimate.
The problem is that we as Black people at times abuse this idea of white guilt. It is flawed because embraces a definition of Black people as victims in all areas of life. What we need to do is understand who we are and understand that we can overcome victimizations of the past and use the strength built from those experiences to be triumphant in the present and the future. Embracing this triumphant nature may cause us to be a bit less quick to “play the race card” in many situations, as Steele suggests in the interview.
Where Steele’s theory falls short, in my opinion, is in the fact even if a person, a white person, feels “guilty,” that feeling is often not trusted or respected by Black folks. Unfortunately, perception is reality for most people, so the person might as well have no guilt/remorse for their actions or the actions of their ancestors since we won’t acknowledge it anyway.
So what do we do? Do we now blindly trust anyone who is apologetic or guilty about the events that led to the condition of Black people in America? No, that would be naive. What we need to do is not embrace the fact that others may/may not “feel bad” about what happened or what’s happening. We should instead focus on our own self esteem as a people and question why we feel the need to act on or take advantage of the “guilt” of others. Could that need be the offspring of our own guilt that has built up over the last 1.5 generations who perhaps may not have done as much as they could to raise our collective knowledge of self, instead focusing on selfish personal gain?
Family, let’s get back to the basics here. Understanding our selves on a personal level and as a community is key to our success. Upon that foundation, we can overcome our situation without the need to exploit things such as “white guilt.”
Stockholm Syndrome & Knowledge of Self
May 8, 2006
I had a conversation with a close mentor Friday, and he and I were talking about personal accountability after I told him about my post on parental accountability. We talked about what could happen in a person’s mind to lead them to no longer take responsibility for themself. This is similar to sentiments of one of the individuals I met in New Orleans, who said “What kind of man won’t save himself? There’s got to be more to it than being bull-headed.”
He talked about the famous Stockholm Syndrome, saying that he felt Black folks in America had the most severe case of it on record. All of these statements/position caused me to think: Is the reason that people refuse to reclaim their sense of accountability that they are willingly dependent on their oppressors?
I struggle with this concept, and I’m sure others do as well, because the goal is harmony and togetherness. The goal (in my mind) is people, ALL people of ALL types, working together towards common interests that translate into individual benefits (e.g. working together to strengthen public education (common interest) resulting in better-educated children (individual benefit) who return their knowledge and talents back to the community (common interest)). However, there is a degree of basic personal responsibility that needs to be acknowledged here. We are personally responsible for the decisions we make in the midst of whatever circumstances we are faced with. My goal is to contribute to the creation of circumstances where choices that positively effect the individual and the community are clearly more attractive than their negative alternatives.
To me, willing dependence on oppressors is a negative decision. There is a difference between dependence and co-existence. Dependence says “I can’t do anything without you.” Co-existence says “Together we can do better for ourselves and for each other if we work together.” Dependence removes personal responsibility; co-existence embraces it.
Why is this distinction important? The psychological effects of institutional slavery and the racism that precluded it and remained afterwards created a false sense of dependency of Black people in America on non-Black people in this country. Whether or not this was the intention of the system is unclear to me, but that is what resulted. How did they do this? By effectively robbing people of their self-definition. Knowledge of self is the most enabling possession that a man or woman can have. With it comes clarity, purpose, direction, and a host of other positive things. A person cannot take responsibility for themselves if they do not know who they truly are. This goes back to what Brandon was talking about when he asked, who are you?
Now here is the crazy part: another reason we are not aware of who we truly are is because…we think we already know?!?!?!?! Meaning, since I already “know” the answer, I don’t bother asking the question. Consider a simple example: if I know that 1 + 1 = 3, why would I ask someone else what 1 + 1 equaled. Already you see the flaw here: what I know is a lie!!!!! Similarly, our people have been defined by this culture as inferior, subordinate, entertaining, uneducated, poor, ignorant second-class members of society that have both spoken and unspoken limits to their growth potential. THAT IS A LIE, just like 1 + 1 doesn’t equal 3.
We must move beyond the lies that have been fed to us by yesterday’s slave masters and today’s corporate media, elevating our consciousness to combine the knowledge of our past with the fullness of our future. It’s back to the basics everybody. The basic questions we need to understand and address are these:
Who are we?
This is explained above, but it is the core of the issue at hand. You cannot [properly] use a word unless you understand its definition. Likewise, I cannot properly use my person unless I have a level of understanding of myself.
What do we need to do and why?
What are the things that have been successful in the past and can be applied today. The second part here is important because not everything that worked yesterday can work today: some things apply, some things don’t. However, you cannot make that distinction unless you understand what happened yesterday. Cats that complain about marches being ineffective today should analyze why they were used and why they worked then. My mentor mentioned above stressed that action is generally born out of necessity. What were the motivations behind using marching as a form of demonstration for change? Undoubtedly, at least some of those motivations likely still are present today. Perhaps there are more efficient and/or effective ways to address those motivations today. Maybe we can take advantage of new media/resources that may not have been available in the 40s. The point here is, once we understand the why, the what may be easier to address.
How can we work together to do what we need to do?
If you have a team where every member understands the reason that they have been put together and acts with solidarity, you can accomplish great things. When individuals understand themselves, they can then understand where they fit into any sort of collective action. When the purpose of a collective action is clear, it is easier for people to align with it or participate in it. A good friend of mine told me that two things were important during any concrete conversation: definition and context. The definition part is the overall subject of this writing. The context part lies here, where we define how all of the pieces (people with knowledge of self) fit in relation to one another and to any sort of collective group or action.
Let’s talk about basics. Let’s talk about fundamentals, the things that effect everything we do. Thinking about the basics is what I’m trying to do at this point in my life. It can definitely help to simplify the complex. I say we embark on such a journey together, share our experiences, and support one another in this mental and emotional revolution.
Marriage, Basketball Schedules, and the Off-Arm
May 8, 2006
Long time no see fam!!! Your Superspade was holding it down in sunny/smoggy California on business all last week, but I have been pregnant with ideas that I am ready to birth. But before that, I just want to let my co-contributors, Steve, Garlin, and guest writers know that I am their number one fan and I am so proud to be associated with this site. We are taking it back to basics!!!
With that said, last week, I had an interesting epiphany that I think summarizes the two major obstacles that make brothers fear marriage; obedience and compromise.
Basketball Schedules
A couple years ago, I asked a mentor of mine, CJ, how he made his marriage work. He then taught me a lesson about marriage that really took my understanding of marriage to a whole new level that I am passing on to you. CJ played basketball in college and actually tried out for a couple of professional teams to no avail. Needless to say, CJ is serious about his basketball. And while he was dating his wife, Kecia, in college, he played basketball every Saturday morning with the fellas. And for the real hoopers, you know few things can compare to Saturday morning basketball followed by food, sports, and ignorance.
So CJ keeps up this routine during their courtship, engagement, and into the marriage. Now a couple years after being happily married, one day CJ woke up on a Saturday morning and packed his gym bag. No sooner than CJ is done washing down the last bit of bagel with OJ, does Kecia come in and say matter-of-factly, “Where do you think you’re going?” After clearing his throat, the stunned CJ replies, “What are you talking about? I am about to go hoop, like I always do.” Never faded, Kecia says, “Well, you are going to have to start asking permission to play ball on Saturdays because I might have plans for us.”
As you can imagine, CJ didn’t play ball that day but that’s what CJ wanted me to learn. The fact was that there some Saturdays he did play and there were days he didn’t. But whatever he did on any Saturday, he had to run it past Kecia to see if she had any plans for them. And just so we’re clear, neither Kecia, nor CJ is whipped and they have a beautiful marriage. The gist of the story is that by learning obedience the easy way, CJ was able to side-step a problem that could have grown out of control. And it doesn’t matter that CJ played ball before he got married or that Kecia didn’t tell him the rules before hand, the man was right to obey, period. Now insert basketball schedules with something you planned on keeping sacred from your bachelor days and imagine your wife telling you that that thing has to go by her. Only then will you understand how vital it is for men to understand the power and liberty that accompanies obedience. It will save you a world of grief, take it from CJ.
The Off-Arm
Now for any guy that has ever slept with a woman, (I mean sleep, not sex) than you have probably had requests from your woman to hold/cuddle her as she dozes off to sleep. And if she was really mushy, she probably wanted to wake up in the exact same position. That’s all fine and dandy, but that is not comfortable for the fellas due to the clumsiness of the off-arm. What do I mean? Let me draw you a mental picture. Let’s assume that you are in the bed and you and your partner and facing the left side such that the left side of your body is touching the bed and the right side of your body is facing the ceiling. Now if you are holding your woman, then chances are you are holding her with your right arm.
But what do you do with your left arm!!!! In this example, left arm is the off-arm and its use is critical to getting a good night’s rest. Now there are five positions where you can position the arm if you are indeed trying to go to sleep in this position. (Assume all positions keep your right arm holding your partner across the torso.)
Position 1 involves keeping your off-arm being extended above her head where it is highly vulnerable to going to sleep and you probably don’t want to sleep with your face in your armpits. Position 2 utilizes the off-arm as a pseudo pillow such that it is nestled at the base of her neck but in this position, you won’t be able to turn over without waking her up. Position 3 places the off-arm underneath the left side of your partners torso, such that both of your arms would be wrapped around her torso. This would be the equivalent of standing behind your partner and holding them around the waist. The problem with this position is that your partner is sleeping on your off arm!!! Which means your hand is going to be blue in the morning due to lack of blood circulation and don’t even think about turning over because you are stuck. Position 4 involves your off arm slightly in front of you but having your forearm lodged in the back of your partner. While this is the most versatile position in terms of maneuverability, it creates considerable distance that your partner may find unacceptable. And lastly, Position 5 involves your off arm being placed directly under your left side such that you are going to sleep on your own off-arm. In which case your off-arm will either be numb or will disrupt the curvature of your spine so that your sleep is not sound.
Now fellas, why would I describe the 5 positions of the off-arm dilemma? It’s because you are going to be sleeping with the same woman every night for the rest of your life!!! And quite frankly, I think the off-arm dilemma is a major reason why men die before women. 
But in all seriousness, the off-arm dilemma to me represents the myriad of ways that men have to compromise to make their marriage work. And likewise, if you don’t cook and your woman does, she may have to cook on days that she doesn’t want to because both of you are too cheap to order out. (invest that money) And there may be days that you just want to sleep in opposite directions just so you can get a good night’s rest. But if she wants be held, just know you read about the off-arm here at Superspade. So what did we learn fellas? Marriage is all about compromise and a healthy dose of obedience. And if you can’t see yourself doing those two things, then either she’s not the one or you need to man-up.
Looking forward to your comments,
Stay up fam,
Brandon
The SuperSpade Bi-Centennial
May 5, 2006
This is the 200th post in the history of The SuperSpade!
We want to send a big thank you to all of our readers, commenters, supporters, and contributors.
We have grown tremendously, and the future is bright. The future is bright because of your willingness to seek information from many sources, and rejecting the notion that the only place to find out what’s happening is thru corporate media. The future is bright because of your willingness to look at current events critically and understand how they directly impact your daily lives. The future is bright because of your willingness to embrace a spirit of action and participation in what you believe in, being not only hearers and readers, but doers also.
Again, thank you for the support. Continue to spread the word about this community we are building, this movement we are organizing, this vision we are realizing. The SuperSpade site in the coming months will be adding new features that will promote even more participation from our readers and supporters. As always, send all questions, comments, and site suggestions to TheSuperSpade@gmail.com.
One Love. One II.
The SuperSpade. Black Thought at the Highest Level.
Parental Accountability in Education
May 4, 2006
Riana at BlackAtMichigan has began a series on what I will refer to as Parental Accountability that she is calling “what the hell are we gonna do with these kids.” I left a comment, and it inspired thoughts in my own mind about how we can increase parental accountability, which I’d like to share here.
Perhaps we have approached this in the wrong way. This is not a new problem, but perhaps it warrants a new approach. I’m not a psychologist, but perhaps we are not addressing what causes parental apathy with regard to the education of their children. I don’t understand why previous generations seemed to value education both in the abstract and the practical, yet many today do not. Any thoughts on this? Is it because instant gratification has become the measuring stick for all actions/decisions? There are both immediate and future benefits to education, both personal and communal benefits, but why are the future/communal benefits often ignored?
I’m a bit confused. I’m open to suggestions and welcome the dialogue.
The Weekly Dream: The Power of Passion, Purpose, and Practice
May 4, 2006
This week, I had to pull one from the archives. What follows is the first Weekly Dream I ever wrote about a year ago. It is an honor to be able to share this on a wider scale.
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We all have passion, an internal energy source that drives us to or from a destination. Like fire, it needs to be harnessed to bring about a productive result. That is where Purpose/Vision comes in: it is the harness that tames the potential destructive nature of passion. The two are inextricably linked. You cannot have a compelling Purpose/Vision without passion, and you cannot be effective if you have energy all the time for no apparent reason.
Too often, we do not know what we are supposed to be doing at this place in time and space. It is easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal and the task at hand. It is easy to get bogged down in the details, but that is the quickest way to get stymied. Chart your course and let your passion carry you.
With that said, I want to challenge you with a series of questions:
Are you living with passion?
Have you discovered your purpose?
What are you doing to practice these in order to radiate excellence?
We must actively practice in order to perform well under the pressures of life. This is done through the cultivation and discipline of good habits. Everyday, we must seek ways to demonstrate our excellence and uniqueness as individuals and in any group we are in. Practice is a process. Processes enable us to learn.
However, we deceive ourselves if we think that we can be successful without first holding ourselves to a higher standard of living and consciousness. Change must come from within and then manifest itself outward.
Practice is a process. Processes enable us to learn. We have an invaluable opportunity to learn from each other if we will dedicate ourselves this to process.
What keeps us from doing what we know we should and must for the realization of our dreams?
Our greatest obstacle and deadliest enemy is ourselves.
Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas
Question of the Week: What keeps us from doing what we know we should or living the life we desire?
