As we watch the rebellions against 30 years of brutal oppression in Egypt unfold, many are asking when will the Black youth of today rise up and fight for change the way the youth in Egypt are fighting? While on the surface such questions are important, they suggest that the youth are not willing to stand up and “fight the power.” They suggest that we haven’t been in the streets risking it all for social change.
Before we address any of this, let’s look at history, since it is Black History Month. If you were to pick up any high school text book, from New York to California, you’re likely to find fleeting information about the institution of slavery. In many instances the brutality and outright horrors have been sanitized. Words have been changed, harsh facts have been softened or omitted and a somewhat happy and hopeful face has been attached to the text. We see that happening now in places like Arizona and Texas where ethnic studies has been removed and there’s been a push to remove slavery and replace it with the words “Atlantic Triangular Trade.” Recently the Tea Party lawmakers in Tennessee have been pushing to downplay and outright remove references of our founding fathers being slave owners.
To have others tell it, slavery was not that bad,” and thus there was no reason for us to be out in the streets. In most text books, even on the college level, there is very little discussion about the rebellions and uprisings that routinely took place during the years we were held captive…Sure, here and there we’ll hear bits and pieces about Nat Turner‘s revolt in 1831. Occasionally there will be a mention of Denmark Vessey‘s uprising in 1822. But both those stories often lack pertinent details. We don’t hear about their strategies or the number of people who were ready to ride with them. We don’t hear about the smack downs they delivered. Even more telling is the lack of information about the absolute fear these two men put in the hearts and minds of white slave owners. All we know is that these uprisings were put down with Turner and Vessey being hung. End of story.
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Naw, our best chance would have been in the 80-90’s during P.E Xclan etc, more conciousness.
Sensationalizing or putting young people up to “fighting the power” is really irresponsible.
The only thing any youth needs to concern themselves with is tip toeing away from people like you and the rest of the ghetto.
If you think starting riots is a good then feel free to lead by example pussy.
Yea…pretty much crazy. This is 1011, nobody cares what color your skin is. If you talk and appear educated people will take you seriously. Anyone who works hard can get a job, and it wasn’t my generation, or my parents generation, or even their parents generation (immigrants, by the way) who had anything to do with slavery. As wrong as slavery is, especially the way the US practiced it, don’t blame it on the people alive today!
The poverty in our country is not close to that of the middle east. Even our poorest neighborhoods have running water and cable television. To try and equate our struggles to that of the impoverished in the third world is a stretch. Another difference, If you had posted a post like the above in Egypt under Mubarek you would be disappeared.
Would it work? Sure but the will has to be there and even though there is great injustice in the USA there is not the type of poverty that these Egyptians are enduring. Give the republicans and republican lights like Obama another term and who knows we could be there.
According to the 2011 GINI Index, which is used by Economists to determine inequality in a country, America has more inequality than Egypt and Tunisia. A major problem is the internalized propaganda of the American citizenry. The belief that America will last forever. All things rise and fall according to it’s own cycle. If life is temporary, what else is not temporary? It is better to be improverished materially than spiritually and morally! America is falling now and will be lucky to be viewed as a third world country!
personally, i’m elated for the egyptian people. one can only imagine what they endured to get to this point. their victory is a victory for oppressed peoples everywhere.
Better to be impoverished materially than spiritually…..
I bet it felt real righteous to type that ish. I’d prefer to stay working poor in both spirit and materially but that’s just me, I happen to like clean water and the NBA as much as I hate imperialism and bigotry.
Disparity is the gap between rich and poor and yes we would beat those nations as our rich are so super rich and greater in number than those other countries. That would make the gap larger. What I’m talking about is the floor not the ceiling. I’m saying that people in America don’t have to watch their children starve to death no matter how poor they are. I’m not saying our poor people have it great I’m saying that they have just enough to make risking their lives for revolution unlikely where in the 3rd world it’s often the only answer.
America is falling but will not get lower than England at the worst. You don’t go from 1st to 3rd without stopping at 2nd for a few generations.
^^^ that’s what I’m sayin’^^^
Remember Katrina. Americans woke up to a level of poverty that they didn’t think existed in this country. Everyman thinks his burden is the heaviest. America is already a third world country without realizing it. The fall of America will happen quicker than you are willing to accept. The bigger they are they harder they fall. Clean water, get a grip. America has only been in exiistence for 270 years , the countries your referring to has been in extistence for a 1,000 of years or more, so the cycle is different. America has yet to learn the lessons some of the third world counties learned a long time ago. The constant focus on sports(NBA) and entertainment is part of the distraction. The floor, the celing, glass have empty or have full is relative depending on your perspective! Americans aren’t immune from watching their children starve! Europeans put small pox in the blankets of Native American children. But, let me guess that was a long time ago and doesn’t figure into the equation. What goes around comes around, you reap what you sow and the worm always turns! Finally, whether I’m being righteous or not doesn’t matter, America is falling and will go by the wayside in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation. It’s the arrogance, hubris, lies and deceit that is the cause not my so called self righteous! Buy you some bullets because America will become the WILD WILD WEST!
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Romanticizing probably isn’t a good idea. https://romanticpoet.wordpress.com/tag/egyptian-people-hitler-paradigm/
nobodie in america has the balls, we sit back n bitch and r too layzie too do anything bout it.
I do not see this happening in America as in Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, etc. There are too many factions and too many distractions to make it work here. As one of the commenters stated other countries have a lot less than Americans, even the poor, so they have more to gain. Also, I agree with sneekay’s statement with regards to those Americans talk, but do not put actions to words. What countries like Egypt have that the U.S. doesn’t is unity (poor, working-class and rich, etc.) consistency (starting small and growing without taking a timeout for the weekend vices), a strong hunger for change and sacrifice. Also, the Egyptian young people were active, consistent, united and used the resources (for research and networking rather than finding out the lastest gossip, club or fashion) to build a consensus and did not back down until their demands for democracy were met. Just look in the SF Bay Area at the number of protests (and occasional news soundbites) that have occurred and look at the results. Further, look at who is not at these protests. Now, compare those protests from Egypt. Face it, Egyptians were just hungrier, more unity, more consistent with one focus, one voice and one result… Democracy. And they were not going to leave until they get it.
Another interesting note: A Chinese coworker told me that China censored any news about Egypt, Jordan, etc. out of concerns of rallying Chinese citizens. Now, there is a country that rules with a iron fists that no one dares challenge. At least for now.
still waits to be seen whether this was a success or not as the military has taken over and who knows which way this will play out.
Oh I’m all for more black history, more real history.
http://takimag.com/article/more_black_history_please/print#disqus_thread
right on davey d.
im irish, and we know just a little bit about centuries of repression, though not quite as bad as african americans do.
the rulers will not give it up without a fight. In Egypt, its likely that they will try to worm their way back in by corrupting the political parties who are elected. everybody has their price; this is the reason for the middle classes. Howard zinn called them the jailers, or guards, the poor being the prisoners. Zinn hoped the guards would eventually rebel, but it looks now like with technology and superior weapons they can control us with only a few guards. still if the mass of people rise up, they cannot be resisted, but the rulers must be got rid of, or they will come back- look at the french revolution.
Old men like Davey D peddle this nonsense to young people out of a personal power trip so they can make you as stupid as they are.
What a thing to say, lastlaugh, when we have a state (Texas), rewriting their history books to leave out important aspects of American history. Talk about dumming kids down.
I say teach the kids EVERYTHING, all of the patriotic stuff, and all of the leftist, radical stuff, raise them with good values, and let them decide for themselves which is more exaggerated. you down with that?
“I say teach the kids EVERYTHING, all of the patriotic stuff, and all of the leftist, radical stuff, raise them with good values, and let them decide for themselves which is more exaggerated. you down with that?”
I’m down for your kids and the idiots of texas being taught in whatever way comes into fruition.As far as I’m concerned the stupider and more confused the better.
I’ll make sure mine have guidance to mitigate the projected confusion peddled by all you people.
I really doubt that could ever happen in the U.S.
Least we forget, the US is still under the patriot act’s nefarious, tyrannical control and the same wars that had folks ready to boot Bush are still in swing yet citizens are not protesting like the Afrikans in Egypt because many of us have drank the proverbial Kool-Aid and are slowly simmering in the cauldron of normalcy. Sadly enough, it seems our spark (for revolution/change) which once flared bright enough to inspire the oppressed, world wide, to reach for its embers and take control of their own destines, cooperatively, is slowly and imminently fizzing out. It seems that music award shows and football games mean more than tangible matters which WILL determine our our future status as a so-called reigning “super power,” or just another failed experiment in creating a utopia.
Lara Logan, CBS Reporter and Warzone ‘It Girl,’ Raped Repeatedly Amid Egypt Celebration
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/02/lara_logan_raped_egypt_reporte.php
And yet people still want to glamorize this mob mentality as some kind of great Democratic renaissance.
The Muslim Brotherhood will rape your women in the streets and force their daughters to have mandatory female circumcisions.
Yeah, let’s put these Arab hillbillies up on a pedestal. Great job.
I assume Hawk with ur remarks that the millions a few things. 1-You’re against rape and any time it occurs an entire people or nation should be subjected to brutality, dismissiveness and scorn… If so let me know because I can pull out several dozen rapes that have occurred on our own female soldiers by male counterparts..Lemme know if you need articles, studies, stats or anything like that to back this up.. Also lemme know if you need me to write some snarky remarks like Fuck the USA which of course may include you bc after all OUR tax dollars pay for such atrocities.. If ur finding that hard to believe, lemme know if u want the track record of other nations we wholeheartedly support like Saudi Arabia where women are repressed and beaten and even raped..
2-I assume that this horrific action was committed by celebrators of Mubarak’s fall and not the thugs he released from prison to attack, kill and rape innocent men and women. We saw the horrors on TV.. When Mubarak fell did those dastardly people disappear or were they amongst the throngs still acting out.. Last I checked a number of journalist were attacked and beaten by Mubarak thugs could this not still been happening?
3-Muslim Brotherhood? This assumes a lot..starting with Muslims being rapists to the millions who fought for democracy not being smart enough and committed enough to resist another totalitarian regime..if indeed thats what MB is all about..
4-Your remarks about Arab Hillbillies is racist and one I won’t allow to be posted on my board again.. It besmirches an an entire group of people, most who are hard working decent people..If it was Black dudes would you be saying great job on highlighting Black hillbillies, or Mexican hillbillies? How about us all agreeing that rape is a satanic inhumane act that should be condemned by the people perpetrating it and not somehow justify 30 years of brutality against fellow men and women bc you have hatred for Brown folks
5-Props to the women who rescued Laura.. i guess they too are Arab hillbillies
@Brian
…and expand that to general American history as well. No need to gloss over it while telling black folks how to perceive their condition and history in comparison to others of similar hues.
The only “revolution” I’ve been hearing about is through the so-called Tea Party and Ron Paul followers (and we should all know what that’s about). Like others have said, what’s been going down in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries is on another level. We’re talking serious unemployment (much more than 9%), dictatorships (imagine POTUS’ family in charge for a generation), and rising costs of living. This has been brewing for a while, so revolution was bound to happen at some point. If the US were to hit 30-40% unemployment, its currency relegated to decoration, and general prices on all things (fuel, food, clothing, etc.) jumped 1000%, that’s when you’d see chaos. Until then, most of us will be gawking at this Internet.
As for Lara Logan…come on, now! Societies will have their trashy element in the mix, which should describe the fools attacking her and other journalists (AC360?!). This isn’t a knock on her (or her looks), but venturing into something like that would be risky for just about anyone (good reminder about the felons running loose, Davey)…SMH!
link is dead…would love a link to the full article