Category: African Americans

Pro Black You Tube is a Scam

~ shannoninkansascity ~ Leave a comment

There are a lot of You Tubers that I watch that would fall under the so called Pro Black umbrella.  I think that every last one of them is a scam artist and they should not be taken seriously.  Not only should they not be seen as leaders they should be seen as scam artists or at least opportunists.  Pro Black You Tube is simply for entertainment purposes and I don’t think that any of them are interested in Black empowerment.

Any good hustle has an element of truth to it.  A lot of pro Black You Tubers have interesting thoughts but their messages often gets lost.  My first problem with pro Black channels is that they are very White centered.  Whiteness is always the measuring stick for them.  At the beginning of any journey I believe that one needs to define success.  For most Pro Black You Tube philosophers White standards are success which is a problem within itself.

They are very focused on racism which at this point is stupid.  Racism is kind of like gravity.  It’s just there.  It’s a problem is you drop your phone or fall down the steps so you need to learn to avoid the pitfalls of gravity.  Racism is not going to ever end in America.  It’s too deeply ingrained in our culture and mindsets.  It’s such a part of American life that we take it for granted and don’t even notice it a lot of the time.  Learn to live with it and how to avoid it’s pitfalls.

I  wish that Black You Tubers simply discussed problems in the Black community and ways that we can make improvements.  It’s rare that any of these people discuss matters such as finance, health, self acceptance or healthy families.  They also don’t discuss matters of spirituality unless they are making disparaging remarks about Christianity.  I believe that those are the kinds of issues that would make a difference in Black lives in America.

Pro Black channels are very focused on Black celebrities.  The lives of Black celebrities are irrelevant to circumstances of the average Black American.  I don’t mind listening to the trials and tribulations of rich Blacks on channels that brand themselves as gossip channels.  But channels that brand themselves as wanting to make Black communities better should ignore all celebrities.  Black celebrities are completely out of touch and most of them seek to exploit their popularity with average Black people.

Pro Black channels tend to speak on sensational matters and they are clearly looking for views in order to increase their subscribers and make more money.  They like to discuss things that push emotional hot buttons and shocking viral videos.  Most of their topics are simply clickbait and don’t hold any real substance.

Pro Black You Tube channels love to talk about problems in the Black community but they rarely offer solutions that are realistic to every day people.  They claim that they just want to wake people up.  I find this to be very condescending.  I don’t need a has been rapper from the 90s informing me on anything.  Based on their topics of conversation I was so called woke long before they were.  They also like to say things like “Black people don’t read” and “simple minded Negroes”.  There is no reason to listen to someone that thinks so little of you.

The most detrimental problem in Black American neighborhoods is violence but this matter is rarely discussed on Black You Tube.  Nothing can be accomplished in communities that have been turned into war zones.  No one will invest in commerce, home ownership isn’t likely to be established and healthy children can’t be raised under the threat of drive by shootings, property and sex crimes.  Relationships and trust can not be built among neighbors when there are killers and thieves in the neighborhood not being brought to justice.  But Black You Tube channels don’t discuss this matter.

I think that Black You Tube stays away from this issue because it would ask men to take more responsibility for the community.  Women and children can’t stand up to street thugs.  African Americans have a hard time setting standards and guidelines for boys and men.  For thirty years or more Black boys and men have been treated as charity cases and porcelain dolls to be pitied which has not been productive.  The way the Black community treats Black boys and men is disrespectful and insulting to them.  It’s as if we think they can’t do and be better.

A lot of Black You Tube is just plain delusional.  A common topic is “divestment”.  Those that follow this foolish theory believe that if you don’t take interest in issues that affect Black Americans, socialize with, date or marry or spend time in areas with large Black populations you have divested.  This is mental illness to me.

If I move to Montana and marry a White guy and cut ties with my Black family and friends I’m still going to be affected by racism when I cross paths with a racist because I am clearly Black.  Those that preach divestment are foolish.  While I am alive I am going through the world as a Black woman so the way Black women are perceived and treated will always be a concern of mine.  I will divest when I am dead.  It’s not really even my choice.

Pro Black You Tube is also completely obsessed with inter racial dating and marriage which I don’t think is a big problem for Black people.  I agree that many Black people choose to date and marry outside of their race because they think the union will gain them and their children access to White privilege.  But that’s why these You Tube channels should be promoting self acceptance.

I can’t be bothered with anyone’s dating or marriage choices when babies are being killed in drive by shootings.  Loni Love’s boyfriend should be of little importance when we consider that Black people are more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes.  If the average NFL player wants a blue eyed blonde then he simply isn’t for me and I need to move on and find a man that prefers the dark eyed, dark skinned girl, dark, course haired woman.  It’s as simple as that.

I also think it’s stupid the way pro Black You Tubers criticize the Civil Rights movement.  They say that integration didn’t benefit Black people.  Who’s fault is that?  The Civil Rights movement gave Black people more opportunities and freedom to move about society.  If idiots decided to turn their backs on communities and institutions that Blacks built and flock to White communities and institution because they perceive it as superior that is not Martin Luther King’s fault.

Civil Rights leaders put everything they had on the line for a change and they were successful.  Meanwhile Black You Tubers who conceal their identities criticize their efforts.  In fact, Pro Black You Tube spends a great deal of time criticizing anything and anyone that is successful and Black.

Pro Black You Tube can be good for a laugh and at times they make good points but they are superficial and lazy.  They just want to make a quick buck off of monetizing their You Tube site and they use the emotional matter of racism to do it.  They aren’t doing any real work that doesn’t enrich themselves.  They use celebrities and viral videos to sensationalize their sentiments but they are reluctant to talk about something as pedestrian as saving money, meal planning, exercise and the best ways to raise healthy children.  Pro Black You Tubers are all scammers.

 

The Feminist Nonsense Continues: Lizzo at the Lakers Game

~ shannoninkansascity ~ Leave a comment

I’m not even sure where to start with this.  In case you haven’t heard I’ll recap the insanity.  Pop star Lizzo went to a Lakers game in a loose T shirt dress with a cut out at the behind which exposed her bare cheeks and black thong.  During the game Lizzo was put on the jumbotron and she did a little dance.  It was cute but then she turned around so the camera can get a look at her bare butt cheeks and thong while she continued to dance.

I was appalled by it but there’s a lot of shocking things going on in the world today.  I was prepared to file this away and move forward.  But then Lizzo and her dress with the butt cut out became a trending topic and Lizzo went on a rant on IG.  And here is where the problem starts for me.  Lizzo is quoted as saying “if you don’t like my a$$ you can kiss it”.  We weren’t thinking about her a$$ until she showed it to us.

The so called #bodypositive rant is what made this incident a feminist and “woke” talking point on You Tube this week.  Lizzo is a #bodypositivity ambassador and the body positivity movement rubs me the wrong way.  I’ve seen #bodypositivity posts all over Instagram and they come across as a manipulative scam.

#bodypositivity is a way to get women out of their clothes.  #bodyposi convinces women that they have to take off their clothes in order to prove that they love their bodies and are confident women.  The #bodyposi community believes that bearing it all is a way to conquer insecurities.

The #bodypositivity movement really has very little to do with confidence and being happy with yourself.  It has more to do with seeking attention and validation.  I have more respect for #thirsttrapthursday posts.  At least they are completely honest in their intentions and they aren’t fake woke.

The #bodypositivity and modern feminist movement is telling women that they should seek to be lusted after.  Modern feminism and #bodypositivity are not seeking to have women valued as a human beings and individuals.  The focus on a woman’s body and not anything else she can offer the world.

Lizzo is beautiful, talented, energetic and charismatic.  I wouldn’t have noticed that she is heavy without her pointing it out.   Her size and feminist activism is part of her brand despite the fact that she is a well trained classical flutist and rapper (what a combination) with a great stage presence.  Lizzo has a great deal to offer the world but instead she chooses to focus on a$$.

She is selling herself short and the image that she puts out of herself is cartoonish.  I feel like she is living up to stereotypes about larger women, particularly large Black women.  Lizzo claims to be standing up for women that don’t have slim bodies but she presents full figure in unflattering ways when it would be very easy for her to project a stylish image.  She has the goods and resources to do so.

I’m curious about what Lizzo was expecting when she turned her bare backside to the jumbotron camera.  Was she expecting a round of applause?  She received criticism from showing her thonged behind in public (shocker) and then she went into victim mode and told everyone that they were criticizing her because she is big and Black.  She didn’t take into consideration that her actions would be seen as uncouth to some if not most people.

But Lizzo isn’t the biggest problem.  The biggest problem are the social media feminists.  They say that the world was trying to police her body because she is a Black with a lot of meat.  She could have worn almost anything without criticism but she chose something that she knew would be controversial.  Those of us that find her taste and behavior to be questionable are now being made out to be bigots and chauvinists.  This is emotional blackmail.

It’s not our job to validate every person when they do things for shock value or out of desperation.  And we don’t have to give positive reinforcement to Hollyweird and rich n word culture.  This Lizzo situation is almost a real life version of The Emperor’s New Clothes.  

Lizzo could do a lot to represent full figured women by just being the talented and beautiful woman that she is but she’s wasting this opportunity with her shenanigans.  I do not think that the activism that she is becoming known for will sustain her career as a musician.  If no one’s told Lizzo this, you’re pretty and talented.  You don’t need to pull childish pranks.

 

TI’s Hymen Test is Indicative of the way the World Seeks to Control Black Female Sexuality

~ shannoninkansascity ~ Leave a comment

Recently rapper TI remarked on a podcast that he took his daughter to a gynecologist yearly and had the doctor check to ensure her hymen was still intact.  This is supposed to prove that the eighteen year old girl has never had sex.  All families operate differently and what is peculiar to one family may be acceptable in another.

I found TI’s admission to be a bit Taliban like and I was shocked that he was so comfortable telling the world about this daddy daughter tradition.  But TI has shot his mouth off several times in 2019.  As far as I’m concerned his daughter has joined a list of people and entities to whom TI owes an apology.

In my opinion there is more power for women in modest dress and morals.  But if a woman decides differently for herself I am no one to tell her differently.  An adult person has the right to choose what to do with their body.  I certainly don’t blame a parent for advising a young adult child to abstain from sex.  I would do the same if I was the parent of an eighteen year old son or daughter.

But to try an enforce abstinence with an iron fist implies that you are uncomfortable with that person’s sexuality.  It’s as if the enforcer sees sex as an inherently unclean and harmful act.  And here is the bottom line.  Overall, Black Americans and the world at large view Black female sexuality as nefarious and dirty.  Most people do not have a healthy view of Black female sexuality.  That even includes Black women and men.  Many Black men of Generation X and younger may have negative views of Black women and sexuality.  Being a hip hop star doesn’t make one exempt.

Just look at the music that many Black artists, particularly rappers such as TI have produced over the last thirty years or so.  Much of it is based on cheap sex, where the woman is not valued and the men seem resent the women.  R & B as a genre has slowly been phased out of popular music so it’s rare to hear songs about sweet romances and healthy sexual experiences anymore.  What we are left with are tunes based on casual sexual experiences and the bitterness and anger that often accompanies them.

Black Americans are heavily influenced by mainstream American culture which always seeks to affirm White righteousness.  These attitudes do nothing to benefit Black people but many of us absorb and admire the dominant culture around us.  Many of us are desperately trying to assimilate to a culture that makes us the butt of jokes and places us at a disadvantage.

It is pretty unusual for Hollywood to cast a Black woman as a romantic lead or to address Black female sexuality and romantic relationships at all.  Black women are typically presented as matronly, undesirable and asexual by Hollywood.  Image makers know what they are doing when they place certain consistent messages before their audience.  Hollywood and the media seeks to neuter Black women.

I’ll point out that when the entertainment business does address Black, female heterosexuality the Black woman is usually presented as desperate and her desperation or failure at relationships is comic relief or fuel for a story line about her suffering.  It is very rare to see a Black woman, that looks like a woman with two Black parents in a loving, stable relationship in the media.

Black women, particularly those with dark skin and kinky hair are fed a steady stream of negativity about what they look like through the media and often personal interactions.  I believe that this is a deliberate attempt to control Black female heterosexual activity.  It’s the ultimate c—block.  There are many within the Black community that are in on the act.

Undoubtedly, TI has taken advantage of and abused (I don’t mean criminally.  I have a broader definition of abuse.  What many call normal sexual behavior in the modern era I think of as abusive.) numerous women.  Because of his own behavior he now has an unhealthy view of female sexuality.  TI doesn’t even seem to have a respectful relationship with his own wife.

TI and daughter

He doesn’t want his daughter to be taken for granted, abused, used and discarded.  He doesn’t want his daughter to be treated like a human blow up doll.  He doesn’t want his daughter to be thought of as a piece of flesh that exists for a man’s pleasure.  He doesn’t want his daughter manipulated, mislead or lied to in order for a man to gain access to her body.  TI has probably engaged in all of this type of reckless behavior which has given him a negative view of female sexuality.

Safety, comfort, acceptance and trust are what set the mood for a woman to have a healthy sexual relationship with a man.  These conditions are what give women the freedom to express themselves sexually.  Unfortunately, Black women are not offered these conditions and this freedom as often as women of other communities.  So sex as it relates to Black women often comes with negative connotations instead of romantic, pleasurable, affirming ones.

People seek to control acts that they see as nefarious and vile.  Black, female, heterosexual behavior is seen as unwholesome and dirty under the global system of White supremacy.  Therefore, it is seen as something that needs to be monitored and controlled with no thought to the well being of Black women.

The Amber Guyger Story is a Scam!

~ shannoninkansascity ~ Leave a comment

The Amber Guyger story was a farce from the time it broke in the news until Amber Guyger was sentenced earlier this month.  There was so much about this saga that didn’t make sense and like Judge Judy says, “If it doesn’t make sense it isn’t true”.  Anyone that is in touch with reality and has any media savvy at all should know that Amber Guyger’s tale is pure fiction and we will never know the truth.  It’s a complete scam.

judge judy

Amber walked into the apartment of Botham Jean and shot and killed him while he was relaxing.  Her excuse is that she was exhausted after a long day of work and she walked into the wrong apartment that just so happened to have the door cracked.  First of all, I have worked  many long days in my life.  I’ve always been able to make my way home.  And what are the chances that Amber went to the wrong apartment and she went into the one with the door cracked.  I’m just not buying it.

Personally I wouldn’t walk into my home if the door was cracked.  Surely a trained police officer should be able to handle such a situation.  Why didn’t she call one of her buddies to come help her?  I think that a cracked door would at least make me more aware of my surroundings.  Turning on a light and yelling out may have helped.

Poor Amber worked her fingers to the bone until she was too incoherent to find her apartment and question why the door was open but she was able to shoot straight in the dark in order to kill a man with one shot.  This girl has some skills.  Her prison nick name should be Annie Oakley.

It took a few days for Amber to get arrested.  I think that those days in between killing a man and being arrested were the days in which she and her law enforcement buddies came up with this excuse.  Then she was encouraged to carry herself in a demure manner even though we know she’s cocky, grow her hair longer and wear conservative but form fitting clothing.  I’ll give the woman credit for having a nice figure.  It came in handy.

Let’s skip to the jury.  In past high profile trials jurors remain out of the public eye for a long time and sometimes they never make a public statement.  In this case two of the jurors made appearances shortly after the sentence was announced on TV and explained their decision to sentence Amber to only ten years.

A Black woman and a White man had the nerve to say that Botham Jean was a good forgiving man and wouldn’t be vengeful.  It makes more sense to give a lengthy sentence to a murderer that killed a sweet person.  But this isn’t about making sense or justice this is about affirming Whiteness and it’s supposed moral superiority.

We will never know if Botham Jean would have wanted Amber to be forgiven.  I find it difficult to believe that anyone would have a grain of sympathy for someone that would treat them with such carelessness and recklessness.  Amber claims to have defended herself with no regard for others.  Even if you believe Amber’s story that this was an honest mistake she still isn’t the person that deserves sympathy and tears.

The family of Botham Jean played into a trope, perhaps unintentionally but I think they were threatened or bought off, which is becoming quite common in the media.  The trope of the benevolent spiritual Negro that loves others (Whites) more than he or she loves themselves.  It’s becoming nauseating.

I don’t understand the purpose of all these stories about a Black waitress cutting up the food of an elderly White customer, a Black boy shielding an elderly White woman that he doesn’t know with his jacket in the rain, a Black woman that allows her wedding photo shoot to be interrupted by a little White girl that thinks she is a Disney princess in her wedding dress or a Black cheerleader that jumps off her homecoming float during a parade to save a White toddler from something that his parents should have handled.  I guess they are supposed to be feel good stories.  But I don’t feel validated by this as a Black woman and I think White people are positioned as the superior party.

These stories are not newsworthy and the service and heroism is always a one way street.  The person that is always laboring, sacrificing their comfort or their moment of glory is always a Black person.  Yes, there are equally nauseating stories about White people helping poor, unfortunate, shiftless Blacks that are down on their luck.  But those often end up being Go Fund me scams designed by the White savior.

The real contrast to the benevolent Negro stories are the numerous stories of reckless behavior that endangers Black lives.  This recklessness is consistently defended or overlooked by the American public.  Because White people and their sense of safety and comfort is paramount to all else in America.  Black people are supposed to buy into this too at their own expense.

Botham Jean’s family unfairly lost a loved one in the prime of his life and they chose to defend and sympathize with his killer and not their son or brother.  I believe in forgiveness but forgiveness is not for a person that has wrongs others.  Wrongdoers are owed nothing and there is no need for reconciliation.

I think it’s suspicious that the hug between Amber and Botham’s younger brother is the image that was presented to the public by numerous media outlets along with a message of forgiveness.  I didn’t watch the trial but I don’t recall Amber admitting that her actions were inappropriate or asking for forgiveness.  I only read about her making excuses for killing an innocent man and then trying to gain sympathy from the public and mercy from the jury.

Amber is a moderately attractive White woman and the world is use to presenting people like her as virtuous.  The Jeans, particularly the men seem to agree with her.  The dad even said he want to be her friend.  Of all the emotions and thoughts this family must have towards Botham’s tragic end I don’t understand why their thoughts about Amber are what made headlines.

We didn’t hear much about their grieving process or their relationship to their family member.  Their statements were centered around Amber.Every time I’ve had to exercise forgiveness it was a private matter.  The person that I felt that betrayed me wasn’t even a part of the process.  My heart, spirit and quality of life were at the center of forgiving someone that mistreated me.  They had nothing to do with what goes on in my heart and I have no desire to interact with them again.  In my experience that how forgiveness goes.  There usually isn’t a face to face reconciliation and hug.  That only happens on sit coms, rom coms and TV talk shows.

Brandt Jean begged to hug Amber and said he didn’t think she deserved to go to jail.  He laid it on pretty thick before the audience.  The judge who I believe was coerced or simply incompetent granted permission for him to hug her.  They ran and hugged like two lovers being reunited.  I think this was all planned and choreographed.  We’ve all seen videos of grief stricken families attacking their loved ones killer in court.

Botham Jean’s brother could have taken that opportunity to strangle Amber and the rest of the family could have cleared the bench and jumped her.  I’m surprised the judge didn’t think of that.  If I was a judge that wanted to maintain an orderly court room as opposed to a circus there wouldn’t be any hugging at all.  But I think Tammy Kemp is a phony and a puppet.  I don’t think she has any real control over her court room and I hope voters get rid of her at their first opportunity.

I don’t think a judge with integrity would hug a convicted killer and give her a gift in front of the victim’s family.  I also think it’s a bit too perfect that the judge and the bailiff that comforted Ms. Guyer were both Black women.  How many Black women do you think work in the Dallas justice system?  I’m sure it’s a minority.

And my goodness Tammy looked homely!  The woman wore gold bedazzled flip flops before when she knew she was being watched by the entire nation.  But she was sure to get herself styled to go on TV and cry and make excuses for her tomfoolery.

Now let’s talk about the key witness to the case and Botham Jean’s neighbor that overheard the turmoil that fateful night Joshua Brown.  He’s dead now.  He was killed in a drive by shooting.  Those usually take months to solve and sometimes they are never resolved.  But the Dallas PD was able to make an arrest in this case remarkable fast.

Joshua Brown was supposedly killed in a drug deal gone bad.  I thought he was in the Airbnb business.  Did Mr. Brown have a criminal history?  Usually the media uncovers those types of things right away.  Amber’s defense could have used that to discredit him but I don’t think that happened.

joshua

The drug dealers that allegedly shot Joshua were from Louisiana and traveled to Dallas for this business meeting.  Louisiana ran out of weed I suppose.  And I guess we’re expected to believe that Mr. Brown set up a drug deal in the parking lot of his own apartment building.  I’m not in the drug dealing business but I don’t think that’s how it’s done.

The entire Amber Guyger story is a farce and a scam.  We will never know the truth.  The way all of this played out in the media is absolutely, literally unbelievable.  It was all a show from the Dallas PD PR machine to try and satisfy Black people with the bare minimum while centering itself around White feelings.

 

Traditional Black Womanhood

~ shannoninkansascity ~ 2 Comments

Traditional Black womanhood is having a hard time in 2019.  It is having a hard time being heard, respected and taken seriously by anyone, even or I should say especially by other Black women.  It seems that anytime a Black woman speaks from a traditional point of view (I’m not talking politics) she is often mocked and put down.

Fantasia Barino, Gabrielle Douglas and Nicki Minaj have all made traditional remarks about womanhood over the last few years and have all faced criticism and mockery for it.  There is irony in all of the statements made by these well known women however it doesn’t necessarily make the viewpoints invalid and I don’t understand the so called backlash for their remarks.

Fantasia Barino of American Idol fame set off a poop storm this week when she said she follows her husband’s lead.  Her husband chimed into the on line discussion and he made a lot of good points about male leadership in a family.  They made sense and I think this couple is correct in their point of view.

But Fantasia’s public statement upset feminists for some reason that I don’t understand.  Some critics said that Fantasia was being arrogant and looking down on unmarried women.  But we’ve known Fantasia a long time now and she’s never been condescending or pretentious so I don’t think that judgement is fair.

Some of the disagreement stems from the fact that Fantasia makes way more money than her husband.  The pundits have a point there.  Oh and he’s a felon that she married after three weeks.  Fantasia’s marriage definitely raises some eyebrows but I still agree with her opinions about heterosexual, traditional marriages.  Even if I didn’t agree with Fantasia and her husband I would just excuse it as a difference of opinion.  But the feminists are angry this week at the thought of submitting to a man that they chose to marry.  I don’t get it.

Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglass made a tweet a few years back saying that women should dress modestly.  Twitter erupted into a fury.  Gabrielle was maligned for this statement.  The feminists mocked her religious background and of course they brought up sexual assault.  The Twitter mob insulted Gabrielle’s intelligence and implied that she was brainwashed and didn’t think for herself.

I’m trying to understand what’s wrong with valuing modesty.  Do we all need to seek validation by posing mostly naked on social media.  Some women think that is empowering.  I don’t but to each their own.  No one is hurt by Gabrielle Douglas wanting to wear clothes.  I understand that Gabby Douglas came to fame in a leotard in front of a global audience so it is a bit of a hoot hearing her promote modest dress.  But again, I think that she is absolutely correct.

Nicki Minaj recently decided to retire and focus on her upcoming marriage and starting a family.  I think it’s lovely.  That move made Nicki a feminist heroine to me.  I believe that a woman can have it all in her life but she probably can’t do it all at the same time the way men can.

Nicki has had a great deal of success and has made a lot of money and now she wants to place her focus on being a wife and mother.  This is another questionable relationship.  Nicki too is marrying a felon that she out earns by a mile, maybe two or three.  He wouldn’t be my choice for a mate but nonetheless he’s her man and I think it’s nice that she is making family life her priority.  I hope she gets everything she wants.

There was a lot of social media buzz surrounding Nicki’s comments.  Most of the commentary was negative but there were some congratulatory wishes.  I don’t know why anyone would have any negative feedback about a wealthy woman in her thirties pausing her career to begin a family life.  I think it would be foolish to try and balance both.

The world has a one dimensional view of Black womanhood and it is mostly negative.  The world is very comfortable with Black women spreading promiscuous and new age feminist messages but not family oriented values.  I’m not sure why that is.  I tend to believe that things we see in the media groom those that consume certain images and messages.  Certain segments of the population are being groomed for failure from the start.

Black women are seen as traditional and wholesome once they are past their prime.  I think it’s great to see young, attractive Black women expressing wholesome values while they are young.  It’s a shame that their biggest detractors seem to come from within the Black community.

 

The “NYT” Makes Me Cringe

~ shannoninkansascity ~ Leave a comment

I don’t like the New York Times.  I find a lot of the articles to be cringe worthy.  The NYT caters to a White, affluent, liberal, East coast audience that lacks self awareness.  That’s well and good but I’m not of that demographic so I don’t relate to their stories or understand their tales of woe.  A lot of the stories in the NYT come across as whiny and delusional to me.  I’ve read their stories and sarcastically mouthed the words boo freaking hoo to myself.

Last weekend I ran across an article by a man named Anthony Abraham Jack.  He is a Black man from a poor background that wrote the most cringe worthy article I’ve ever seen in the New York Times.

Mr. Jack is a Harvard Professor now so it’s safe to say he’s made it.  He wrote his article to discuss his experiences as a low income student at Amherst College, a private college in Massachusetts.  He was a poor man surrounded by affluence and privilege.

I have noticed that the American media loves a Black sob story.  They sop it up with buttered biscuits.  Even if a story doesn’t have anything to do with having an under privileged background TV producers and writers work it in to the narrative.

Instead of centering himself, his experiences and his accomplishments in this piece Mr. Jack centered his wealthier classmates by comparing himself to them.  His classmates were irrelevant to his success in school.  He had his own journey and that should have been the story.  That’s it.

I also question Anthony’s choices.  Why did he choose Amherst?  Surely, he could have gone to a state college closer to home in warm sunny Florida.  There must have been something that drew him to Amherst that made the distance from family and expense worthwhile.  He made his choice to go there and he’s a smart man who became success so why make this appeal?  He is complaining about being the underclass of a privileged class.  I don’t feel sorry for him.  Boo freaking hoo!

I would have appreciated this article more if the intended audience was low income college students.  It would be great if someone with Mr. Jack’s accomplishment’s gave helpful advice about navigating their journey to graduation day.  Instead he is making an appeal to the elite to help poor students.  He is empowering those that are already powerful and making low income students charity cases.  He’ encouraging them to walk with their heads lowered and hat in hand.

But that’s how he has been socialized.  Here is the passage in I Was a Low Income College Student.  The Classes Weren’t the Hard Part that made me blow a gasket.

NYT

Good grief, poor kids that want to go to prestigious universities are encouraged by educators to sell themselves as good candidates to schools based on sympathy and sob stories not academic merits.  That’s demeaning and those educators should be completely ashamed of himself.  They should be fired.

These students should let admissions boards know that they are competitive scholars that can win.  If their background is brought up prospective students should let universities know that they are likely to succeed because of their background, not in spite of it.  In fact, they are more likely to achieve than some of their more affluent counterparts because they are resilient and highly motivated by a desire to carve bright futures for themselves.  Perhaps that’s too much of a threat?

I grew up in a single parent home in a working or perhaps middle class neighborhood outside of Detroit, Michigan.  I have three college degrees one of which is a masters degree.  I worked while I was a student all three times I was enrolled in a university.  I didn’t have as much time or financial resources to invest in projects and materials as others may have but I never failed and I always finished what I started.

I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth and my mother struggled financially at times but that gave me a drive and will to succeed.  I never felt sorry for myself.  I never thought I couldn’t win.  There have been many times that I thought I was the one to beat.  And it’s because I haven’t been handed anything and I’ve never seen anyone get handed anything.  I don’t envy or hold anything against people of privileged backgrounds.  I don’t count other people’s money and I make my own way.

I don’t like the New York Times.  They take too much pleasure in Black sob stories like most American media outlets.  It’s not productive or inspiring for Black people and it just gives White people a chance to feel good about themselves (and superior) by joining in on the pity.  Feeling sorry for a man like Anthony Abraham jack is degrading.  He sure doesn’t look helpless to me.  He shouldn’t be encouraging low income students to feel helpless either.  Don’t approach any situation with your head lowered and hat in hand.  If an environment requires that it may not be the right place for you.