BY: Elijah
Peterson
Social Bondage. It all depends on how you look at it; what
your perspective allows you to understand.
Generations and generations removed from slavery, we are physically free
of chains and whips. We no longer face forced derogatory slander, racial slurs,
and demeaning acts. However, even after our battles have been fought, and we
can practice liberation, we find ourselves still bound. Because even after the
whips and chains, we have reverted to whips (cars) and chains. Even after
praying for respect, we have no issue with walking down the street, seeing a
friend and hollering, “What’s up Nigga?” Bondage.
We point fingers, search for someone to blame, usually “the
man,” but the truth in the end is that by fear of being captive and controlled,
we do that very thing ourselves. We are still captives, we still lack total
control. We are to blame.
It seems most of us have become caught up on impressing the
next that we are in a never ending cycle. A cycle of working hard just to show
off what we have. We are in essence working for someone else. Society says
“You’re only cool if you wear these Jordan’s and then buy the same ones in
three years, and every consecutive three years after that.” And guess what we
do, go stand in the freezing, blistering cold for some tennis shoes.
Totally neglecting priorities. So after we get the shoes that
society suggested to make us so much cooler, we get back home and, oops, no
food, no heat. Our feet are warm though, in those $200 shoes.
Who really do the shoes benefit? The public, so that they can
say, “He got them J’s though!” So, in a sense, we are working hard to impress
people we don’t know with money we don’t have.
We are socially bonded; programmed to have barriers on our
thoughts and aspirations to succeed. Even after we have formed something
exclusively for us, something we can call our own, we have destroyed that.
Once we cease to allow society to determine our priorities,
and happiness, we will be free at last.
Ignorance is the key
to failure. Educate yourself, one. Formulate an action plan, two. March to the
beat of your own drum beat, three.
This is very interesting and true. We have come far but not far enough it seems. I agree that we are physically free but mentally in bondage. Until we realize and get our act together, this will continue to be the case.
ReplyDeleteThe main setback in the African American culture is the obsession with materialistic items. There is no attraction or praise in making long-term investments. Hip Hop music has had the biggest influence on buying behavior. Having a few musicians refer to a specific item will bring more attention and desire for that item. The "Whips and Chains" metaphor is one of my favorites, because it shows how much progress blacks still have to go.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting concept but I would have to admit that although african americans are known for sometimes being a little more flashy than necessary that every human is bonded by some form of materialism ,, maybe just to a higher and less productive degree in the case of many african americans.
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