THIS IS NOT AMERICA There was a song called This Is Not America a song by jazz fusion band Pat Metheny Group and rock singer David Bowie, from the soundtrack for the film The Falcon and the Snowman. This song was Released in February of 1985 during a period almost 30 years ago that the Liberal movement really started to take center stage. For a young “At Risk” generation of African Americans in the United States, this liberal expression was being made under the umbrella of Rap Music. Rappers were given the freedom of expression while being given inexpensive music video budgets to market their message. I remember on various occasions that Record Company executives express to me, “We just got to give the nigga’s what they want”; even having one major executive suggest I write a song with that title; I think somebody did. Now thirty years later, looking back at those days when indirectly as Artist Management I supported this propaganda; I feel in a very small way a contributor to the negative stereo-typing and bias that exist in society today. When you hear news commentators report that people call African Americans “Animals” or the “N” word along with so many other uncomplimentary explicative’s, the logical question arises what has given people such an opinion about one group of people to the point that this opinion is now the common way African American are perceived in social circles. During my two year political activism involvement as a Conservative, I was blessed to see and hear first hand the beliefs of a sheltered segment of American society that educates itself off of what is shared with them by their constituents and peers. I have shaken hands with people who have never met a black person before, learning that there were organizations that paid to socially touch a black persons hair, or skin thru a company named “Rent a Negro”. These people are affluent and only know what they are taught by their peers, and family who live a life of privilege. I learned from many Conservatives that there is a widely held belief that African Americans have a different DNA and brain capacity than other ethnicities; thus making the argument that black people must be viewed and treated differently by parts of society. But what during my two years of traveling all across the United States with conservatives that was most shocking, was how knowingly this constituency could take an issue of fact and give it a perception of a stero-type or bias using the catch all phrase “Playing The Race Card” to incite and discredit a wrong in society. Anita Hill vs Clarence Thomas, Trayvon Martin vs George Zimmerman and now Michael Brown vs Darren Wilson. All high profile cases that demonstrate this point. The recent repeal of Affirmative Action and the lack of annulling the 3 Strike Law, or even Public Education and Voters Rights violations in predominately African American and Hispanic communities where gross misconduct has taken place, are also key factors in agenda’s to control the way of life and how we compete against the privileged few. In simplifying this ideology, listen carefully to Conservative commentators on all media. They often make reference to Rap Music and call actions and attitudes in the African American community “The Rap Mentality”. Why do they blame this art form for Killing, Stealing, Rape, Police Violence, Black on Black Crime, Illiteracy etc., because what the true agenda was in the 80’s was to profile the African American and Hispanic culture in a negative light, to inhibit and discourage young minority Americans from educating themselves to compete in society today. So many people have friends and associates in all ethnic and religious groups. I didn’t believe that Race could divide people until I was no longer shelter from the ills of the real world. A Law Professor at UCLA shared with me and a hand full of students over pizza and beer after an evening class, shared that all education and your scholastic degree shows another, is that you have prepared yourself to compete in society. He went on to say that Rap Music would do great harm to the followers of its message on both sides of the debate. The professor theorized the Negative stereo-types of the rich and poor would be taken out of context from the music’s message. Surmising Rap music would have a negative overall influence on how people in society viewed one another. I’m not blaming Rap Music for nothing that is wrong in society today, except creating an arguable view point for those with an agenda not to allow a fair environment for most to compete in society. David Bowe and like minded people in the 80’s tried to point out that this is not the America that we were suppose to become when we fled the British and fought for our own State. Let’s remember that we all have family and friends from vase cultural background and makeup. And at some point in all of our lives we will need the help of someone who is not like ourselves. Fight it, Protest it, or even try to ignore it if you want to live in a glass house. But the fact that we all exist on this planet and have to breathe the same air, I do believe will unite us all one day. I just hope and pray we all can understand this before we destroy ourselves in needless determents to our society. Written By: Timothy McGhee 8/23/14 https://youtube/watch?v=JzyhZ39BX3s
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 21:35:02 +0000
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