The early 1970's were a trying time for African-Americans in this country. We were still trying to find our national identity. Some of the great white and black leaders who gave African-Americans hope for social change in the 1960's had died. John F. Kenney was the first President who spoke of instituting change to the status quo. His brother Robert Kennedy, even more so, as a presidential candidate... one who had travelled to South Africa and criticized apartheid... one who spoke about seeing things the way they could be and asking why not: both brothers gunned down. Malcolm X... initially a very divisive figure... who came back from his trip to Mecca with a different understanding of his role in the black social movement... and Martin Luther King, Jr... from start to finish... a black man who preached peaceful "civil disobedience." There were others, like Andrew Young who live on... and (black Panther founder) Huey Newton who was killed in the 1970's... but these four men were inspirations to different segments of the population... that change could happen... and as each assassination grieved our consciousness... it seemed that hope for a better future... was being stained by the blood of a brutal reality.
I dont know if it was the growth of the drug usage, which spread throughout America in the mid 1960's. I dont know if it was social disillusionment at the prospects of equality, as progressive leaders were murdered and prejudice permeated longer and longer in our society. I dont know if caricatures of blacks... which had been projected, for at least 75 years, finally caught the black conscious. And there are a myriad of other possible issues (e.g. Nixon's war on drugs). The only thing I do know... is that the 1970's are when the crime rate for blacks began to rise considerably. When, the stereotype started to BECOME the reality.
It reminds me of the acronym that Tupac Shakur created for "thug life" [ The hate u gave little infants f---s everyone ] That is to say... the plan was to deny blacks freedom. To deny blacks education. To deny blacks housing options. To deny blacks social equality. To say that... American history clearly shows that the explicit agenda was to purposefully keep the African-American as poor... destitute... and ignorant, as it possibly could. And in that plan, America was very successful. However, there are some consequences in terms of the psyche of people that are forced to live in such peril... and the violence and crime that you see is a direct result of the treatment that they faced. To say that the "thug life" (or gang culture) was the effect... not the cause. There is definately alot of truth in that.
What of Blaxploitation's role in the early 1970's? Black exploitation: where we're willingly exploiting ourselves. Movies with large or total black casts in roles that reinforce negative stereotypical views of blacks to the country at large. We were either pimps, hoes, hustlers, drug dealers, prostitutes, thugs, dope fiends... something along those [marginal] lines. (e.g. Superfly, the Mack, Dolemite) Blackface was no longer necessary, there was an endless line of African-Americans in the 1970's waiting to be in movies... and, apparently, they didn't care what type characters they played. Remember the first portrayals of blacks in America? Dimwitted, baffoonish, liars, crooks, speaking horrible English, inherently musical, and women who were sexually permiscuous and provacative? Keep that image in mind... now look at 1970's Blaxploitation. We were now stereotyping ourselves... not just to white America... but to young black America too. Telling young kids this is what it means to be black. I wont go into detail about the "Cribs" (who became known as the Crips) or the birth of black gangs in America (because there have always been gangs like Al Capone and his war on Elliott Ness & prohibition)... but the reason the name changed in the late 1970's... they started walking with canes (to emulate the pimps they were seeing in the 1970's movies like the Mack) and were taken for cripples.
On a sharp subject change... let me also quickly mention in 1972, the end of the Tuskegee experiments. For those that dont know, the Tuskegee experiments are when the United States government deliberately lied to black men in order to study the LONG TERM affects of syphillis in an untreated adult male. What I, personally, didn't know is that the Tuskegee experiment started waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1932 by the US Public Health Service. Even after the discovery of penicillin, a relatively easy cure for syphillis, the PHS marketed to black males to come recieve treatment. A number of the men were given cures, while the other men were given placebos to study the long term affects of syphillis on the body. These were NOT rogue agents operating secretly within the government. Pete Buxton, the guy that viewed the practice as amoral and finally went to the New York Times in 1972, wanted to stop the experiment earlier. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that the experiment was too beneficial to stop. So, for 40 years, African-American men died, as they were unknowingly studied while given fake medicine. To this day, people throughout the black community are still skeptical about the medical community and its affinity towards black America. And that would be one reason why we die at an earlier age than whites; go to the doctor less often than whites; and according to studies... listen to doctor recommendations less often than whites.
When we think of the rise of crime in the 1970's.... mention must also be made of the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country. After WW2, America was the world's LARGEST manufacturer of goods. Manufacturing being a labor sector creating a lot of middle class jobs while simultaneously not requiring a lot of education. There were people of various backgrounds that made up the manufacturing market of the US, but these were definately beneficial to blacks, who did not have the educational options of whites in the 60's and 70's. When the manufacturing jobs went overseas, people who were once able to get a decent living right out of high school now had very few financial prospects.
Back to the increase in drug usage after the 1960's (mentioned in my hippie blog). Social conservatives wanted solutions to the "drug problem" and they got them with Richard Nixon's war on drugs. Not only were certain drugs, that were once legal, now illegal, but you had the creation of the DEA (drug enforcement agency) whose sole purpose was to find drug production/sales and to arrest all involved... trafficker... dealer... buyer. There were a lot of drug related arrests in the 1970's and even as "violent" crime rates have dipped in America in recent years, the overall crime rate climbed as advancements in technology and police investigation tactics have made drug related convictions hit an all time high.
And can we forget crack? In the early 80's cocaine (which was $100/gram) was largely seen as a white man's drug... mainly because it took a lot of money to get it. It was in a powder form that was sniffed. What would rock (pun intended) the black community would be the invention of crack cocaine in the mid 1980's. Powder cocaine... cooked into a crystalline rock form that could be smoked/inhaled. Very potent... and DEADLY addictive. The tv was flooded with images of crackhouses... crackbabies... and parents who abandoned everything in order to feed this dangerous addiction. And the crack was so cheap compared to the cocaine that it FLOODED the streets of lower class neighborhoods. Perception was so influencing, that Ronald Reagan signed into law the bill that made crack cocaine public enemy number 1.
I dont want it to sound like I'm defending crack... I'm not. Its one of the worst things to hit urban areas. But how many people know that crack carries a minimum sentence 100 times as strong as powder cocaine? Let me say that again. CRACK COCAINE CARRIES A MINIMUM SENTENCE THAT WOULD TAKE 1OOx THE POWDER COCAINE TO EQUAL THAT. That is insane. I didn't believe it the first time I heard it. I thought it was left wing propaganda. It had to be... right? 100 to 1. I had to go check several sources, and I kept seeing the same statistic. So, if you're caught with 5 grams of crack.... thats the same as being caught with 500 grams of cocaine. One crack rock will get you the 5 year sentence the same as a BRIEFCASE full of cocaine. And that has been the law in this country for over twenty years. So, young blacks.... who, I admit, shouldn't have dealt with crack to begin with... are now getting years in jail over $20 dollars worth of drugs. But it takes a few thousand dollars worth of coke to get that same sentance? I understand that crack is more addictive/dangerous, but there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with this. And there are many a group, white and black alike... who, far from trying to legalize crack... feel that because of 80's fear... American now has this DRACONIAN sentencing guideline that has no place in reality. One hundred to one? Wow. Are you serious? (click here)
I will not deny that the creation of gangs in the 1970's were also a large part of the crime rate, as it was not only drug arrest, but violent crimes that rose noticeably in the 1970's as well. And the majority of those crimes are against blacks. Some people have this view that criminals take these long 35 minute drives across town to commit crimes in white neighborhoods. Most criminals act against those near them, and blacks have always been... and continue to be the largest victim of violent crime. We're doing it to ourselves. Two things; Its good for some white people (we should tell Pat Buchanon maybe?) to know that blacks are victims of violent crime more than whites. We should all be united against criminals; not to view all blacks as prone to such activity, but to be the main victims of it. And for blacks who fear criticizing ourselves around non-blacks to know that we are doing nothing but helping ourselves become repetitive victims as we continue to ignore these type of issues that affect us the most. We want the same safety as others. Its time to be outspoken about it.
The problem with the gang culture of the 70's... it was almost as if it was the definition of what it meant to be black. One thing that you notice going to multicultural schools... there are a LOT of different types of white people. Country lovers (with boots and hat). Polo shirt/khaki pants "all american?" types. The Nirvana grunge hole in the pants type. The all black clothes Goths. The punk rockers. Various different types of white people who decided that this is who they are. However, we had been told for so long that we were all one way, and now we decided to believe the hype, making ourselves to become monolithic. Obvoiusly, there are always small exceptions to the rule, but more so than any other racial group... black males started to define for themselves the thin outline of what it meant to be black. One example (there are many) would be music. Think of all the different types of music that we either created or helped to pioneer. RocknRoll. Jazz. Soul. R&B. Funk. Reggae. But now you're not black if you're into Rock n Roll? The biggest criticism of Elvis Preisley is that he took what blacks like Little Richard were already doing, but packaged it in a way acceptable to the larger white community, but now black men can only be involved in rap music. There aren't explicit rules of course, but there is criticism and critique of those who diverge... labeled as "confused" as "without self identity" as "sell-outs" or "wannabes." I've never heard "thats not white" but no honest black person can say they haven't heard many a debate about what is... and what is not to be considered... "black." How do you even define... black?
Not only has the black identity been a critical issue, but the destruction of the black "nuclear family." When more than two/thirds of your children grow up with single parents, there is a serious problem. It used to be us versus them. The African-American man and woman joined together "against all odds" to make something better for themselves and their children. It use to be soul music that sang of a beautiful love between man and woman. But somewhere down the line... as we lost our identity... we took on this distorted view of black sexuality that had been lobbed against us for generations. No longer black familes versus those who would deny them their civility... it became black men versus black women. Women.. who weren't considered equals. The pimp culture... that (for decades) was stereotyped against us... we had now begin to accept and gladly wear as fact. The idea of manliness being unemotional. Unengaged. Detached. There was no longer a "us"... it was only "me"... and women became second class citizens. In a sick way, it could be seen as black men unable to control anything else around them, trying to exert control over the one group they could... perhaps similar to a 10th grader, frustrated at his inability to deal with seniors in high school, so instead... focusing on trying to control freshmen.
What part did the blaxploitation play...? I dont know... but the black family unit, which was in tact in the 1960's (when oppression of African Americans was FAR more severe than anytime since)... began to dissolve compared to the relative social calm of today. A time period when most of our present wounds are self-inflicted. I dont deny the sexism that permeates all races, however, there was a unique bond that black men and women shared in previous generations... and its just unfortunate that we've gotten to the point where we are today. Where black men, as relates to sexuality... know little else than the exploitation of black women as nothing more than sexual objects. Its pathetic, how we've come full circle, that when others joke about black men or black sexuality... they talk about the pimp and player in black men... and its just accepted as common knowledge; as the norm.. Its the same thing that offended us 100 years ago... now its the status quo. And in the most destitute of cases... considered badge of (dis)honor.
Due to our convoluted history in this country, there are a lot of African Americans who do not wish to critique ourselves in the presence of "others"... however, what is the benefit of denying issues that are killing our community? Two thirds of our children grow up without men in the house... while they're either in jail or out trying to "pimp" because they've foolishly taken the view that real men dont commit to one woman. And the idea that we refuse to put together the correlation with the black male mindframe of today and the amount of children growing up without fathers... its nothing short of infuriating. We have almost TWICE as many single parent households as the second worst group (hispanics)! And as another generation grows up without fathers instilling practical values in their lives... and they look elsewhere for male leadership and guidance... from those closest to them... out in the streets... doing the same thing that their fathers did... and the cycle of ignorance continues. 40% of black women never marry. 4 out of every 10... let that marinate for a moment.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Progress has been made, to be sure... but there is still a fundamental separation in the general perception of the civility of blacks and whites. That perception of the "inner brute" still exists. Its part of the reason that studies show that blacks get longer sentences than whites when convicted of the same crimes. One clear example deals with the highly publicized contrast between two pictures of people struggling to survive the flooding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. When a white person goes into an abandoned grocery store after a major disaster... they're "finding" food. When a black person goes into the same abandoned grocery store... they're using this confusion as an opportunity to "loot." Now, there were people who were stealing non-essentials... and that shouldn't be tolerated, but both articles specify the pictured individuals were leaving grocery stores. The "inner brute" in blacks have a propensity toward crime. So, while the white person is relunctantly forced to take food, the black person gladly takes part in stealing.
Another question we must ask ourselves: why are universities trying to get more immigrant Africans to fill their diversity expectations, as opposed to African-Americans who grew up in the United States? (click here) What is it about black Americans that would make colleges prefer Africans? That is something that we all need to seriously think about. Are we so damaged, scarred, or hopeless, that better versions can be found elsewhere?
Africa was carved up and divided among all the nations of Europe. Its almost unbelievable. A conference was had on who would get what piece. Slaves were taken and brainwashed... those who were left behing weren't treated much better. It was less than 20 years ago that South Africa tried to give their black population (which is the majority of the population) rights. The Rwanda genocide of the 90's was dark skinned Africans getting revenge against light skinned Africans that were treated better (and viewed as complicit) during colonial days. Today, in Zimbabwe... the leader refuses to cede power to elected officials with European backing. (click here)
These issues are real... and they need to be addressed. From both sides. With open hands... and open hearts. With patiences... understanding... and a desire to learn and become better people. White Americans need to know all of American history, as do African-Americans. Only then, can we truly know where we will go... together... from here.
But... we need to figure this out soon... because... though the social plane is better for African-Americans, than its EVER been... the crime rate for African Americans... is higher than its ever been... and it continues to rise. No story book ending... so far. We shall see. I dont like to paint pessimistic or altruistic futures. I try to take the most rational expectations based on the facts on the ground... and at the present time... things are looking very grim.
Posts
