What happens to a people when they are stolen
away from their home, then endlessly used and abused by another group of
people for personal, diabolical gain? What happens to the generations of
women of such a tribe [nation] who are continuously raped for hundreds of
years by their oppressors for pleasure and profit? What happens to a
once-whole beautiful Afrikan woman who are forced to bear the babies
conceived under such defiling circumstances? (Afua, 309)
The Bitch is an unrealized woman, encased in
pain and filled with fear. She's a woman who feels trapped by life,
surrounded by and absorbed in her own waste. The Bitch is a negative (evil)
entity or spirit that possesses the Body Temple of a woman who has already
been filled with rage, hate, envy, and despair. The Bitch is on
the opposite pole from the Sacred Woman and ultimately she will strangle and
destroy the one who is possessed by her. (Afua, 309)
In a rare moment of channel
surfing (with Comcast cable, the viewer is
"blessed" with over 900 [about 350 operative] channels to choose from), I
found myself watching Viacom-owned Bamboozled Entertainment Television. To
no one's surprise, a comedy (i.e. minstrel) show was going off and some
rap (i.e. new age porn) music video show was coming on. Normally, those of us
of
the "conscious" persuasion try and avoid such corporate sponsored filth
like the plague. For, we run the risk of having our black nationalist/Pan
Afrikan/Afrikan-Centered membership cards revoked. Heaven forbid! Unwritten
(and sometimes contradictory) law dictates so. (That's another story
entirely.) There are just certain things that the (invisible) black
consciousness
police agency will not tolerate.
Anyway, after about 15 minutes of watching Rap City (and 15 minutes is
a record for any "conscious" Afrikan person to be watching BET), I began to
not
ice a perplexing pattern: scantily clad, greased up young Afrikan women everywhere. Now, before the Ever-Insightful Conscious Brigade come running
out of the woodwork, let me stop you. I can assure you all that scantily
clad
women are not the foci of this essay. Of course, they are central to
its theme, but they alone are not the primary focal point of this
composition. While watching these "cinematic feats of wonderment", I began wondering
about
the plethora of young Afrikan women who view these visual assaults to
their psyche. How must they feel? What must be going through their minds, as
they watch these Beautiful Nubian Sisters gyrate, jiggle, and outright
shake what it is that they "momma gave" them? How's that for Ebonic
Fluidity?
No matter how we try and cut it, slice it, dice it, and/or serve it up,
our young sisters are being mentally assaulted and misled on a daily and
consistent basis. They very well may like and enjoy rap music. Heck (is that
word even in our Pan Afrikan Lexicon?), I practically grew up on rap music
in
particular, and hip-hop in general. I still have my Grandmaster Flash
and the Furious Five versus the Sugar Hill Gang records. I still have my
Afrika
Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation records (from Planet Rock to Lookin
for the Perfect Beat). But to those that know, rap music back then was
different
(that statement probably qualifies me as a bonafide player hater to this
generation, but I continue on). Hip Hop music back then was kinder and
gentler. I don't ever remember watching a Soul Sonic Force video (on Hot
Traxx with Carlos DeJesus) with half-naked sisters "dancing" (or are they
auditioning for the next shooting of Black Wild Cherry Vol. 239?).
As the Honorable Minister
Louis Farrakhan is fond of saying, let's deal with truth. Our young sisters, when they absolutely love a certain song,
watch Afrikan women portrayed in a pretty ugly manner, when the video
comes out. They see Afrikan women being doused with Cristal and other "fine and
imported wines". They see Afrikan women dragged around by their hair, like
cave women and they see Afrikan women being treated like whores and
prostitutes. Their intelligence is insulted, but then, what is intelligent about
misogyny? What is intelligent about misogamy? These young sisters have to
watch videos with half naked Afrikan women "dancing", yet the song may be
about
sunny rays and rainy days. As a matter of pure truth, the imagery in
most of these rap videos contradicts the very songs featured in them. Why,
then,
do young sisters have to view half-naked women shaking and "dancing"
uncontrollably in so many rap videos? And who's behind this? Better than
that,
is it even important
to know who is behind the wanton disrespect and visual beat down of
Afrikan
women?
Dr. John Henrik Clarke was always teaching us that it isn't
really important that we were called disparaging and spirit-breaking names,
were taught to think a certain way about ourselves, or believe certain
things about ourselves. The more important part of the equation is that we
embraced these ugly terms and beliefs about ourselves. Irrespective of what
rapper
Q-Tip says, "Nigger is not, nor has it ever been, a term of endearment."
Sacred as you are, being left with wannabes that guide you.
You want to run in clubs, getting rubbed on
Niggas pull your hair, shake your fat rear, get your fuck on.
Following week, you back there.
But what you stuck on, weed, clowns, and cars Puffin with some little Niggas, Black Girl Lost.
The usual suspects, when really analyzed, are not as important as we
often
assume. The rappers, dancers, video directors and record labels are all
easy targets (especially the rappers and dancers). I am not suggesting
that these individuals not accept responsibility for their actions and
decisions.
Indeed, many of them are willing and culpable players in the disrespect
of
our women. What I am suggesting, though, is that we consider another
truth: misogyny did not begin with rap music. The society we are forced to
exist
in is seeped in hatred of both women and Afrikan people. At the very
core of European culture (Greek and Roman) is the total misunderstanding (and
the reform hatred) of the woman. From their myths and folklore, a similar
sentiment can be found-control and subjugation of the female. Now, let's
engage in some addition here: if at European culture's core is hatred of
women; and American society is but a reflection of European culture; and at
American society's core is hatred of Afrikan people; then Afrikan women, as Dr. Khallid Muhammad
loved to offer, don't stand a chance.
What must be done to counter the impact that these visual
brain melts are having on the minds of our young people? I must confess some things: I
don't possess a crystal ball; I don't have a magic potion we can all
drink to become free; I don't have a Napoleon complex (couldn't think of a really short and famous Afrikan); I don=92t have a Jesus/Messiah complex
and I don't pretend to speak for 39,999,999 New Afrikans in this
country. I
would never be so arrogant as to even assume as much. This issue, like
all
of our "problems" will be eradicated collectively, and with everyone
participating (in some way). I only offer suggestions that many of you have
probably already contemplated. First, turn off the damn television. No other
group of people in this nation watches more television more than New
Afrikans.
According to Todd Gitlin, "the average child spent six hours and
thirty-two minutes per day exposed to media of all kinds, of which the time
spent reading books and magazines-not counting schoolwork-averaged about forty-five minutes. Black children
are
most exposed, followed by Hispanics, than whites." (18) He also opines
that "Blacks are more likely than whites or Hispanics to experience
television
in their lives: 56 percent of Black children live in constant TV
households (and 69 percent have a TV in their bedrooms, compared to 48 percent of
whites)" (18). We willingly submit our minds to a barrage of anti-human,
anti-Afrikan images on a daily basis (like cattle being herded to the
slaughter). It's gotten to the point where we have become mentally inebriated
by the steady, non-stop assault and war on our minds. Maybe this is why
almost 18 hours of BET's daily viewing schedule is comedy. (But then, we
should not even look at BET as Black Television. Theoretically, it is simply
Black
Entertainment Television.)
Mentacide is very real. Just ask Neely Fuller Jr. ("If you don't
understand White Supremacy (Racism)-what it is, and how it works-everything
else that you understand will only confuse you"
(A); Dr. Naim Akbar ("It is
absolutely important to acknowledge the realities of slavery and to confront
the
impact of this historical trauma on our collective minds as Afri[k]an
Americans" (ii); or Dr. Bobby E. Wright ("There is little disagreement among
behavioral scientists who attest to the fact that situations can be
contrived
in a manner that will influence people to engage in self-destructive
behavior. Further, once it is determined that such a condition caused the
behavior, the focus of attention shifts from the victim to the
perpetrator-except
where Blacks are involved"(19)).=20
I know what some of you may be thinking-asking some Afrikan people to
give
up some television viewing may be likened to asking someone to submit
to a
root canal sans anesthesia and Novocain. Let us just contemplate what Fredrick Douglass said/wrote: "the hardships and dangers involved in
struggle give strength and toughness to the character, and enable it to stand
firm in storm as well as in sunshine"(503). This is an all-out war for our
very souls (please excuse the very obvious penchant to over dramatize). We must
become extremely critical in our television viewing (as well as music
listening). Anyone needing better understanding of how the media manufactures,
refines, maintains, and support very ugly depictions of Afrikan people,
please
check out: COMMITTEE TO ELIMINATE MEDIA OFFENSIVE TO AFRICAN PEOPLE
(CEMOTAP; 135-05 Rockaway Boulevard; South Ozone Park, New York 11420 (718)
322-8454)
Another suggestion is not to support companies that promote the
disrespect of Afrikan people in general and Afrikan women in particular. Now
before you all grab your placards, signs, bullhorns and head out the door,
not calling for some nationwide boycott of Def Scam, Interscope, or the
Sauce
(uh, Source) magazine. It doesn't have to be that deep. We can all use better
judgment and just not buy music with anti woman or misogynist lyrics.
This would be hitting both the artists as well as the giant
corporations that currently control and direct rap music. Lastly, we all need to
protect
our young sisters (and brothers). Let us expose them to more
"responsible"
artists; artists that don't sell their souls for thirty pieces of
silver
and a spot on MTV (eMpTy tV) Cribs, artists that don't promote
violence (of any kind) against women, and artists that don't wish to sell
albums by showing more cleavage. Our young people need to be exposed to those
things that promote the empowerment of Afrikan women. Neither Foxy Brown (the movie star or the rapper)
or Lil Kim represent all that Afrikan women can be. There's more to
Afrikan Womanhood than revealing bikinis, tight jeans, cleavage and
sass/attitude. As rapper Paris says on his new CD, Sonic Jihad, "But what
they don't
want you to know is that you're the ones that can redefine civilization
if you take time to do it".
Now Get Up.
REFERENCES
Gitlin, Todd. Media Unlimited:
How the Torrent of Images & Sounds
Overwhelms our Lives. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 2002.
Fuller Jr., Neely. The United Independent Compensatory
Code/System/Concept: A Textbook/Workbook for Thought, Speech, and/or Action for Victims of
Racism (White Supremacy). (publisher unknown)1969
Akbar, Naim. Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery. Florida:
Mind Productions, 1996
Wright, Bobby E. The Psychopathic Racial Personality & other Essays.
1984.
Chicago: Third World Press, 1994
Douglass, Frederick. Life & Times of Frederick Douglass. 1845.
Introduction John Gabriel Hunt, New York: Gramercy Books, 1993
Afua, Queen/Robinson,
Helen O. Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the
Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit. New York: Ballantine Publishing, 2000
Jones, Nasir.
It Was
Written. Columbia Records, ck67015, 1996.
Paris.
Sonic Jihad.
Guerrilla Funk Records, gf-1005-2, 2003.
