I was assisted in writing this post by a bottle of Treana Cabernet Sauvignon 2020. An inexpensive Paso Robles California contender. Powerful entrance. Dry but faintly sweet. Moderate but balanced tannins. Quiet acidity. Leading in heavy with vanilla, oak, and chocolate. A sustain of blackberries, nutmeg, and black cherries. Ending in cocoa, honey, and tobacco. Long – elegant finish.
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Aristotle
I will be periodically posting random – contained thoughts and observations centered generally on reparations in batches of seven. First Page.
I
The reason I am encouraging study circles with “From Here To Equality” (ISBN 978-1469671208) and “The Black Reparations Project” (ISBN 978-0520383814) is because I would like to see an organic but precise “reparations mentality” to grow within the Freedmen community. The Pan Africans have no materials for the people that serve this purpose. Correct reparations thought. The specificity reparationists have an advantage in this regard and that needs to be exploited.
For those that do Kwanzaa or Christmas, give these books as presents. This information and the subsequent mentality that these actions will generate must be spread as widely as possible within the Freedmen community. Like Now.
II
Observe Family. Eight Nigerian-Americans won congressional seats in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Will this be good for American Freedmen? No. Nigerians are probably the most anti-Freedmen group of the Diaspora generally. They are solidly tribal and will readily side with white supremacy against us. You cannot expect these legislators to support reparations unless this issue is “Pan Africanized.” This is a troublesome development that we must be concerned with. It is possible to be entirely Black – but only do policy favorable for some Blacks.
III
I do appreciate Gilad Erdan – Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations for releasing this November 3, 2022 Tweet:
“The Nets are showing no tolerance for hate. We can’t pick and choose when we want to stand against injustice. Kyrie hopped on the trend of being anti-Semitic & was put in his place quickly. I hope he opens his eyes beyond the conspiracy theories he spreads & can educate himself.”
“Put in his place quickly?” That’s some high-handed shit ain’t it? But don’t get angry at the ambassador for speaking his truth. I’m not gonna wear my mind out with some “what’s his place?” type unspoken retorts. “Put in his place quickly” is a 400 year old attitude and practice that only applies to American Freedmen – and comes directly from the core of a racism-white supremacy mindset. It looks like things are changing and the Black community is starting to show some teeth in response to attitudes like this. That should serve as a warning. But! Certain groups are so supremacist-minded and arrogant that they will keep poking the bear. OK? It will not be until that bear fully awakens and things get dangerous (and possibly deadly) that folks will get respectful. Respect with teeth is where we want to be.
IV
Let’s take this further – the good thing (I hope) about the Kyrie Irving situation is that it could be (I hope) making us do a substantial reset as to how we move as a community in all respects. Politics – Economics – Business. Everything about this issue ties into those three areas. I want everybody to thank NIKE for showing its true mentality by showing its true hand. I will never buy another NIKE product.
Why? Because I have unapologetic self-respect and I’m not going to spend money with a company that openly spits on my people and on my people’s issues. We’ve had a long but lopsided marriage with NIKE. Our folks provided uncompensated marketing and devoted customership – while Phil Knight and his associates have enjoyed the collection of unlimited profits. Undeserved abuse and racial insult has occurred. Divorce is sometimes necessary when a relationship turns sour.
Time to research Black-owned athletic shoe companies, and spend our money with our own. If we moved correctly as a community – we would anathematize NIKE immediately and finally (the same way the Jewish community has anathematized Kyrie). And shift to developing our own shit. And shift to spending with our own. And shift to developing and raising our own power. OURS!!! #DontGoBack.
Do I have any faith in what I’m saying here? Absolutely Not. American Freedmen have a unique self-destructive, self-disrespecting psychology that’s hard to beat, understand, or explain. But I do understand this – it wouldn’t matter what NIKE does to Kyrie Irving. Black folks love to spend money with folks that disrespect and shit on us. Korean beauty supply stores? Vietnamese nail salons? Palestinian liquor stores? And now NIKE turning its ass up at us. I mean other communities can literally take a shit on us – and we’ll be right back at their doors (with a smile) to spend money with those motherfuckers after we clean the shit off. It’s weird. At the same time – I do hope I’m wrong on this. I would be totally gratified if my folks flipped the script on my ass and proved me wrong – changing this dynamic.
I now look at the NIKE swoosh the same way the Jews look at the Nazi swastika.
V
Family – please study this video carefully. The Hasidic Jews in practice move the way we should move on the local level. This is a living blueprint. A blueprint on the economic, community, educational, self-protection, networking, gates up, and On Code basis. Man – I hope we wake up to the point that we can move like this.
VI
I want all of us to notice that the same communities that are the most fixated on professional sports are also the most impoverished. Ninety-five percent of the owners of teams have never played sports themselves ever. They were fixated on BUSINESS – LAW – ACCOUNTING – MARKETING – MANAGEMENT. Adam Silver (The 5th Commissioner of the NBA) got his degree in political science from Duke University and his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. While others were busy bouncing balls. Understand. We hardly ever give our children useful epiphanies. If some guy in a suit is able to pay a single guy in a jersey $40 million in a year – then what is the guy in the suit making? Right? OK? This, in addition to highly compensating the rest of the team and support staff?
And still making a profit?
That’s one thing. There are those that suggest that we ought to construct our own leagues. Totally understandable. But check this, in these times I think we need to divest from professional sports in all respects. In addition to politics – I think our new fixations should be the fixations that I cited above. Time to get serious.
“Government is the game and politics is how you play it” (Brother Logic). Politics is the only process by which you gain or lose protections, set-asides, community resources, and individual considerations. Goals are accomplished depending on how you participate, how much you participate, and how well you play.
VII
“The president of NIKE – John Donahoe said: ‘Without Black athletes and the Black culture, NIKE would not be where it is today.”
Athletic shoes alone generated $70 Billion last year. Black consumers accounted for $23 Billion of that (but see how they regard us?). And Black retailers saw extremely little of that. OK? There is nothing sexy about helping to build businesses that other groups own. Especially those group-owners that fundamentally are hostile to you and your group. But are just civil enough for a few minutes to get your money. To induce you to sign hyper-predatory contracts. To contain you and your children within new forms of slavery with multi-million dollar checks. OK? Consequences? Giving them the power to use, abuse, and disrespect you. We require a “revolution of the mind.” It is insanity to finance your own disrespect. Jewish folks, NIKE, and the NBA wouldn’t have that kind of power over us if we hadn’t given it to them.
Suggestion: BURN NIKE products and post those burnings on social media.
Another resetting thought: LABELS. I don’t know what started this trend. But this is another avenue by which the enemy extracts commercial value from us.
Think about it. Why are YOU paying for clothes that are actually billboards for clothing companies and sports teams without being compensated? NIKE – GUCCI – VERSACE – CHAMPION – ADIDAS – LOUIS VUITTON – PINK – PELLE PELLE – WHITE SOX – RAIDERS. Not me. Not that I am against it per se – but in my case, for me to be a walking billboard for any company, a check has to be attached.
The trick is that you have been marketed into thinking you are trendy and chic while actually being an uncompensated marketing mule for sports teams and clothing companies. Some folks have on so many labels simultaneously that they look like walking clearance racks. If the label that’s on the clothes is the only thing that “makes” the clothes (and you ain’t getting no check), that’s fucked up.
Family. Self-enslavement can come in many forms and be done in many ways.
END OF POST
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