Stop Muggin'

What is happening in the black community?   All communities for that fact, or is it just that I left the Southwest- where people still had respect for one another? For example, anytime I leave my home in California and I happen to be in the same proximity of a black man (my age, younger, older- whatever) they seem as if they want to "mean mug", or stare at me rudely.I think to myself “wow, really? This is how we are going to treat each other?” But I still pay my homage and respect. I still make eye contact, nod my head, and say “what’s up”. It is not like I believe that we should stop and have a conversation, but we should respect one another.


 As a Communications Major, I understand the importance of human communication. Both verbal and non-verbal communication is very important in any situation.  I feel as if we have lost respect for one another as black men. We always treat one another like we are in a rap video or some characters in a gangster movie. What happen to community? What happen to respect?


As long as we continue to stare at one another in a way that is disrespectful we will do nothing but continue the destructive behaviors that are in our community. I have spoken about the dangers of our music, one form of communication. But we also have to examine the devastating actions that non-verbal communication plays.


Non-verbal communication is the way that we dress, the way that we walk, how we look at each other, and how we stand.  All of these things give off certain cues. These cues can be either positive or negative, but the fact remains, we are giving off these cues all the time, and it is dangerous if every identifier is negative.


I was heading to the store in my small town and three young black men were walking by. Not only was there a police officer making his rounds- driving slowly, but it was a nice night. I made eye contact with all three of these young men and in return they started to “mean-mug”.  These kids, with their clothes falling off and their plastic snap back hats were all wearing the uniform of the new house Negro.  This disrespect really shocked me.

As I left the scene, I was a little upset at the reaction from these three young men. I thought to myself, that their parents were failures because they did not teach their children respect. I believe that it is important to respect your elders. But we need to take this a little further and respect one another.

By walking around and staring at one another like we want to get into a fight is not good for our health. I do not think that white people walk around exchanging stares and starting fights with one another. I am not sure about this completely but it does not seem to be the case. This little cultural habit is something that bothers the hell out of me. Most of the people that should be reading this probably are watching a fight on social-cam right now, and believe that their actions are a part of “being black”.

So please black men, next time you see another black man, do not put on your movie face, or your video mask, and just pay respect. There is no need for us to continue this harmful non-verbal behavior. This behavior is being taught to our children, and we need to stop the mugging so that we can overcome the crumbling of our community and remake our cultural norms.I am sure that there are many things that we can agree on and many changes that we can make if we work together. But our actions create nothing but division amongst ourselves. It is no longer necessary for “the man” or any other organization to lynch us, or segregate us; we do today by our own free will.

There is power in numbers, and with as many brothers that are searching for opportunity, there is plenty of it if we work together. I am sure that this mean mugging is not happening everywhere, but where it does happen it needs to stop. There is no need for violence amongst us; our struggles with society are often hard enough. There is no need for us to place more obstacles in front of ourselves.

This is not only to avoid the extinction of a race, but to help our children have better lives as well. Our children often act, talk, and walk, like the people that raise them. There is no need for us to continue to spread this type of nonsense to the youth, our future. Look, I am not asking for a whole conversation, just respect. If we continue to mean mug one another this just shows the lack of respect that we have for ourselves.     

Black Visibility is not Black Power

I thought that I would never see an African American President, or rather, a half African American President- unless I support the notion that one drop of black blood makes and individual black. (I would have to disagree with that old law even though there are many that still believe that way.)  But our culture is connected to more than our race, and even though there are more black people visible in all areas of our lives- politics, entertainment, sports, and the field of academia- the problems of the black community are often swept under the welcome rug and become nothing more than talking points.

Even stories of victories in the African American community are not celebrated like those in other communities. These stories do not get the same attention and still have to battle for the limelight against stories of celebrity divorces and shopping sprees of the rich. 

Did I fall victim to the deception that black visibility is black power? Of course I did. Who could not fall victim to such a theory. Many of us have fell victim to this theory, and it is easy to understand how and why. We have faith in our country; some of us believe in our country more than others. But the individuals that research and investigate the actions and laws of this country understand who has the power.

So, after all of the cheers and happiness that was expressed after the election of the first African American President, the theory of black visibility vs. black power had the opportunity to be readdressed.  Just because there is a black president, does not mean there is an automatic connection between that president and the black community.

When I speak with my friends, we often believe that the issue of racism has only increased. The pride of having an African American President simply vanished for some. I still have pride and hope however, because I understand that the steps needed to fix some of the social injustices and racism that has plagued our country will take another 200 years or so be realized. President Obama’s victory was a small victory in the struggle for all minorities.

The ultimate power has been in the hands of the establishment, not the president. Even though the establishment has many individuals, many of them have succumbed to the idea that their personal interests outweigh those of the people that elected them.   

These individuals include artists, politicians, athletes, and many others. I believe that President Obama has a responsibility to the African American community. His appearance was nothing more than a tool to trick us into supporting him. Just because he can bounce a basketball, and is probably better at it than me, does not mean that he understands the struggle of African Americans.

Let us look at his actions. He is a very smart and wise man, he has passed a few laws that could be seen as keeping us African Americans at bay. For example when he lowered the penalty for those that are guilty of selling crack compared to the penalties of selling cocaine. This is great- and he should be applauded. But let us look at another focus of his energy- where he is choosing to visit.  I have seen him in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and many other affluent neighborhoods, but I have not seen him in the Bay View, or Compton.

But when I walk through some very economically depressed African American communities, I see the people wearing his t-shirt, or pasting his poster on the wall. But the sadness is still on their faces, and the violence still consumes their community. Why? Because that is what the system needs to keep control of the society and that is what the system wants. They want a society that allows for the rich to remain rich, the middle class to support both the poor and the rich, and the poor to remain a tool for division.

While I hold dear my conservative values, there is no need to continue to be ignorant and believe that one man of color can change a community. Or that one man of color has destroyed the country that I believed in. The responsibility remains in the hands of the people.

We the people, even though my race was only considered ¾ of a man, and did not start off with the same opportunities as the citizens around me. When individuals use the Bible and the Constitution as tools to define them, to develop their political and ethical positions, they are already flawed. They are flawed because those specific documents are flawed.  They are flawed because they were created by men, men that are flawed by nature.

These two pieces of literature are often used to define all reasoning, but they were not built for me, ¾ of a man. Even though now I can live a life that others could only dream about hundreds of years ago, I have a responsibility to inform and educate my generation and those that are willing to accept that a change is needed. No longer can I depend on the black face and the deception of black visibility as change. But nothing more than false hopes that were destroyed by the powers that be, to keep their knee on the throat of those that do not stand a chance.

So before we make a decision on who we want in office, step aside and remember that black visibility is not black power.  It will not erase the suffering.  We have to evaluate the destruction that corporate America has placed on the poor communities both white and black.

Do not let us vote because of what our minsters believe, or what our parents have forced fed us to believe, but rather vote in a way that will allow for opportunity for all- no matter whom they love, or who they want to spend the rest of their lives with. To deny others freedom is simply being a tyrant. One person’s happiness should not be blocked because of a few ignorant individuals. But also, it is important to understand that for the black community, black visibility is not power.  If those in power continue to only support others that share the same rhetoric, there will never be true equality.