(ThyBlackMan.com) My only response to a recent question of why I had not written about Kanye West’s last meeting with “45” at the White House was that I could not find time to do it. Of course, that was a partial truth. A fuller version would have noted that I did not consider the event notable; in fact, I found it sad for a host of reasons that pivoted off of the fact that Mr. West only in the building with unfettered access to America’s Commander-in-Chief. It was an opportunity that the Chicago-based rapper squandered with a mostly incoherent diatribe that definitively proved for most that Mr. West is enthralled in a medley of psychological issues. Make no mistake about it, Kanye was incoherent and indecipherable before an attentive audience listening to his every word.
A sense of déjà vu crept on me as I watched Kanye ramble about his MAGA hat being like a Superman cape, the 13th Amendment, and the need for notorious underworld figure Larry Hoover to be released from confinement. I quickly identified this sense of having been here before; it was how I feel after I engage “woke” members of the “conscious community.” In many ways, I found it ironic that so many “woke” folk attacked Kanye West for his incoherence with matching incoherence.
As I expected, Kanye’s White House event, like other events caused an unnecessary separation among the “conscious community.” The frenetic fallout that occurred in the wake of Mr. West’s White House visit reminded me of Malcolm X’s quote that “It was a circus, with clowns and all.” Most who chimed in on this moment unintentionally, and ironically, mimicked Kanye’s feeble attempt at offering substantive political commentary; unfortunately, their utterances were as muddled, convoluted, and indecipherable as the one that they were attacking.
In the wake of the alluded to battle, one is left with a piercing and reverberating question of “Why?”
Unfortunately for all, the answer to why Kanye’s most ardent critics are replicating his largely inaccessible thoughts and clunky logic is found in Mr. West’s admission that “I don’t read books. I don’t like reading anything.” This dubious admission explains Mr. West’s barren cache of historical facts and understanding of substantive political matters. The maligned rapper has much company in this area as the vast majority of those chastising him have similar inadequacies.
Despite the protestations of many across centuries, the only path to being an intellectual capable of offering any level of insight into the multiple-interlocking issues facing Black America is found via the engagement of classic books that provide nuggets of truth. In time these thoughts and ideas will come together to paint a picture of where persons of African descent have been, what has occurred to them, and what they are facing at the present moment. Anyone who has traveled this great road will tell you that this never-ending pursuit of knowledge becomes an obsession that will never lessen its grip. Yet, far too many members of today’s conscious community avoid the decades that it takes scholars, intellectuals, and public intellectuals to learn about Race in America, and reach for “Cliff Notes” (Youtube videos, Facebook posts, etc.) that they foolishly believe will prove the depth and breadth of knowledge that those they desire to join. Aspirant intellectuals will never be welcomed or equipped to exist among the intellectual community until they put in decades of study.
Put simply, the vast majority of “woke” people are very Kanye-like. They are in a hurry to say something profound, yet are devoid of both the rhetorical skills and without the ability to understand, analyze, and offer significant commentary regarding pressing political matters facing Black America.
Although I am sure that the “conscious community” will take significant issue with the above assertion, their feelings are a non-consideration. I feel that when I view the “woke” portion of Black America that “It is a circus with clowns and all.” Don’t be a circus clown folk. Do everything in your power, including replacing Youtube videos with reading classic texts, to avoid being the featured attraction in a three-ring circus.
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.