(ThyBlackMan.com) The phrase that pays these days is politically correct. We live in a time whereby everything is a sensitive matter and any point made can be used as a trigger. I am completely sensitive to mental health issues; however, I don’t feel like the language of such should be misused. If we address negative behavior we are shaming those involved, but we want our community to rise. In order to see black community grow in a positive direction we must be able to teach each other. Shade and shame have a place as main stream terms, but they do not belong in serious community discussions where we must be honest with each other about things that need to change. If we can’t humble ourselves enough to learn and take accountability for what we are seeing there will be no growth.
Recently, there was a post floating around Facebook whereby a 13yr old girl was smiling in a picture, pregnant, with all of her friends at a baby shower. Many of the comments were congratulatory, but some sisters were concerned for her because she is about to be a mom at 13. They were not shaming the girl their concern was valid. Why 
was this plastered on social media? Nothing is wrong with blessing the child, but the plight of the mother is about to be hard. No 13yr old is equipped for motherhood. She should be focused on getting her education and working towards a future, but those that mentioned these sentiments were haters. Is this not what we should want for all of our children? When has teen pregnancy been something to be glorified or pacify? We really need to ask ourselves what message we, as adults are sending.
So, if we tell our sons they ought not wear their pants off their behind we are we judging them? When an elder says young man making lots of babies with different women doesn’t make you a man… are they shaming? We have to instill hope, accountability, discipline and focus in our children. However, we can’t give them what we do not have. The sensitivity is also coming from adults that are not ready to acknowledge change begins with self. Pacifying everything we do, and our children, makes it very hard to fight for community. We can’t hope to build without an established foundation. When we are called on the carpet to stand up and better self this doesn’t mean that what one is going through isn’t acknowledged.
Our people have been in a state of fear, anxiety, and hardship since the plantation. Pushing forward doesn’t mean we don’t acknowledge that we are human, and we feel. However, given the state of society, and the rate at which our people are being killed we can’t afford hyper sensitive no one has the right to tell me anything behavior when dealing with each other. It is imperative that we can address each other in love and a spirit of true brotherhood and sisterhood so that we can fight for our kids to have a chance to live and dream.
We must be willing to fight for our own rights to live, dream, and succeed. No one gets this done alone, nor without correction along the way. At some point we must get out of our feelings and commit to betterment.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.