(ThyBlackMan.com) Symbols play a very important role in our society, because uniforms, badges, robs and such help us to identify the various roles that people play to hold our society together. That’s why it is so important that people who are given symbols of authority represent those symbols well, and it’s also important for the public to always remain aware of the psychological impact that symbols have on our psyche.
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We’ve become so accustomed to responding to symbolism that we tend to often respond to the symbol alone, and that’s not always a good thing, because when a flawed individual lacks the character, demeanor, or intellect to live up to what he or she is suppose to represent, we often fail to recognize those flaws. So far too often we have severely flawed people hiding behind respected symbols of authority. That doesn’t serve society well, and that seems to be exactly the case with respect to United States Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia.
We’ve become so accustomed to responding to symbolism that we tend to often respond to the symbol alone, and that’s not always a good thing, because when a flawed individual lacks the character, demeanor, or intellect to live up to what he or she is suppose to represent, we often fail to recognize those flaws. So far too often we have severely flawed people hiding behind respected symbols of authority. That doesn’t serve society well, and that seems to be exactly the case with respect to United States Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia.
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During oral arguments in the Fisher v. University of Texas case before the United States Supreme Court, Justice Antonin Scalia said, “There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to get into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower-track school, where they do well.” Scalia went on to say, “Most of the black scientists in this country don’t come from schools like the University of Texas. They come from lesser schools where they do not feel they’re being pushed in classes that are too fast for them.” In response to that thoughtless, unwarranted, and presumptuous comment, it should be pointed out to the “Honorable” Justice Scalia that Barack Obama went to Harvard and he didn’t seem to have any problem keeping up at all, and he doesn’t seem to have any problem keeping up with the White establishment today – in fact, just the reverse seems to be the case.
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It should also be pointed out to Scalia that life itself is an affirmative action program for White people, so why shouldn’t colleges, universities and other institutions be allowed to level the playing field? And as for being able to keep up, African Americans are forced to compete against White folks after spotting them 50 yards and having to run in lead boots all of their lives, so what makes Scalia assume that these Black students may not be able to keep up? With
all of the advantages that White people are given in this country, just the fact that the relatively dimwitted (by Black standards) Clarence Thomas is sitting next to him strongly suggests that Thomas is, at the very least, as smart as Scalia, and quite probably, much smarter. One indicator of that is at least Thomas has the good sense to keep his mouth shut on the bench.
all of the advantages that White people are given in this country, just the fact that the relatively dimwitted (by Black standards) Clarence Thomas is sitting next to him strongly suggests that Thomas is, at the very least, as smart as Scalia, and quite probably, much smarter. One indicator of that is at least Thomas has the good sense to keep his mouth shut on the bench..
Scalia’s heinous propensity to continually self-promote, grandstand, and play to his conservative audience from the bench is absolutely outrageous in what is suppose to be an august, contemplative, and deliberate body. It betrays an underlying ignorance and immature need to give himself priority over the solemn deliberations in which the court is suppose to be engaged. Justice Scalia has single-handedly made the United States Supreme Court a joke. Instead of wearing a black robe Scalia should be wearing a court jester’s costume ( “Wait a minute, folks. If you liked that one, here’s one you’ll really like!”). He’s, literally, a conservative clown (Low IQ And Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice).
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Here’s a fact reported by ThinkProgress.com that obviously slipped passed Scalia’s presumptuous radar:
Black Women Are Breaking Barriers But Still Not Getting Compensated For It
“After they leave high school, black women have begun to dominate college. ‘Though all women lead their male counterparts in college enrollment and degree attainment,’ the report says, “Black women do so at higher rates than any other group of women in America.’ In 2010, they were 66 percent of all blacks who finished a Bachelor’s Degree, 71 percent with a Master’s, and 65 percent with a Doctorate.
“And they keep excelling after they graduate. ‘As they have from the beginning of their experience in America, Black women lead all women in labor force participation rates,’ according to the report. Their labor force participation rate is higher than all other women, and that continues to be true even after they become mothers. They are also very entrepreneurial, starting businesses at six times the national average and representing the fastest growing segment of women-owned businesses. Black women own more than 1 million firms, employ 272,000 people other than themselves, and generate an estimated $44.9 billion in revenue.”
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What presumptuous White conservatives fail to recognize is that Black people are generally much smarter than they reveal. Hiding our intelligence has become a cultural trait that the Black community is going to have to address, but there are several factors that contribute to that cultural inclination. One, is survival – there’s no faster way to lose a job than letting your White boss find out that you’re smarter than he is.
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When I was a kid, one of the first things my grandfather taught me was to “Never let others know what you know, because then they know everything you know, plus what they already knew, and that will make them more knowledgeable than you.” What he was actually trying to relate to me in his own fashion was, in order to survive in a racist environment you have to let the White man think he’s smarter than you are. He needs that, so give it to him, and then use it to manipulate him in order to get by. That explains the demeanor of many Black people like Clarence Thomas.
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Jack Benny and Rochester once did a skit where Rochester is carrying a long plank on his shoulder and Jack Benny is behind him and on his right. Then Jack said, “Turn left,” but Rochester turned right instead. Jack then said, “I said left, you idiot!” With that, Rochester did a hard left and knocked Jack out with the back of the plank. That’s how Black people routinely deal with White racists – by playing dumb and out-thinking them.
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What presumptuous White conservatives fail to recognize is that Black people are generally much smarter than they reveal. Hiding our intelligence has become a cultural trait that the Black community is going to have to address, but there are several factors that contribute to that cultural inclination. One, is survival – there’s no faster way to lose a job than letting your White boss find out that you’re smarter than he is.
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When I was a kid, one of the first things my grandfather taught me was to “Never let others know what you know, because then they know everything you know, plus what they already knew, and that will make them more knowledgeable than you.” What he was actually trying to relate to me in his own fashion was, in order to survive in a racist environment you have to let the White man think he’s smarter than you are. He needs that, so give it to him, and then use it to manipulate him in order to get by. That explains the demeanor of many Black people like Clarence Thomas.
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Jack Benny and Rochester once did a skit where Rochester is carrying a long plank on his shoulder and Jack Benny is behind him and on his right. Then Jack said, “Turn left,” but Rochester turned right instead. Jack then said, “I said left, you idiot!” With that, Rochester did a hard left and knocked Jack out with the back of the plank. That’s how Black people routinely deal with White racists – by playing dumb and out-thinking them.
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And consider this – if all of America had followed the good sense of the Black community in refusing to vote for Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush in droves, this nation wouldn’t be in the dire shape that it’s in today. And in spite of how horribly Black people have been treated in this country, isn’t it completely ironic that it took a Black man, Barack Hussein Obama, to save this nation from the disastrous consequences of their misguided, and yes, idiotic policies? In addition, if the White conservative establishment hadn’t been childishly obstructing President Obama at every turn, this nation would be thriving like it never has before at this very moment.
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So what about Black men? Why aren’t they moving forward like Black women? The answer is simple. Many of us (but far from all) are being crippled by our macho mentality and our tendency to hide our intellect due to the experiences of slavery and the very same kind of anti-intellectualism that’s sweeping the the entire nation.
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Another reason that Black men tend to hide their intelligence is because during slavery the only Blacks that field slaves knew who spoke anything close to proper English were the house slaves, and house slaves were often looked upon with disdain, because domestic slaves tended to look down their noses at the slaves who worked the fields. As a result, even though many Blacks fail to realize it on a conscious level, a negative attitude has been passed down through the years towards anything that reminds us of the house slave–and that includes articulate speech, any outward display of exceptional intelligence, or an obvious desire for academic excellence. It’s considered “Trying to act White.” That’s why you will often hear young Black men saying things like “What it is?” or “What it be like?” They know that’s improper English, but that’s what makes it cool – they’re being as un-White as they can possibly be.
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The above also explains one of the reasons you hear so many Black PhDs on national television quoting Tupac Shakur instead of Frederick Douglass or Langston Hughes. Essentially, it’s a public apology for being a seeker of knowledge. The message is, “Yeah, I’ve got an education, but don’t worry about it – I’m still one of you.” The anti-intellectual attitude of some Blacks also explains why some Blacks, like Cornel West, was questioning whether Barack Obama was “Black enough,” and why there was so much pressure on Obama to attend functions like Tavis Smiley’s “State Of The Black Union” and Jesse Jackson’s “Operation Push” – they wanted him to prove that he hadn’t been “tainted” by his pursuit of excellence.
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But partially due to the pride the Black community has taken in the excellence of President Obama, those attitudes are rapidly changing. Obama has made it “cool” to be an intellectual, but obviously, Scalia has seen fit to miss that memo:
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But partially due to the pride the Black community has taken in the excellence of President Obama, those attitudes are rapidly changing. Obama has made it “cool” to be an intellectual, but obviously, Scalia has seen fit to miss that memo:
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“The eight Ivy League colleges are generally considered to be among the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the nation. All of these institutions have graduation rates for African Americans of 85 percent or better. Nationwide the college graduation for African Americans is 44 percent.
“At Harvard, 96 percent of all African-American students earn their degree within six years. The graduation for African Americans at Princeton and Yale is 94 percent. Columbia University trails the Ivy League with a still very respectable 85 percent graduation rate for African Americans.”
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So with regard to Scalia’s supposed concern that if they leveled the playing field Blacks might not be able to keep up, that’s an a suggestion that’s literally drenched in mindless presumption and racist condescension. Black people have benefited from having to maneuver their way around both overt and covert racists like himself every day of their lives. That has served to give many of them an intellectual muscularity that Scalia could never match.
Staff Writer; Eric L. Wattree
More thought provoking articles feel free to visit; The Wattree Chronicle.
