Was Kayne West Right??

by Staff May 13, 2018 7 Comments Ent. Music News Opinion Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) “When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”

Let’s see. The first enslaved Africans were brought to what later became the United States in 1619. Add 400 years to 1619 and that brings us to 2019. Are we still not enslaved? If the police can shoot a Black man 50 times for reaching for his wallet, and their actions be deemed justifiable homicide, you tell me.

And this happens again and again and again. And we march and pray and cry again and again and again. Who is responsible for the situation we’re in? “Responsible” means “response – able,” that is, “able to respond.” Are you telling me we’re helpless and can do nothing to end this madness once and for all?

The way I understand it, and correct me if I am wrong, when you set about tackling a problem, any problem, be it mathematical or political or whatever, you have to look at it with the expectation that it can, in fact, be solved. If we look at our situation with the attitude that there is nothing we can do, that we are not able to respond, then guess what? Things will never change. I believe, in fact I know, we are able to respond and effect a solution. How? Well, let’s think for a moment.

It is a given that we do not save or invest like others do. On the whole, I am not saying everyone, but on the whole we spend just about every cent we get as soon as we get it, even before we get it, which is bad, but also good in that this gives us great leverage over the consumer economy, the basis of the nation’s wealth and power.

So, though we’re just15% of the population, we account for 40% of consumer spending. Half of consumer spending takes place in the Christmas season. And at Christmas, big, big spenders that we are, we pull out all the stops and go hog wild, charging up things like crazy. Now what do you think would happen if we skipped one,just one, Christmas shopping season and stopped financing the forces of our oppression?

What if, say for example, we expressed our love for our loved ones directly without going through the middleman of enriching others? What if we brought Christmas back into Christmas and spent it enjoying each other’s company, dining together, singing together, dancing together and donating to our needy? And if we want to spend, why not spend our money with the businesses in our community? We could even take some of the money we saved and put it toward starting our own businesses. How about that?

You say, no, we won’t do it? Why not? Why won’t we do it? More importantly why won’t you do it? Maybe Kanye was right. After all, is it not a choice?

Staff Writer; Arthur Lewin

This talented author has just published a NEW book which is entitled; AFRICA is not A COUNTRY!.

For more articles written by this talented brother click on the following link;https://thyblackman.com/?s=lewin.

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Edwin says:
May 17, 2018 at 6:57 pm
Not only do I think Kanye had a point I also believe his words were taken out of context. He implied a metaphorical sense on his words, and although many interpreted as a direct disrespect to slavery and black history he had more of an underlying meaning. Adding on to the article I saw an interesting point made on social media, it was a direct rebuttal to the outcry and backlash on Kanye; The point made clear that during slavery many slaves were prohibited from learning to read and to write and now many kids and teens today refuse to read or to write any chance they can either in school or in their spare time. Also how during slavery many slave families were torn apart due to trading or running away & now many kids or teens living in urban communities want to run away from their parents home or want to leave when they have family responsibilities. Driving home the point that although the circumstances have changed the same things still persist and no one wants to strive to change anything or change the way things are.
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Arthur says:
May 17, 2018 at 10:23 am
Jill, talking about alarms and waking up, even a broken clock gives the correct time twice a day. Everything you say about Kanye is correct. I am no fan of the man or his music. I automatically dismiss everything he says and does. But when a friend who is a fan demanded that I read the interview, and I reluctantly did so, this one statement stood out.
And I gave it some thought separating the message from the confused and manipulated messenger. So, yes, everything you say about him is right. But take that phrase, yes, out of context for sure, but look at it and think about it. Can we, shouldn’t we, stop funding the people that are destroying us?
Obviously we can. But the revolution will not be televised. No one that the media shines the spotlight on will tell us this. It is up to us to see this and say this ourselves, and DO IT.
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Jill says:
May 16, 2018 at 2:03 pm
Y’all! “Kanye West” is a corporate product. When he does interviews, he’s at work, same as you or I wake up and go to an office, a factory, or a job at Mickey D’s. What he says during a planned interview is what he is allowed to say by his corporate bosses. PERIOD.
Last, don’t clean up what he said. West wasn’t talking about mental damage caused by racism. He said SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE. Slavery. You know, the kind with whips, chains, selling human beings, splitting up families, and making women the master’s whores? THAT WASN’T A CHOICE. But Kanye’s corporate handlers used him YET AGAIN to hurt black people. That is why they make black hip hop “stars.” To destroy black people. Get it yet? No? Then set an alarm for one minute from now and WAKE UP.
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Daisy B says:
May 16, 2018 at 12:18 pm
I am just reiterating what everyone else has probably said. This was a great article Professor Lewin. Mental slavery is what we continue to suffer from. That is why I cannot be mad at expressions like “being woke.” Only problem with that expression is what people take it to mean. Urging people to wake out of mental slavery sounds ‘woke’ to me. Maybe the outrage surrounding what he said was his choice of words, not to mention this is a sensitive topic. Especially now, given our political climate.
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Rachid says:
May 14, 2018 at 11:58 pm
Nice article professor. I was telling my friends the other day that somehow he still have a good point but just didn’t know how to formulate. But I’m sure that the black man situation can be solved 80% by black people but most of us still waiting for the white man and God to save us. So I think that if most of us still saying that we can not do nothing unless the white man help us cause he put us in this situation I think most of us are still suffering from mental slavery. That’s why I think Kanye did had a point. But I’m not defending Kanye for saying that slavery was a choice. As an African that will be an insult to my ancestors who was forced to became inferior human beings. Most black people have been thought to think a certain way, so to conclude the problem is more mental and the situation can be solved if we start thinking differently.
Thank you for the article.
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Arthur says:
May 14, 2018 at 12:41 am
In the immortal words of Bob Marley, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.”
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H. Lewis Smith says:
May 14, 2018 at 12:16 am
Moment of truth: Our ancestors were both physically and mentally enslaved. Mental enslavement is far worse than physical chains and this is because the chains are invisible. Why is it the mental enslavement of our ancestors is NEVER, EVER mentioned or discussed? Who benefits from this lack of discussion, and who is at a disadvantage? These are rhetorical questions as the answers should be obvious.
Another question should be when were our ancestors ever mentally emancipated? The answer is NEVER! For contemporary African Americans to remain…mentally enslaved…it would indeed be by choice. The oppressor has no intentions of ever liberating our minds…this we must do ourselves or else remain eternally enslaved…which would be by choice.
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