BlackNationalism101Class#8 Popularizing Black Nationalism Part5

Black Nationalism 101 Textbooks: Ten Lessons: An Introduction to Black History and Not Dark White: The 411 on Black Nationalism

Instructor: Mba Mbulu

Class #8 [AudioVersionPart1] [AudioVersionPart2]

Read the Not Dark White Essay that follows. Be able to expound on the following issues.

(1) How does the new world order impact on Black Nationalism in the United States?

(2) Does military might always determine which side will fail and which side will succeed? What is the relevance of this to the Black Nationalist struggle in America?

(3) Do Black People in the United States have a cultural basis that can be useful to a Black Nationalist initiative?

(4) What must be done to make Black People realize that being law abiding is not a virtue in and of itself? Law and order is relative; it means one thing to people with power and another thing to people without power. Do you think Black People understand the depth of that reality?

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"Popularizing Black Nationalism" Part 5

We are Black People, We are not dark-skinned white people, and We need a Nation of Our own. In order to succeed in this endeavor, We need to anticipate argumentative snags that can make it seem as if Black Nationalism can not work and has not been clearly thought out. We continue.

(7) Black Nationalism in the United States will be challenged by some people's vision of a new emerging world order. This new world order promises to be ethnically liberal, racism free and dominated by a globalization trend. However, three things must be kept in mind. Number one: Even though political forces are at work, today's globalization is essentially a commercial undertaking. Businesses are using political stooges to push commercial platforms, and We all know that business does not give a damn about people. Number two: In the midst of this globalization trend, more and more people are moving toward sectionalism and smaller groups. People don't want their lives turned upside down by manufactured promises of progress whose benefit to them is questionable. They fear larger and larger commercial unions and ever more distant political institutions, and are beginning to resist the platforms of government and big business. And number three, the pendulum of time is against the globalization trend. That is because globalization is simply white power in a different costume, and the days of white power are numbered. A new disguise will not save it this time.

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We have heard over and over how the latest scientific, medical or technological discovery will wipe out disease and make it possible for all people to live more comfortably and improve the overall quality of their lives. In spite of the discoveries and promises, the general condition of most people continues to get worse and worse. Why? Because the overall good that a new discovery can do is undermined and de-prioritized as the new discovery moves through its growing up process. The same will happen with political isms like globalization. Equality for all, no racism, general ethnic acceptance-- all of those promises will disappear as globalization grows up and reveals its true boundaries, the very rigid boundaries of its profit driven masters. At that time, systematic conflict will reign supreme and people will have to be allied to a political reality that cares about them. That reality for Black People is Black Nationalism.

Additionally, you can't let one person's or one group's analysis of trends and developments dictate how you function within your own set of conditions. Ideological analyses are a dime a dozen. What you do is as much a part of the global trend as what someone in a board room or legislative office does. The impact of their decisions is based on your response. Globalization, like everything else, ultimately relies on the smallest unit. That unit is me and you just as much as it is anybody else.

(8) The myth of the military power of the United States hinders the progress of Black Nationalism in the United States. However, as any growing child learns, the biggest person isn't necessarily the baddest person. By the same token, the biggest country isn't necessarily the baddest country, and the country with the most guns and firepower isn't necessarily the country that is going to benefit from a confrontation. There are several reasons for this.

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When it comes to the question of power, militarily speaking, We must understand that there are several elements that are not only critical, they must come together in the right way. The first element is the fighter*. If the army with the guns does not have a soldier base that is top quality, those guns will end up serving the enemy. An army must also be flexible, and even then it might not be able to make the adjustment needed to overcome a certain enemy. That is because armies are much like boxers; if the style of the opponent neutralizes that army's strengths, then that army can not defeat that opponent. There are also internal contradictions that can affect an army's efficiency. The United States Army has one overwhelming internal contradiction, the presence of so many "minority" troops. If this fact caused problems in the Viet Nam war, you can imagine what it's impact will be if the "enemy" is closer to home. And, there are psychological considerations that play a role. Even though the command will do all it can to keep morale high, the word will get around; if the troops begin to hear stories about the bravery of the enemy or the questionable merits of the war, many soldiers could be struck by a touch of fear or non-commitment and fail to function the way committed fighters should.

Any sports participant or fan knows that anything can happen in a given encounter; that is why the event takes place. The weaker opponent can prove to have strengths that no one knew about, and the stronger opponent can have weaknesses that were never before exposed. The weaker opponent can get help from unexpected places, and assistance the stronger opponent counted on can fail to come through. Also, bad weather can disable machinery, make visibility nearly impossible, impact on the ability of persons to function capably, etc. A bad decision at a critical time and a myriad of other possibilities can come into play that were never anticipated, and all of these unanticipated factors can serve to benefit the underdog.

Power increases exponentially once the "underdog" realizes that the enemy isn't as invincible as everybody thought. This realization can create a level of bravery that is absolutely frightening. Black People have demonstrated that level of bravery before, and We are capable of doing so again.

Let it be said! Most of the individuals who jump on the "America is bad" bandwagon are cowards. They will insist that they are being logical and sensible, but logic and sense would lead them to different conclusions if fear did not dominate their thought processes.

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(9) The lack of cultural focus among Black People in the United States hampers the progress of Black Nationalism here. What this means is that there is no glue of substance that is holding Black People together. We have been so pushed and sucked into the American pipedream that We have failed to develop the political base that a strong feeling of culture would have demanded.

The ultimate expression of a culture's essence is not evidenced by the clothes one wears, the language one speaks, the music one creates or the ideological positions one takes. No, not at all. The ultimate expression of a culture's essence is evidenced by the ability of that culture to produce a political force that will insist on its right to exist independently, and attack any threat to that right. If it fails to do that, then that culture is a very thin glue. That is the only glue We seem to stick together on.

I said "seem to." It seems that way because Our thought patterns are reflections of pictures painted by white and dark white individuals. Naturally, they have not painted an accurate picture, they have painted the picture they want Us to see. Once We get beyond the point of valuing what they say, We will realize that Our cultural glue is much thicker than anyone imagined.

The importance of culture can not be overstated, but culture in and of itself cannot carry out a political function. A culture is not designed to carry out a political function, but it is designed to make its adherents aware of what they should be revolving their politics around. After an appropriate political entity has evolved, culture can continue to serve its purpose of reminding Us of who We are, and politics can serve its purpose of keeping other people from interfering with Our habits, Our norms and Our way of life.

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(10) Black People's tendency to be law abiding, to not challenge authority (be it legitimate or illegitimate), to not flagrantly disregard the law, etc., hampers the progress of Black Nationalism in this country. We seem to think that there is some type of virtue associated with suffering peacefully, with not overturning the boat, with waiting for the abuser to die or hoping that time will solve the problem. That is because of Our civilized African roots, Our miseducated American experience and Our misunderstanding of religious activism and obligations. Black Nationalists have to help all Black People overcome these self defeating values. We must be made to realize that there is no virtue in protesting within the restraints of a status quo that systematically abuses Us, nor is there any virtue in not trying to destroy that status quo.

There are many other such snags that will be used against Black Nationalism, and Black nationalists have to be ready to neutralize their impact. Most of the snags will be based on propaganda and untruths, but they will serve as the basis of many person's responses. If Black nationalists are able to address them appropriately, Black Nationalism will prevail quicker and Black People will suffer less. We have suffered enough already.

We are Black People, We are not dark-skinned white people. We need a Nation of Our own.

*You have to have soldiers who, once hostilities begin, assume a warrior mentality that recognizes no boundaries and refuses to lose. You have to have soldiers who are intelligent and disciplined, who understand how to minimize bad situations, maximize good opportunities and think on their feet. You also have to have soldiers with heart, and heart is most often based on a soldier's convictions and commitment to a cause. If you are serious and the enemy's soldiers have doubts, it doesn't matter how much mechanical firepower the enemy has.

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