Prerequisite Course: Failure to take Black Nationalism 101 will hinder your understanding of the issues dealt with in Black Nationalism 201. If you have not taken Black Nationalism 101, please do so. If you have taken Black Nationalism 101, please review it.

Read the information that follows. Be able to expound on the following issues.

(1) Why do you think this information revolves around the question of psychology?

(2) Name some of the elements of power and explain why they may or might not serve the intended purpose.

(3) What do boxers and militaries have in common?

(4) Are intelligent persons who are also committed discouraged by seemingly overwhelming odds?

(5) What must Black individuals do to prepare themselves for self-defense purposes?

There is a myth about the military power of the United States that can hinder the progress of Black Nationalism here. However, as any growing child learns, even the baddest person has weaknesses and the biggest person isn't necessarily the baddest person. By the same token, every country has weaknesses, 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 emerge victorious from a confrontation. There are several reasons for this.

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. The best military weapons are fighters who, once hostilities begin, assume a warrior mentality that recognizes no boundaries and refuses to lose. Such fighters are indispensable because they are intelligent and disciplined, and they understand how to minimize bad situations, maximize good opportunities and think on their feet. Such fighters have heart, and heart is also indispensable. We should have plenty of fighters with heart because heart is most often based on a soldier's convictions, commitment to a cause and level of desperation.

If you are serious and the enemy's soldiers have doubts, it doesn't matter how much mechanical firepower the enemy has. If the army with the guns does not have a soldier base that is top quality, those guns will end up serving someone else.

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 its impact will be if the "enemy" is closer to home.

There are also psychological factors that play a military role. Even though the officers will do all they can to keep morale high, if there are internal problems, the word will get around. Additionally, 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 and technology, appreciably decrease visibility, impact on the ability of persons to function capably, etc. A bad decision or reaction 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 within the "underdog" camp 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 probably cowards, but you couldn't get them to admit it. They will insist that they are being logical and sensible, but logic and sense combined with commitment leads a person to look for the enemy's weak links and devise a strategy to exploit those weak links. That is Our primary military strategy. That is Our primary self-defense strategy.

Please review this lesson at your convenience and at your own pace. Afterwards, you can proceed to the next lesson.