A different kind of drug problem

I got this e-mail from a co-worker, and my reflex was, "Uhm, this is inappropriate in the workplace. Why are you forwarding this to me?"


Normally, I hate these e-mails. You know, the kinda sappy that shoots for sentimentalism, but misses the mark. An e-mail that tries to be clever, but isn’t, and yet somehow still manages to make it to your inbox with, "FWD:FW:FW:Fwd:FW:FW” in the subject line.

Anything that’s been forwarded 13 times has got to be good, no? Most of it makes me think back to those e-mails that folks were forwarding in the early 90’s to get paid by AOL or PepsiCo. for each person they sent the message to.

“My friend’s brother is a lawyer, and he says this is for real… They have to pay you!” [Uhm- It's not real.]

So, normally I’m not a big fan of receiving these e-mails, but this one hit a different chord. This article reminds me of the reality that Black folks were indeed reared on strong values and upright morality; a prioritizing of the needs of people in the community that did not seek to exploit their vulnerability for personal gain. And not a long ass time ago either. I came up on the cusp of this change, although in many places this remains true of our communities.

My parents had “horror” stories from their childhood of being forced to go clean up someone’s yard or clean up someone’s house who was old or sick, and being drug to the woodshed for accepting any money from that person. I think that class mobility and the pretense of middle-classness separates people of color in a way that is toxic to healthy communal striving. And, as someone in my thirties, it’s hard to remember that the ubiquitous stereotypes have never really had anything to do with Blackness.

In fact, the same characteristics which are held up to laud “model-minority” communities, have actually been true of us all along. It’s hard to hold onto that truth in the face of so many messages (both from people of color and colorless people) that we are lazy, unintelligent, undeserving. I think that’s what the string of contemptuous traits are held together to communicate; Black people are undeserving.

I know that there is plenty to love and laud about my people, but this clipping helped me to clean out some of the places where it got hard for me to remember that ubuntu has always been true of my people.

I remember after seminary I was going to buy myself a graduation present of a some t-shirts that said “Nigger” in bold block letters across the front. And across the back I would have had the Desmond Tutu quote, “If you are here to help me, then you are wasting your time. But, if you are here because you recognize that your humanity is wrapped up in my humanity, then come, let us work together.”

I had a screen printer price it for me- got a discount, picked out all the colors, and then cancelled the order. The other day I saw (who was it? Chris Brown? Chingy? Somebody!) coming down the red carpet with a t-shirt that said “Nigger” across the front. Maybe I’ll still get those printed. Mine won’t have rhinestones outlining the letters though.