So it’s no secret that as a country, we Americans tend to comfortably reside in a perpetual state of denial as to the true state of the world we live in. As a country, we don’t learn from the past, we choose to not heed the wisdom of those who have fought against oppression, enslavement, annihilation, the total destruction of communities. We continue to support those who deny and violate the civil rights of folks of color, the working class, the homeless and women.
Yes, many of us have become quite comfortable and complacent. We’ve turned a blind eye and have deaf ears and convince ourselves that things aren’t really that bad. We’re afraid to have real conversations about issues that have too much substance because it makes us uncomfortable and takes us too far out of our comfort zones. We neglect to ask the difficult questions that may challenge us because truth be told, we don’t really want to know the answers.
We hate to admit the fact that we’ve been conditioned by a society that invests huge amounts of time, energy and money into ensuring that the masses remain lost and in a state of unconsciousness. After all, folks gotta stay asleep in order to continue being passive consumers, greedily and blindly taking in all the propaganda being served with no apparent desire to question what is being ingested…
I mean, when Donald Trump is the front runner to become the next President of the United States, and the KKK are holding rallies during the day here in California, either we have crossed over into the Twilight Zone, or it’s time to acknowledge that as a country, we are Lost and we need to wake the hell up! The only thing I have to say about Trump and the presidency is the fact that this is the one time that I am thankful there is no federal or constitutional law that mandates the Electoral College to cast their vote towards the popular vote… just sayin…
The bottom line is we gotta free our minds. We have to take advantage of any and all opportunities to make lasting and significant impacts that will benefit us as a community. For example, there were several Black actors, actresses, and celebrities who spoke out about the lack of diversity in regards to being recognized at the Oscars and let it be known that they would not be attending. Now in my opinion, that was an opportunity to make a powerful statement. If all Black actors, actresses, directors, writers, producers, entertainers, etc chose to boycott the Oscars, just imagine what kind of impact that would have made!
And if you can bear with me a little, and stretch your imagination just a tad bit further for me, just think what impact it would have made if White entertainers, actors, etc who have vocally spoken out about their issues with the lack of diversity, would have stood with their Black colleagues and boycotted the event as well!
Ahhh… I know, I know. Sounds a bit far fetched doesn’t it? Tells us something about where we are as a society though. Smh. It’s a shame because that moment was allowed to pass on by without much acknowledgment of what it could have been. We have to open our eyes and free ourselves of the deception that is handicapping us as a society. What do we stand for now? If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything…
We’ve gotta stop being okay with the current state of this country and remind ourselves that folks fought and died for us to live the lives that we’re living, and things are not okay for too many people. We need to set higher standards for ourselves and our communities and we need to encourage everyone to start living their lives with integrity. When you know better you have the duty and responsibility to do better.
Dawn M. Edwards 