Welcome to 2019! Where Donald Trump is president (not mine), and the Obamas are a fond dream that we don’t want to wake from. Yup 2019, where you can peacefully protest for your freedoms and get taunted by someone wearing a MAGA hat. What a time to be alive!
A prevalent note for the culture of the United States is this “P.C. culture” and the influence that seems to judge on every level. A culture that trolls you into the social media accepted norm. One that will “cancel” you for liking the wrong photo, and praises you for recognizing your privilege. A culture that believes you have clout because you have 15K followers on instagram.
So lets reflect on how this affects those who have had their voices muffled since the birth of this nation, or those who still don’t get their proper justice? Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr be proud? For that matter, would any of our Black Leaders be proud? Are you proud…? Since it is Black History Month we will focus on the voices of Black aka Melanated King and Queens within this country. Us skinfolk have struggled with the integration of Europeans and other settlers, and have been made to feel we are at the lower rungs of society. We have endured generations of slavery, trauma, abuse, incarceration, and unfair discrimination and laws enforced upon us. Yet, despite all of these hardships one of our biggest asks is to simply have our voices heard and to know that our lives matter. So you see the creation of movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement, and even this simple concept was attacked by PC culture with retaliations such as Blue Lives Matter etc.
Well to be frank, I personally am burnt out with this overbearing PC culture. Simple mistakes that we would make in everyday discourse are highlighted and exaggerated for worldwide display. But more intensely when we attempt to tackle serious topics they are scrutinized and broken down to the point that the message is lost. Couple this with society’s lack of an attention span and we get a moot cause. Which in turn means the cause has been overshadowed by the faux outrage. Such as the Blue Lives Matter movement attempting to over shine the Black Lives Matter movement.
Now in relation to Martin Luther King Jr. you may believe that he would be in solidarity with how we have been protesting and peacefully asking for safe spaces to meet and live. Well I oppose this notion, because Dr. King was a radical someone who at one point was the most hated men in the United States. Dr. King openly opposed the Vietnam War while uplifting the notion of a minimum wage, desegregation, and giving the power back to the masses. I believe that Dr. King would be proud of our desire to invoke change through peaceful protesting, but he would remind us that it takes more than just creating a sign and marching. That we have to attack on all fronts because that is how the war is won.
So on this February 1st lets move with King Energy and begin advocating with more intention. We must remember that peaceful protesting is only one way. We must learn policy and law, financial literacy, self-educating ourselves and our children, and using our buying power within our communities. Most importantly we need to start aiming to change destructive generational patterns that lead to more pain and hurt. We are our own examples of greatness, because our ancestors set the groundwork and all we need to do is reconnect to our roots.
So again, lets move into 2019 with intention. We Coming with That King Energy!
Written by: Perky Perspectives
