Be A Traitor To Your People

Everybody in America would consider it an insult to be called a Benedict Arnold. The general of America’s Revolutionary War had maneuvered to become commander of West Point, arguably the most famous military academy in the United States, but had planned to surrender the academy to the British. When his plan was uncovered, Mr. Arnold fled to the protection of the British army fifty miles away in New York City forever abandoning his name to become a synonym for the word traitor.

Yet if Mr. Arnold was successful in his duplicity and England was successful in her bid to keep her American colony in line, history would’ve had a much different perspective on Mr. Arnold’s contribution to the war effort. It’s quite possible that the history books would have painted Mr. Arnold as a hero of epic proportions who was instrumental in helping the British Empire maintain her status in the world. Mr. Arnold’s biggest problem was the fact that the wrong side won the war. Our history books are written from the perspective of the victor.

Nobody wants to be told to be like Benedict Arnold. Nobody would imagine the suggestion of using him as a role model to anyone. It would be a ridiculous. Yet, day in and day out, the black community is told by people who do not make the welfare of the black community a priority in their lives, to be more like black people who have not only abandoned their black brothers and sisters, but are active participants in the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and mindsets that are intended to keep the black community from ever achieving anything that could resemble parity in the American way of life.

Anytime a black person expresses the notion that black people are somehow irresponsible or waiting for a handout or are unfair to the misunderstood white people who are working so hard to treat black people as equals, these black people are hailed by white people as role models of the black community who deserve to be emulated. When a black man stands in front of a crowd of white people and tells them that black people aren’t doing their fair share to reverse the centuries of economic subjugation inflicted on us by the white community, it’s a sure fire bet that this black man is being held in the white community as a role model for black boys to aspire to. When a black woman uses her media empire to ask the question was the black community fair to a white man who constantly demonstrated his racial insensitivity as if it were something to be proud of, it’s no surprise to know that the black woman, at the very pinnacle of economic success, is held up as a role model for black girls to aim for.

People with a white conservative mindset are constantly suggesting that black people should be more like Clarence Thomas, who would be more apt to help police violate a brothers rights to live rather than apply the principles of the United States Constitution to the protection of the black community, and less like Thurgood Marshall, the first black to sit on the United States Supreme Court and a champion of issues sensitive to the black community such as the abolition of the death penalty, strict adherence to criminal procedure, and the protection of a woman’s right to choose.

People with a white conservative mindset are constantly invoking role models for black people such as Colin Powell, who is more likely to support a lie to the world that to support the black community, Condoleezza Rice, who finds it more important to shop for shoes than help the majority of black people effected by a hurricane, Stanley Crouch, Jason Whitlock, and Angela McGlowen, pundits who happily stand and support any thought from the white community regardless of its merits, or lack thereof, such as the propaganda that the black community is responsible for the production, marketing, distribution, financing, and the purchase of gangsta rap music with such negative imagery of the blacks, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, and the like who have no idea of, or have forgotten, what its like to struggle while others assume movie roles pretending to struggle, Tiger Woods pretending to be anything but black, and on and on and on.

If being financially successful means abandoning my community to their own lot in life I’d rather pass. If I choose to disassociate myself from my black brothers and sisters simply because I now have status and/or money I’d rather slit my throat. If tomorrow I had the ability to do whatever and live wherever I would be more than happy to live in the heart of the black community with my peers. If I pick up a pen to write about an issue it will be to express the opinion that black people are being subjugated. Unfortunately, I understand the concept that I can’t want black people’s freedom from the white community for them. All I can do is try to motivate more of us to start thinking about our independence and self reliance. But me become another Benedict Arnold of the black community? Never! I’d rather see the Earth itself cease to exist.