15 thoughts on “Sick To My Stomach”

1. He is going to get wrecked in prison.. They will have to put him in confinement..

2. I have so much to say. I cant even begin.

3. its such a flip nowadays cause alot of african countries used to look up to america as how decomrcry should be handled but now its a double take like how do black lives not matter is it because more attention has been brought on to whats happening or social media has made it so that people cannot sweep things under the carpet anymore ? its sad what the world has become nowadays

4. Yea, this was sad to me. Woke up to another mass shooting, a racial motivated one at that and on our people. This dude talking about black people taking over by raping their women etc, but their white police officers are breaking our spines and harming our children. If anything they are taking over, nah, they have been and still are, more now than ever.

   Then, the reporters want to blame it on mental illness, white people always use that as the excuse when they act out of character.

5. So the fundamental question, the real choice is this: Do we have the fortitude to be worthy of our ancestors–and all of them? Are we worthy of our ancestors who built up their cultures and traditions over centuries in West and Southwest Africa? Are we worthy of our ancestors in West and Southwest Africa who felt the pain of having their sons and daughters ripped away and taken into slavery? Are we worthy of our ancestors who suffered through the pain and agony of the Middle Passage? Are we worthy of our ancestors who suffered the pain and heartbreak of 250 years of chattel slavery? Are we worthy of our ancestors who when freed from slavery pooled their talents, skills, money and other resources to educate their children and themselves and to make a better way for themselves and their children? Are we worthy of our ancestors who suffered the pain and degradation of nearly 100 years of Jim Crow? Are we worthy of our ancestors who lead the Civil Rights Movement and who overturned Jim Crow? Do we have the fortitude to be worthy of our ancestors—and all of them? Or do we prefer to wallow in misery?

   It should be clear but let me explain. The paragraph posits a “fundamental question”, which it also terms a “real choice”. Then the paragraph poses a question concerning if we are worthy of all of our ancestors: “Do we have the fortitude to be worthy of our ancestors–and all of them? “ And to drive home the point, it talks briefly about our ancestors in chronological order and in seven steps from those who built up their cultures and traditions to those who suffered the Middle Passage to those who suffered Jim Crow and those who overturned Jim Crow. And at each of those seven steps our ancestors built or suffered (and one would think for us—their progeny).

   Finally, the paragraph repeats the first question and choice exactly as stated before: “Do we have the fortitude to be worthy of our ancestors–and all of them?” And it lays out the choice “Or do we prefer to wallow in misery?” So the choice is that we can either act in ways that demonstrate fortitude ( meaning: courage in pain or adversity,
   courage, bravery, endurance, resilience, mettle, moral fiber, strength of mind, strength of character, strong-mindedness, backbone, spirit, grit, true grit, doughtiness, steadfastness; guts) worthy of what our ancestors worked and suffered for –us (and put another way—worthy of the work and suffering of our ancestor) by what we DO or we can choose—if we prefer– to wallow in misery.

   Now what is meant by “wallowing in misery”? Simply put, it’s inaction or negative action. It’s what Cleo Manago wrote in his essay noted above in the first paragraph as “waiting for justice”. It’s when black people as in the fifth paragraph of Cleo Manago’s essay refuse to “value, nurture, prepare, independently build with, invest in and affirm other Black people.” And wallowing in misery stops when as Cleo Manago wrote in the last paragraph of his essay “[blacks] stop thinking and acting in ways conducive to being attacked. The murder of innocent Black people (including by other Black people) will not change until we change.” Wallowing in misery is when black people are quick to talk about racism but slow to DO anything about it. It’s when black people spout the “N” word like its Christmas candy but then get upset when white people do it. It’s when black people post time and time again on Facebook about blacks being killed or racism or etc. but refuse to work with other blacks to DO anything about what they complain about. A Facebook post or 1,000 Facebook posts is not enough. Action counts, not talk. Frankly, wallowing in misery and posting on Facebook or doing marching, protesting and rallying can be compared to masturbation—they feel good but accomplish nothing other than feeling good and taking time and perhaps leaving one “spent”.

   I use the term “wallow” on purpose and advisedly because to wallow means: “(of a person) indulge in an unrestrained way in (something that creates a pleasurable sensation). luxuriate, bask, take pleasure, take satisfaction, indulge (oneself), delight, revel, glory; enjoy, like, love, relish, savor; get a kick out of, get off on”

   And to refuse to DO anything—as our ancestors did (For example: “Are we worthy of our ancestors who when freed from slavery pooled their talents, skills, money and other resources to educate their children and themselves and to make a better way for themselves and their children?”—but to continue to make much noise about it time and time again shows an apparent preference for the current conditions—an apparent preference to wallow in the current conditions– and complaining about them to boot. (For example, “I don’t have any time to work with you to make real change because I gotta write a Facebook posting to call another black person a Nigger or to call a white person a racist.” “I don’t have time or energy to work with you to make real change because I’m too busy with my 10th march, protest and rally for the month and those things take about six hours each.” Etc.

   And by black people, frankly, all too often I find too much “wallowing in misery” and too little “fortitude” worthy of our ancestors. I see too much talk, complaining, bellyaching, caterwauling, Facebook posting and “masturbation” but too little concrete positive action. I wonder if our ancestors looking down and noticing their descendants think “I died for this?” “I lived for this?” “I worked for this?” “I suffered for this?” Etc.

   (By the way, here’s the Cleo Manago essay:
   http://www.charlestonchronicle.net/v2/content.aspx?ID=78440&MemberID=2152&Title=from-rodney-king-to-jordan-davis-when-will-black-people-learn&GUID=f7e7e91b-2061-47db-871a-736072774f15#.VLs5ElSL6YQ.facebook)

   Do you understand now?

   1. I love y̶o̶u̶ when you comment, Dean. You’re always informative and knowledgeable. I still refer to the 5 C’s to help me in my relationships. I definitely want to be proactive in these times. How can I help? What my I do? I want so badly to make my ancestors proud and help contribute to building a better world for my people. Can you provide me with any links? I’m going to save the essay link to read later on.

   2. Well said Dean. A plan of ACTION needs to take place. You’re absolutely right. We need to ask ourselves, “WHAT are YOU DOING to CHANGE this”.
      I will find a way to take action, I’m not sure what yet, but I will find a way. I agree 100%.
      Your country is in complete turmoil in regards to racial relations. What a nightmare.

6. Jamari, so what are you gonna do about it? If you want to do something effective about it, respond to the emails that I sent you in through your contact form.

   Proactive beats reactive. This is what United States Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz said about black people in 1976 while serving in that position: “I’ll tell you what the coloreds want. It’s three things: first, a tight pussy; second, loose shoes; and third, a warm place to shit.”

   Proactive beats reactive. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”—Dan Millman

   Proactive beats reactive. If we have learned from the failures of the past decades, then we have the wisdom to forge a better path and the fortitude to stay the course. Do you have the wisdom? Do you have the fortitude? (Focusing on white supremacy/white privilege/racism are failures of the past and repeats failures of the past. If you do what you have always done, then you will get what you have always gotten.) The focus instead must be to build ourselves up by building understanding, building community, building opportunity and building progress.

7. Tell you the truth it scary. The bad part is I live in a white town and you know I am an Afro-Latino, a black man, and this kind of shit cross my mind all the time when I’m outside. White people just to love to kill for no reason and then blame it on mental illness, but it’s not mental illness, it called evil heart o soulless because only a soulless person will this. And it so funny white people say Filipinos don’t have souls, but its evident that white people are the one without souls and are the spawns of the devil cause damn they really corrupt this world.

8. Jamari. I concur. We are being terrorized in a country by another race and it is absolutely disgusting. These redneck, hillbilly, inbred and ignorant individuals are killing our kids. It’s becoming so much more evident day by day. They brainwash and distract us from what’s really going on with sensationalized stories and we ignore the big picture. What’s even more shocking is that he was GIFTED a gun on his 21st birthday. These mass killings happen and there’s a protest about “He’s taking our rights to bear arms”. Well. Our human rights are being stripped daily. This is the only new world country in the world blatantly commiting genocide. We can’t fight back or we die.

   1. ^beautiful comment mac.
      i agree 110%.
      it’s like “WE” don’t know when we will be in some mass shooting with some crazy person.
      I pray God can protect myself and all my readers.
      let out intuitions be so strong that when we feel something ain’t right,
      we get the hell out of dodge.
      let us all be not around the wrong places at the wrong time.

9. It’s a small world my old classmate and colleague from university of south Carolina lost a close friend at that church by the name of Tywanza Sanders, she’s devastated. please say prayers for the Sanders family he was a light in his community

   1. ^sending prayers up malcolm!

10. Hey J, you post the wrong link for his confession

    1. ^thanks o!
       will correct!

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