40+FAB Blog
Seething or soothing
While in secondary school, I learnt in physics that one of the characteristics of black objects was their ability to absorb heat. It was no wonder we had black pots that were used for cooking. The more the heat was turned up, the more the pots would absorb it to cook its contents. As much as they were able to take it, at some point they would begin to seethe and boil over and spew their contents all over the stove. Our job in the kitchen was to make sure that by lowering the heat or adding water, we were able to soothe the pot from boiling over.
In 1990, there was a civil war in Rwanda and after 3 years of seething, a peace accord was signed, however, after a year the leader of the country who upheld this treaty soothing the nation was assassinated. The very next day, the genocide began, and over a period of a few months about a million people were killed while the international community turned a blind eye to it.
In 2020, modern day America is still fighting a civil war that has gone on for decades, some have contributed over the years to soothe it, while recently many have done much to make the black people seethe. I wonder if the international community will fold it’s hands again and continue to allow the systematic killings of black people in America.
We may not call it a genocide now, we may call for the rule of law to take its rightful course, we may say it is not our business, but when the pot boils over the whole kitchen will become a mess. What contribution will we make to soothe it and not allow it to seethe and boil over?
6 Comments
OL
“What contribution will we make to soothe it and not allow it to seethe and boil over?” You ask? Maintain our stand against Evil by continually speaking against it. Evil is what evil is and does! We cannot be complicit!
Marisa
I saw recently in Fabebook how an amazing man called George was kiiled by a white policeman, and a black jogger was killed being shot. Terrorific at this stage on age that this racist atacks still are happening right now in 2020.when real justices will occur to punish the perpetrators? Is still a long way away but not impossible, to get real justices, I pray for turns arounds, for real justice s to be broung upon, and for divine power to bring peace. Brothers may God keep you in the highest places you wont be forgotten!
Jums Oladiran
Definitely time to reflect. Inaction is not an option. Great write up
Shas
In order to tackle racism against blacks in America, China, and rest of the world, we need the amalgamation, combination and balance of different things.
We’ve tried peaceful protesting, matching, fighting back, raising aware yet in 2020 we still face structural racism and physical brutality.
I believe that racism is also economics. So it’s time we try the political and economical approach. Whether be it in the US, Europe or Africa the black community need to have an economical stance.
Some will say racism is deeper and we cannot ‘economics’ our way through it, however we have tried everything else. The hatredness for us needs to cease. No one is born to hate, its something learned and taught. People are conditioned to hate. Rasicism against black is a generational hatredness.
With economics comes power and control; that is something Blacks lack globally.
We are perceived as poor, our social economical condition is ranked lower than any other race. Hence they kill us; our lives are at their disposal.
We have no power, they can kill several blacks within the next couple of days and they know that all we can only possibly do is match/protest and nothing more because we have no power.
There is no one at the economically hierarchy or affluent to protect us.
Look at the Jewish and Indians, they are discriminated against but not at the degree of blacks because of power and affluence they possess.
You do not have to like us but you should respect us!
Gee
I think this particular pot must needs be soothed in America.
The issue of race relations in America is quite close to my heart cos I have family there, including nephews who are just about getting to that age when white cops start taking an unhealthy interest in defenceless black youth. Each time one of these killings happen, the Black folk take to the streets and media but nothing sustainable ever really comes out if it which to my mind is an indication that perhaps, the real change and engagement needs to come from the white folk , and no one really is channelling that.
Unless and until white America decries racism, and black America takes an equally zero tolerance policy to racism, it will continue. ‘When they go low, we go higher’ might be a nice sounding rhetoric but truth be told, in a crazy world, you sometimes have to act crazy too such that when they go low, you go lower.
On Memorial Day, Amy Cooper in a confrontation with a black Afro American (AA) male in Central Park , New York threatened to call the cops on him and said she would tell them she was being harassed by an AA male and felt intimidated and in fear of her life.
What got to me was how well she played the damsel in distress , changing the pitch, tone and inflection of her voice while on her 911 phone call. Thankfully, when the cops turned up, no arrest (or dare I say killing) was carried out.
Social media went into meltdown, I, like others took to the internet to ‘name and shame’: Ms Cooper lost her job and faced death threats and abuse online. Then, the same AA victim who videoed the exchange that led us all taking sides with him turned round to say ‘ while he does not excuse the racism, he didn’t think she deserved her life being turned upside down’.. Hello, actions have consequences ! I was furious! I felt it was a slap in the face to all who stood up for him given that he could very well have ended up like Mr Floyd did. And there in lies the problem!
Black America has thus far not followed through in demanding change and so, white America which really needs to move the change is not under any real or sustained pressure to effect change.
Former President Obama acknowledged racism but avoided addressing it. An article entitled ‘Barack Obama and the Politics Of race in America’ reads in part (to paraphrase) : Obama wouldn’t call himself a victim of the plague of race and instead highlighted the progress the country has made … that message turned out to be devastatingly shortsighted… he insisted on celebrating advancements for AAs like him, but in so doing delayed the acknowledgment of what was festering: a revived siege of race hate that would sweep the country’.
Ex President Obama’s racial optimism / delusion (depending on which side of the fence you are on) that American had entered a post racial dawn simply because an AA got in the White House meant that the one big chance Black America had to truly address racial bias and hatred, was sadly wasted and so , the hate, bias and siege has carried on. Black folk are still being beaten and killed at the hands of white cops.
Following the sad occurrence in Minneapolis, President Trump has called for an FBI investigation and we can only hope that something decisive and definitive comes out of it this time round, that representatives of both sides can sit together and address the problem.
May Mr Floyd and all the others that have gone before him find justice.
Gloria
Well,
Gordon Allport in his book ” The nature of Prejudice” articulated this point injustice so well. I paraphrase, He said, Prejudice has multiple causes and at the ame time exists not only at a personal individual level but also at the Collective society level.
Which leads to believe and conclude that the fundamental basis of this which is not a new concept is : deep hatred and jealousy towards a nation resistant yet so prosperous in resources beyond imagination and understanding. We as a black nation don’t even know enough yet to grasp the magnitude of this wealth because we have been robbed and stolen from, enslaved and Prejudiced even by life itself to the extent that we don’t even know where to turn to now but God Almighty.
A thin line between Prejudice and discrimination. Where do we start from. Our children know now so no telling this stories wrong or right. It is explicit. Period!!
Just like the biblical story of the children of Israel and the Egyptian pharaoh, one strong voice representing God’s to say… “let my people Go”…!!!
Yet, the so called super powers won’t let go ir do anything tangible once and for all to end this era of hate towards black nation.
The pictorial illustration above interprets it well; heat – simmer – boil- resistance – eruptions… Spills.
I rest my case