Question: Are You Still a Slave?

"Don't nobody tell me what to do and I go where I want to go whenever I want to go!" 

Well you are right to a certain extent. You can do whatever you want to do and you can go wherever you want to go, but consider this...

You ain't doing nothing and you ain't going nowhere! 

The slavemasters don't have to chain you down or whip your ass anymore, because you ain't doing nothing and you ain't going nowhere! You have freedom, in name, but not in definition! You are not a slave in name, but you are in definition!

The definiton of the word slave means, "one who is dominated by some outside influence and having no personal rights or freedom." Do you even remember what true freedom was all about? 
The physical chains were just one aspect amidst the many horrors of slavery! The chains are off of our hands, but we ain't producing nothing! The chains are off of our feet, but we ain't going no where! Why? Why? Why?

We have forgotten the original reason and purpose for the physical chains! The chains were to hold you down, but if you ain't trying to get up, then the chains have out lived their purpose!

Your thoughts and your actions make-up the basis upon which your entire life is built. Your thoughts and actions are the only two things that you can call your own! Those are the only two things that are truly yours! Not your money! Not your car! Not your house! Not your clothes! Not your furniture! Not your television! Not your stereo! Not your girlfriend! Not your boy friend! Not your husband! Not your wife! Not your child!

None of this can be called your own, because you came into this world without it, and you are going to leave this world without it! 

Now, getting back to the point, you are not in control of your thoughts and actions. Do you continue to do things that you know are wrong, but yet keep on doing them anyway!? You just sitting there wondering why you can't stop doing what you know is wrong. This is because you don't control your own thoughts and actions! You are a victim to a complex system of psycholoical slavery and tricknology.

The crack cocaine is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The alcohol is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The 40 ounce of Beer is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The peer pressure is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The television is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The money is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The girlfriend is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The boyfriend is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The sex is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The conceitedness is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The envy is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The ego is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The jealousy is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The materialism is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The credit card is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The self-hatred is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The appetite is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The emotion is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The racism STILL IS YOUR MASTER! 

The sexism is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The foolishness is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The ignorance is STILL YOUR MASTER! 

The true devil is STILL YOUR MASTER!!!

Everything and everybody has mastered you but your own self. So what are you going to do about it?" 

From Niggaz To Godz

South Carolina: The Most Violent State

Though it is unsettling to hear that South Carolina is once again one of the most violent states, it can be understood by this writer. Crime and deviance, though related, are two distinct concepts. Deviance refers to violations of rules that govern our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Crime is any act that violates a criminal law which is broken down into two categories, violent offenses, crimes against others, and non-violent offenses, crimes against property. Knowing this, we can determine that all crimes are deviance, but not all deviance is criminal in nature.

Deviance and criminality are high in South Carolina based on statistics and therefore such behavior can be seen as social pathology. People that prescribe to this pathology consist of criminals, mentally ill, drug abusers, and other deviances and can define many reasons why such behaviors exist in our society. In many cases, it is a part of their upbringing, or more to the point, lack of upbringing. The rights of passages of old African tribes are no longer what they were. Black men now see such passages as going to jail, being shot or shooting someone.

Labeling theories indicated that deviance and criminality are attributes primarily associated with the African American population. In viewing it in that way, a person who does not adhere to this stereotypical view must then be viewed as deviant, at least deviant to the defined social perspective.

Social stratification is also a main contributor to the statistics that label South Carolina as one of the most violent states. Social stratification is a form of inequality in which categories of people are are systematically ranked in a hierarchy on the basis of their access to scarce but valued resources. Though it happened a long time ago, the aftermath of slavery seems to still have an impact on society in South Carolina. Here in Charleston, I am reminded every day as I drive downtown that slavery was a cornerstone of this society. Though no one in the city of Charleston were slave owners, nor was anyone a slave, the defined role of the ancestry has a large impact on the roles people play in this society.

Black people strongly contribute to the violent crimes which indicated South Carolina as one of the most violent states. These Black people see circumstances that they do not know how to get out of through socially acceptable means. If jobs and resources are scarce, is it not only natural for one to do what they have to do to survive? If there are no jobs available in the area which can provide for your basic needs, what is one to do? If the resources are stretched so thin, and the laws circumvent any thought of familial unity, what is one to do in order to benefit those that are dependent upon them?

At one time, I thought criminal acts and acts of deviance was a learned behavior or something an individual did just they wanted to, but have found out recently that men, with no criminal records, a strong family upbringing, and high level of education, often to think to resort to such paths. Why? Because of socialization and networks which shut them out, that keep them out, and therefore manifest a type of control over them. If opportunities are not made available, then opportunities must be made. If such opportunities can not be created, then what? Criminality? Deviance?

The disturbing thing is that many Black males are proud of this declaration that South Carolina is one of the most violent states. What happened to us to make us proud of such an insult? What happened to us?

Blogging... My New Hobby?

On this date of Friday, June 20, 2008... I have made a decision. I will blog. In therapy sessions, I have discussed journaling with clients. I can see blogging as a form of journaling, so I guess that is what I will do. I will not commit to blogging everyday, but I will commit to making at least a weekly entry. It may be an anecdote, or a summary of the activities of that day, it may be my thoughts on a particular subject, a vent session, an emotional plea, it can be any number of things... so we will see. Here begins the journey... I hope I travel well.