As Things Change, Thought Remains the Same

Sometimes I question whether or not i should tone down my severe cynicism. How is it helping me? How is it helping the world? Is it alienating me from my community?

These questions often spring up in my mind, but then I realize that I have not made myself cynical. The world gave birth to my cynicism. I try to look for the good in all, but I am constantly dissapointed with what I see.

Thursday night I went to a forum that I thought was going to be about the Black elite (or bougie negros). However, the forum turned into another "How to save Black America" town hall meeting. I've been to a hundered of these. They allow the "future professional" to step away from their natural capitalistic existence and be self-ritcheous for a night. They also provide "the new Black radicals" a platform to expouse their rhetoric as the street corners and churches of the 60s have been replaced by the university lecture hall in the new millenium.

This particular forum centered around the elite (educated) Black's obligation to be a servant to their community. W.E.B. Dubois' "Talented Tenth" idea was used as a catalyst for discussion. Dubois' contended that the top ten percent of Blacks (the educated, wealthy, a high class) should be the ones to lead the rest of the dumb, deaf, and blind 90%.

Dubois' philosophy has been adopted by many Blacks and still thrives today. I, however, have a major problems with the idea. I have never felt that I was better than anyone because of my education nor have I ever felt that I was more of a leader than anyone because of my education. I do not see an inherent value in education. That is, I don't measure a man based on his education. Formal education does not add anything to a person's humanity. In my eyes, the only difference between a doctor and a janitor is their type of occupation. One does not deserve any more respect than the other. I feel, like Tolstoy, that the power of God is in all of us. Therefore, we all have the abilitity to lead. The top ten percent do not have the sole responsibility of leadership, it should be spread throughout the whole of Black America.

Getting back to my main point, DuBois' "The Souls of Black Folk" debuted over a hundred years ago and the problems he addressed still remain. That means that either his solutions were not instituted correctly, were not recepted, or were simply ineffective. Either way, to attempt to rely solely on pre-Black renaissance ideas for solutions is rediculous. Black America is severely lacking progressive thought. We constantly attempt to recreate our past successes, and we fail to realize that we are in a new day and time. The ways of King, Garvey, and X may not be effective in 2005.

Black awareness of contemporary thought rarely lies outside the likes of Cornell West and Michael Eric Dyson. Not to take anything away from those individuals, but there are many other social critics out there. Todd Boyd, bell hooks, and even the much maligned (rightfully so) John McHorter each provide their own outlook on Black life but are greatly overlooked buy this generation.

What I am calling for is new thought and new ACTION. I am tired of discussing what Booker T. Washington said in 1872 and singing "We Shall Overcome." I want everyone to take their own ideas and put them into action. We don't have to simply rely on the Black cannon of intellectual thought. We all have the power to change the world. Thursday night, rather than argue about who's ideas were right or wrong, we should have went to East Austin and put our words into action. Its like we rather dwell on the past than attempt to change the present and future. This seems illogical to me.

I, too, am at fault. I am full of thoughts and ideas, but I never do anything with them. It is now my goal to find a way to effectively put my thoughts into action. I must find my niche. It must be said that that there are people out there on the grind actually doing things to progress the Black community. I sincerely commend them. I just wish more of us would do the same.