Black men: Already Dead in America

“You are already dead to the world.” This was written by the Marquis de Sade in The 120 Days of Sodom and Other Writings . Unfortunately, via logic and real life occurrences, it is clear that this is consonant with the manner in which men of African descent are apprised in the United States. It is so bad that many of us do not even respect our own lives let alone the life, well-being and prosperity of another.

It should be obvious to the astute and free thinker, after all even prior to the founding fathers, the historical fact is that slavery had been a prominent feature of America almost two centuries before the founders took up the process of writing a constitution and that there had been few if any real efforts to end the ugly and barbaric practice according to, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay. Even with the constitution, the development and acceptance of the continuous tradition as to how European Americans perceived individuals form Africa, whether slave or free man has been consistent upon these shores ever since.

Slavery is mentioned in two main places in the Constitution; in Article 1, Section 2 Clause 3, and the 13th Amendment. When James Madison published Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, a clear perspective of what a large corpus of the founding fathers who owned slaves thought about slavery should be abolished. It is obvious that in terms of human life, their position was that Africans were equal 3/5’s of a white European (3/5’s Compromise) and although they could be counted as such had no vote or voice in the democracy by their fiat - based on white Anglo Saxon protestant theological beliefs. Although they did seek to deal with the trade of slaves by compromise; ending slave imports after 1807, it was only because their preference was to encouraging slave breeding within the United States and slave auctions throughout the south. Outside of this, slavery is not mentioned until the 13th amendment (Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction) Now used for mass incarceration of African American males.

Even with such, as well as the bland attempt through laws, court rulings and other actions, there is a truism that cannot be ignored pertaining to how white America interacts with his darker skinned human beings. Although there is no record of the employment rates of African Americans for the first 70 years after the civil war and the emancipation proclamation, I would be willing to be that the inequity from all from education and economics to an unconditional respect for life and dignity has been less than that of those who brought African to these shores. The real political axiom in American for African Americans, in particular males is that there is no desire for those who brought us to these shore to work for free and make them wealthy to close the gap between the principle of equality and the practice of discrimination, and such will forever remain a constant in America.

Even with an African American president, it is obvious that regardless of their race, President’s will never lift a finger to deal with specific problems of race head on regardless of party. You will never see such detailed in the media as much as contraception, women rights, or terrorism. Albeit the are aware that there is a war of terror perpetrated against African American males in the form of racial profiling, lack of economic and employment opportunities, police brutality and health disparities rather a war on Black men.

This has not changed since it was present by Authur Ross and Herbert Hill in a book edited in 1967 titled “Employment, Race, and Poverty: A Critical Study of the Disadvantaged Status of Negro Workers from 1865 to 1965.” In the book it is noted that since 1954 (when records could be found) the black unemployment rate has consistently been more than doubled that of whites and that since 1950, the labor rate participation for African Americans has been on a firm and unchanging path downward. This is no different than the trajectory observed from 1980 to date in America.

These are not new occurrences. As a populous for some reason, historically we as a collective are an impecunious group, trained to be such in many respects by a culture that holds a criminal divinity above us for the single purpose of subjugation and oppression. Even with our first African American president, we can see this through more of the incessant inaction required to redress this historical impairment. He does nothing, yet we defend him as if he does. I would even state that Richard Nixon did more for African Americans than Obama. Nixon did originally establish as the Office of Minority Business Enterprise (now the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) on March 5, 1969. President Nixon recognized the impact of minority businesses on the nation’s economy and on the general welfare of the country more so than Obama seems to be able to do.

My perspective is more than an apercu of historic fact; it is also cemented in a logic that is based on a systematic investigation into our disturbingly awkward presence in America, which clearly cannot be compared to other immigrants. Laws and names are the only things that change, not the collective unconscious of a people. To say such is like asserting that confederate celebrations do not occur anymore in this nation. The new lingo includes words and phrases like “entitlement society” or “poor work ethic” or “food stamp president” and even suggesting such exhibit a lack of respect for the “Founding Fathers” and the “Constitution” according to Newt Gingrich. Not to mention the real big ones of “taking our country back” and “old-fashioned American values.”
Yes, for all men of Africa descent in America, although we may not see ourselves as such white America and its history and tradition and laws and intergenerational privilege treats us as if we are already dead. This code also extends to attacks on legal immigrants, always carefully lumped in with illegal immigrants, as people seeking “amnesty” and taking jobs from Americans.

Some may say or think the aforementioned proposition is outlandish. If so, all I ask is that you look at the manner in which mainstream American culture views, treats and relegates others that are not descendants of slavery like Latino and Hispanic immigrants to Muslims. They manner in which these groups are treated are similar to the manner African Americans have been treated historically and are still treated today. Yes to this nation, we are expendable, dead even as de Sade described. We are victims of a sordid political system and cultural heritage founded on mere desire and crime, one I which our stature is determined by “assassins in judge’s robes” as Camus once described. I have not given up. Likewise I will not ignore fact or be ashamed to admit that I have lost a substantial amount of confidence in human nature that would allow for African descendants in America to experience the feel of equity defeating discrimination.