Ferguson Missouri- The Hierarchy in America

Hierarchy in America

It is an indisputable fact that America has in the core of its fabric racism ingrained in it. That is an undeniable fact and that racial equality still eludes this nation that prides itself as the beacon of hope for the world except at home. America’s racial reality check has come again this time in Ferguson Missouri where an unarmed young black man was shot 6 times by a police officer. The situation has deteriorated that the army had to be called in to diffuse tensions in the area. The police in Ferguson in true warlord fashion attempting to stop the dissemination of information by arresting journalists who were recording the events. This was an attempt to squash press freedom and prevent the whole story from being documented which is a violation of the Constitution’s first amendment: The Right to Free Speech. There is a thin line between Saddam Hussein and Ferguson Police tactics.

There is an unspoken hierarchy in the American society where children are at the apex as the most valued members of society whose rights and welfare are regarded as sacred. Below children are animals mainly dogs and sometimes cats which are revered as best friends and given the status of members of the family. Their status is so exalted that people are now millions of dollars in inheritance money left to pets. Doggie daycares and dog motels and part of the landscape where dogs are pampered like children in some cases. It is not uncommon for an American to go without healthcare and yet pay high vet bills for their beloved dog. A survey was conducted where Americans were asked if their neighbor was drowning and their dog was drowning and they could only save one whom would you choose. Overwhelmingly most Americans say they would save their dog over their neighbor.

Below the dog is the woman who thanks to the Civil Rights Legislative has started to gain her voice. At the very bottom is the black man whose life is not valued at all, the society is silence about the genocide that is taking place across America as the young black male has become an endangered species.

During the civil rights era the church was the voice of consciousness but today when issues like the mass killing of black people that is taking place on the streets of America where young black men are massacred by violence the church is muted. The reason is very simple’ it’s all about the benjamins’. Pastors make most of their money on the speaking circuit and if they speak out the speaking engagements will dry up and if you follow the money you will realize that they have a lot of money and influence and status to lose by doing that. Who wants to side with poor black people who cannot give them anything in return when they can speak about breakthrough and money and a better day and drive Bentleys, live in 15,000 square foot mansions?

Where are the Pro-Lifers?

Where are those who say that they stand for the sanctity of life? Why are they silent when it comes to the young black men who are dying every day on the streets of America? The fact is that when they say that they are pro-life it is not the black life they care about but the life of cats, dogs and amphibians and reptiles. When Michael Vick was found dog fighting in Virginia there was a unanimous uproar across America for those dogs. When Michael Brown is shot 6 times those who say that they stand for human life are silent. If we must call a spade a spade the practice of killing black men has been prevalent since slavery, through reconstruction, the civil rights movement and into the 21st century.

There was a time in the civil rights era where the entertainers were the voice of the movement. Now the rappers who say that they are one with the people are also silent because they do not want to lose their endorsements. They have become brands now and standing for human life is political and unpopular so they shy away from the issue. They perpetuate stereotypes and make money off the backs of the poor blacks in the ghetto and when their voice is needed for worthy causes they hide and one wondered what happened? They perpetuate the idea that they speak for the community when they rap about promoting violence but when it comes to worthy causes they are missing in action.

Cowardice asks the question; is it safe?
Expediency asks the question; is it politic?
Vanity asks the question; is it popular?
But conscience asks the question; is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular–but one must take it because it is right. Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr