Showing posts with label Classism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classism. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Accessories to Murder


I killed Troy Davis. You killed Troy Davis. Jim, John, Paul, Molly, Susie, and Lisa killed Troy Davis. Anyone who wanted him to be freed played a role in killing him. Honestly, the politicians did their jobs. I'm sure they all did their research. I'm sure they've known about this situation for the past 22 years. This story is almost as old as me. So why did I only hear about it within recent months. And why did it just hit twitter this week? Because the media, which is run first by people with money and secondly by people who don't look like Troy, doesn't care to give us a chance to help him. Let it be someone who will increase their ratings or the amount of newspapers they sell and I guarantee you will see it hit the front page. But too often the poor and/or the black don't keep up with the news. Why didn't politicians run on the promise, "I will make sure Troy Davis is freed?" Because we didn't press the issue. Don't rely on anyone but yourself to inform you of the issues that you should be concerned with. That's like me telling a grown man, "You need to eat your vegetables." Why should I have to do that? If you want to die, die. If you want to be taken for granted as a citizen who doesn't care about his future, don't read. Don't write your politicians. Don't vote. I called up to D.C. when I heard about this. But what else could I have done? I could have posted a blog post before today. I could have written a letter. I could have marched. I didn't. You didn't. None of us did.

One of my brothers said today, "Blacks from the 60's run circles around us... Us, with our degrees, Internet and black president." It is too true. We have all of these resources at our disposal but what do we do with them? Make horrible music, expect everything for free, and complain when people don't get freed from prison at will. Stuff takes work. It takes time. It takes dedication and, most of all, it takes sacrifice. We work so hard to make sure our kids have a comfortable future without realizing that money alone can't buy comfort in a political system that will still see them as second class citizens. So, yes, let's work our jobs like the yuppies that we are (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yuppie). But let's also keep the fight that our activist ancestors had. And that's for everyone, regardless of race. White people, your ancestors were activists too. Revolutionary war? Revolt. Confederate States of America? Fighting against a system you didn't believe in. Native Americans, activism can be silent and it is not always victorious. The Trail of Tears is a result of your activism. Japanese Americans, you all made America apologize for your internment during WWII. We were a nation of activist... so what the hell happened? We became a nation of involuntary accessories to murder.

Now watch most of you read this and not repost it. That's cool. That's why this cycle will continue. Are you a part of the solution or apart of the problem?

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

If Troy Davis Dies Tonight


The struggle of the masses
Is not race but class is
The truest issue facing those under God
Race is surface level... a facade
They blind us so we don't examine the true problems
Because then we would definitely be able to solve them
I can't and I won't act like race isn't a factor
But in comparison to wealth, race just doesn't matter
See, if I can pay for a good defense, I can pull an OJ
And if I can't, I'll be sitting where Troy Dave
Is, awaiting an execution with no foreseeable solution
But all this mental pollution
Has us thinking it's really about the color of his skin
When it's really about the skin that holds his money
Is it pleather or cowhide... This is so sad yet so funny.
From cow tail whips in Africa to cowhide leather that makes wallets to buy whips
Either way, if you're rich, the taste of death won't touch your lips
You cannot say that I am naive. No, I've thought this through
Race is an issue, but money is too
No, money is one and race is two
So if you're a rich black man, you're doing better than a slew
Of whites whose grandparents slaughtered our people
Because now, money, not race, is what makes you regal
Funny thing is, the love of money is the root of evil
So to wear a crown you must rock with d'evils
Social d-evols... Social devolution
And that is where I come to my conclusion
The white man is not the devil. Sorry to those who believe it
The rich man who lets money replace love, though you can't see it,
He is the devil... or at least a demon in service
So, ask yourself, when you make love to your money with your time, was it worth it?

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown