And the band plays on…! State of our nation and our world is like a classic Temptation’s song

The 1960s and 70s witnessed a plethora of socially conscious R&B songs that provide relevance today. One of those songs was, ‘Ball of Confusion, by the Temptations. I am paraphrasing some of the relevant lyrics that could easily apply to issues today: 

‘…People moving in, people moving out, why, why, it’s because of the color of their skin…’ 

A half-century after President LBJ signed the Fair Housing Act, Milwaukee moved from the nation’s most segregated city to the SECOND most segregated city. 

Politicians have ignored that sad state of affairs, or at the very least seem satisfied with the snail pace of ‘integration.’ 

Whites have fled to the suburbs as the Black population has grown. Apparently, they either believe we all have COVID, STDs, or are the majority of MPS. 

Is it because they fear us, anticipate crime, or have taken over the political apparatus? 

‘…an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, vote for me and I’ll set you free..’ 

After an era of minor political achievements, a racist president moved into the White House, vowing to ‘make America great again’ by putting their feet on the neck of minorities and the poor. 

In a nutshell, he has achieved much of his goal to ‘make America great again, ‘ by replacing our democratic republic with a system of political and economic oligarchy. 

If you don’t know the definition of the word, simply note how the Trumpster has kicked the ass of Democrats, liberals, and even members of his own party who dare to speak against him. He has done so while shoving his neo-racist or ultra-conservative agenda down their (our) throats. 

Trump believes himself to be a modern-day Caesar, a demagogue sitting at the right shoulder of Zeus. 

He has systematically reversed civil rights gains, cut a giant hole in the safety net for the poor, and killed hundreds in successive ‘wars,’ the latest costing billions a day and driving gasoline prices to a four-year high. 

He has gone so far as to express glee over U.S’s military takeovers of several nations, the most recent (actually tentative…it hasn’t happed…YET!) being Cuba, ironically, the launching pad for slavery in the 17th century. 

‘…the only person talking ‘bout loving thy neighbor is the preacher… 

Few Black churches today reach out beyond their immediate (tithe-paying) congregation; nor do they lead our civil rights movement as they did 50 years ago. Sadly, few provide the moral guidance necessary for a civil society. 

Most teach a ‘reward in heaven’ philosophy (similar to what slave owners taught to keep our enslaved ancestors in line), but one which ignores our pain on earth, save to ask for donations to pay the monthly bills for their pastor’s SUV ‘Caddy’. 

No wonder a majority of our children listen to sermons provided by rappers instead of men and women of the cross. 

Over 27% of us, according to recent statistics, have completely dissed religion in general (except for Churches Chicken specials), and while most Black folks call themselves ‘Christians,’ they neither read or study the Bible, pray or even watch gospel shows on BET. An overwhelming majority of members belong to the ‘C.E.M.’ denomination. 

In case you’ve never heard of this particular denomination, it represents folks who go to church on Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s Day…(CEM). 

There was a time when Easter Sunday saw families (nuclear families), walking to church in their discount-purchased holiday clothes. Pink dresses with lacey frills, and boys with ill-fitting ties and Buster Brown shoes. 

Today, our children recognize the hypocrisy of their single-parent household and biblical mandates. They assume something is wrong with their parent smoking a blunt and yet got the nerve to assume a moral advantage. 

About 10% have Bibles in their homes. 

There was a time when daily ‘home schooling’ meant reading from the bible. Milwaukee hosts the widest gap in ‘racial’ academic achievement in the country. 

‘…and nobody’s interested in education but the teacher…’ 

‘Edgumacation’ is reflected, in part, by that assumption. Can’t just blame the system, without noting the role (or lack thereof) of the parent(s). White children learn three times as many words as their Black counterparts by the time they enter kindergarten. …And NO, profanity cannot be included in the statistical breakdown! 

By third grade, a majority of Black children can’t read at grade level; actually, they are barely reading at a first-grade level. 

The ‘funeralization of literacy’ takes a firm root (next to the weeds—legal and illegal) at that point. 

Sadly, most family folks back in the day purchased the Sunday paper, not necessarily to read, but to clip coupons and check out the comics. 

Granted, we are a visual people, which is one reason for our award-winning newspaper graphics. And little sensationalism doesn’t hurt either, I hate to say…Or maybe not. 

When I ran the old Milwaukee Star Times (predecessor to the MCJ), I created a weekly feature called ‘hostess with the mostest. It featured a weekly photo of a bikini-clad sister, like Jet magazine’s centerfold. Sexist? Yeah. Demeaning? No doubt. Effective? ASOLUTELY. 

My saintly mother (heaven’s not a crowded place, but I know my mother is there) made us read every day. She understood the power of the pen, pencil, and pizza. 

I attended Rufus King for three years, spending my final year at North Division. North was the most antiquated school in the district. We used to joke that you knew a brother or sister went to North if you asked them how many states were in the union, and they replied 48. That’s because the history books only recognized the continental U.S. Alaska and Hawaii weren’t states yet (at least at the time the history book was originally published and in the schools (which was probably around the time of World War II). 

Lord help me, North Division High School today has the lowest reading, math, and science proficiency scores in the state, maybe the Midwest. 

Thousands of our children leave high school with limited literacy skills (they can recite most gangsta rap songs, but not the Black national anthem. Trump will soon have them believing we came to these shores on the Good Ship Lollypop. It can be said it was a ‘Love Boat’ because so many babies were conceived, but not by us. 

‘…the sale of (drugs) is at an all-time high, young folks walking around with their heads in the sky…’ 

While it is an ignored fact, most of the job rejection scenarios for Black ‘men’ can be linked to their inability to pass drug tests. 

Drugs can be linked to most urban crime. And if everyone who was smoking, tooting, or shooting were forced to take a drug test to get a driver’s license, buy a car, or get into a strip club, we could end reckless driving overnight. 

Most of our youth smoke to escape reality, their useless lives, pressures, and a corrupt government system. Drugssupposedly ease the pain, refocus life around us, or cloudout the images of the rich. Gangsta rappers convince themof the viability of drug use; much of it sold by gold chain-wearing, fancy car-driving, Nike-wearing thugs. 

‘…cities aflame in the summertime…’ 

The cities are not under the match yet (in part because Whites don’t burn down their parents’ businesses), but when eight million Americans (almost exclusively white and Hispanic) filled the streets of major cities to protestKing Trump this past weekend, can riots be around thecorner? 

And let’s not forget the civil rebellion when Trump lostthe election four years ago. What’s interesting is that no brothers were involved in the January 6 rebellion, which explains why the ‘government’ didn’t drop bombs onthem as they did on the Greenwood District (‘Black Wall Street’) of Tulsa Oklahoma in the early 1920s. Black Wall Street was an area within Tulsa where Black folks hadthe audacity to start businesses, have doctors, business owners, theater owners, hotel owners, and well-to-do Black families. It was enough to make white women ofthe era clutch their (fake) pearls in horror. 

A double standard is applied for Black vs. White protests. 

And when white folks protest, the major/white/dailymedia is sympathetic. Politicians of both parties pay heed. 

That’s why I suggest we need to take a break and let white folks protest to end racism (a process we have little control over). Let them wear out their shoe leather; we’vebeen protesting, moralizing and praying for 400 years,and it’s gotten us nowhere. 

‘…Eve of destruction, tax deductions…population out of hand, suicide, too many bills…. 

Obviously—or should I presumably—this is the ‘greatagain America’ Donald Trump told voters he would bring back—the chaotic 1960s. The gap between the rich andthe poor has widened; minorities know their place, lest they get deported, the two majority political parties are in a death grip, and the rich get richer while the poor drown in debt. Think about it, every member of Trump’s (aka, the ‘orange war mongering Twinkie’) inner circleis a billionaire. That’s with a ‘b’ as in ‘bucks and bigotry.’ 

‘…Ball of Confusion….that’s what the world is today. Hey, Hey…’ Hotep.