I figured it out. It really is this simple!

Since I was small and first exposed to racism I always wondered why?

I learnt all about slavery and colonisation and wondered why? Experienced racism as a youngster and again thought why?

Why do they hate us so?

I started to read. All sorts of sociological explanations for supremacists. Some convincing at first but lacking in depth, some amusing but merely tapping into my anger without really explaining anything. I have heard that "they" are scared of us so they hate us. Fair enough... but why the fear in the first place. Don't misunderstand, I've seen and acknowledged that fear first hand.

I have had a friend who works in a good job in the city. A banker. Now he got into a dispute a work. Normal stuff that happens everyday in his high pressured office. Yet his boss called him aside and told him to remember that he was big and black and shouldn't go intimidating people like that... presumably he meant the brother shouldn't have yelled back.

The fear thing is not an explaination. It merely makes me want to question the fear.

Why?

Recently though I think I have it boiled down to simple economics. I have been musing on just how much money is made from us.

First I read some african americans being proud that their combined GDP would rank them as a richer "nation" than some on earth, top 10 I think I read. Not many considered that they all work for "the man", don't produce anything and are merely consumers and labourers. None of that money stays with us. Each individual is one paycheck away from bankrupcy and ruin because of their consumerism. No black banks, lenders or anything like that. All of our money is with "the man".

Then I read about modern colonialism and realised Africa has never been free. None of the companys that mine, drill and pump out all the resources like gold, diamonds, coal and oil are African. None of the major commercial farmers are African. It's all European, American and increasingly Asian owned. Fascinating. What I'm saying is that Africa does not own the means of produce for itself.

I learned that all of the famous rich black tokens on TV are EMPLOYESS of white men. They usually have white managers, lawyers, accountants and bank with white people. I learned that the so-called black entrepeneurs and businesses that are famous in entertainment are dependant on white owned parent companies. From Bob Johnson to Russel Simmons, all have white bosses.

I first figured this out when Ice Cube mentioned Jerry Heller on his attack on NWA after leaving. "you can't be a n****r for life crew, with a white dude telling you what to do". But then after reading up on the entertainment industry in general I find that it's not exactly a rarity.
And I recalled W.E. Du Bois and his talented tenth theory of trickle down economics from a progressive black middle class. Hmm. The black middle class as discussed on a previous blog have nowhere fufilled their supposed role that I can see. Not in Africa, not in Europe and not in America.

I then watched Rosewood and read up about Tulsa Oklahoma where they burnt down a self sufficient black economic base.
I also read up on red-lining and how even in our own neighbourhoods the businesses are owned and run by outsiders who are also usually our landlords. This was like the final peice of the now clearly obvious jigsaw.
So here it is.

It's not fear or hatred or anything like that at the root. These are mere manifestations and symptoms of the main issue. Oh they have DEVELOPED hatred alright. One only needs to look at the klan and similar groups to see that. They have gone to all sorts of levels. From Eugenics, to bell curve books, to whipping up hysteria over black male sexuality and violence they are relentless in the actual HATRED. Focussing on these is important because it directly affects us. I'm not suggesting we ignore that.

But still. None of that is it. This clouds and covers the central KEY issue.

ECONOMICS!!

Economics. They control and always have controlled OUR money.

Money is the root of all evil

Maybe... But it is certainly the root of ALL white supremacist racism. That is what they fear. Not us per se. It's the fear of losing our money.

Money is why they enslaved us in the first place. Money is why they stopped once machines came in. Money is why they exercise all the controls described above and could never commit the economic suicide of stopping their attempts to destroy black unity....

Black unity, Black organisation is the thing which seems to scare them the most. The idea that we could take away their money by investing it in ourselves.... terrifying!!

We are worth TRILLIONS to them. Only so long as we are consumers!! In order to do that it means keeping us in our place. That place is being unaware of all of this.

Have you considered all those supposed black men in music entertainment who are doing such a great job and making their way in the world? How many of them send messages of economic independance and self determination? How many of them talk on the community? Now compare that with the amount who send messages telling you what clothes to wear, drinks to consume (that word again), what cars to buy and so on. Who makes these things that are being advertised to you? Hmmm

Going back to where i mentioned that most people especially black people are one pay check away from financial ruin. This is where the programming comes in. The more an individual makes the more he is driven to spend. That keeps him in his place constantly. The pressure he puts on himself to keep up with this rampant materialsim is the shackles on his feet in the 21st century.

Now bare in mind when I talk about "the man" I'm not talking about your everyday white dude. He is just as unaware of most of this as are you. It's not like they all recieve the "white supremacy memo" with instructions of how to keep us down. Nothing so dramatic and silly like that. They don't have to try. Simply fit in to a system and play our roles assigned and programmed into us. As Carter G Woodson explained in the mis education of the negro:

"When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary."

The reverse is true with the white dude. He finds for himself his proper place because like us, he is programmed to do so. Not by an illuminati. But by an evolving system. Individuals are insignificant. It's a white power SYSTEM that is at play here. Not cloak and daggers meetings in boardrooms in the whitehouse or number 10. Uh uh.

Back to black unity. If you as a black person can read this and decide that you still don't see the point in investing in us, our neighbourhoods, buying from our businesses, employing us...

Then I'm really lost