Malcolm X once stated that ‘Black folks are the only people in the world who have horn players (entertainers) as leaders.’ [paraphrase]
He was actually referring to Luis armstrong
and the great influence he had over the Black community, not just style
and culture, but political and ideological influence. In his heyday
Luis was the biggest entertainer in the US, and the US took full
advantage of this.
Luis was most popular at a time when Africa was reaching the peak of a convenient wide Decolonization struggle and continental unification efforts; which the the US and the Western Power wanted to subvert; so what did they do?
They sent their Boy on an African tour, to distract the masses as they executed a plot to overthrow Patrice Lumumba and subdue the Congo: very nation that was most crucial to African liberation and unification.
There were people trying to wake up Africans and the African Diaspora
to the mass manipulation of a mainstream performer allofasudden wanting
to return to his African roots, and embrace their people’s struggles
while still being in the service of the Oppressors. But our people
didn’t listen.
Back then, when Malcolm X and others spoke out;
they were called the equivalent of “haters,” then these Black Pavlovians
would talk about the charity that Luis was involved in, as if you can’t
be a Treasonous Sell-Out and give to Charity at the same time.
The fucking KKK gives to charity, Adolf Hitler
gave to charity, one of the biggest charities in the world right now is
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and yall know what they get up
to. So what the fuck you proving when you tell folks about the charity
of the Elites? Charity has always been about sustaining the oppressed,
not freeing us! (Damn, getting off topic again, sorry.)
I think
it’s obvious why I bring all of this up; I think the mainstreaming of
the New Civil Rights Movement; as demonstrated by politicians courting
the endorsement of #BlackLivesMatter,
and formerly apolitical corporate artist “embracing or honoring” our
past and current struggles; is showing that many people, those who are
truly down and the bandwangon hoppers don’t have any historical context
or analysis for what’s going down. #StuporBowl
They too busy celebrating false victories, when we should be studying
our past (recent and distant past) failures so that we don’t repeat
them. Right now, our enemies and oppressors can dust off their COINTELPRO methods from half a century ago and not even switch us shit, cuz we are not any wise now than before apparently.
