Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Let's Make a Slave

Ever heard of a little speech that Willie Lynch delivered ohh centuries ago? Basically Lynch was invited down to the banks of the James River, in the colony of Virginia, to instruct slave owners on his brutish, but successful, methods for “The Making of a Slave!” If you haven’t read it yet (regardless of race) I encourage you to do so, it’s very…enlightening. The link is below.


First I’d like to point out, King James, for whom the river was named after, the same King James that ruled these masochists, is the same King James of the King James Version Bible. That’s a whole ‘nother blog, but I think I may have to rethink which Bible I read.

Trying to restrain myself from providing an ultimately unreadable blog due to length, I’m going to summarize the jist of the speech and hope that you read it for yourselves. Basically, Lynch describes his fool-proof methods to control slaves; it should last 300 years (2012). These strategies include creating and exploiting fear, distrust and envy among the slaves and using these to control. He describes turning male against female and, the actual subject of this blog, dark slaves against light slaves.

Skin color is something that has been an obvious factor, trait, etc in my life, but more specifically, it has been my own skin color that I’m referring to. Like everyone I notice skin color, you can’t help but to, it’s the first thing you notice, but that doesn’t mean I then change how I will treat the person or let them know what I think about their skin color. To me a person’s skin color is simply one piece of the puzzle of how they look and nothing else. When it comes to my skin color, it’s the same story whether it’s being told from a black person or a white person or an Indian person, “your light…like…really light…..are you mixed?” What? Am I mixed?! Do I look like a drink, maybe a cake to you? And thank you, I know I’m fair skinned, I have a mirror in my bathroom just like you. It’s something that has always been annoying, but I’ve learned to live with, probably just for the reason that I don’t want to burn bridges before I’ve built them, I like making new friends, but with me, it comes at a price, a constant reminder of how I “can’t be black because [I’m] lighter than so-and-so, who’s white!” I’ve gotten used to it, sometimes I even play along and joke too, “yes, I’m high-yella.”
This subject of skin color has recently become more and more discussed. Like it’s an everyday discussion, of the same thing, she’s yellow, I’m high-yellow, she’s dark, he’s red-boned…and it got me thinking…this discussion, right here, the one were having RIGHT NOW…was predetermined by our forefather’s slave masters….WHAT are we doing STILL kindling these murders’ flames?! 2012, that’s when this horror ride of skin and gender battle should be over, right? Fireworks and balloons and maybe even a parade will erupt December 25, 2012, people of ALL sizes, ages, SHADES, will skip freely out of their project homes and condos hold hands and sing in that ol’ negro spiritual. Blacks will suddenly sky rocket in financial, educational and business markets. The jails will become empty in 10-20 years. Obama is elected for his second term, ushering in more black senators, and governors and Supreme Court justices. Black is the new majority….right? That’s what will happen…right? In four years everything that has been unjustly done to hold the Negro down will vanish and we will live our lives how they were supposed to be, as kings and queens! This is the timeline of Lynch’s plan, so we just have to hold on for 4 more years…right??

Well, whether this fantastical fantasy comes true or not, we’ll have to wait and see. But I sure hope it ends soon, his methods have not only hit black Americans with a deadly blow, but it seems to affect Asians as well as Hispanics. There’s a divide, where lighter skin is better, where you get treated better, where you’re looked at with less fear or concern. Bleaching creams have been concocted and used. And all the while, white people are spending millions of dollars at tanning salons to get darker...now where is the logic in that?!?!?!

I think I have to make a decision within myself right now; I refuse to be a part of Lynch’s methods anymore! I refuse to be a victim of slave mentality! I refuse to joke! I refuse to accept the constant reminders of the difference in my skin color from a “full black person”! I refuse to accept being constantly asked if I’m mixed! (Nowadays we all are, get used to it!) I refuse to spend my money on faux-sun! I refuse to accept being called “white-girl”! I refuse to accept being told “you’re not black!” I refuse to be ashamed! I refuse!…I REFUSE!!!

God gave me a skin color, a fair one, get used to it! I am not going to allow this subject; of so little significance to use up any more of my time or brain activity…I’m done with it all! And people yall better follow suit, cuz in 2012, this nonsense won’t be tolerated anymore!