Tag Archives: Voting

African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, EDUCATION, POLITICS

A Few Thoughts Regarding Why Many Black Men Will Not Be Voting In This Year’s Election: It’s A Missed Opportunity

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Y’all telling me that I need to get out and vote, huh, why?
Ain’t nobody black running but crack-kers, so, why I got to register?
I’m thinking of better shit to do with my time!!!!!

Andre 3000 (OutKast)

 

The criticism hurled at Black males always increases during political season. One could set their clock by it. Politically engaged Black men realize they are destined to be blamed when a candidate such as Stacey Abrams loses while receiving little of the celebratory kudos when Barack Obama ascends to the Oval Office.

As with most things involving Black men, the injection of their presence into political discussion problematizes matters exponentially. Predictably, much discussion about Black men and the franchise occurs without their input. We are frequently relegated to lab mice commented upon by political talking heads.

If only the political pundits that speak with unwarranted authority resting on little more than copious amounts of historical illiteracy regarding America’s convoluted racial history abandoned such foolishness, they may learn that Black males’ non-participation is attributable to the perceived irrelevance of American politics. Far too many poor and working-class Black men have been positioned in a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation. OutKast’s Andre 3000 insightful lyric that he is “thinking of better shit to do with my time” sums up many Black males’ view of the worthlessness of political engagement.

It is difficult to argue against well-known data that highlights Black men lagging behind their contemporaries in a host of areas such as:

  • Educational Achievement
  • Life-Expectancy
  • Income
  • Incarceration Rates

When one considers that we are all conversant on the myriad issues facing Black men, it is time that we begin searching for solutions to the above societal maladies.

The most crucial question facing Black America should revolve around Black men’s inability to recognize that their past, present, and future plights are inextricably linked to the political arena.

Unlike many of my contemporaries, I place the blame for Black males’ withdrawal from the political arena at the feet of Black America. I fully realize that it is a contentious thought to place the blame for Black male struggles in the political arena at the feet of our kind; however, such an assignment is the only one capable of alleviating the matter. Put simply, if we don’t own this problem, we will never take the definitive steps to mitigate it.

As has been consistently stated by those interested in uplifting Black males, “no one is coming to save you Black man.” Hence, we must educate our own in regard to history, politics, culture, economics, etc. Relevant education is the only path capable of reversing the unfortunate pattern of Black men ignoring the political process. I am sure that you agree that an absence of understanding regarding politics guarantees Black America will continue to reap the worst things this society has to offer.

The onus is on Black educators to teach, re-teach, and teach important life-saving material to their brethren. Yet, those in desperate need of such illumination also have a responsibility to listen and learn from those experts who are willing to teach.

We must never forget that “WE ALL THAT WE GOT!!!!!”

 

African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive, MRCi, POLITICS, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2020, RACE

What the GET YOUR BOOTY TO THE POLL initiative tells us about apolitical black males

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  • Please join us tonight (10/8/2020) @ 7:30 EST — 6:30 CST as we discuss this topic. Click here to gain entry.

Although it may be difficult to believe, I have moments where black males of all ages challenge my sanity. Trust me when I say that the words of trusted friend William A. Foster IV’s comment that

The black intellectual is the loneliest person on the planet

resonates within my soul. In this era of “wokeness,” my encounters with black men who prefer to pontificate about irrelevant revisionist history topics instead of developing liberation are increasing.

Experience has taught me that some Black males have doused themselves in outlandish conspiracy theories and revisionist history interpretations informed by nothing more than ridiculous half-baked YouTube and Facebook videos. I have learned that such people prefer unproductive conversations that hide their cowardice behind crazy talk and unrealistic goals. I am convinced that if Frederick Douglass were alive, he would address these loud-mouth phrasemongers with the following admonishment.

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

I am confident that not even Frederick Douglass could move such people beyond endless discussions of irrelevant historical facts that hold no potential to liberate blacks.

Such people foolishly believe that their careless talk paints them as a formidable opponent to mighty whites. The alluded to idiocy is an obvious sign of their unwillingness to abandon their rabble-rousing in favor of meaningful politics. I have tired of planting black liberation seeds in barren soil.

It appears as if I am not the only one frustrated with black males’ disengagement with the political arena. As the 2020 election season approaches, the usual groundswell of getting out the Vote is occurring. Predictably, few of these endeavors target black male voters.

My how things have changed

The latest group to address this issue of getting black males to the Poll are exotic dancers. Yes, you read that correctly, a rising tide of exotic dancers are imploring apolitical black men to get their booty to the Poll.

The women behind Get Your Booty to the Poll may be able to reach black men who have ignored standard voter registration drive initiatives. This latest effort to get out the black male vote is innovative, intriguing, and problematic.

Although the Get Your Booty to the Poll effort is notable, it raises troubling questions regarding why some black males are so afraid to confront other groups on the political battlefield? The prophetic words of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Chicago-branch of the Black Panther Party, should haunt many black males. According to Hampton,

War is nothing but politics with bloodshed, and politics is nothing but war without bloodshed.

I reserve the coward label for extreme circumstances.

How strange would it be if the missing ingredient in getting black males to the Poll is booty cheeks? Most of us could never fathom that instead of political education classes and voter registration drives, our efforts would have been much more productive had we used sultry black women to swing on poles with the words “Vote! Vote!” on their left and right cheeks?

The above leads me to ask the following question.

Have black males fallen into a bottomless abyss of foolishness and political ineptitude?

It is incredibly disappointing that our best hope to grasp the attention of apolitical black males is by writing the word Vote on the booty cheeks of scantily clad strippers. Lord knows that I wish that we weren’t in the midst of such an important political season; however, this moment mandates unprecedented voter turnout for apparent reasons. It appears that the nation’s future direction may be determined by how many black males are coaxed into a voting booth by booty cheeks.

I guess that in the end, a vote is a vote after all.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.