So I was meditating on why all these prominent, well spoken, passionate men and women in the Conscious, Revolutionary, and Black communities spend so much time and emotional energy combating one another instead of building bridges with one another. After all, thats what they say they are about day after day in blog post after blog post. So what gives? Why no inter-organizational cooperation? Then as I was listening to a Blog Talk Radio show that I subscribe to, it hit me: petty differences of opinion.
Instead of fighting over, focusing on, and becoming divided over our differences in OPINION, let us take a close look at our points of AGREEMENT. Cooperation amongst our people and organizations cannot consist of “tearing each other apart” as I have one organizational leader put it.
There are many men whose shows and blogs that I follow. I dont always agree with men like NY Oil, Kala Genesis, or even Dr. Malik Zulu Shabazz. I dont agree with everything that the Nation of Islam stands for, or everything that the Universal Negro Improvement Association once stood for, but I can, have, and will work with these people and organizations to bring about measurable results.
Many leaders, bloggers, talk show hosts, and commentators are so worried about the opinions of other men that they absolutely refuse to work with them or their organizations. Maybe these hypersensitive butt-hurt men and women should re-read the definition of an opinion: a PERSONAL belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty. Now that I think about it, I have listened to Blog Talk Radio shows where the host has blocked and kicked off callers simply for disagreeing with the host’s position!
Now with that being said, when I work with my local chapter of the New Black Panther Party or Kemetic Science Institute on health fairs for instance, we dont debate one another’s opinions, we GET THINGS DONE BASED ON FACTUAL AND MEASURABLE STANDARDS.
Read this next statement carefully:
IF WE CONTINUE TO DRAW LINES BETWEEN OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND ONE ANOTHER BASED ON OPINION, THEN WE ARE HYPOCRITES AND NONE OF US ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN “COMING TOGETHER”.
See, some of these bloggers and Blog Talk Radio show hosts dont really want progress, they want a cult. They want a body of “believers” that tune in to hear some emotionally charged mental masturbation. Anybody that comes within their circumference with a difference of opinion is considered a “coward”, “agent-provocateur”, “traitor”, “blood-sucker” or they should “get lynched”. These demagogues refuse to see the good works that other men do. They dont see them up at midnight finalizing tomorrows Feed the People drive. They dont see those “cowards” on street corners dropping knowledge on those ignorant to or even hostile to revolutionary thinking. They dont see those “traitors” not seeing their kids for having to organize and lead events.
There is nothing wrong with having healthy debates. In fact, I encourage them! Go back and check out Debate, Research, and Evidence in the Conscious Movement to see what I mean. But please, for the love of the liberation of Blacks in this country, STOP INTERPRETING DIFFERENCES OF OPINIONS AS DIRECT ASSAULTS!
Anyone with any sense can see that mud-slinging over opinion gets us all nowhere.
United Black America is about actionable solutions and putting in work, not “calling out” other Black men and women. Those individuals with deep character flaws will always blow themselves up on their own. So with that being said, the solution to the ongoing cat-fight that has been going on in the Black/Conscious community is that we become unified in our intentions without being uniformed in our opinions. What do I mean? I mean;
- I might not agree with your religious preference, but I can be down with your community food drive
- I might not agree with your revolutionary stance, but I can salute the fact that you care enough to devote your time and energy into a blog or Youtube channel
- I might not agree with your “Back to Africa” movement (I dont), but I can establish business relations with your organization’s import-export company
- I might not be willing to debate with you over whether Malcolm was better than Martin (because those are opinions), but I can financially support your all-Black track team.
Heres the point of this whole post: If you are truly interested in organizing and progression, KEEP YOUR DAMN OPINIONS TO YOURSELF. Focus on moving yourself, your organization, and our people forward. Otherwise, you are just mentally masturbating. Can we agree on that? Can we be unified in our intentions without being uniformed in our opinions?
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