Monday, January 31, 2011

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised...








First of all...check out the video above...

The Revolution apparently will not be televised...at least not in Egypt...

Unless you've been under a rock for the past week...or you only watch BET...then you know that the Egyptian people are completely fed up with their government. Their leadership. Their way of life under this regime...

So, what have they done?

They've taken to the streets, peacefully at first, to air their grievances. They've chosen action in place of rhetoric. There has been violence. There has been bloodshed. There have been deaths. Revolution is not pretty. While it holds in and of itself a sort of "gothic beauty" that is ever present, to think it will be neat and swift is a naive concept.

I admire the people of Egypt for this. They are displaying type of fire and fervor that Americans once held near and dear to our hearts. They were a part of our values as Americans. Check the Declaration of Independence if you don't believe me...


When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.



I know some of you just skimmed that, but if you ACTUALLY read it you may see something. It is probably one of the most eloquent calls to revolution I can recall. If not THE MOST eloquent call to revolution ever...

Think about the statement that the people of Egypt have made...

They said that they are no longer willing to accept the government that they legitimized...and they are taking steps AS WE SPEAK to dismantle it...

That is beautiful in thought and powerful in spirit...

More after the break...














So...maybe I'm the only one that's noticed...but there's been an uptick in protests and outward displays of dissatisfaction in countries that are normally fairly docile.

Think about it...

The students protesting tuition hikes in London. They went out there and fought for their education and their future!

I'm sure some of you missed it, here's a link... Student Fee Protest in England Becomes Violent

Before that were the youth and "20-Somethings" in France who are standing up for their future...

Some of you missed that too...here's another link...France Hit by New Wave of Mass Pension Protests

So...why is it that people in other countries can stand up and make their voices heard while Americans are content with spreading misinformation, finger pointing, and playing "cat-and-mouse" games with politics?

More after the break...













So...answer this question for me...why has America become so complacent? ESPECIALLY the minorities...

When some of the portions of the DREAM Act didn't pass, I was surprised the streets of Phoenix, L.A., and Dallas weren't filled with Brown people fighting for their rights and their people's citizenship...

When Reginald Doucet, an unarmed black man, was gunned down in LA, I thought the city would be filled with righteous anger...

Both times...I was wrong...

I've heard time and again, "Black people have no excuse for not succeeding since Obama is President..."

Really?

You think so...

So...I guess year's of systematic injustice, overt and covert racism, and the inevitable profiling that occurs based not only on physical appearance but cultural traditions have been wiped out by one election.

Apparently, I will no longer be stopped and harassed by police officers for "Driving While Black" or "Hanging Out While Black"...

That darn digital divide must have closed because Obama got elected huh?

1 to 100 and Rockefeller Drug Laws have majestically disappeared now and their convictions have been adjusted huh?

I guess the disparities in income, net worth, and financial literacy have been erased?

Wait, I know! The "Good Ol' Boy Network" disappeared after Obama was elected!

Ok...if you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic.

While the election of President Obama was a step in the right direction, it DID NOT make all Americans racially literate or even CLOSE to racially tolerant.

Back to my original point...WHEN DID WE BECOME SO COMPLACENT?

Why does it seem like people cared more about Waka Flocka being shot than 12 year old Deonte Rawlins? (Google that...)

Why do more of us watch Basketball Wives than Larry King Live?

We had a letter writing campaign to get The Game back on the air, but we've ignored MANY of the things that have impacted our quality of life...

I guess I'll stop now before I get too preachy...but I honestly am at a loss for reasoning/logic behind our infatuation with pop culture and our turning a blind eye to things that affect us in our daily life?

I'm done....

--Bleek G.

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Beneath the Underdog
I'm a black music aficionado with a lot of opinions...nothing more, nothing less...