rantshoutwhisper

I suspect a lot of us are going to remember where we were on 4th November. For my part, I'd woken up at 3 o'clock in the morning, wondering why I couldn't sleep. I then went to the computer and remembered why.

I watched it online, eight tabs on Opera with stats aplenty, but then settled onto BBC's coverage. At four, California came home and I leapt out of my seat. I did a gig the next day with Cleveland Watkiss, who hosted it as a tribute to Barack Obama, saying "Doesn't the world feel a better place right now?" And y'know, it does: it really does.

I'm extremely happy that the U.S. decided to pick a relatively young, intelligent man who is part of a party that isn't keen on blowing away large chunks of the world willy-nilly. He seems to want people to live. That kind of thing sways my preferences.

But I don't live over there; I live here. And I still have to cope with the negative aspects of U.S. cultural imperialism that spread through the black community like a wildfire. Sadly, another innocent is dead in Derby.

Now, I've written about this before and it was quite a bit closer to home for me that time. But it doesn't affect what I said last time - it still holds. Everybody's been shouting about the example Obama has set for the African and Caribbean diaspora over here - and all I can see is that the examples of change really have to come from over here, and fast.

But if we're going to appropriate North American culture from now, let's not celebrate that there's a black guy in the White House; let's rejoice in the fact that there's a chap there that prefers dialogue to fighting and WANTS PEOPLE TO LIVE.

I have no idea what's needed. All the role models, special songs, youth schemes &c. don't seem to have helped these people. They seem to be keen on blowing away large chunks of our world willy-nilly and wanting people to die. To me there seems to be a lack of respect for self and others, and a lack of knowledge* about the world and society that is almost insurmountable.


But as I've said before, these people are in the minority; why are we allowing them to be the main reflection of who we are through the media? Blaming the media doesn't help, since they are there to report the news; if these idiots didn't give them the news in the first place then there'd be nothing to report.

And again, all the families suffer. And we suffer. Because of five people with nothing better to do than ruining our world.

*Speaking of which, I'd heard there's a lot of fuss about Jeremy Paxman giving Dizzee Rascal a verbal kicking on Newsnight over Obama winning. I started watching it on YouTube. And what I saw was:

1. Paxman asks a question


2. Dizzee attempts to answer the question


3. Dizzee can't really answer the question and starts talking about something else


4. Paxman helps Dizzee kick himself repeatedly

I then stopped watching.

Jamaican culture is bereft.

http://www.afiwi.com/people2.asp?id=33

Not much time to do this but:

did anyone watch the Money Programme on 17th March? Here's a link to the web-description.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4813912.stm

I caught the last 25 minutes. I saw a child who had been allowed to spend nearly £200 on a shoe that she couldn't wear [the mum made me scream at the TV. Literally scream]. I heard a rapper say his career is all about making as much money as possible. I'm not one to begrudge someone making money - very important to do so nowadays, but

What makes it right to market your products to people who can't afford it in a way that their parents find offensive?

Am I wrong in thinking that this is just a subtle form of child exploitation by the pop industry? Let's discuss.

I will lengthen my argument when I get time! I really should be heading to work...

Take this personally if you wish. But I need to ask some questions.

My second cousin was murdered a couple of Saturdays ago. We were close when young, but drifted apart as I moved about all over the place. The story, I suspect, will bore you: he was involved in stuff he shouldn't have been, he was in his mid-twenties and was stabbed by someone in his early twenties who has a pregnant girlfriend. Apparently the killer had decided to go out to town wearing body armour underneath his clothing, and a knife. He gave himself up. Three families are grieving; but the ripples have gone further. According to a youth worker friend of mine, the young men [as they invariably are] that he works with see this as part of life: to trade in guns and drugs and death almost as a language. My relative's death is not a problem.

My first set of questions are these: when did this become a reality? What situation is there HERE in the U.K. that makes this a reality for these people?

Let's talk about U.S. cultural imperialism in black communities. Yes, let us talk about that. Although realistically things probably aren't as bad as they look there, the message that is imported here from the States is that guns, drugs and death is viable currency, and that it can provide access to two highly prized "assets": fame/notoriety and money. Try dying to get rich, to accurately misquote 50 Cent.

Please, let us not talk about making kids learn about the typical positive role models in school. Some of these people who deal with the more degrading aspects of human nature are people I went to school with. I was there too. I have no aspirations gained from the lives of Malcolm X or Marcus Garvey, as you can tell from my previous posts. And yet these figures are thrust at young people as their culture. I had to sit there and learn about them. It's not working. Stop looking over the Atlantic for cultural references: we really do have enough here and if you can't think of any then please email me, I'll be quite willing to help. As would several others, I'm sure.

There's only 3100 black Caribbeans in Derby, 1.4% of the total city population [Census 2001]. At a very rough extrapolated estimate [using figures from the East Midalnds Observatory], I would say about 20%-30% of the Caribbean community here are aged between 16 and 24, so 1000 people at maximum. The number of males in that population, I'm not sure; but even at assuming a neutral split population with 50% of either gender, The number of young black men is only going to be about 15% of the population [roughly; I'm quite prepared to be corrected on this figure]. That's not a lot of people. Definitely a minority. And yet their actions harm an entire community. And with the black youth rallies and various organisations, it's not as if people aren't trying to help guide these people.

So, my next set: when do we get to stop saying that young people's behaviour is a failing of society and start saying that it's personal choice? When does personal and parental responsibility kick in for young black men and their families when talking about their problems and attitudes?

Because I'll tell you why I'm still alive without a drug problem or a need to defend my patch by carrying a gun: my folks would have destroyed me if I went anywhere near that stuff. I was allowed to take risks and mix with all sorts of people, but I made sure I didn't do anything that made me step out of line with my parents. They would have destroyed me, and still would now. I also happen to think it's not a sensible life choice. And the reason why I think like that is that even though I grew up around people who did think that doing illegal and potentially fatal things was okay, I was taught that the opinions of those people weren't relevant or helpful to society. And I was taught that by my family and the communities that I've grown up in.

I keep seeing half-baked projects trying to teach black kids to be strong and shout proudly, "I'm black!", but never any that teach kids how to interact with other people. I know I'm black. Unless you're blind, it's blatantly obvious. Everybody tells me I'm black. But I'm also sensible and [with a few character flaws] a decent person that tries to get on with others. And looking at the figures, I'm probably in a majority of 85%. And these people suffer for 15%. Well, it's just not on. Maybe we should fight back the way we were taught - by ignoring or chastising these people so intent on messing things up for everyone else.

But really, nobody wins. The pain just spreads as we walk around wondering what to do next. But no one is getting angry with these people.

Well, I am angry.

Why should I have to be in this state? And why should you?

I read this last week: it has sat on my mind since then.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4277980.stm

For me, the well-oiled media exercises that were Live8 and G8, when held up to the light of this story, are shown as they have always been: vacuous, self-serving, impotent.