Being Pro-Black & Broke

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I got this friend of mines that I talk to rather frequently about a variety of different topics ranging from STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) to family life, a little bit of politics, to real estate, to the state of the black community.  Most of the time our talks center around center around STEM and the state of the black community and the reason we both talk about these 2 subjects so much is because both of us are STEM professionals.  As you all know or should know by now, but if you are new here, well I’m an IT professional with over a decade experience in IT with the matching degrees and certifications.  I primarily deal with information security in the IT world.  My friend, he’s a software programmer or software engineer that works for a major corporation and he’s also married to a pediatrician.  So when he and I get to talking about STEM especially as it relates to the world of IT, one of the things we always like to point out in a rather sad but honest way is how there really aren’t that many black people in IT compared to the number of whites, Asians & Indians.  Matter of fact, he shared a picture with me recently of a bunch of interns working in his office.  The picture had about 8 people in it and I believe it was like split down the middle between men and women.  In this picture I noticed that there wasn’t one black intern in the picture.  Everybody was either white, Asian or Indian…maybe one hispanic.  So I jokingly said to him, “So you trying to be the only black face up in there…you not trying to have any competition?”  Now he knew I was joking, but the truth of the matter is, in regards to what he specifically does, he told me that sadly he couldn’t find any qualified black candidates to take on as interns.  Now not to go to deep into detail of what he does for a living, but essentially he’s fluent in a lot of computer languages and for those of you who know a little bit about the IT world, coders are typically the second highest paid people in IT.  At the top of chain are your Mark Zuckerberg’s and Jeff Bezos where they create a company & go on to become tech billionaires.  The programmers are typically the ones who get paid the big bucks next to design the functionality of these companies along with other various aspects related to those companies.  Then the next level is people like me who are charged with protecting these IT infrastructures from hackers, insider threats etc….and on & on it goes all the way down to the guy tasked with resetting your user password.  But the point is, he works in a field of IT where making over 6 figures a year is pretty much standard operating procedures.  But in order to get to that level required a lot formal education, attaining his respective certifications & getting a lot of work experience.  But he pretty much said that when it came time to looking for interns that he couldn’t find any qualified black interns who fit the requirements to be an intern in the department for the corporation that he works for.  As a matter of fact, he also told me that in just his department alone, it’s only a handful of black people who work there and out of those black people, he’s the only one who actually works in IT.  Every other black person in his department does some type of admin type of work.

So the reason I’m bringing all of this up is because he’s always telling me how he’s constantly called a coon.  And him being labeled a coon is not related to him hating black people or voting for pretending that he’s a chocolate covered white person.  He tells me that he’s constantly called a coon simply based on his current level of success in addition to the type of money he makes and the type of neighborhood he lives in.  I have no idea how much money he makes, but between he and his wife (whom she just happens to be a doctor…a black woman mind you) I imagine they’re doing pretty damn well and living in a pretty damn good community with great schools.  Now some of you are reading this and automatically assuming that living in a good neighborhood with good schools automatically implies that he lives around white people, and you could possibly be correct.  He and I talk about this as well and what we both agree upon is this:  GOOD.  If the good community we live in with good schools is predominately white, then so be it.  Who wants to live in “bad” communities with bad schools in the first damn place.  Now if you are reading this and you automatically associate the word “bad” with being synonymous for black then that should tell you a lot about how you feel about yourself as a black person to begin with.  But regardless of where he lives, the mere fact that people like he & I are called coons for simply wanting to excel in life to make the most money and provide the best life we can for our families is somewhat ridiculous when you think about it.

You often hear how too many knee grows like to go around chanting “I’m a real nigga…I’m a real nigga”, but what the hell does that actually mean?  In most cases it simply means, “I’M A BROKE NIGGA I’M A BROKE NIGGA” because damn near every “real nigga” I tend to come across on or offline, 9 times out of 10, these are some of the brokest niggas you’ll ever meet.  Sure, they’ll be fresh to def dressed in the latest fashions, they’ll be driving the cool looking cars & they’ll be snatching up some decent looking chicks; but once you get past the cosmetics of their lifestyle, a lot of these knee grows really don’t have shit going for themselves other than an impressive Jordan and Gucci belt collection.  These same real niggas often times don’t have any significant money stashed in the bank, they have no formal education nor do they have any real valuable skill set that’s truly in demand.  A lot of these knee grows just have a good mouthpiece for telling everybody who will listen to them about how much of a “real nigga” they are and they things they want to do in life, yet very few every do anything of significance beyond just existing.  Also, a lot of these so-called “real niggas” will be the first ones to coon-call you death if they determine that you aren’t pro-bliggity black black enough because you haven’t ordered a copy of Hidden Colors or you don’t run around blaming every single damn thing imaginable under the sun on racism and white supremacy.  They’ll attempt to “pro-black” you or “coon-call” you to death in an effort to prove just how much of a “real nigga” they are and how down for the “community” they are.  But here’s the real deal with a lot of these knee grows:  the overwhelming vast majority of these pro black “real niggas” will spend the remainder of their lives BROKE and forever blaming the white man.

You see if we’re gonna keep it all the way real here, you first have to realize that being pro-black in America is quite possibly a guaranteed way for you as a black person to remain broke.  As a matter of fact, I guess it’s fair to say that the words “pro black” is synonymous for being broke.  Now let me clarify a little bit as to what I mean.  Technically, there is nothing wrong with being pro-black and being for your people and all of that wonderful stuff, but realistically, the overwhelming vast majority of pro-blacks out there cannot survive and thrive off of their pro-blackness.  Only a handful can, like the Tariq Nasheeds, Jason Blacks & Dr. Umar Johnson types.  And truth be told, those who can survive off of being pro-black, well, they typically have to develop a cult-like following around them in order to solicit those “pro-black” funds to ensure that they never have to go work for the white man.  Now on the surface there’s nothing wrong with that, black people supporting a black person who’s speaking a language and a philosophy black people wanna hear similar to how a preacher preaches to his congregation.  But just like preachers, typically the preachers are the only ones who can create a business model and a lifestyle that is fully supported off of their philosophies that they are preaching onto their followers, especially the big preachers like Creflo Dollar.  And this is the same way it works when it comes to the “chosen few” that black people have elevated as the leaders or thought leaders of black society when it comes to discussing issues related to being pro-black, conscious, racism and white supremacy.  Meanwhile, the rest of the knee grow population, after they get done with their Wednesday & Sunday sermons, they have to go clock in for Mr. Charlie the following day to make Mr. Charlie his money while Mr. Charlie pays them just enough to survive one more month.

Side Note:  A lot of black people go to church on Wednesdays and Sundays, have you ever noticed that Tariq Nasheed drops his podcast on iTunes on a Wednesday and does his live show on YouTube on a Sunday?  I’ve noticed that.  I just thought I’d point out that similarity between Reverend Pork Chop and Tariq Nasheed.

But anyways, to get back on topic here…

While the rest of the knee grow population who subscribes to being bliggity black black, coon-calling and forever being on the hunt for white supremacists and pretending to prepare for a race war…well, the overwhelming vast majority of these knee grows have to go clock in for Mr. Charlie because Mr. Charlie isn’t paying them enough to be full blown bliggity black black on the clock.  They have to reserve those activities for their breaks, lunch and off hours.  And they better not become to loud with their bliggity black black messages either or else Mr. Charlie may have to make up a reason to fire them, which would actually become a self-fulfilling prophecy for most of these pro blacks who will turn right around and say, “SEE IT’S WHITE SUPREMACY!!!”  But while they are running around calling Mr. Charlie a white supremacists, they’ll more than likely be putting in an application to work for Mr. Harry, another white guy, because chances are they are not going to find a pro-black business owner who owns a legit business outside of a barber salon, hair salon, or t-shirt shop who will hire them.  Why?  Because there simply aren’t that many black owned businesses to begin with and we all know how too many black people love to talk about supporting black businesses, but don’t actually support them.  Case in point, did y’all see the video of that sista with big booty handing out flyers to all the black customers in that Asian nail salon to inform them of her salon?

Did y’all see towards the end of that video how ole buddy who was holding the camera gave a flyer to that one black woman who came in and he was telling her how she should support black businesses due to how these Asian shops have been treating black people?  Did you see how ole girl simply took the flyer and proceeded to look at wall of what the Asian store had to offer and pretended as if she was listening to the dude holding the camera?  How much you wanna bet she and probably every other black patron in that Asian salon whom ole girl with the big booty gave a flyer to probably threw those flyers in the trash? 

Side note:  What do you think would have happened if an Asian lady came up in ole girl with the big booty’s nail salon and started passing out flyers?  You think big booty would have let that shit slide?  HELL NO SHE WOULDN’T.  But I do find it amazing how the asians appear to have let it slide.  It’s almost as if the Asians are so damn confident in their patrons being loyal to them that they don’t give a damn about black people coming in there to solicit their black customers because the Asians know these black customers aren’t going anywhere because even the Asians know that black people don’t really support black businesses.  I just thought I’d point that tidbit out real quick.

But back to being a coon…

Black people like to call other black people coons for damn near any reason these days.  I like peanut butter, you like jelly…one of us is leaving that argument labeled a coon.  Now calling a black person a coon a few years ago did have a legit meaning and that was typically reserved for the likes of Sheriff David Clarke and Stacey Dash who purposely went out of their way to shit on black people, but nowadays, everybody can be called a coon for the most trivial reasons.  And if these trivial reasons are allowed to persist, then the word coon has no real meaning; which is why I don’t really use the word anymore these days.

But another reason black people like to label other black people a coon is simply because they may see another black person doing better in life than they are, as in the case of my homeboy who says he’s always called a coon simply due to his income and lifestyle.  And we all know what he’s saying to be true.  How many times have we seen a black person who started off broke, end up becoming a celebrity, start making some real money, they’re lifestyle increases, their circles of influence begin to change and all the broke “real niggas” who didn’t have the talent to keep up or even join the game start labeling that person a coon?  You see this when it comes to rappers, actors, ball players all the way down to the black person who finally got his money right and moved his black ass up outta the hood.  The mere fact that he/she put themselves in a better financial position in life which grants them the ability to navigate different circles is literally all it takes for a person to be called a coon.  Even if a black person hasn’t reached a certain financial position in life, just the mere fact that they are trying to better themselves to oneday be in a better financial position is often times enough to get that black person labeled a coon, a sellout or an Uncle Tom.  Then you’ll have some knee grows saying, “Well, when they do come up…why not stay around your peoples!”  Why?  So that this black person can become a target because we know way too many of our “peoples” are broke and still possess a hood nigga mentality.  I mean come on, every last one of you who grew up in the hood or are currently living in the hood, you know that the moment that you could afford to move out of the hood, you would be gone with the quickness and stop pretending like you wouldn’t.  But should that be enough to have you labeled a coon because you want to live a better lifestyle and expand your horizons?  No it shouldn’t, but unfortunately, it will be enough to get you labeled a coon.  

My homeboy (and I to a certain degree, not as much as him) he gets labeled a coon simply because he’s educated, works in a career field that pays him a lot of money and lives in a nice neighborhood that may or may not have too many other black people living at, but why should he be ashamed of that in order to not risk being labeled a coon?  Matter of fact, why should any of you be ashamed of trying to improve yourselves in order to not risk being labeled a coon so that you can continue on with upholding the moniker of being a “real nigga” who’s all about black empowerment.  I’ve told you all before that the words “black empowerment” is nothing more than a slogan to make people feel good at the end of the day.  You see another cop beating up on a black person or an Asian giving a sista a roundhouse kick to her head and that’s when the BLACK EMPOWERMENT chants typically start coming out.  Aside from purchasing a DVD from Tariq Nasheed or Jason Black or putting a few bucks in the super chat of your favorite pro-black YouTuber that you tune into, where else can you honestly see black empowerment being enacted on a regular basis to where those enacting black empowerment are truly benefitting from black empowerment other than getting a high off of pumping their black fist in the air in opposition to the man and the system of white supremacy?  You don’t see it and chances are you are not going to see it to the level where you actually know somebody in real life surviving and thriving off of black empowerment.

Here’s what the typical trajectories of black empowerment, being pro-black and coon-calling often that the average black person will follow:

1. After you come down off your high of screaming to the top of your lungs about black empowerment and down with the white supremacy and all of that, you’ll soon realize that none of that anger is doing anything in your life to help put more money in your pocket or elevate your lifestyle.  So you’ll revert back to being the everyday average knee grow who understands that we live in a country that is dominated by white people and white institutions and you’ll just try to get in where you fit in so that you can increase your earning potential and overall lifestyle.  Sure you may harbor some pro-black feels, but you’ll calm the hell down because you’ll realize that those feels are nothing more than just feels that can’t be converted into real world use that you could actually extract some real tangible benefit from to help your overall life out.
2. The other reason is, you’ll spend the remainder of your life fighting every single thing that this dominated white country has put in place simply because the people who put there are white.  You’ll spend every waking minute screaming in some form to the top of your lungs that “I’m black y’all, I’m blackedy black and I’m black y’all”.  You’ll spend the remainder of your life being either broke or just above broke because you never really learned a real skill or you honestly thought you could make a way to truly survive and thrive in a country that has told you for hundreds of years to get down or lay down and that whites run the scene.  Essentially, you’ll go to your grave angry and broke.  Hardly any of you will be able to prosper or simply make a decent full time living running full speed ahead off of pro-black rhetoric like that of a Tariq Nasheed.

Now these are just the facts ladies and gentleman.  Just the facts B.

Anyways, let me wrap all of this up.  Coon-calling has devolved into a pointless word because it simply has not real meaning and no value anymore.  Knee grows are genuinely calling other black people coons who don’t subscribe to that “real nigga” mentality or don’t blindly subscribe to that “pro-black bliggity black black” mentality simply because those of us who don’t subscribe to either know that it’s often times a guaranteed way to ensuring that one remains broke with extremely limited opportunities and options in life.  If you are cool with that or you currently have put yourself in a position to have very limited opportunities and options, then I say run full speed with declaring to the world just how bliggity black black you can be and how you are preparing for a race war and will fight white supremacy with every fiber of your being.  I say do that shit & do it big because quite frankly, you are literally in a position with nothing to lose and truth be told, nothing to gain.  For the rest of you who have dreams of making more money and living a better lifestyle than you may currently be living, I suggest as you start creeping up on your 30s and begin to roll into you 40s (assuming you are a young person in your 20s), you may wanna re-evaluate just how beneficial being bliggity black black actually is and just how far you can excel with your bliggity black blackness to where your bliggity black blackness can truly provide a decent income and lifestyle for you.  Because once you cross the threshold of being 30, for some reason, time seems to start moving faster & bills and responsibilities seem to start increasing at a much rapid pace.  If you couldn’t manage to turn your bliggity black blackness into something that could truly financially provide for you in your 20s as to where it could carry you on well beyond your 30s, chances are you’re not and chances are you are going to have to carry your “bliggity black black, down with white supremacy” self right on back to the very white folks who control damn near every institution in this country to ask for a job because chances are Umar, Tariq and Jason Black, well, they’ve probably already met their “nigga quota” for hiring blacks and it’s probably just 3 or 4 at max.  Chances are you aren’t going to meet a Brotha Shabazz or Sista Rasheeda who has a real job waiting for you that you could just ease on into and turn all the way the hell up with the bliggity black blackness unrestricted.  Chances are this is just not the case.  Now, I’m not telling you to turn into a coon in the manner of that of a Stacey Dash or Sheriff David Clarke, but you might wanna consider getting your “coon” in terms of becoming a black person who has an in-demand skill set that can pay you some above average decent money which could allow for you to afford to live an above average decent lifestyle compared to every other black person you know and maybe even possibly allow for you to siphon some of that money off to start an endeavor on the side of your own that you could nourish that could be beneficial for black people somehow.  Maybe you should consider joining the “coon squad” in terms of increasing your earning potential, but then again, you could just remain being a “real nigga” who’s keeping “all the way black and remaining on code”.  You could do that I suppose.  And if you do, when you roll into your 30s into your 40s and beyond, let’s come back and compare notes to see how overall who’s doing better in life and who’s actually in a better position to genuinely help other black people that doesn’t require another white supremacy sermon every Wednesday and Sunday evening.  We’ll call it “THE PRO-BLACK REAL NIGGA vs THE COON”.  Let’s see just how far you can take being a pro-black real nigga.