Once A Negus (Member of Royalty)

Please take a moment and listen to the rantings of this young man (in the video link below).

I found this video online and was skeptical about adding it to my blog site, but some of the points he makes are valid ones.  This video is not unique.  There are countless others which echo this young man's sentiment.  I must warn you; however, that there is flagrant use of the "n word", so, if you are easily offended, simply skip the video and read my commentary.  I would greatly appreciate your comments.

Sadly, I can only agree with portions of his social rant.  I understand his separation of the term from the identification of a culture, but the term "nigger" is often used to identify behavioral traits which exists as no more than tom foolery in every culture.  I can neither embrace or erase the term as it is somehow become ingrained in the African American culture, but not in my own day to day dialogue.

When the slanderous term was introduced to our culture in the 1700s, it was used as a way of demeaning someone and making them feel as if they were no longer a part of a social class.  Negroes were strong, proud tribes people who reveled in their culture, knew their heritage, and likened themselves to kings and queens.  To change their mindset, slave owners looked down upon them and (while they were forced to perform menial tasks, chained, beaten, or raped) they were called "niggers" repeatedly.  This forced a separation in the mindset of what a true Negro is versus the actions of a nigger.

Within our own culture, we began to identify anyone who was willing to demean themselves and act in a way unbecoming of a king or queen as  being no more than a nigger; no longer Negro.  Sellouts who were no longer worthy of the lineage of a warrior were considered to be no more than the oppressor's interpretation of a lower class, subservient worker.

Somehow, the word became a backwards slap in the face of so many who embraced acting out in order to get by; rather than learning how to get by without losing respect for themselves or their culture.  The ebonic derivative "nigga" soon emerged as a term of endearment.  It was said to be a way of desensitizing the terminology and taking it back from the racial radicals of the 1960s.  Although I cannot stand either term, this one was whispered into the ears of sweethearts, shown affectionately to friends, and even used as a term of male bonding and embraced on many street corners.

Rather than use either term, I would rather we look up another a third term and find solace in the true meaning of what it means to be negus: African royalty. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/negus.

Have you ever noticed how many African-American males are asked to dress as women in order to propel their careers?  Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, , The "Rock", Rockmond Dunbar, Ving Rhames, and even Will Smith and Leon have played cross-dressers or bisexual men on screen.  Although they may already be comedic geniuses or actors at the height of their careers, they open themselves up to public scrutiny as they are emasculated on screen while poking fun at their own culture.  Dressed as women, their onstage persona is allowed to inflate stereotypes and breed acceptance of exaggerated beliefs about our own culture.  The underlying message pokes fun at our cultural traditions and undermines the sincere nature of many of the issues that we wish to bring to the "big screen".  Why are so many actors of color asked to nullify their masculinity on stage while their Anglo counterparts are not?

Doing this keeps us from trying to resolve serious issues in our community because we are subconsciously taught to ignore them and, instead, only seek refuge in comical dismissal.  It's almost like we are being told that the serious issues that occur in the on-screen lives of the actors (financial planning, funerals, going to college, spousal abuse, or drug addiction) can be readily ignored as long as we eat a big Sunday meal and laugh at ourselves.

Think about it; Keyshia Knight-Pulliam was raped in one movie, Kimberly Elise was left homeless in another, and, as long as Madea used broken English or pretended to slap someone in the next scene, movie-goers left the theater satisfied.  We have been conditioned to suffer in silence instead of seeking counsel from friends, family, and professionals.  Serious issues were brushed aside and never discussed; just as we do all too often in real life.

African Americans have been bamboozled into believing that they must be extremists in order to "stand out" in society.  Our beautiful black women are wearing long, over-exaggerated weaves and dying their hair in an effort to become "beautiful" when, in fact, their very essence is the most pure and natural beauty there is.  Their open denial of their own physical characteristics impresses upon the minds of teens who desire to be "more like them."  Perhaps this stems from never seeing reflective images of themselves in modern-day media.  Must every successful black female singer be blonde with shoulder-length hair, an hour glass figure, sexually ambiguous, and of fair complexion?  Does every male singer have to be a walking display of tattoos with a police record and a strong disdain for responsibilities and fatherhood?  Is this coincidence or an could there be an underlying message; a subliminal handbook on genocide?

Our men are forgetting to grow up and trying to remain forever young by sagging and dressing the part of a teenager instead of becoming leaders in the household.  The term, "and a child shall lead them" was not meant to be misinterpreted in such a way.  Our children are not being challenged to remember a history rich in trials and triumphs because we falsely believe that we have arrived at a new plateau in American society, but we have, instead, learned to ignore racism and perpetuate self-hate.
 

Parents need to take a hold of their children and steer them away from foolishness that degrades our culture.  Cross-dressing actors are truly the Sambos and niggers (don't be offended, I say this affectionately) of modern day television.  Blonde wig wearing, colored contact lenses women are fooling our children into believing that they are not beautiful unless they forsake themselves.  Where do we draw the line on "comedy" and pick up the reigns of responsibility?  The A&E icons are now the modern day porch monkeys who are rallying others around the TV sets and filling their heads with nonsense.  Where does it end?  How do we begin a civil awakening; a revolution of the mind?

 

This holiday season, I encourage you all to give your family the greatest gift you can imagine.  Find the oldest person in your family and just sit and listen to them for an hour.  Let them tell you about what it took to walk down the streets and not be seen or heard rather than our now deliberate behavior of always being the funniest, loudest, and flashiest person in the room.  Give the gift of history and tradition.  Reclaim your royal legacy.  Learn what it took to be considered an African in America; to be negus instead of niggas.

Now, do I enjoy the music, fashions, and comedic slants of the pictured celebrities in this column? Absolutely.  They have their place within society.  Their accomplishments are to be applauded simply because they have achieved the goals that they set in their lives.  Without them, there would be no extreme examples from which we should only draw commentary; not lifestyles.  I just believe that there still lies a sense of social responsibility to fill in the void of knowledge that exists in these same, sometimes comedic, conversations that we suppress so willingly.

Alas, I digress. But, then again, this is just ONE Man's Opinion.... What is yours?