Our Behaviors Didn't Start Out As Destructive - They Were Protective

A recent discussion with friend proved to be rather eye-opening.  When looking at others within our culture, we are quick to point out "ratchet" behaviors and shy away from them.   Actually, I look at these same cultural irregularities and try to reason with myself as to why these things exist in our neighborhoods.

Have you ever seen a mother belittle her child when he/she is praiseworthy and wonder why?

Think about the fact that the smarter, more agile, stronger children were often taken away from their mothers for hundreds of years during the slave trade. As a natural parenting instinct, slave mothers who wanted to keep their families together would only speak poorly of their children although they wanted to praise them. If they spoke highly of them or if they were seen as smarter, faster, or stronger, the slave masters saw more work, more money, and capital gain from their “stock”. Naturally, we learned to belittle one another as a way of securing family ties; not destroying them. However, this learned behavior now has no place in modern day society but old habits are hard to break.

Have you ever wondered why we speak in slang / broken English? 

Slaves would sing songs that would tell each other where to meet, what time to be there, and what was happening after the master went to the “big house”. Many Negro spirituals are actually songs about running away, secretly meeting, or relying on the strength of others. Much of the colorful language we continue to use is “our own language” and it keeps others around us from knowing what we are saying – just long enough for us to accomplish a new goal. These colorful terms continue to change because (once they become mainstream) we have no use for them.