The Making of a Thug

[mack_black]

The Making of a Thug

Minister Paul Scott


In dealing with the patience that it took to deal with those brothers who
were less culturally aware during the Black Power Era of the 60's, someone
said that "every Negro is a potential Black man." In the 21st century; "The
Afrikan Power Era" our slogan should be "every Thug is a potential Afrikan."

It is imperative that we look at this Thug/gangsta image that has been held
up as the essence of "black manhood" and more importantly the ramifications
that it has for Black men, Black women and most importantly, Black children.

If we trace the creation of the "Thug" we must, of course, start with the
destruction of the black masculinity during the African Holocaust
(transatlantic slave trade.) Before the Africans were brought here bound in
chains, they had been stripped of their manhood through an intense
"seasoning" process, the horrors of which have never been fully realized by
this society. Upon arrival to America, the enslaved African was treated like
one of the animals of the field and was used for two purposes labor and
"breeding." It has been recorded that many Black men were lynched right in
front of their pregnant wives so the fear that she felt would be transferred
into the unborn child. It is also said that the slave owner would sometimes
snatch a black woman away from her
husband in the middle of the night and make the husband watch as he brutally
raped her; further stripping him of his masculinity.

After the end of "physical" slavery instead of declining,! the attack on
black manhood intensified as the white man never would forget to "put the
black man in his place" by constantly regarding him as "boy" regardless of
the age. That is why we have so many "men' behaving as "boys" today. I have
heard it said that the trend of "sagging" (walking around with your pants
hanging off your behind) which many of our young people think is so cool,
came about because when a white man would see a black man with his pants
pulled up, he would make him drop them down because "only men were supposed
to wear their pants pulled up."

Later during the Civil Rights era while the emphasis should have been on
regaining our manhood and culture, the mainstream Civil Rights groups
concentrated heavily on sharing a toilet or a lunch counter with white
folks.
One of the main failures of the Civil Rights Movement was focusing on
integration instead of the social, economic and spiritual empowerment of the
Black community. We bent over backwards to love white folks while all the
while hating our black selves.

We made an attempt to recapture our Black manhood during the Black Power Era
of the late 60's and early 70's but that was quickly crushed by COINTELPRO
and other attempts by the white power structure to make sure the
transformation from boys to men would never take place.

All of this has led to an internalized anger which, when coupled with the
conscious or subconscious fear of white power, has produced the Thug image
of
today. Where the fear was too great to challenge white supremacy, head on, a
pseudo-culture was created which allowed the Black man to let out his
aggression without becoming a threat to the white power structure. It has
also given him the ability to search for self respect in material things,
clothing with the name of a white man on the label or gold medallions. The
MEDIA (MisEducation Destroying Intelligent Afrikans) has been a willing ally
in t! his endeavor with the movies that have degraded the black man from the
pimp/player roles in the black exploitation movies of the early 70's ( Super
Fly, the Mack) to the gangsta flix of the late 80's to the present (Menace
to
Society, Belly etc)

The effect on the black community has been devastating. The reason that you
have 30 something year old men acting like teenagers is because thug life
has
no age limit.

When I was a rebellious teen we would laugh at anyone over 21 still "trying
to be down" Because the bad boy image was seen as something that kids did.
Today, every other song on the radio is about grown men trying to be
Thugs/gangsters as if that is something to be proud of. Some of the rappers
have sons that carry the same Thug image as their fathers (Lil Romeo and
Master P) There is something very wrong with that.

Recently, I listened to a sister on the radio telling the DJ how she needed
a
man with a "little Thug in him." It is sad that while the sisters of
previous
generations wanted a man to give her R-E-S-P-E-C-T. some of our less
conscious sisters today want a man to treat them thuggishly.

We are currently raising a generation of young people that has no sense of
black culture outside of the Thug culture. When asked to name two black men
who "died for the struggle" instead of naming Malcolm X and Fred Hampton
they
will tell you quickly Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. Or if ask them
the meaning of political prisoner they will say "Yeah, that's what they
tried
to do to Puff Daddy."

What our community is missing is a complete analysis of the Thug Life
phenomenon in the context of the Afrikan Liberation Struggle. We cannot let
the "fear of blaming the white man for all our problems" or the fear of
"preaching hate" prevent us from giving our people a correct historical
analysis of the condition of Afrikan people. We must give our young people a
sense o! f culture. We must remove the red and blue bandanna's from the
heads
of our children and replace them with the Afrikan Liberation colors of red,
black and green. We must replace their gang signs with Black Power fists
raised proudly in the air. We must replace Black self hate with black love
for all black people, We must replace the desire to be a Thug with the
desire
to be a strong Afrikan man fighting for the liberation of his people.



comments? thoughts?

[HulaSista]

Mack…very interesting……

What about the black woman as a result of what this minister is speaking?

Could the fact that we are out here having multiple babies reflect that iimage that our husbands were killed in front of us?

Could the fact that we are out here having these multiple babies by multiple daddies show that we are looking for that strong black man?

Why do we want a man with a little thug in him? Why aren’t men like Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Jesse Jackson attractive to us? Do these men have the abilities to be thugs? Is that a relevant question? Could it be that they rise above such imagery?



:confused:

[mack_black]

Those are great questions from a woman's perspective...now I gotta think....

[HulaSista]

Originally posted by HulaSista+

Why do we want a man with a little thug in him? Why aren’t men like Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Jesse Jackson attractive to us? Do these men have the abilities to be thugs? Is that a relevant question? Could it be that they rise above such imagery?



In addition to this question:

Are politically advanced black men "bad" for the image of a black woman? Does being with such a man stigmatize us as one that is going against the grain because we choose to support politically active black men? Like in the days of the Panthers, some of them fled the country to save their lives, including the women who were Panthers.

Why aren't we willing to stand up and fight without being worried about what our family, friends and non-black society thinks? Does that man have to be Bob Marley (Get Up Stand UP!) for our cause as black women to be acceptable to the whites (since the love the hell outta some reggae and Marley)??????

Is it that much easier to conform to the norm and expectations that we should settle for our administrative asst. to the white man job and for the sake of employeement, we tell the black man, this is your fight not mine? The white man has always taken care of me. It is you that is hunted?

[Brightness]

Hmmm. . . I feel like I am missing some of the basis for his reasoning.

I think the 'thug mentality or personality' is something the Black man has created for himself not something that was thrust upon him. I agree with the internalized anger and hate that Black men have. I think that being a thug falsely helps them to feel empowered and strangely enough, respected or feared.

Perhaps women are attracted not to the thug so much as they are attracted to some of the raw qualities that thugs exhibit which don't seem to be apparent in the so-called well-mannered Black man.

How is it that Black men can, will and do die everyday "protecting or representing" neighborhoods that aren't theirs? How is it that this same energy isn't put into "protecting and representing" their families or their race? How is it Black men spout about the problem but do nothing productive towards a solution?

[mack_black]

Originally posted by Brightness+
.....Perhaps women are attracted not to the thug so much as they are attracted to some of the raw qualities that thugs exhibit which don't seem to be apparent in the so-called well-mannered Black man.......

Brightness....what do you mean by this statement...ya lost me here.... :confused:

[Brightness]

Some women say they are attracted to the thug type man because he is unpredictable, reckless, doesn't take any shit from anyone, etc. This a direct contradiction to the typical well-mannered man who is perceived as boring.

Does that explain the statement a little better?

[mack_black]

Somewhat.....

As the beautiful woman you are, what do you prefer?

[HulaSista]

Originally posted by Brightness+
Some women say they are attracted to the thug type man because he is unpredictable, reckless, doesn't take any shit from anyone, etc. This a direct contradiction to the typical well-mannered man who is perceived as boring.


i don't think its a contridiction. they APPEAR to be the opposite, so, i think its just about appearance. the well mannered man who is percieved as boring is the same as a thug type man, except he dress differently and speaks differently.

i think a thug type man can transform himself to the well mannered type. Judge Mathis is a perfect example. From thug to judge...now that is what i am talking about.

[Brightness]

I like the typical, well-mannered ones who are perceived as boring. . . .they sometimes have a way of proceeding to dispel that stereotype.

[Melotic]

Originally posted by Brightness+
I like the typical, well-mannered ones who are perceived as boring. . . .they sometimes have a way of proceeding to dispel that stereotype.

[Melotic]

Originally posted by HulaSista+
Mack…very interesting……

What about the black woman as a result of what this minister is speaking?

Could the fact that we are out here having multiple babies reflect that iimage that our husbands were killed in front of us?

Could the fact that we are out here having these multiple babies by multiple daddies show that we are looking for that strong black man?

Why do we want a man with a little thug in him? Why aren’t men like Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Jesse Jackson attractive to us? Do these men have the abilities to be thugs? Is that a relevant question? Could it be that they rise above such imagery?



:confused:

Alot of what you think are thugs... Are really homo~thugs... Like, Babyboy...

Just because a brotha is educated and not ghetto, don't mean he can knock a nigga out, when he gets dissed...

[misha]

It is very true that this generation has no idea of the struggles of black people in the 50's and 60's. If they did, more people would vote, more would be proud of and embrace our culture instead of trying to fit in with the majority.

It has become more important to seek approval in blue eyes instead of uniting and uplifting one another.

[Tastey]

So many points, where do I begin?

First of all the sagging pants reference is wrong.

The sagging pants grew out of a culture that embraces prison life. In prison men are given oversized clothes that sag. Young men now look up to the brother that can do 5-10 standing on his head, so they began to dress like them.

I do agree somewhat the the white man tried to strip the black man of his manhood however I feel that the black man eventually began to help this stripping of manhood along.

Black men during slavery had children they never knew, never saw and were used as breeders...black men today...are making breeders out of themselves. They believe spreading seed makes them a man.

The black woman during slavery was called upon to be the head of her household to be the rearer of not only her child...but sometimes the white children as well. She had to learn to survive during pain, she had no protector except God, so she learned not to need or want one.

After slavery when you have men, who have been stripped of their manhood and women who been called upon to take on the man's role...therein was conflict.

I agree instead of concentrating on rebuilding our families, and reconnecting with who we were, our focus became assimilating into white America...becoming accepted by them by becoming like them.

During slavery black lovingly referred to their parents as Mammy and Pappy...but later because it wasn't what WHITES did, we decided those terms were insulting and we need to call our parents Mamma and Daddy, or Moms and Pops...like white America.

Being BLACK as night was revered during slavery. The blacker the man or woman the more attractive...then we adopted the white man's sense of beauty...

Now blacks are searching for something they've lost and the Thug mentality has been borne of that. They believe being black means wearing twists or cornrows, and being tough.

I think that if blacks are truly interested in who they are...they need to take the time to learn who they WERE. They need to take the time to research not just the brutalities of slavery...but what was the slave like inside...when he/she returned to slave row at night...what were their thoughts, their feelings, thier hopes, dreams, did they even dream?

Our families are disconnected, few people know relatives past thier grandparents...if they know them. We live thousands of miles from each other and rarely speak. We are losing our history and our children are grasping at straws trying to find themselves by becoming thuggish.

I am attracted to the intelligent thug. The college educated brother in the 3 piece suit, with twists or cornrows in his hair who knows his African heritage because he reads, and studies...not because of a movie he watched once.

[Melotic]

I think we are so lost, we are blinded... We have so much power and influence in this society, but it's has not even begin to be tapped into... It's a damn shame to waste talent, like this...
:p;):blast

[HulaSista]

Originally posted by Melotic+
I think we are so lost, we are blinded... We have so much power and influence in this society, but it's has not even begin to be tapped into... It's a damn shame to waste talent, like this...
:p;):blast

i think some of us have. like the black billionaire and ceo's of recent. and few more beneath them have as well.

its us (dare i say it) few common folks, or, middle class and below folks that are like this.

[Vronni]

Great topic,mack. I think that as a people,we have lost our identity and don't appreciate our history. Most people don't recognize the struggles that blacks went through during the civil rights era. We know the name of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and that's it . How many people really know about the Little Rock Nine, the SNCC,Core,the Black Panthers??? Our heroes today are usually rappers who talk about sleeping with countless women,married or not,or shooting someone. Blacks who have attained wealth and power are not doing nearly enough to help those that are struggling in the inner city. They are just adding mo' money to their bank accounts. We as a people spend billions on clothes,jewelry and cars but not on black schools, in black banks and black stores. It's much more common to have a babymomma or baby daddy than a wife or husband. Our movies are usually about gangsters or buffoons-a modern day minstrel show. So,Until we start taking pride in ourselves and stop focusing on the eurocentric,capitalistic model of "me,me,me" and unite-thinking in terms of us,things aren't going to change (at least not for the better)....

[mystkev]

Originally posted by Vronni+
Great topic,mack. I think that as a people,we have lost our identity and don't appreciate our history. Most people don't recognize the struggles that blacks went through during the civil rights era. We know the name of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and that's it . How many people really know about the Little Rock Nine, the SNCC,Core,the Black Panthers??? Our heroes today are usually rappers who talk about sleeping with countless women,married or not,or shooting someone. Blacks who have attained wealth and power are not doing nearly enough to help those that are struggling in the inner city. They are just adding mo' money to their bank accounts. We as a people spend billions on clothes,jewelry and cars but not on black schools, in black banks and black stores. It's much more common to have a babymomma or baby daddy than a wife or husband. Our movies are usually about gangsters or buffoons-a modern day minstrel show. So,Until we start taking pride in ourselves and stop focusing on the eurocentric,capitalistic model of "me,me,me" and unite-thinking in terms of us,things aren't going to change (at least not for the better).... Oooh I hear you, especially about the people or events that we don't really know, but shaped our history in a major way. Charles Hamilton Houston is who comes to mind for me. What is Core?

[Tastey]

Well put Vronni...well put.

[Vronni]

mystkev,CORE is the Congress of Racial Equality. It is headed by Roy Innis. Years ago,he got into that infamous fight with a skinhead on the Geraldo show,when Geraldo got his nose broken. From the CORE official website : "Founded in 1942, CORE is the third oldest and one of the "Big Four" civil rights groups in the United States. From the protests against "Jim Crow" laws of the 40's to the "Sit-ins" of the 50's and the "Freedom Rides" of the 60's; through the cries for "Self-Determination" in the 70's and "Equal Opportunity" in the 80's to the struggle for community development in the 90's, CORE has championed true equality for all people"

[mystkev]

That's a damn shame I have never heard about it, I'm going to look up more info.

[Andre98]

But Mack, to me, that is far more historial and scientific explanation than is necessary to pinpoint why Moe moe and Cecil are hanging out on the corners raising havoc.

I believe we give " the white man" too much credit for actually giving a f... about us enough to actively seek our continuing opression, culturally speaking. Because that's where we have to draw the line...the literal and the figurative. Every brother in West Philly that I grew up, when those times came to choose the right path, to make decision that can have an impact on the direction of one's life, they had the same opportunities that I had, and though it was a tight-rope walk, to avoid becoming a victimizer or a victim of the streets, they did not lack for a home life that wasn't as working class and solid any more than I did. I know this doesn't speak for everyone...the last thing I want to do is wash over every thing with broad assumptions. All I am trying to say is we, as Black people are far to lenient with each other...we accept sub par behavior, and even though living conditions can be poor, there is no excuse for the lack of respect for one's self and one's "cultural family". No one wants to be the villian, and many even fear physical reprisals, so the families that throw their garbage in the streets, the parents than lets their small children run rampant at those tender ages when it's crucial to get them on track before you lose them to adolescence.... there is no more effective means to set things right than that with we have already, our pride.

I personally feel the actual thugs,...the adults that have been criminally minded for years are lost...the best and most humane thing we can do is keep recycling them through rehab and jail as they ebb and flow in their misery. There are remarkable stories of redemption, but they are few and far between. We lost about two generations out of approxinmately four since "we" found ourselves free of many (not all) legal means that opressed us. It is always going to seem easier to take what some else has than to work for it yourself, that is has old as time itself. The secondary thug, the fashionable one is the most dangerous in my eyes. It's what we perceive as the desirable person that we want to be. The cool one, the popular, the wild one...it starts from out first childhood experiences of socialization. We have to reach the children before they get their heads turned. We have to "grow" a stronger, more principled person. In 20 or 30 years, a difference can be seen if this goal is adhered to. In the mean time, the turmoil that we face right now is what to do with those that are so far behind that they simply are never going to make up for the lost development. Here on the Hush Board, we are all preaching to each other's "choirs", because we are talking about some other person that needs to get their act together. Simply because they look like us, we feel a nobility, a duty to say "we". But how many of us that have been able to eek out some existence, how much can we afford to sacrifice to put our thoughts into action. God bless those that chose professions that take them deep into the most obliterated parts of inner cities to teach or do social work, but that aint me. I know I don't yhave to patience to try to personally help folks on grass roots level. I did as a kid, when I lived at home and my expensives were sneakers and 45 singles. I don't have that benevolent heart anymore. There are living breathing, walking and talking fellow citizens among us that are simply morons! No programs, no reparations check for $48.56 is going to set it right. Public Assistance is, and will always be necessary to try to keep the children from starving, and the public housing does though it's never enough. They feel that frustration and it angers them, but we are limited in what we can do to make it all better.

Sorry for the dark cloud... but the way academics are ignored in favor of street credibility, I have no love for this cult of fashionable or real thuggery. I see certain brothers every day in NYC on the train or streets. Loud, ig'nant and proud. And not just as a rite of passage. This goes beyond exhuberant youth. Boys will be boys, but boys willalso be men that are still boys. All the historical context does not explain basic decency and manner in public not to cuss in front of women and children, detailing the most intimate particulars of how you "dicked down this hoe". That line Sidney Poitier had in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" applied to the older generation and came out in the late 50s, but i think it applies in theory to one's need to be responsibile for themselves as achievers. ".... You have got to get off of my back!"