CHINCHECK
by Charlamagne Tha God cthagod@gmail.com
TOTEM POLE D
o you ever imagine what it would be like to see the world through the eyes of a racist white man from a small town in the South – for example, Jackson, Mississippi; Charleston, South Carolina; or even Jena, Louisiana? Imagine seeing the world through the eyes of someone like Strom Thurmond, former governor of South Carolina and United States Senator. In 1948, he ran for the United States Presidency on the third party ticket of the Dixiecrat party. During a campaign speech, Thurmond was quoted as saying, “I want to tell you ladies and gentlemen that there are not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigger race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches.” Strom Thumond also conducted the longest filibuster ever in opposition of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (I’ve got to break that word down for the hood: a “filibuster” is a device, used only in the Senate, to delay or prevent a vote by time-consuming talk). Basically, he was not feeling us negroes getting our civil rights! That same type of hate that Strom possessed is still embedded in millions of white people all across the country.
The most disturbing thing I’ve seen while looking through the eyes of a racist white man is the breakdown of how they categorize us. It’s almost like a totem pole. First are “African Americans.” This exclusive class is said to be what we are all labeled, but that is not the case! Racist white men think African Americans are non-threatening and usually involved in politics and hold some type of government position. African Americans are extremely wealthy or do great humanitarian work – not to mention they’re either full-fledged or borderline Uncle Toms (i.e. Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Condoleeza Rice, Bill Cosby). Next on the totem pole are Coloreds. These are usually black folks who entertain the white man with their extraordinary abilities. You may hear white men whisper to each other, “That colored sure played that role well,” “That colored sure can jump high,” “That colored sure can dance,” and my favorite, “That colored sure can run the ball.” Examples include Denzel Washington, Michael Jordan, Halle Berry, and Emmitt Smith, especially after Dancing with the Stars.
It is scary to think that a strong majority of people who possess this blatant racism are in office as Presidents, Governors, and Senators. It is even scarier to think that there are law enforcement officials, policemen, and judges who share the same mentality. How can you protect and serve when you would rather prosecute and sentence? How can a court of law provide justice for us, when time and time again, they’ve proven themselves to be racially unjust against us?
Third on the totem pole are Blacks – Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Spike Lee, and Dave Chappelle. These are all Black people. Dave Chappelle could’ve been a Colored but his show, although entertaining, was too socially conscious for the white man. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson could be African Americans, but they’re too threatening. They stand up for us too much. Spike Lee is not a colored because his movies, just like the Chappelle Show, are also too socially conscious. After creating movies like Malcolm X and Bamboozled you will never be in the white man’s good graces.
The proof is in the pudding. You can go as far back as the Rodney King trial, where white officers were caught on tape beating the shit out of a black man but were still found “not guilty.” To bring us more up to date, recall the slow response of government officials when Hurricane Katrina hit. I know this was not just a black and white issue; it was also a rich and poor issue. I still wonder what the response would’ve been if that had been a town full of more poor white folk than black folk. We can also not overlook the injustice (which by the grace of God has been resolved) in Jena, Louisiana. School officials and law enforcement officials were all working together to hang (pun intended) six black students in a court of law!
Finally, on the bottom of the totem pole are Niggers. In America, most of us that get caught up in this matrix called the Hip Hop generation are niggers! Jay-Z and Diddy, as wealthy as they are, are just a couple rich rapping niggers to the white man. Michael Vick, as entertaining as he was on the field to the white man, was way too hood to ever be considered anything but a nigger. White men at the Falcons games used to say, “Damn, that nigger is quick on his feet.” Now he is known as that dumb, dog-fighting nigger. Niggers buy ridiculous amounts of gaudy jewelry, get a whole lot of tattoos, and drive cars more expensive than their houses. If it was up to the white man, niggers would all be in caskets or prison cells.
Through the eyes of a prejudiced white man, Rodney King getting his ass kicked by those cops was like the feeling you used to get when you finally beat Mike Tyson in “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out” for the first time! Through the eyes of a racist white man, watching our people suffer through Hurricane Katrina was like a d-boy watching Young Jeezy go platinum!
So ladies and ghettomen, after reading this, what have we learned today? Charlamagne Tha God is a NIGGER, with way too much time on his hands! Until next time my niggers (cause only niggers read OZONE). //
24 // OZONE MAG
- Charlamagne Tha God