Can we grow out of “racial” tribalism?
Posted on BlackPlanet.com 11/20/09

Greetings to all!

When BP notifies me that someone has viewed my page, or sent me a note, I check out that person’s page A.S.A.P. Such is the case I’m writing about now, regarding some correspondence which took place about a year ago.

A young man who I’ll call “Thomas”, as in “Doubting Thomas”, (unless he wishes to identify himself) viewed my page about a year ago, so I went to check his page out. I didn’t see anything to interest me, but out of courtesy, I sent him a one-click note: What’s up? To my surprise, he sent a one-sentence response:

“I think you REALLY need to read my page.”

So I checked out his page again. What followed is the following brief correspondence.

(Don)

I agree with your blog question of March 31st, 2008. That never made much sense to me, either. (This was about women getting gold teeth and multiple tattoos.)

I, too, am a former Marine, stationed at NAS Millington (Memphis), MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., and Iwakuni, Japan, plus time on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway.

But I would hazard a guess that what you wanted me to see is your statement, “You may not agree with some of my views, (especially if you are open to interracial dating…)”. If this is a correct guess, then it would behoove me to inquire as to why you might have a problem with so-called “inter-racial” dating and/or relationships (notice the “so-called” and the quotes around “inter-racial”). If my guess is in error, I ask your forgiveness. But I make no apologies for my relationship choices. Love is, if not “color-blind”, then at the very least, doesn’t care about such superficial differences. If something I wrote on my page seems questionable to you, then by all means, let’s discuss it. As Jesus of Nazareth reportedly told his disciples, “Come, let us reason together.”

(Thomas)

My problem isn’t with you. Its with the black chick who feed into your sickness. You call our race “superficial”. I cannot disagree with you more. I am a realist. And in reality race does matter. They black chick you roll with know that as well.

(Don)

Yes, you are correct, “race” does matter, and it’s not superficial. However, skin color is, but only to the extent that it prevents people from recognizing the essential humanity of those who look different. That is what I meant by my statement, and if I wasn’t clear initially, I ask forgiveness.

I fully recognize that people of direct African descent in this country have had a rough go of things, to put it mildly. But in the long view, we are ALL of African descent, since humanity and society originated in Africa. We’re all part of the HUMAN “race.” Malcolm X recognized that, and grew out of his prior learnings from his earlier experiences and teachers.

I was raised in a family that had both closet and open bigots, and even as a child, I never understood what the big deal was. I was even beaten by an uncle who was in the Klan, for questioning him about this issue.

The two “black chics” you see on my page were each my wife (at different times, of course), and they’ve both passed on from this physical life. I loved (and still love) both of them to the fullest, and would not trade my time with them for anything. As Rita Coolidge sang, “I know I don’t walk on water, but I do believe that LOVE is the only color!”

If you see this as a sickness, that is only because you choose to do so. I won’t try to change your mind, but please be aware that what you put out into the Universe, is returned to you BY that same Universe; it’s called Karma, and no mere human agency can stop it, unless we fully learn the lesson it brings in the first place.

(Thomas)

I can see how you woo some desperate black chick who is looking for someone ANYONE to complete her.

But your “kung fu” is ineffective on me. First of all, I hate it when you “enlighten” white people try to defame Malcolm X. You are like a republican, with your revisionist history. Malcolm didn’t come back from Mecca embracing white people. He was speaking of the brotherhood of all men under ISLAM. Not in the general sense. That’s why when was forming the OAAU (Organization of Afro-American Unity) in June 1964. He said that whites can contribute, but they CAN’T Join! Citing that it is most important that blacks unify for their own good before allowing whites to participate.

Next. We as humans. Are a tribal species. We are wired that way for the protection and assurance of the species. All animals have this trait. Which why your uncle was the way he was. He was protecting his species. So please stop with the HUMAN soft sell. It sounds nice, but I am REALIST!

(Don)

You’re quite correct, Malcolm did not come back from Mecca “embracing white people”. I fully recognize this. Yet I stand by what Malcolm said upon his return. When asked, “What do you now stand for?”, he replied:

“I am for TRUTH, no matter who speaks it.

I am for JUSTICE, no matter who it is for or against.

I am a HUMAN BEING FIRST AND FOREMOST, and as such, I am for whatever will benefit HUMANITY AS A WHOLE.”

Yes, humans in general are a tribal species. I don’t dispute that. In truth, I would be foolish to even attempt to do so. However, we ARE CAPABLE of growing out of that tribalism. We’ve made a good start with the election of Barack Obama as our President, through the setting aside by the majority of Americans of that very tribalism. Can it stay set aside? Can we relegate that tribalism to the pages of history? In other words, CAN WE GROW AS A SPECIES?

The answer is a resounding (to borrow a phrase) YES WE CAN! But only if we, as a society AND AS INDIVIDUALS, make that choice, and then act on that choice, as Malcolm would say, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

(Thomas)

I’m gonna ask you one of the questions I put to black chicks fall from grace.

When are white guys taught and encouraged to love, honor, provide for, and protect black women? In a society, that does not.

Keep in mind Don. I hate what you do. Not what you are. There was a time in my youth where if I saw you in the streets with a black chick. There would be violence. But thanks to Sgt. Byte. I was dragged by the ear to became an “enlighten” black man.

(Don)

To answer your question: I can only speak for myself, not for any other so-called “white guys”. Truth is, I was never taught directly to love, honor, protect or provide for “black” women. In fact, I was discouraged from doing so. I taught myself, and life itself taught me.

As a teenager, I was attacked by a bunch of “white” kids because I refused to join their “gang”. I was rescued by a retired cop across the street, who just “happened” to be “black”.

In my senior year of high school, the first year of forced bussing in Florida, my mother suggested I bring my “girlfriend” home for dinner one Friday before going out to the dance. I did, thinking nothing of it. But when my mother saw the young lady, she said, “Get that g–damn n***** out of my house!” I left, and spent the next three nights at HER house, in her family’s spare bedroom. Her parents didn’t care that I was “white”, they cared that what my mother did was wrong.

I had a cousin in Viet Nam who was racist. He was heard to spout racist B.S. by a “black” corpsman. When a grenade went off in his foxhole a week or so later, killing his buddy and destroying his legs and one arm, that same corpsman pulled him out of there and back to the rear, then saved his life. He later married that corpsman’s sister, in spite of what our family thought or said.

Throughout my life, in times of trouble, I’ve been rescued and helped by “black” people, who showed me more human kindness than most “white” folk who just passed my by and went on with their own concerns.

But that’s what it will take for most people to wake up and smell the coffee, for life itself to teach them Truth.

Interestingly enough, before I read your email, my “inner angel” you might call it, suggested I read another email first. It was from another “black” man here on BP. After reading my page, he wrote, in part:

“If we had more people like you out here this country would be a better place. I’m not talking about white people, but of all races. They’re out there just waiting for the right time to shine.”

Notice he said people of ALL RACES. And he’s right, and more importantly, he’s CORRECT.

You call yourself an “enlightened black man”. Where does hate have anything to do with enlightenment? What happened to you that you “hate” what I do? Enlighten me, if you would, brother (for we are all brothers in God).

(Thomas)

You are an exploiter Don. You seek out weak, lonely, desperate, abused, rejected, or self-hating black chick to smooth your basic instinct as a white guy to exploit. Dr. Frances Cree Welsing wrote a book about your kind. In it she document why white people so exploitative.

So Don, go back to your tribe. And sell that bullshyt to someone isn’t swayed by some white guy says nice things. We might be brothers in the Corps. But you are NOT my brother by nature. And I don’t look at this world through the eyes of a self-hating black chick. But as a black man. Which makes me immune to your charms and sad stories. Sorry…….

(Don)

Your heading suggests that I call your attitude hate. Forgive me for disputing that claim, but look at your own words:

“Keep in mind Don. I hate what you do. Not what you are.” :

YOU brought up hate, I merely responded in a manner seeking to understand where the hate is coming from.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you..” — Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:1,2)

I also see that you decline to address the issue head-on. You would rather refuse to accept that a “white” man could grow enough to put “race” aside as secondary to humanity.

As for Dr. Frances CRESS Welsing, her theories are fascinating. But they are only theories. She documents NOTHING. What evidence does she ever put forth to back them up? Point me in the direction of that evidence.

Then take a look at what Malcolm said when everything he worked for seemed to be falling apart, shortly before his assassination. Who did he say ruined everything?

Wake up, my brother. Hate destroys. Be constructive instead, for your own spiritual well-being. I repeat my request from my earlier response to you: As Jesus of Nazareth told his disciples, “Come, let us reason together.”

(Thomas)

Dr. Welsing’s whole premise was white have a deep seat fear of genetic annihilation. Which is at the base of their nature and acts towards other races.

Malcolm was undermined by cointelpro and other government program designed to thwarted his actions. Just as they did with Garvey. It was the infiltration of grass-root organizations by the government that doomed those organizations. The “donor population” would not fund Malcolm and that’s why he failed.

Don do you realize that I am an atheist. That means I am not into the fairy tales of religion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is not quite the end of the correspondence. I wrote back to “Thomas” once more, in the same manner as I’d been writing. But I seem to have misplaced that email somewhere. I do recall that I agreed with him about what happened to Malcolm, except that he didn’t “fail”, as his work was to teach, and he did that admirably. I seem to recall that I also reiterated my request for evidence supporting Dr. Welsing’s theories and conclusions, and stated the biological DNA evidence proving that we are all related as a species.

However, “Thomas” never responded to that last email.

So, I leave it to you to decide for yourself if this correspondence was worthwhile, or if I shouldn’t have bothered.

Namaste’,
Don