Black assimilation into the American gun culture
In the early ’90s Tony Brown wrote a book titled White Lies, Black Lies. Brown touched on many issues in the book, but the Civil Rights Movement portion was interesting. He wrote that the Civil Rights Movement transitioned from integration to the black elite assimilating into white American culture. he wrote that many poor blacks in urban areas who marched for jobs in the 1960s did not have the skill set to even hold those jobs. They were marching in proxy basically for “black elites.” When there is true integration you still keep your racial and cultural identity and are part of the societal culture with full legal rights as a citizen. When you assimilate into the society you seek to cast off your racial and cultural identity and are able to say you are American.
Maybe there is some truth to that, because in 21st century America a large portion of “black elites” have not only integrated, but have fully assimilated into mainstream white American culture. There is no need to go into great detail; we all have examples in our mind — some humorous and some sad — of blacks who have “crossed over and crossed out. ” But we also fail to look at how the black elite over time failed to keep their promises to those blacks who marched; and the ramifications of these failures. Now young black men are labeled thugs and the Stand Your Ground law and gun culture allows their lives to be put at risk. When blacks assimilate into the gun culture of this country, then it becomes a perceived societal threat. Especially when loud rap music is involved, as was seen during the Michael Dunn murder trial.
When the formerly oppressed take up the gun and gun culture of the former oppressors, it’s disturbing. How did a brutalized black populace in America who lost leaders and prophets to bullets from the shadows, who rejected violence to become citizens, become so fully entrenched in violence across all socioeconomic backgrounds?
In the book of Matthew 16:5-12 , the words of Jesus give us a hint into why this has occurred. It reads:
The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.
6“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
7They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?
9Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
11How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The bread that was baked and broken and fed to all of America was contaminated with bad yeast. This bread was fed to all of America, and when we consumed it and continued to feed off of it and give it to our children, the end result in part is the current debate among Stand Your Ground and gun culture opponents and proponents.
Today as the “moral fabric of America” is shocked by the killing of Jordan Davis and the inability of the jury to convict Michael Dunn for his death, Trayvon Martin’s birthday has passed. Instead of the resurgence of good conscience and morality to examine and solve this grave societal ill, the country still wears a multifaceted coat of sedition, paranoia, race hatred, and inability to feel compassion toward black human suffering.
Is America incapable of being shocked across the racial spectrum? Why can we not at least look at the issue? Stand Your Ground gives people a license to murder blacks who are perceived as thugs. Gun control opponents and gun manufacturers have a part in this issue too. There are known legal flaws that gun dealers, manufacturers and the NRA know are broken but because of institutional and private self-interests, they are not interested in exploring solutions.
