Welcome to The Level Playing Field, the official blog for Business in Action, WBFZ's talk radio program that aires every Sunday from 4:30-5:00pm. This exciting new show was designed for every-day folk like you. It deals with practical, everyday issues surrounding work, life, politics and relationships and explores how certain business principals can enhance each. The ultimate goal of the show is to create of culture of entrepreneurship. I can already hear you saying, "what the hell is a culture' of entrepreneurship." I am not certain. But I know that we will know it when we see it. I also know that if we take ownership over everything we do, we will excel, and our communities will experience a rebirth.
This blog is built on the concept of "each-one-teach-one." The concept reflects a belief that each and every one of us, without regard to life experience, background, level of education, or degree of attainment, has something in the way of knowledge, information and wisdom to offer. All of us are teachers. All of us are students. And this just makes common sense right? We all have different experiences. Different gifts. Different ways of processing information. Different ways of seeing the world. The unique combination of experiences and gifts that makes an individual different, necessarily means that he or she has something different to add, something special to offer.
In my case, this understanding resulted from contact with vastly different people, in completely different environments, under diverse circumstances. I grew up in a house with two professional parents. Both lawyers. My father was also a politician. My mom was (and is unable to not be!) a community activist. They both often brought their work home--in the form of people! By one estimate, over sixty different people have lived in their home: professionals, community activists, ministers, criminals (alleged), "big-shots" and "no-shots!"
Suffice it to say, I got to see a lot of personalities.
I then went and attended a fancy law school with America's brightest, only to discover that many, if not most, of America's brightest were on the streets of Selma, on the West-Side of Atlanta (where I went to college), and living in my parent's guest-house. I lie to you not, I learned more Selling CD's in the streets than I did attending classes at my fancy law school. You may also find it unbelievable (although you shouldn't) that I learned more from a local middle-school drop-out, two-years my junior , who couldn't read or write, than I did from my distinguished law-school professors who were so educated that folks called them doctors. This despite the fact that the only thing these professors admitted to not knowing was how to perform a surgery.
My illiterate, grass-roots instructor was (and still is) an absolute genius in the field of human-nature. He was brilliant in his assessment, understanding and analysis. He still advises me on occasion today! Similarly, my grandmother, with her seventh-grade education, her thirteen children, and her complete and utter lack of financial resources, was considered the wisest and one of the most brilliant women in town. And this was in fifties, small-town, Alabama where even saying black and intelligent together in the same sentence was subject to at least a fine. Her resourcefulness and pragmatism reflected an unadulterated, unrefined brilliance. Her perception and insight were almost supernatural in scope.
My experiences, however limited, have convinced me that God created a natural balance. And that balance can be found in all of his creation. There is day and there is night. There is winter and there is summer. It seems to me to be the case that where people are concerned, a deficiency in one area is compensated for in another. They say the the blind hear better, and the deaf see better. The same thing would go for other abilities and functions.
What is my point? In order for us to transform our community, we must understand it. To understand it, we must value its members. This calls for us to recognize each other's value, each other's genius. I hope this blog will help in this process.
In closing, we can't build a whole community, a thriving community, with only the parts of the puzzle we figure are the biggest or the best. No matter how big a piece is, without the smallest piece, the puzzle is incomplete.
I anxiously anticipate your piece to the puzzle.
9 comments:
Yes! This is a wonderful idea. We desperately need to create a forum where we can explore ways of appreciating the various contributions we all have to offer. So often, we are so focused on valuing formal education or expensive things that we overlook the limitless gifts that exist in our communities. This blog is a good opportunity for us to brainstorm about ways to maximize on all of those gifts.
I am elated that this blog has been initiated. The premise is ingenious, insightful and true. I am hopeful that this forum will ignite the spark of vigour so desperately needed within our community and specifically in our generation. By "leveling the playing field" barriers are shattered so that common ground can be met upon...and the entire spectrum of the experience taken into consideration. One of the reasons our community remains stagnant is our contempt of ourselves...at our highest and lowest points. I agree, some of the most gifted individuals are those without institutionalized education. Nevertheless we must continue to raise the bar... Feel me? Economic empowerment is our Civil Right of the day...our right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness...This forum presents an opportunity to manifest this aphorism. Hopefully we're "conceiving" Selma's child...
I heard Tavis Smiley commenting this morning about a study which reports that our generation is positioned to perform worst than any of our ancestors' generations. The study apparently reported that our generation has less hope and optimism than any previous generations of African Americans. That's sad and alarming.
Yea...I heard Tavis's commentary this morning, but he just confirms what alot of us have already observed. The apathy is alarming! But "defeat lies only in the assumption of its inevitability"...and for those of
us who are aware we should "regenerate our generation" or at least do our part to prepare the next. In rhe words of Frederick Douglass... "It is easier to build strong children
than to repair broken men."
I didn't see the show. However, it makes on3 wonder about the correlation between exposure to mainstream American culture and increasing hopelessness in black America. I had a conversation with a local politician recently who spent a life’s time in education before entering public life. We were talking about a similar issue. A question came up regarding increasing problems with young black folk. I was surprised by this gentlemen's response. He opined that the increase in black-on-black crime, teen pregnancy and drop-out rates resulted from integration and over-exposure to white culture. His implication was that there is a fundamental difference between black folk and white folk that goes beyond culture and experience. It reminded me of the musings of W.E.B. Dubois regarding the "double-consciousness" of black Americans. Dubois’ implication was that there is something bio-psycho-spiritual, if you will, that is an intrinsic part of the African-American identify. Something that innately responds to or rejects foreign application; a force that creates a cognitive dissonance between who we naturally, intuitively are and the values we adopt through American acculturation and contact with our environments. The force is an instinctive, unintelligible knowledge that something is missing without an understanding of exactly what. A longing for something, we know not of. Interesting thought. Not certain of its merit. But incredibly interesting.
Think about it in the context of the debate concerning the plight of black folks that pits "personal responsibility" against "institutionalized racism:" What are we saying when we jump too precipitously into the personal responsibility bandwagon? While I am a big fan of personal responsibility as the solution, I find it ridiculous—although revealing—when it is implied as the cause. And yes the contempt and judgmentalism attending some of our rants on personal responsibility, directly implicates blame, which is damn near synonymous with causation.
Why do I bring this up in this context? Just to explore this interesting thought: Is it possible that the hopelessness of this generation of black Americans comes from being caught between two unnatural worlds, trapped without red-herrings to so much as amuse them with even an illusory vision of purpose. I know, I know. Unravel it dock. Caught between the middle and upper class Black world that implies their inferiority in tone (a black world that may in fact believe themselves to be more inferior to whites than do the young cultural rebels they assail), and a white world that believes they are inferior and applies those beliefs. Growing up after integration, removed from the radars of overt racism, This generation is without a visible enemy, a visible hand. Deprived of historical reference, could it be that “Generation Hopeless” has accepted hook, line, and sinkor rumors of the demise of oppression and the legacy of slavery? If so, what happens when this belief is mixed with unyielding cultural bombardments of “personal responsibility” and “self-reliance,” that drip with blame and ridicule—now even being reinforced by people who look like them. What happens when despite their best efforts they don’t seem to move? Miseducated, they are unequipped to analyze and understand fully why, and dumbed-downed, their core instinctive brilliance suppressed, but logical to a fault even by inferior rules, they attempt to force sense on the senseless, harmonize order with chaos, and create patterns from insanity—could it be that they are, in a sense, counting to 10, for example, without knowledge of the numbers 1 and 3. What results? Despite public opinion, this generation may have taken too much personal responsibility. Wow! Unaware of the invisible hand, but perceptive and in touch with the rules of this reality, the finger dials towards self. The pain and emotional rawness from taking full-frontal blame for such a heavy load, internalizing it, and feeling powerless to change the things this America says anybody can change “with a little effort,” breaks the spirit. But are they of this America? Are they attempting to play by an arbitrary set of rules based on goals beneath their gifts, are they accepting a version of the game that makes the weaknesses of others strengths and their own strengths strengths weaknesses, thus turning nature on its head? Why even accept the premise? Yall, I may have evaluated this one too far but the chain of thought continues so I’m gone follow the pen to see where it takes us.
Is it that there is no great struggle, no civil war, no movement, to distract them from their intuitive sense of placelessness—trapped without purpose to bait its patience. There seems to be no identified purpose to grant temporary relief to the canned, barricaded greatness, beating and kicking, hollering and screaming, at the core of their existences, where it has been lead to, almost at gun-point, and left without map or compass. A superiority guarded tightly by an armed inferiority "who ain't shit without his gun." My father would call this an inferiority/superiority complex. W.E.B would call it “The Souls of Black Folk.”
What is middle and upper class black folk’s role in the scarcity of hope. Black folk who have attained in America have assimilated so gradually into American thought and culture that most of us don't even know that we have. Its kind of like the frog in the water. "dey say when you put a frog in hot boilin' water he'll jump right on out. But if you put that same damn frog in warm water and slowly cut the temparature up until it boils, the sum' bitch will sit right there until he boils to death."
Could it be that these young folk have a new prospective? A clearer perspective? That they have seen and experienced pieces of both the black middle and upper class world and the white world. And the worlds look damn near the same to them. And neither feels right. Could it be that they intuit a choice between three evils, "the house," "the field," and "the master". "Pull up your britches" and talk "proper" English...but be proud to be black. Is that W.E.B.’s theory again? I kind of hear the reaction of “generation hopeless,” visceral in voice, but clear nonetheless: "But mom, preacher, teacher this is my culture." "I built this and made it my own." "Where is your's?" “Who are you?”
And then I kinda hear their spirits say "wadn't no suits where we from," and "english comes from England and we sho' ain't english." Is this generation just exasperated?
I mean some of it even exasperates me. How can we say that black folk are completely responsible for our own condition and that it is no one's fault but our own, without, at the same time, conceding that we are naturally inferior to white folk. Either we are monkeys or we are miracles. What else can explain the disproportionate crime rates, drop out rates, teen-pregnancy rates in our communities? It’s either inferiority or stolen identity, created by slavery and enforced by its legacy. To withstand the latter requires a Miracle, one expressed in genius, one resilient enough to evolve overnight...like a human being tossed into the sea without raft or preserver, but refusing to die....instead learning how to breath in water. One question, by way of analogy, becomes, since a human would have to develop gills to breath in the water, is he meant for the water? And how the hell is he suppose to know whether he is a fish or a man? And are the damn fish smarter than the man? (I know this is a stretch, but this is an obsessive evaluation blog!). And what would be considered smart in the ocean? And is it the same as on land?
Think about this also: when folks "loose their minds," or develop split personalities, what actually happens is that their instinct for survival finds a way for them to survive, by breaking with what we deem to be reality. Compare the double-consciousness of black folk. The cognitive dissonance. If the premise is true, then we are damned where we don't find our natural accord and where we don't control its administration. I hope to God its not.
Wow...
Just a few comments.
No doubt, there is no rebuttal to the fact that we are not the causation of our current affliction. Nevertheless, this is no excuse for our perpetuation of the effects. Many times we focus moreso on the premise instead of the emphazing the relevant foresight.
Race is
nearly always a signifcant factor, nevertheless it is not always the only factor. Clearly
there is institutionalized racism. That being so, the burden is then upon us to
institutionalize a recourse.
To accomplish this we must understand the
nature of the beast, without becoming it. Hence, the necessity of
education; not neccesarily to solely validate or give us knowledge...but to engrain an
understanding of how to apply it. It then becomes a personal responsibility.
Assimilation? No. Pivot maybe. What feasible sovereign
alternatives have we established thusfar?
In the mist of all ambiguties certain things are constant; (1) Perception
is reality. Each man(woman) has the power to engineer our own
"reality" or otherwise give that power away; and (2) The spirit of God is the
only truth.
It is time for us to bring
some leverage to this "reality" we are in...with practical
solutions of course. A sort of "W.E.Booker T'Boise" model would be ideal.
Lastly but not least. Our Natural Accord.
Many times we have been bombarded with so much "noise" and other external factors seek to define us and determine our existence. But at the end of the day it starts within. The key is to obtain and maintain balance.
A concept that we have to
indoctrinate into our being is...
Though I sense the world through
my eyes, I sense even moreso that there is something looking out...or
rather percieving within.
Practical Utopia? Maybe. But whatever nuances we embark to create-we must be.
Man, that’s deep. Is the premise—that there is no excuse—based on fact or necessity? Is there truly no explanation for why we continue to perpetuate the effects of oppression? Or is that we have internalized the oppression? If so, does this explain why we continue to perpetuate it? Can self-hate produce anything other than destruction--any more than a whale can birth an eagle?
Or must there be no excuse because excuses, true or not, bear no fruit? Because excuses breed complacency? Because accepting no excuses is necessary for our survival? If this is the case, then, at least in some contexts, is pragmatism more important that truth? Is the consideration of cause-and-effect, the bottom line, more important than notions of principle? Interesting thought you bring up as it dovetails perfectly with the purpose of this blog and the essence of the show. It's the concept of business in action. The premise is a question: Can we and should we use business principles, which are all pragmatic in nature, in every aspect of community life as the paradigm for change. It begs the question, should we focus on common goals--the bottom line--instead of spinning our wheels in fits of inefficiency trying to guess and speculate at folks motives and agendas. It poses the fundamental question of whether results or most important or are the motives. It accepts as its initial premise that the results are the most important thing, and motive and agenda, to a large degree, are by-products. But since it is a practice in thought and an experiment in action, it is an organic, growing concept, to be shaped by the experiment itself, to be raised by you all. Who knows where this thing may take us!
The principle of BIA contemplates as a solution, using quantifiable results as the standard in evaluating our politicians, our institutions, our schools, etc. It contemplates removing the "personal" aspects out of the evaluation process, which may or may not stagnant progress--depending on your perspective. It is premised on the understanding that motive, intention and individual perceptions of morality are unreliable in fostering sound decision-making. It comprehends that such subjective standards expose us excessively to manipulation, divide and conquer, and distraction, by the threatened, the visionless, and the shortsighted selfish (as oppose to the visionary selfish, who know and understand that these things are not in their ultimate best interest). Will we not chase our tails all day long, strung around like puppets on a string as long as this is our orientation? Is it not better to take some risks, take some hits, get burnt a bit, while going forward, than it is to march secure around a roundabout, retreading old steps? Is it not true that the greater the risks, the greater the rewards?
The BIA concept suggest “extending the olive branch,” not for you, but for me, not for your family but for my family, not for your school but for mine, not for your pockets but for my pockets. It does this however with the visionary understanding that we help ourselves by helping each other.
BIA is thus an experiment that controls for subjective elements of motive, intention, background, and orientation. It accepts as its premise the notion that the only things that can truly serve as an accurate basis of agreement or disagreement are results. The bottom-line.
What he say, what he know?
There is a difference between creating "excuses" and fostering internal responsibility within and among individuals. The battle for equality is real and must be fought on all fronts. Yes, we must consistently hold the judiciary, schools, local and federal government as well as mainstream society accountable for perpetuating race/class disparities. Still, this should not absolve each of us of the responsibility to develop beneficial structures and networks for us as well our children. Our children don’t necessarily have to make the same choices we made. In fact, the best-case scenario would be for them to be able to choose no to make our same choices. Still, if we equip them with the mental tools and educational fortitude to be independent and informed thinkers, they will be unstoppable.
Instead of relying on individuals to represent us, our goal should be to create structures and social networks that can be passed down from generation to generation. There is a time, place, and manner to discuss the issue of internal responsibility. Sometimes, we think we are advocating responsibility when we, in fact, are motivated by classism. In these instances, our efforts are not productive and simply serve to use poorer folks as scapegoats, by presenting them as the root of our ailments. The fact is that middle class black children are currently pinpointed as underperforming and not reaching financial independence. This, in spite of the fact that they have been given much more than previous generations. Part of the reasons for that disparity might be explained by the fact that many of us tend to value the attainment of middle class status as a goal, rather than to have as goals the creation of educational and social capital. It is time to dismantle the perception of the middle class as the class from which "enlightened" individuals and “leaders” will be born. Dismantling the old idea of the talented tenth, will help eradicate the layers of class stratifications that we’ve created among ourselves. Every time we focus on teaching our children how to love themselves, how to create loving and sustaining relationships, how to love each other, how beautiful knowledge is, how not to expect anything from anyone, how to always ask the best for themselves, how to be happy, how to continuously strive to be better, etc, we are, in fact, doing revolutionary acts that no amount of rhetoric can accomplish.
Preach Sista!
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