"Culture Crashing" - (C) Brad Michael Moore 1996-2007
The Hangman's Noose has always held negative connotations. It expresses different meanings to all those who see it - death, eye for an eye, injustice, fear. Is it an appropriate decoration in our front yards for Halloween this year - or ever again? For America's Black Culture, it represents the plight and struggle for freedom, and equality, from the days of slavery and disparagement that reaches even into these contemporary times. It has a painful, insulting, and sorrowful inflection upon America's history since the country's Independence 231 years ago. While America suggests it is enlightened - racism, hatred, and bigotry still simmer along our horizons - and in the world as well (note the Neo-Nazi activity in Israel of late...) In recent decades of American History, the noose's racist meaning had seemingly faded, first replaced with the defiant Black Fist, and then followed by the more peaceful ring of, "Free at Last." Then, we heard of 3 whites convicted in the dragging death of black man, James Byrd, Jr., in Jasper, Texas in front of this decade's turning (during GWBush's tenure as Texas Governor). One of the men convicted was sentenced to life in prison - the other two received the Penalty of Death. Surely this was an anomaly... But no, the action happened again this year in Yuba City, California. Last year, in September (2006), a group of African American high school students asked the school's administration for permission to sit beneath the, "Whites Only," shade tree. Just the fact that such a question had been posed was reason enough to set off alarms... How far from equal are we? In the southern town of Jena, Louisiana, USA, this question being raised began a series of events that now give Americans a moment of pause to reconsider exactly just how far we have, or, have not grown, in our views of racial equality, and equal justice for all Americans. The event known as Jena 6, has placed in our contemporary history another redefining, once again, of the visual inference a noose displays when thrown over a tree limb, or, tied onto the bumper of a truck's bum. There has been a failing in our society, in our schools, our attitudes, and, apparently the conversation at the family dinner table. Our children reflect firstly, our parenting skills and our values. Blame begins at home – the same as change. The politics of division and hatred in our fair country must cease. Those who preach the politics of fear will cause the failing of our society as a whole. I believe American's are tiring of the lack of leadership we have suffered under these past seven years. For when we dispose of the rule of law, when we allow torture, illegal spying upon our citizens, and, when our leaders tell us to go spend the day at the mall - our values begin to break down – everyone thinks they can make exceptions for their own actions. We see some Americans who must invest their children into a war, and others who are not asked to join, even as a nation, to make sacrifices that show we all are passengers in the same boat. It sours our values – inside and out, top to bottom... When our leaders fail us, and we idly stand by, we begin to lose our own leadership skills in the home, the workplace, and in our schools. If we value our country – we must begin choosing our leaders more carefully – we must remember that our children reflect our attitudes and morals. When we decide it is better to love one another, and practice that teaching in our daily lives - the noose will once again fade in it's meaning conjured up by the actions of a society that allowed a Jena 6 ever to occur in the first place...
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Music in poetry, song in verse, visions are greatest from hunger, and thirst...
