Who’s On First?
When analyzing our predicament today (for me, “we” is both non-Black #postcolonial peoples, Muslims, as well as #AfricanAmericans) I have made the observation that we are so highly manipulated by the dominant culture and its post-colonial psychology
When analyzing our predicament today (for me, “we” is both non-Black #postcolonial peoples, Muslims, as well as #AfricanAmericans) I have made the observation that we are so highly manipulated by the dominant culture and its post-colonial psychology
and institutions that it’s akin to Abbot in the classic skit, “Who’s On First?”.
By this I mean that we have been confused and then directed to focus on the puppet show and to pay very little attention to the puppet master. But the insidious nature of this psychology is not simply to *what* we pay attention to but *how*.
For example, as African Americans, we are told that the biggest challenge facing us today is #whitesupremacy. As to whether this is true or not is debatable but more importantly, it is *how* we are subtly encouraged to not determine for ourselves *in which way*
white supremacy is a challenge for us.
Post-colonial psychology and institutions pre-determine for us how and in which way they are obstacles for us.
We are often encouraged to deploy, for instance, all of our social and emotional capital, at raging against the instances of white supremacy, but are seldom, if not deliberately, *discouraged* from looking at other sources of oppression (economic, moral, self-, etc.).
It also heavily incentives us to see ourselves almost exclusively the objects of oppression, possessing no agency for self-determination and betterment.
The result is a perpetual raging against the machine instead of looking at ways of building our own machines for further our destiny.
There is an abundance of confluence of this post-colonial mindset in Black folks as well as Muslims and other peoples of color.
