George Orwell was right.
A close friend of mine hit me up and he was seriously concerned.
To frame this properly, I have to say this brother is one of the most apathetic street dudes I know, but he was worried about the United States of America. Here is why. Over the years, slowly but surely, through a number of methods such as the Patriot Act and others, our Civil Rights have been eroded like a California coastline. Now, I’m only half of an activist, but I see things beyond the nose on my ugly face. Now, my friend is uneasy about the future as well.
My friend’s newfound awareness could be rooted in his two children, wife or his own personal growth. I’m certain he’s been questioning many things that have evolved (or devolved) in America, while maintaining cover under the stoic thug exterior.
Me, I’ve always maintained an issue with authority and I’ve reserved a special contempt for those that regarded me a fool. So, when they talk about domestic surveillance and the government justifies it by saying, “Oh, we’re just looking for call patterns…you know, to see if Al Queda is making calls in and out of the States” I’m thinking I must have a fitted dunce cap on. This is what I call an unhealthy amount of Vaseline. And I’m not gonna sit idly by and get screwed without a peep. Domestic surveillance is just another slide down that slippery slope of deception with this administration.
Now, aside from the administration, there are a number of problems that exist. Here are a couple of them. 1) You have some civilians that are blind patriots reading the governments speeches in a fog of death. 2) And then you have others that are blinded by the mirage of Hip-Hop, sports, DJ Star, Wendy, realistic video games, myspace, beats, money and other distractions like my highly addictive rumors. Still, I’m not the fool and I’m not a part of the problem. I’m painted inside the big picture and refuse to be removed – despite what people want. My boy is the same in that our conversation quickly spiraled into a myriad of topics.
Planes struck the main Twin Towers, but why did WTC7 crumble? Nothing even hit it! Where are the leaders, inside and outside of the African American community? Where are all these terrorists that are hiding – Canada? My apathetic friend pointed out that the U.S. has satellites that can see a nickel on New York’s bustling Broadway, but they can’t find Bin Laden? Hell, I can see my mother’s house if I type her address in Google Earth. Maybe they should type in Laden’s address? Bush has already admitted to tapping phones, soon after they are “trolling to protect the American people," searching civilians bags in New York, increased military presence and even seeking to control the internet, which has leveled the information playing field. [Read about the sweeping, dramatic changes that the government is trying to quietly legislate the Internet.]
Many of these changes defy the laws of the land not to mention common sense for common people. My boy noted that both of us have lost several friends to the streets, drugs, random violence and disease. Never was the government overtly involved in protecting us. I’m scared of you, Mr. The Man! Lets run down a list of how “they” have conducted themselves in the last few years .
War crimes in Iraq that equate to a never-ending conflict, where Americans continue to die.
Military torture in secret prisons
Inadequate armor on our soldiers.
The Patriot Act.
Previous wiretapping
Leaking and covering up the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, CIA Operative.
And, say, Katrina…and a host of others (show somebody real the money!)
And America would love to have you “non-documented” immigrants from South of the Border. They just need you to be the new testing ground for Bush’s biometric ID cards. No Vaseline-style, homey. It reminds me of the rice-sized microchip they tried to introduce in the aftermath of Sept. 11 under the guise of your family easily finding your charred remains in terrorist-inspired rubbish. When the dumbest patriot didn’t fall for that one, they began to make it a cool idea to insert these chips to locate lost cats and stray dogs. Pets, African Americans, New Yorkers and Mexicans actually have a lot in common when you look at it. We’re all the testing grounds for the bigger plan.
Closer to home, it is time to hear more defiance in Hip-Hop – a concerted defiance in harmony. Your rims, your money, your girls, you dudes, your fancy kicks and clothing amount to nothing when so-called freedom is in a stranglehold. Hip-Hop is the only African American voice “they” care about these days and we aren’t even saying much. They aren’t listening to the old African American leaders [even though Hip-Hop needs to connect with them for a base of youth, power and experience].
I still feel George Orwell’s 1984 predictions were right, but the ending doesn’t have to be the same as what he wrote in 1948. If we want, the people can overcome blind fear in the face of a looming totalitarian state.
Again, this editorial is simply a start like my conversation with my friend. Read up. Look up. Look around. And tell me what you see. Then tell me what you are going to do.
Part II of This Editorial: F**k You Hip-Hop, You B***h A** N****s
Illseed is AllHipHop.com’s resident cultural critic and writer of many sorry rumors. To contact him, email him about what you see.
