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DR. J. ALVA SCRUGGS
FRANK(LY) SPEAKING
OR LETTER TO EDITOR 1804 MAYFAIR DRIVE
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32303
PHONE&FAX (850)385-5750
E-MAIL JSCRU5750 (at) AOL.COM
Website ; http://franklyspeaking.info

Blog: http://franklyspeaking.info.blogspot.com

 

THE BLACK “ME GENERATION” A FATILITY OF CIVIL NEGLECT

(Unedited/Unabridged 2013)

 

Today I was reading a very interesting and revealing article in the “Gantt Report!” It was providing some insight into this generation of young people. The article called them “The Me Generation.” This generation proceeding the era of active rights demonstrations appear to take little notice or interest in things other than those that of a personal quality. dads or moms home for free The “Me Generation” spend their time chilling, “X boxing,” shopping for such personal things as sneakers ($200.00 to $400.00 a pair/pop), mobil/cell phones, making “booty” calls, and being caught up by “Black Boy” round-ups, etc. When asked about discrimination (i.e. sex, race, ethnic) or civil and political issues they look at you as if you were some alien force taking up their valuable time! They may say, “That is old time. There is none of that now.” It is peculiar when you are looking at and talking to college graduates, who are unemployed, in fact never had more than a temporary job without benefits, and still living in their dad and mom’s home!!

            This started us to look for factors that have brought our children to this point. There seem to be several factors that come to mind.

 

1. Although our generation was having its problems over discrimination in education, getting jobs, promotion on the job, and just living while Black, we kept this from our children in order to spare them the stress of such a condition. We though that the next generation would have it somewhat better.
2.  This bit of living history was essentially kept from our children in our integrated institutions of education and so forth. Among the four families we know personally that had children (there were at least 12children considered) and having finished college, not one Black male had found permanent employment. They had all the ambitions and needs of any mature male but none of the working priviledges to support their needs.
3. Too many Black Religious Leaders have become “Predatory Vulture Capitalist” “Civil Rights Pimps” using the beliefs of Religion as leverage to good living and wealth while surpressing the facts!

 

I recall the incident when a cross was burned on my front lawn in Connecticut in the sixties, Instead of calling my family to witness this; I sent them to the basement and took a garden hose, put out the fire and placed the cross in the trash. What I should he done is involved the whole family and all took care this burning cross burning followed by a complete explanation of the reason the cross was burning.

In the school system where my children were attending, no Black student had ever graduated and attended college. In fact all the college bound courses were held on the third floor of the High School and no Black student was allowed to go on that floor. I decided to get on the Board of Education and try or change this situation. I was successful and all my daughters attended the college bound courses graduated with honors and attended Yale, Brandice, FAMU, and Taladegia. But again I never explained this to my family and today I am hearing that this condition of disparit treatment is old time and no longer important. They say this as they returned to their room in their family’s home!!            

            Moreover, clean non violent (submissive) view of desperate (racist) treatment is the mind set that the white institutions have provided our youth. They can ride the bus and sit anywhere, buy things of pleasure, but presently they do not have the resources to participte because of the continual lack of excess to resources! Presently 40 % of Black Boys are on lock down or probation, 70% have only temporary employment and not even aware of why. The facts suggest that Black “Me Generation” Boys are still subject to discrimination because of plain old ignorance.        

            Finally, These “Me Generation” Black Boys must be looked at as willing members of a classic “Cult!” They will have to be deprogrammed using a severe discrepant event of a medical or psycholocal nature nearing demise. Followed by a reprogramming using aggressive douses of truth and good information.

            As long as a people allow their oppressors to provide them their history they will always be slaves. Yes. the conditions of oppression remains today, however, it is disguised and institutionalzed for the consumption of the disenfranchised!