Letter #16 - The Christmas Letter: Merry Consumerism

“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, verified knowledge reigned supreme and consumerism breathed its last breath”

As the magical, no pun intended, holiday (root words: holy day) roll upon us hastening in a new winter solstice and a new western Gregorian calendar year, there is no better time to contemplate the holiday in historical, ideological, and economic perspectives in order to develop a clear understanding of what exactly we are dealing with under all of the beautiful mass produced images of peace of earth, hope, and selfless giving.  I must admit that I have come to peace with the end of the year holidays as an American cultural time of year, and certainly enjoy the time off with our family, but I still stand firm against the historical inaccuracies of the scriptural religious events at the center of the holiday, the individualism of the religion, unhealthy norms and values of the holiday, and the excessive consumerism, wasteful spending and accumulated debt that is associated with the holiday.

Briefly, the history of the holiday, and essentially the religion behind it, has been verified as possessing historical inaccuracies based on possible scriptural plagiarisms.  The holiday itself surrounds the virgin birth of Jesus, a man who very little historical documentation exists about outside of the gospel accounts, both synoptic and those not included in church canon after the councils of Nicea and Laodicea.  History shows us that the virgin birth story was not originated with Christianity as there are many pre-Christian virgin birth stories in various cultures to include Mithra, Buddha, Krishna, Odysseus, Romulus, Dionysus, Horus, Attis, and a handful of others.  It can also be rationalized and researched that the birth of the historical figure of Jesus, if he existed, did not occur at the winter solstice of December 25^th of the Gregorian calendar, and possibly not even in the year marking the transition from B.C.E (before common era) and C.E. (common era), and that the church placed the holiday of Christmas over the winter solstice celebration of Saturnalia, which was recorded as a celebration with high levels of drunken and sexual debauchery.  Ideologically speaking, the holiday concept is not a healthy one, especially under a capitalist society and an international stage of trade blocs and globalization, for the future for our children.  This doesn’t just include the irrational religious ideologies with no historical authentication that influences congressional politics from the domestic level to imperialism across the international stage; it begins at the micro-level of pagan traditions, the holiday tradition of excessive spending, and the ideology of jolly old Santa.  The Christmas tree, so reminiscent of the maypole, seems harmless enough if you do not consider all of the foreign manufactured gifts, many of them symbols of consumerism, and the current dominated condition of the American job market that is consumer service heavy.  Santa on the other hand would seem to be an especially unhealthy ideology for children, and I certainly have never allowed you children to believe in such fallacy.  What kind of culture allows their children to believe in magical lies about a magical, wait…what the hell is Santa?  A Spirit?, who brings free presents to children in a some twisted social ritual which prevents, or delays, their real world understanding of the domestic or international market, labor hours and wages, Interest rates on credit cards, trade blocs and manufacturing, and the foolishness that anything in this world is free and given (even though there is quite a bit of fraud in government assistance both domestically and foreign)?  How shameful is it to see unappreciative children tearing through the wrappings of presents and quickly tossing hard earned wages, in the form of foreign manufactured gifts, to the side with no understanding of how hard a parent worked, or of where these consumer gifts were manufactured, or economic consequences, whether good or bad, to the family-unit purchasing these gifts.  The light of Christmas gift-giving illuminated at 8-12% interest rates as Americans, and people world-wide, plunge into various levels of consumer debt to celebrate merry consumerism while the private sector, so talented at painting marketable Christmas images of giving across every form of mass media outlet and to every marketable demographic, amasses another annual seasonable capital profit on the backs of the people.  Thanks to regional trade blocs that have emerged under globalization, the state has agreed to many international trade agreements to eliminate tariffs from products coming from so-called lesser developed countries and, in doing so, has agreed to rely solely on federal, state and sales tax, thus allowing the private sector to maximize profits while the individual consumers pay the state in the absence of tariffs.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a satisfying feeling to do nice things for your children and provide them with some nice things, but to do so as a ritual that becomes detached from reality and responsibilities, both to families and state, becomes an unhealthy tradition urged on by inorganic corporate processed images of a mythical white man with a beard.  As I told my oldest daughter once, if there IS ever a bearded white man in our house in the middle of the night, you better take serious caution and wake me the hell up!  The younger siblings will be disillusioned to the Santa foolishness as quickly as their older sister was, and I encourage any parent to do the same.  Some traditions are simply meant to be broken.  In addition, I find it completely irrational and unsafe for parents to take their children, whether younger than 8 or in their teenage years, and allow them to sit upon some Santa-dressed stranger’s lap for pictures without actually knowing who is underneath that costume.  Yes, the holiday is capitalistic-based consumerism, and nothing displays the true economic motives of the thirsty capitalist than the creation of a shopping holiday called Black Friday where mobs of Americans trample, mob, and fight over manufactured items at 40% off retail price, of course manufactured in foreign states, while behaving in the most uncivilized manner imaginable.

Let us quickly look at capitalism in the age of globalism as it pertains to gifts under the Christmas tree.  Private sector corporations will manufacture in lesser developed countries with the lowest wage requirements in order to produce manufactured items for consumption, from Disney princesses to electronics, which are shipped into consumer states such as the United States, especially at Christmas.  Economic benefits for the consumer state have already been reduced by the elimination of tariffs under regional trade blocks or bilateral trade agreements.  These blocs that reduce tariffs allow private sector corporations to import raw materials into the lesser developed states with the lowest wage requirements without having to pay importation tariffs, manufacture the product in a lesser developed state at the lowest wages, and then export the manufactured product out of the lesser developed state and import it into the consumer state without tariffs, in this case the United States, where the products will be consumed resulting in the private sector profit being maximized.  Yet, how does the consumer state benefit?  The private sector pays minimum tariffs and taxes, and the bulk sales and domestic taxes fall on the labor of the individual consumer.  The consumer state no longer manufactures products or exports natural resources of value, therefore developing jobs mainly in the service industry based on this capitalist consumerism as it eats itself to feed itself.  What happens to the consumer state when the population becomes disillusioned by consumerism or the state’s debt to GDP ratio surpasses 100% and consumerism dies of its own accord? 

Letter #15 - Youth Development: F.A.M.I.L.Y

My children, even though the future is unknown and many challenges await us on multiple levels, I thought this would be a good time to take a snapshot in time for you to review and consider in years to come when you are adults or parents.  Although there are serious political issues occurring, such as the current American government shutdown caused by dual political party control of our representative democracy and rumors of the President nominating a new xenophobic “tribal” leader, Janet Yellen, to chair the Federal Reserve after Ben Bernanke, this letter will avoid political annotations and concentrate on, and evaluate, our current educational progress and responsibilities as a family, and my ideology as a parent, in developing academic and intellectual development for the future.  We will use the current snapshot of our oldest daughter as the beginning example for this letter.  Currently, our oldest daughter has transitioned into 6^th grade with high success and closes out her first grading quarter with solid A’s, 93% or higher, in all courses.  She holds the position of Student Council Vice President for her allotted grade, participates in multiple academic clubs, is committed to recreation and club volleyball teams, and has been selected to represent her entire grade in a school district-wide conference on student diversity.  I am not vain enough to believe that the ebbs and flow of positive and negative trends, and events, will never wash upon our feet, but I must state that at this moment in time I am extremely proud of the hard work and discipline that our young woman, my daughter, has put forth.  For the younger, she sets the example to emulate.  Again, in our current case, this is simply a nine week success period within a multi-year, long-term plan, and the planning and hard work must continue on with no accolades except a brief review and analysis of parenting on a small and large scale.  Our family, in no fashion, desires to hear “good job” from anyone, because by elevating responsible parenting to a level of praise, it consciously categorizes proper and positive parenting as something extraordinary or special.   Parenting is not something extraordinary or special; it is each parent’s responsibility and human duty to our children and society.

What planning and tools did we utilize to achieve success during the concluded nine week window, and at the same time will continue to use in order to strengthen and prepare for future development?  The answer is the basic concept of: F.A.M.I.L.Y (Family responsibilities, Advanced and supplemental studies, Minimized subjection to mass programming, Involvement, Long-term team work, and Youth supervision.)

Family responsibilities:

Responsibilities do not get less as a child grows older and I hold it as a great parental error, and an injustice to the developing youth, for a parent to shoulder family responsibilities alone while children lounge, sit idle, watch television or play video games.  Free time can be indulged and enjoyed when responsibilities are completed by all members of the family, and in my opinion, all members should be contributing members to family endeavors (depending on level of endeavors, required skills, and age).  I do not see a point in conditioning children, especially at the ages of 10 or older, to not hold responsibilities, to be exempt of responsibilities, and develop a disdain (or lack of awareness) for responsibilities that must be eventually held and completed by all self-sufficient adult family members upon adulthood: Dishes, trash, home cleaning, care of younger siblings are a few examples of many available as each household varies by family.  Our daughter has been taught the importance of contributing to her family and her contributions to daily family operations are quite natural to her even at the age of eleven.  This is one of many, many areas that I must credit to my wife’s parenting and development skills.  We will continue to ensure that our children understand the importance of responsibilities, and understand that having responsibilities is not negative; it is contributing to family (and later society in general).  Responsibilities and contributions also ensure that the developing youth enhance a deep understanding of time management and prioritizing, not to mention a deep rooted feeling of unity and collective investment and contribution, which is vital for academic, social, family, community, and society success.

Advanced and supplemental studies:

The format here is to encourage and enforce studies outside of school as supplemental education to the public school system educational process.  Many people criticize the public school systems, but these schools hold vital educational resources which our tax dollars pay for, yet should be exposed as the churning systematic machine with no real concern for individual children’s advancement that it is, for better or worse.  A machine does not feel.  It is not the system’s job to educate and develop your children; it is the parent’s job to utilize the school system in the educational process of the children.  The program we have used for a few years now is that we work ahead of the grade level curriculum and we work (study) each day after school, weekends, and extended holidays (with days allotted sporadically as days off for our child).  The real strides in the educational development process occur during the summer months.  I do not see a reason to choose between public schooling and home schooling when you can have the benefits of both.  There are many parents that will argue against such levels of educational progress, but we have seen quite clearly, and from a firsthand perspective, over a few years of experience that an extra two hours of education on school nights and four to five hours on a Saturday (and on school holidays and summer vacation), that there is still ample time for the student to be a youth and enjoy themselves as a child.  If anything, it makes the appreciation of accomplishments and the value of free time much greater.

The argument against supplemental studies usually centers on available time by parents, many of whom are single parents.  This is not necessarily a strong argument case due to the importance of what is at stake.  Parents engaging their children in advanced and supplemental home studies need only to plan properly, and ensure cause and affect discipline (reasonable consequences) in order to institute an extra-curricular program.  Children are full of potential, strength, energy, and endurance and easily rise to positive challenges once they are presented.  Parents only need to assign the educational studies each day and find time to review the subject matter in the evenings or on the weekend, depending on schedules.  During the one to two hours allotted for reviewing the supplemental educational work, academic areas that cause the individual child trouble can be discussed, problems worked through, and re-worked until comprehension occurs.  After all, the supplemental educational process is not for permanent records or even permanent grades, the time spent aims for true educational learning experiences, evolution of understanding and critical thought, and valuable family time.  Many of us are tired when we get home from work, but the educational process is about our children and we must make time to regulate and contribute to the process, tired or otherwise.  There is no excuse for a selfish parent that places their social life before that of a child’s educational development.

Minimized subjection to mass programming:

This is a rather simple process indeed.  We already understand the damning influence of excessive mass media, whether in the format of so-called sit-coms, movies, video games, music, or otherwise.  Any parent that can recall the 1980s, 1990s, or even 2000s, can see the expansion of technology and the increase of mass produced (inorganic) popular culture with themes promoting apathy, moral degradation, desensitizing immoral behavior to the point of social acceptability with many faucets of negative implications for the youth (future parents and adults).  There are positive entertainment and documentaries available, but these brief rays of social and intellectual development are lost in the deluge of meaningless propaganda and mind numbing content that is force fed our people on a heavy dosage rotation.  This negative influence and impact on our youth is easily minimized by keeping youth engaged and involved in educational pursuits, active family activity, social interaction activities, and sports.  It really doesn’t matter what the activity is, as long as it is positive, keeps the child active, and enhances them in positive social fashion.  The negative influences of mass media technology are neutralized or minimized on an active and involved child compared to an idle child left without mentorship, parental engagement, and activities.  Entertainment at moderate rates, intermingled with an educated and mentored mind (young or old), is not as damaging as excessive exposure and excessive influence on an empty and idle mind.  In addition, it is highly likely that the more educated a young mind develops, the less interest that mind will take in idiotic and destructive mass produced so-called entertainment.  Any child left unsupervised in their so-called free time, left unguided by irresponsible parents, and consistently plugged into mass technological devices (produced by owners of mass capital) and constantly force fed mass-produced program waves subconsciously promoting distraction, destruction, and apathy are clearly at a disadvantage in intellectual development and preparation for future, and in my opinion, at risk of a negative social outcome, or an outcome quite below their natural potential.

Involvement:

Involvement is in direct correlation to minimizing subjection to mass programming and minimizing negative social influences.  In our particular case, we have encouraged and engaged our oldest in multiple social interactions such as year round team sports, academic-social clubs such as Student Council, Diversity and Math, and we continue to search out opportunities for her to expand herself as a person, to engage in social relations with her peers on various stages, and to explore various interests that otherwise would remain unknown to her if never experienced.  I have heard parents make statements such as ‘Timmy doesn’t want to play baseball’.  In my opinion, Timmy doesn’t have to play baseball, but he must be involved in some sort of activities (athletically, academically, or socially).  As harsh at it may sound, abandoning a child to their own devices is not smart parenting and does no justice to the child.

Long-term team work:

When I speak of long-term team work, I mean that the development of a child is a family goal and requires the active participation of all members (whether small family or large).  It is a long-term planning goal that consists of many short-term objectives.  A successful planning process requires participation, communication, and involvement of all members of the plan (family).  Therefore, it is important to engage, as a family, into the areas of development for the youth.  If I assign my daughter a book for reading outside of the public system, I am also reading the same book.  In the process she enhances her mind, and I further enhance my mind, and together we strengthen the family bond through shared interests.  If my daughter is striving to improve at sport, I am either contributing to the team she is playing on in some manner or working with her to enhance her individual skills for the benefit of the collective team and her confidence.  It is vital, in my view that the village works together toward the short-term goals (education, athletics, and school involvement, or whatever the goal may be) and toward the long-term goal (self-sufficient, disciplined, critical thinking, educated and moral adult and positive contributor to society).  Working as a family is beneficial to the youth, beneficial to the family as a group unit, and strengthens bonds and understanding for the future.  A parent who refuses to sacrifice their own idleness (television watching, game playing, social butterflying, etc.) in order to assist and guide the daily educational process of their child is doing an injustice to that child.  I have said many times that it is a faulty assumption that a child will enter the public school system prior to first grade and eventually emerge as a moral, intelligent, disciplined adult after graduation without family effort and involvement.  Youth development does not work in such a mechanical manner.

Youth supervision:

This is probably one of the most important areas for consideration.  At some point during the 1980s, parents began to allow children a type of freedom and release from responsibilities, and this society misnomer has grown to be widely accepted as a social norm today.  I am uncertain what the original causes of this trend were, but some possible contributing areas that come to mind are: increasing single parent homes, the expansion of mass produced technology in the form of entertainment, and the reverberation of emergence from a politically and racially charged decade such as the 1970s where themes such as free love and drug use were promoted, and women’s rights, and racial equality were at the forefront of often violent protests.  Some rightists even blame the removal of religion from schools, even though I am not a fan of religious indoctrination and will refute this argument when it is presented.  At any rate, a general evolution in norms seems to have occurred over a three decade period that has resulted in our children being allowed to dictate situations that parents should dictate, choose to participate or not participate, and to be allowed to decide how they choose to invest (or spend) excessive free time.  In some areas of modern parenting, the parent-child roles have become quite skewed and confused.  These norms even seem to develop, especially around the age of pre-teenager to teenager timeframe, to levels of allowing youth the dangerous luxury of unrestricted, and unsupervised, social movement on the internet and through physical society itself.  I view this as leaving a child vulnerable and an act of blatant neglect guised as western liberty.  Many people will argue that the world has always be full of threats, immoral and economic crimes, and various social dangers, and that only now, with the expansion of news media technology, that these levels have become common knowledge to the masses.  As one that watches the daily news wires in a majority of our American cities, I would not argue this point, but at the same time I hold the view that the moral issues and crime trends have vastly increased over the past three decades.  At any rate, I would not turn my children loose into a society filled with such immoral savagery, regardless of the percentage of victim incidents per population capita.  Why take chances, no matter odds, on leaving a child vulnerable to victimization that could ultimately change a life path?  There seems to be a double standard on the treatment of teenagers.  In some areas, they are adamantly treated as children.  In other areas, such as in dress codes and behavior, they allowed adult privileges.

Youth supervision also, and importantly so, is mandatory for educational and academic tracking and development.  When we were growing up and technology was still growing out of infancy, parents had no real connection with teachers or schools outside of parent-teaching conferences or a phone call.  Today, there should be no excuses for not tracking a child’s educational achievements within the school system.  I am almost certain that the majority of schools today have the on-line grade trackers, which is an incredibly positive technological tool for parents.  These technological trackers basically show you pending and past assignments, due dates, and grades which allow the parent to encourage, remind, and, if necessary, take proactive disciplinary action instead of reactive inaction after a below average quarter passes resulting in terrible grades.  When these positive avenues of involvement and grade tracking are so easily available to the parent, it is no longer possible to blame the school system or the teacher for the poor grades of a child (even though parents often do so).  This is denial of parental responsibility and can often result in allowing a child to defer responsibility by pitting parent against teacher.  The blame falls on the parent, and is often the result of a structural condition where the child runs the roost and the parent has lost control as leader, provider, and protector of the youth.

“Are you a pimp, a hustler?  No I'm not.  Are you a man and can you stand alone like a man has to sometimes?  Yes I can.  Are you willing to go out there and save the lives of our children even if it means losing your own life?  Yes I am.” – Jeru the Damaja

Letter # 14 - The Maypole

While dropping the eldest daughter at school this morning, it was hard not to notice a small group of white students holding hands and praying around the American flag pole.  These youth were obviously Christian, to which branch or whether a cross-denominational group, I am not certain.  The first thought that came forth was the irony of incorporating man made state government symbolism with the ideology of religion and God.  I had to assume that these youth, comforted by the cozy sheltering of upper economic society, did not really understand the true history of the United States, the expanded colonial history of the International stage, or the history of the various religions in which their parents, probably just as uninformed, had begun raising them up under with the automatic assumption that it was the correct ethical decision.  Were these praying children too young to understand the history of imperialism, committed by the United States and other states on the world stage (not to mention the private sector influences on states), which has created mass world and domestic poverty?  Were these children too young for the harsh truths of the transatlantic slave trade, genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Native Americans, and racial enslavement and segregation in the short life span of the United States?  Were these devout youth too young for the explanation that the synoptic gospels, from which they are taught miraculous stories, actually have no known authorship and were not authored by the apostle names assigned to them in print?  After all, the only synoptic gospel with historically proven authorship is Luke, and that Luke was Luke the Physician, not the apostle, and a close affiliate with Saul (creator of Pauline Christianity).  This is not a singular slight on Christianity because the Quranic scriptures are heavily laced with the Pauline synoptic Gospel teachings, which were probably brought into Muhammad’s teachings through Khadijah, whose father was recorded as a wealthy trader who routinely came into contact with Christian and Jewish traders.  The point is, how rational is basing state decision making on religiously influenced political ideologies, economic support, influence of power, and legislative and military actions based on ancient scriptures with no substantive historical basis other than faith (which each individual religious sect deems as infallible in their own image)?

Another blatant concern derived from the American symbolism of the youth prayer group surrounding the American flag pole is the sub-conscious influence of religion, especially Christianity, on American representative democracy.  Indoctrinated beliefs in story book religious scriptures heavily influence public support, campaign financing, and overall representative democratic legislative decision making, domestically and internationally, that in many cases are detrimental to American economic, political, and structural strengths or weaknesses.  The most destructive modern example is the impact of Zionism on the historically unrefined Christian mind that, due to irrational faith in biblical scripture which suffers illegitimacy due to unknown authorship and countless language translations, states a Godly promise to a specific ethnic group to inherit a tract of land off the Mediterranean as religious justification for ethnic cleansing and constant regional conflict under capital-industrial-military hegemony.  This justification is similar to the biblical justifications of racial slavery that Christian American slave owners once used to defend the pre-American British system of colonial slavery.  When this dangerous influence for unlawful justifications is mixed with the imperial-capitalist xenophobic fear tactics placed on the public Christian mind against Muslims and other non-white, non-Christian peoples through mass media conditioning, just as was utilized toward phantom Communism during the Cold War in days of lesser technological mass production abilities, the United States finds herself funneling annual billions to states conducting human rights crimes, and involving herself in military regime removal, placing her American sons and daughter’s blood into foreign soils, and regime rebuilding for economic and imperial interests that do not benefit the American people at all.

One of the greatest aspects of the United States is freedom of religion.  It is a pillar that stands tall alongside the freedom of speech and the freedom to bear arms in order to defend ones family.  It doesn’t really matter what religion a person freely chooses if it makes them a better moral person among society, but it is strongly advised to, at a minimum, know the historical facts surrounding that religion instead of simply taking a preacher or Imam’s lecture as indisputable truth and politically unbiased.  Why would any responsible parent pass information to their children that has not been verified through research and critical thought?  Yet, that is what many of us do unto ‘our’ children.  One thing that is destructive and collectively debilitating to the possible collective advancement of the American people is the preachers and ministers spinning xenophobic rapture to uneducated minds, and the Imams who sew discontent and extremism from the pages of the Quran to a people who do not know the history surrounding the Arabic peninsula during the lifetime of Muhammad.  Muslims, Jews and Christians have lived alongside each other in peace and prosperity during many, many periods of history throughout many geographic areas.  We need truthful reflection on history, truthful understanding of political and economic systems and conditions, and the hard truths surrounding religion and morals.  If that is offensive to some, so be it.  Christian churches in America once sponsored racial slavery; Muslim extremists have attacked innocent civilians, and Catholic priests have molested children.  These random facts certainly do not apply to the majority of Christians and Muslims, nor do the stereotypes of other religions apply to every adherent of those sects.  We, as Americans, must research and embrace the truths of history, no matter how ugly, unjust or barbaric, in order to force reconciliation and move forward as a collective population and pave a strong future for our children.  One should not take offense to history.  The understanding of history should be to learn, repair, and move forward with experience and understanding.

The deep divides in America go beyond the current xenophobia of religion and the highly promoted inorganic fear of the phantom Muslim menace that is portrayed as seeking to take over the entire globe with Sharia Law and banish the National Football League and American Idol.  The racial divide in the United States which originated from the history of slavery and continues to widen due to economic and social ramifications caused by that history is an area that I do not believe to be irreconcilable, although collective economic, moral, and social reforms are mandatory for any future hopes along with a national self-reflection and the community imposed elimination of drugs and senseless violence.  When I think upon this racial divide and the white Christian youth holding hands around the American flag pole, I have to ask myself the question: How much do they really know about the history of our state?  When I was an uneducated youth, I believe that my public school system dedicated a very, very skimpy historical review of our dark skinned countrymen and the injustice done to our brothers and sisters.  The public school system taught us about the friendly “I have a Dream” speech by King and may have briefly mentioned slavery between Washington’s honesty and Lincoln’s heroism.  Never once were we taught about King’s Vietnam speech, Malcolm’s journey to Mecca, Nat Turner, the correlation between Christian land owners and slavery, the rape of slave women and the reproduction of human stock in the slave system, nor any other heinous realities of history.  To deny our children the truth of history is to diminish their chances of a collective strength for the future, and does vast injustices to the human nation and American state.  How much of the true history do our children know and understand?  Many people will argue that the children are too young, and are not ready for this type of shocking material.  This is a weak argument indeed.  One hundred years ago 12 year olds were married, worked 12 hour days, raising livestock, and prepared to raise children in the years following, while today American private sector missiles, purchased by Israel with AIPAC secured American foreign aid, rain down on 12 year olds in Palestine and Lebanon.  There are 12 year olds in Africa that are carrying weapons and machetes within civil conflicts and Israeli owned diamond mines who have seen human beings hacked to death.  We baby and coddle our precious American children, shielding them from the truths of history and religion, while allowing them to perpetrate as adults during their teenage years by exploiting their half-naked bodies and experimenting with sexual exploits, mimicking gangsters and the most immoral characters imaginable, and indulging in the basest forms of apathy.  Here lies one of the roots of moral and ethical degeneration on civilized society, and the mental and physical weakening of a people.

The American people are some of the strongest and proudest people on the Earth.  The maypole, as symbolic as it is and it has been, and the wealthy representatives under her legislative representative democratic skirts, have become questionable as to the overall concerns, protection, and future well-being of the people and the future of the American youth.  There are those who cry “revolution” and attempt to challenge state police in riot gear, but I do not view this as a viable option.  I believe in the concept of positive reform within the people, which will cause the effect of positive reform within the system, or at a minimum a realignment of more positive priorities within the people, such as drying up the supply and demand of drugs flowing into lower economic communities.  A positive collective strengthening of the people, a serious self-reflection of the current priorities of the people, and strong reform through the people, and thus eventually the system, is imperative.  We can no longer sit back and comfort ourselves on thoughts of a mystery God or a government flag fixing our serious moral, social, economic, intellectual, and political issues and deficiencies as a collective people.  We, the people, must strengthen ourselves, our families, and our communities in strong, positive ways for the future.  If God or nation brings salvation to us later, did bettering ourselves as a people actually hurt us in any way until that time?

Strides in Education: Frederick Douglass 'My Bondage, My Freedom' Chapters 20 and 21

Discussion on Chapters 20 and 21 include Douglass' returns to Baltimore for apprenticeship in caulking, racial working conditions in a capitalist shipyard in 1836-1837, the legal system and hypocrisy of white and black witnesses to violent crimes, and the Underground Railroad.

Strides in Education: Frederick Douglass 'My Bondage, My Freedom' Chapters 18 and 19

Discussion includes the Holiday break of 1835-1836, how holidays are spent by slaves, the impact of holidays on the system of slavery, the transfer of Douglass from the slave break Mr. Covey's plantation to the slave owner Mr. Freeland's plantation, another effort at education and teaching (Sabbath School), the hypocrisy of Christian slave owners, and the plot, planning and betrayal for escaping slavery.

Letter #13 - Observations on Public Schools After Parents Night

Letter dated August 16, 2013:

With the start of the 2013/2014 school year at its beginning and after attending parent’s night for my oldest daughter, who is entering the middle school level of public school, I decided to write an informal letter for you to read when you are parents, with some observations on the public school system as I currently see them.  The school system we are currently attending conducted parent night through a structural format with parents following their child’s schedule to each classroom for a ten minute brief from that classroom’s course instructor.

The first classroom we visited was the social studies course.  I believe the majority of American schools alternate between U.S. history (a very narrow curriculum that briefly touched American slavery and Native American genocide and displacement, let alone capitalism, government, foreign policy, territorial expansion and imperialism) and world history.  The grade level we are currently entering is world history, and knowing this in advance we have worked hard to cover the globe over the summer.  After all, when it boils down to it….this isn’t about letter grades, this is about acquiring truthful knowledge and critical thought for our children. 

The social studies teacher at this particular school was a somewhat young, in my opinion, male teacher.  I will state here that with the growing trends of teacher misconduct and moral problem in American society that I still support gender segregation in the classroom, but that position has been put forth previously and will be discussed again in the future.  My first concern with the first classroom, since history is one of the most vital subjects of required knowledge for our children, was that this teacher was also the football coach, the basketball coach (for both genders) and the track coach.  I found myself questioning the level of academic dedication in the field of history that a teacher could give to studebnts while being so active in sports coaching.  Since I do not know the man, I will give him the benefit of doubt at this point, because while I am an avid pursuer of historic knowledge, and I am also a sports fan and I also coach my daughter’s recreational sports teams on occasion.  This teacher provided a brief background on himself, and with this background (shared by many teachers), I found a problematic trend among educators in the public school system.  This teacher of social studies, otherwise known as the very important subject of history, did not have a degree in American or world history.  He only possessed a degree in teaching.  This realization told me that he was possibly pushing forward a pre-established state curriculum, in effect no different than a politician reading a pre-written speech.   This realization solidified my position of the importance of home education in addition to systematic education and public school resources.

Question #1:  Should our teachers be required to hold degrees in the areas they are teaching our children?  I hold the view that this requirement, in itself, would be a very positive element of education reform.

The second course classroom that we visited was pre-algebra and the teacher was a healthy looking grandmother with three young grandchildren.  She also had a teaching degree, but a minor degree in the field of mathematics, and she generally portrayed a passion for mathematics, which I greatly appreciate.  The advanced work that my daughter and I have put in over the summer seems to have covered the areas previewed in her curriculum, and I left this course classroom with little concern.

The third course classroom was drama and speech.  The teacher for this course was an older male teacher, eccentric in character and obviously by his gait a theatre-actor type.  Even though the curriculum of this course was basically a state sponsored acting class, I support the social interaction involved and, as the instructor himself stated, the social interaction building on life skills (even if the topic areas of that interaction are irrelevant, we can work that on our own time).  Even though my hopes that the speech portion of this course might contain topics pertinent to society, I could only cede that this course would not hinder or damage the educational process.

The forth class was gym.  Again, we find ourselves dealing with a gender integrated gym course with an older female gym teacher and a young male gym teacher.  Again, I am not supportive of this structure, especially in the physical education (if it is still called that) arena.  I noted that the school gym shorts being sold were too short for young girls who are physically developing into women, but at the current stage of our society I seem to be in the minority group of people holding these views, or even considering the concern.  As our children grow up, we must allow them to make certain decisions…but must ensure that our children are fully informed, to the best of our abilities, prior to making those decisions.  My daughters, your mother and I have always been upfront and have never candy-coated or hid the ugly realities of the society.  When news reports of rape, sexual assault or teacher misconduct have been reported….we have attempted to make you aware of them in order that you may reflect on the dangers in society.  At this point in our society, I simply do not see the issue with a slight increase in modest dress for our young women.  I left this decision with my daughter and she is considering her options.

The next few courses of classes brought no new concerns.  I support the Spanish course with the mentality that a future bi- or multi-lingual generation of Americans can only be beneficial.  I had no problems with the science course, as we have long anticipated the periodic chart, or the teacher, an older no-nonsense instructor, other than she had no degrees in science…only teaching.  Apparently Pluto is no longer a planet (note how the field of science can change).

The most impressive teacher was the language arts and reading teacher.  She informed parents that she had been teaching at the 1^st grade level for several years and was making her first jump to the middle school level.  Perhaps this organic educational passion she displayed was an eagerness to advance to a new age group of students, but I sincerely hope that her passion burns for a long time.  We were lucky enough to draw her for dual classes, language arts and reading.  She had me sold as soon as she made the statement that her students would do a book report every two week on exterior books.  Not only does this play directly into our home studies, I instantly began envisioning working on our college level citations for each of these book reports.

These were the main observations that I took from parent’s night at the public school system.  Since this informal letter is focused on the public school system, I feel compelled to revisit a topic concerning capital, the quality of schools in economically healthy neighborhoods, and the dilapidation and lack of resources for schools in lower economic areas.  Why is there a disparity of equality concerning available resources, obtained by capital, between schools in lower economic areas and upper economic areas?  I am sure that there are a plethora of reasons that can be put forth, but the most basic and problematic area (based on the current state, county, and city structure that I can theorize on is crime and drugs.  We know the government is big business and currently has little concern for our children, and we know the private sector is profit driven; therefore WE, the people, must take responsibility for reform efforts.  In capitalist society, the private sector corporations, who practically out-capital the individual business owners and eventually force them out or swallow them, hold the sole motive of accumulating profit.  The private sector corporations care for very little else and certainly show little concern for our children outside of opportunities for solid PR campaigns (public relations).  At the same time, the public school system draws its majority budget from tax revenues from the state, county, or city.  With this being said, a degenerating neighborhood or community that is plagued by violence, drugs, and other negative elements will be held stagnant, or more than likely reduced, in tax revenues due to a lack of investment by the capitalist corporations (caring only for profits) in their avoidance of investments into those neighborhoods, which results in less available jobs, higher unemployment, and less tax revenues for schools.  For so many years we have heard empty rhetoric from politicians about rebuilding destroyed cities (and lower economic areas), such as areas of Detroit and Chicago, but these politicians do not control the private corporations.  If anything, the private sector corporations own them and their votes.  It is vital for our lower economic community members to build their communities by cutting off the drug supply lines (through the reduction and eventual ending of demand), reducing the epidemic of violent crimes (usually young men murdering their peers over reputations or chump change), with the end result aiming for the increase of individual business operations (or corporate job creation) to create jobs, generate stronger revenues for school and community resources, and an overall better living community for the youth.  Of course, we must also identify and remove all forms of corruption in the local levels of government.  How can we accomplish this?  Education is one tool and it is a tool that must be wielded by a parent or a true mentor, not the public school system, and conducted on individual AND community collective levels.  How can we make better opportunities for our children, if we do not understand the economic, political, and government structures within the levels and operations of government, the private sector, or the public school system?  We must educate ourselves, so we can educate our children.  We, especially the lower economic-working class, have to teach our youth that the system is designed for them to fail or fall short.  Instead of the tired slogans of “Drugs and violence are bad”, we need to begin teaching our children these economic, political, systematic formulas and how the systems (and the social, economic traps) work….how they impact THEIR individual and community futures….to include the consequences, both individually and community level.

Letter #12 - The Funny Man, The Comedian, and the Influence of Mass Production

Should men be defined as funny?   With all the urgent issues facing society today, especially American society, do we need court jesters, fools, and grown men acting out as either buffoons for laughs, or even worse, verbally belittling others for so-called ‘hilarious’ entertainment?  I have been giving contemplation to the roles and responsibility of men in society, and among many areas, would like to focus on the character of the funny fool.  At this stage in Western society, it would seem we would need more technical experts and technical educators, intellectual and moral mentors, proactive parents, physical contributors to society, laborers, protectors of families and children, and multiple other strong, positive roles instead of jesters at the individual and public level.  After all, the world is currently plagued by very serious negative issues from mass incarceration of non-violent crimes to mass poverty, from government corruption to wars instituted on behalf of vulture capitalism and global imperialism (amassing national debt for our children), from racial division to outright public ignorance, from high murder rates (youth murdering youth and mass shootings in public places) and drug epidemics to the rape and sexual assault of our children, along with many more disturbing issues that I have not mentioned here.  With all of the troubling issues in American society and throughout the world, with the next generation scheduled to inherit these issues, who is the man who spends his hours in idleness and joke telling, and comedic buffoonery?  Who is the funny man who stumbles to the floor like a bumbling derelict simply to get a laugh?  It is one thing to entertain a (very) young child, but it is another thing among adults in a troubled society, which in itself should bring question to the intellectual levels of both the buffoon and those who appreciate the buffoon.  Does the man who constantly jokes and never takes important issues in a serious manner, or in his mind and hands, hide behind his humor out of weakness or fear?  This brings up another issue for consideration.  Is this type of behavior naturally inherited through DNA or is it shaped by society and culture?  I will concede that DNA combination shape human personality traits.  Although, I do not tend to believe that the majority of social behavior patterns are naturally born in a human infant, even though a small child will dance and purposely fall down for approving laughs or attentions, while on the other hand, a grown man is not a child despite, in some cases, having the intellectual levels and disciplines of one.  Therefore, I lean toward the position that the acceptance and imitation of excessive comedic behavior in grown men is the majority result of society norms and values (in accordance with intellectual levels).  Therefore, as we have discussed in prior letters, I am unable to ignore the influences of inorganic popular culture on this social phenomenon, which is derived and shaped by mass produced entertainment by the elite holders of mass capital.

Let us look at a few random examples of comedians, supported by mass produced exposure to the public, and review some of their material, which is obviously embraced by a bulk of American society and clearly represents the dilapidating cultural condition of our society….and the shaping of future American society. 

Random Example #1:

The first comedian we will look at is the very popular Kevin Hart in his stand-up routine entitled: ‘Seriously Funny’ (on the Viacom owned Comedy Central Network).which originally aired on July 11, 2010.

Excerpt #1:

“I saw my dad get knocked out one time. I was 13, traumatized me.  This guy hit my dad twice in the same spot, mm-mm, quick as hell, quickest two punches I've ever seen in my life.  I've never seen anything like it.  Bop-bop.  Hit my dad so fast, in the middle of the fight, my dad stopped fighting and asked me what happened, in the middle of the fight.  In the middle of the fight, it was like, bop-bop.” [1]

In telling his story, inputting jester-like animation while doing so, Mr. Hart continues to build up for the punch line.

“…that was the day that he stopped being my dad.  I lost all respect.  He didn't understand that, though.  He was still trying to discipline me around the house.  "Kevin, hey, didn't I tell you to get the trash out?  Get up, get the trash out " "shut up. Shut up.  You get the trash out before I get Steve to come over here and put his damn hands on you " "oh, oh, oh, you gonna get Steve, huh?  You are something else.  Give me the trash." he didn't want to see Steve again.  STEVE BEAT THE [bleep] OUT OF My dad.” [2]

Is this supposed to be funny?  Is the disrespect of a parental figure humorous?  With all the American families with no father figures due to abandonment or incarceration, is this funny?  A sub-level discussion concerning this utterly disrespectful joke would be the topic of when a physical alteration is necessary.  Today, men and women will physically damage each other like animals over the most trivial disputes.  I hold that the defense of family, the defense of a victim’s life, self-defense, or defense of the American people by foreign enemies (on American soil) would be legitimate reasons to enter into physical violence, and those reasons provided are considered important enough to not only enter into physical violence….but to do so with no consideration of my own life or liberty.

Excerpt #2:

“He goes through his daughter's phone.  He found a picture of a little boy's thing on the phone, right?  He tells me everything.” [3]

So, Mr. Hart goes on to talk about if this was his son pulling his penis out at school, and how he would chastise him in front of the mother, but after the mother was gone he would….

“And if I found out that my son was pulling his thing out in school, when his mother's around, I'm gonna have an attitude.  I'm gonna have a lot of stuff to say.  "Really?  Really, dude?  That's what you do in school?  So you don't need pants, 'CAUSE YOUR [bleep] IS OUT." as soon as his mom leave, "hey, come here.  What did she say when she saw it?  Give me some.  Give me some.  Yes.  Hell, yeah.  Sometimes you got to put it on the table, son.  Let 'em see it.” [4]

Is this funny?  How funny would it be if a boy, or young man, or a grown man exposed himself to your daughter or mother?  And how funny is it that the humorous acceptance on behalf of this kind of immoral social behavior can lead to future sexual assault or worse, not to mention the utter disrespect of our own women?  This type of promotion for immoral humor, which Mr. Hart earns millions to promote in his comedy, and the many others like him who are mass produced in the entertainment field succeed generation after generation in desensitizing an uneducated public and spreading immoral cancer cells within society.

Random Example #: 2

Jeff Durham is the second example, and he makes jokes (and a wealthy living) utilizing stereotypical toy puppets and ventriloquism.  In the following sample, he utilizes stereotypical ‘white trash’ puppet for his humor.

Excerpt 1:

“[Laughter] >> bubba j, are you married?  >> Oh, yeah.  >> Yeah, is your wife pretty?  .. no.  [Laughter] >> what's the difference?  >> The light.  [Laughter] >> where'd you meet your wife?  >> At the family reunion. [Laughter] >> Dunham: So bubba j, where was this family reunion?  >> At the state fair.  >> Dunham: State fair?  >> Why don't you tell us about the first time you saw your wife.  Where was she?  >> Oh, she was leaning up against the ferris wheel.  >> Dunham: Yeah?  >> Dunham: Yeah?  [Laughter] sunlight glistening .. [Laughter] corn dog in one hand, a budweiser in the other.” [5]

What is funny about this?  If an American falls under this reality, it is not cute or humorous at all, and they obviously need guidance instead of ridicule.  This is another comedian that has grown rich on puppets, cultural stereotypes, and apathetic meaningless talk.  This comedian also has an Arab terrorist skeleton puppet, a mean (and perversely immoral) elderly male puppet, and a few other stereotypical toy puppets.  Here is the conclusion of his so-called humor at the expensive of the lower economic white community:

“[Laughter] >> so I guess you had the, the wedding at the church?  >> At Wal-mart.  [Laughter] >> Wal-mart?  >> Yeah.  >> Why?  >> Easier to return the gifts.” [6]

These are just two of the popular comedians of the current period.  There are endless examples of them and their little comedy ‘acts’ contain absolutely nothing of substance or intellectual importance, and certainly do not benefit a state with so many social, economic, political and moral problems.  I would advise you to analyze the topics of these jester’s jokes, and avoid being lulled into mechanically watching (and subconsciously absorbing) their so-called inorganic entertainment.   In order to gain individual wealth and admiration (which Americans eagerly provide them), these comedian tools are required to perform the desired content that their executive producers (funding) desire: content desensitizing immoral behavior, desensitizing disrespect toward all elements of family and humanity, and content that laughingly encourages the further degeneration of American norms and values.  As I asked with glamorized self-destructive rap and pop music, who produces these mass produced artists?  What political, ethnic, religious, and economic similarities do these producers share?  These so-called artists are really no different than those artists who glamorize violence and drugs in rap music or apathetic emotional teenage pop music, because each of these sources are all funded by the same capital sources which shape domestic norms and values.  Identify the sources that influence your society.  Mass produced comedy is no more than another tired diversion on the subconscious minds which divert the people from the issues that their children will be faced with.

Let us quickly scan the most popular comedy movies from 2012, which are mass produced much heavier than stand-up comedy acts, and reflect the same apathetic diversion tactics, immoral desensitization of uncivilized norms and values, and the numbing of conscious minds.  We will only randomly discuss a few of these comedy movies from 2012, simply to show the trend, because it is quite easy select a year and research the products being mass produced out of ‘Z’ollywood.

The first comedy movie of 2012 that we will briefly look at is the movie ‘Project X’ about a massive teenage “party of all parties” that practically destroys a suburban neighborhood in an all-out pursuit of shallow social popularity by one of the characters.  I am not sure what Americans find humorous about excessive underage drinking and drug usage, property destruction, youth sexual promiscuity, and the false concluding (subliminal) message that the party goers were not really held accountable by the law.  This lack of realistic responsibility in the face of the justice system may be possible for children of wealthy Congressional leaders, but not for the working class.  Needless to say, this movie has been mimicked more than a few times since its release.  The fact that our youth are so impressionable to such advancement hindering and self-destructive images is a serious and troubling concern.  This is the human element, as a human being is influenced by his or her surrounding environments from birth.  On the other hand, if that absorption of influence would be utilized by strong, positive and conscious elements with understanding of ramifications (and multiple other positive results), it would be incredible to watch a future generation build itself in areas of economics, politics, morals, intellectual development, law, and social collectivity.  Alas, the capital-wealthy mass producers of entertainment would never mass produce positive images in order to get the youth thinking and building because it would be detrimental to their exclusive position of extreme capital wealth (and media control).  A dumb public is an easily manipulated public.

The second example of a so-called “hit” comedy movie from 2012 is a movie entitled “Jeff Who Lives At Home” about an unemployed 30 year old stoner who still lives at home with his mother.  This is actually a trend in the United States.  Are we laughing yet?  What this comedic performance does not concentrate on are the causes that create this trends.  These trends include: 1) American jobs lost when American (and multinational) private sector corporations open manufacturing plants in foreign nation-states with lower wage requirements (in order to maximize capital profit).  2)  The growing correlation of a growing population and growing technology (as new technologies reduce the requirements of manual labor for generating capital profit as it did during the industrial revolution)  3)  Lack of true educational development  4) Lack of technical skills  5)  Social and economic traps aimed at the lower economic communities of all colors through mass produced inorganic popular culture like a psychological carrot under a box.  There is just no humor in any of this to the rational, responsible, and conscious mind.

I will cease writing this letter at this point with the hope that you, my children, and beginning to understand the influencing power of mass produced entertainment and how it impacts the mass majority of our population.  You are what you watch.  You are what you read.  Who are you, my son and daughters?  Who have you become?  If this is a startling realization for you, I assure you that there are no chains of indoctrination that are unbreakable.  Your father has broken a few chains to become the person he is at the time of this letter.  Learn history…and watch the world, as it has been mass produced to appear before you…….change before your eyes and understanding.

 

[1] Kevin Hart, Seriously Funny, Comedy Central, July 11, 2010, http://livedash.ark.com/transcript/kevin_hart__seriously_funny/6732/COMEDYP/Sunday_July_11_2010/366555/

[2] Kevin Hart, Seriously Funny, Comedy Cetral, July 11, 2010, http://livedash.ark.com/transcript/kevin_hart__seriously_funny/6732/COMEDYP/Sunday_July_11_2010/366555/

[3] Kevin Hart, Seriously Funny, Comedy Cetral, July 11, 2010, http://livedash.ark.com/transcript/kevin_hart__seriously_funny/6732/COMEDYP/Sunday_July_11_2010/366555/

[4] Kevin Hart, Seriously Funny, Comedy Cetral, July 11, 2010, http://livedash.ark.com/transcript/kevin_hart__seriously_funny/6732/COMEDYP/Sunday_July_11_2010/366555/

[5]  Jeff Durham Transcript, http://livedash.ark.com/transcript/jeff_dunham__arguing_with_myself/66/Comedy/Sunday_July_21_2013/672661/

[6]  [5]  Jeff Durham Transcript, http://livedash.ark.com/transcript/jeff_dunham__arguing_with_myself/66/Comedy/Sunday_July_21_2013/672661/

Strides in Education: Frederick Douglass 'My Bondage, My Freedom' Chapters 13 and 14

Topics include: The Inheritance of Slave Owner Property, Division of Slave Families, Uncle Tom, Starvation of Slaves, Slave Master Conversion to Christianity, Hypocrisy of Christian Slave Owners, Hypocrisy of Christian Pastors in Slavery, Christian Leadership Preventing Sabbath Studies of Slaves and Blacks, Edward Covey the Slave Breaker.

Strides in American Education - 'My Bondage, My Freedom' by Frederick Douglass (Discussion of Chapters 10, 11 and 12)

Discussion Includes Learning to Read and Write by Douglass, Nat Turner's Rebellion in Virginia, First Awareness of Abolitionists, The Effects of Slavery on First Time Slave Owners, The Idea of Escape, The Columbian Orator's impact on Douglass.

 

 

Strides in American Education - 'My Bondage, My Freedom' by Frederick Douglass (Discussion of Chapters 8 and 9)

July 27, 2013 video of my daughter and I discussing Chapters 8 and 9 of 'My Bondage, My Freedom' by Frederick Douglass. Topics include overseer weapons and the overseer ideology, the murder of slaves by whites (with no arrest or persecution), Willie Lynch Letter, and slave children meals.

Letter #11 - Letter to Elijah.....July 22, 2013

My son, Elijah Frederick Douglass Meeks, I write this letter to you while your mother is in labor, which she began shortly after midnight, and you are yet to emerge in this world. Your family waits with great excitement. It is interesting that across the Atlantic Ocean, approximately at the same time that your mother began labor, a woman named Kate Middleton, who married into a British so-called royal family, also went into the early stages of child labor. The American media has been abuzz about the birth of this so-called royal baby for some time now. This so-called royal baby is a stark contrast to you. While you are born of working class parents, this so-called royal baby will be born to a life a wealth (accumulated from imperialism of the past). This is capital and this so-called royal baby will not be the only infant born into, but there are many more infants, such as you, that are born into working class families and have opportunity to advance individuals, collective communities, and even possibly contribute in a positive manner at the nation-state level. The world before is filled with unlimited possibilities (through education, discipline and strong ethics) and contributing to society and humanity in a positive manner makes the acquisition of personal wealth look like idle apathy and the greed of the royal families' ancestors, who raped foreign soils and committed genocide, appear truly naked for what it truly was. 

While this so-called royal baby will never want for anything and will certainly have a life of ease and leisure, you, my son, will emerge facing a harsh American society with little starting capital. Throughout your life you will hear the media speak on this so-called royal baby, from its youth to its marriage, and I hope you will come to understand the contrasting position of your births, and embrace and take pride in this contrast, and use this contrast as strength for your advancement and the advancement of the communities around you. You see, in this American society, there are so many social and economic traps awaiting young men such as yourself, and these identified traps I plan to educate you about and prepare you to overcome (either in person or in writing). You should realize from the earliest point possible that nothing will be given to you in this world and that you will have to grow strong physically, intellectually, and morally in order to earn resources and advance yourself…and one day your future family. Education, for your mind and not so much for material possessions, is paramount to fully developing into a true man and contributing to the human element to the best of your abilities.

You are probably wondering about your name. Your mother selected the name of Elijah, who was indeed a biblical prophet (which we will discuss in depth in the years to come), while I selected your middle name, Frederick Douglass. By the time you read this letter, I assume you will know who Frederick Douglass was. Douglass was born a slave in America and advanced himself not only to freedom, but to one of the highest political positions in the nation as an advisor to the American president, Lincoln, during the years leading to the Emancipation Proclamation (hand in hand with the Industrial Revolution, which is what really caused the American Civil War). The two points in the life of Frederick Douglass that most impacted my decision to name you after him were 1) Douglass self-educated himself. Despite the systematic society that prevented slaves to educate, Douglass managed to not only learn to read and write on his own, but to truly educate himself throughout his life. I can’t tell you how important that continuous intellectual development is to you and those you care about. The system of slavery attempted to keep knowledge from Douglass, but his hunger and drive for knowledge was undefeatable. Douglass once stated that an educated man was unfit to be a slave. As you grow up to understand the domestic and international political stage, you will come to see similarities between the social-economic era that Douglass advanced under and the system that you are being born into; A system that puts forth great exertion and effort to divert the attention of the American youth from educational and intellectual development. 

The second point that has always stayed with me about the life of Frederick Douglass was that during the early stages of adulthood and education, Douglass was sent to the plantation of a reputed slave breaker, Mr. Covey. One day while working in the barn, Mr. Covey struck Douglass and Douglass, a slave…remember, physically retaliated. The two men, slave breaker and slave, fought for an hour until both were bloody and battered. No other slaves came to help Mr. Covey’s cries. After that fight, Mr. Covey, the regionally reputed slave breaker, never laid a hand on Frederick Douglass again. The lesson here is not to be violent for senseless reasons (and you will earn the difference between meaningful and senseless through education and history), but to be physically strong for self-defense and the all-out defense of your family, especially your mother and sisters. We will certainly discuss this responsibility further in-depth. My daughters….never place your brother in a position under false pretenses or shallow-petty drama (I do not expect that you will because I will educate you both until my dying breath). As my son, Elijah is expected to give his life (if required) in defending both of you and the mother who created all of you (should an evil day ever come that truly requires self-defense and/or sacrifice). As the American Nathan Hale once said, “I only have one life to give”. Do not have him throw his away on foolishness or troubles caused by your own instigations. Take care of each other and protect each other.

Keep in mind that a name, is only a name. A name does not make a man or woman. It is the man or woman that make the name.

It is now 3:22 am and time for your sisters and me to head back to the hospital to meet you for the first time. God is indeed Beneficent and Merciful.

Strides in Education - 'My Bondage, My Freedom' by Frederick Douglass (Discussion of Chapters 6 and 7)

Strides in American Education: In preparation for the upcoming 6th grade, my daughter and I are currently reading 'My Bondage, My Freedom' by Frederick Douglass.  This is a recorded discussion on those chapters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lclo41hngWg