(Akiit.com) They called it the big eighties—the decade of decadence.

This was the time when Africans in America officially embraced the dollar as god.

Negroes en masse first started internalizing Dollarism in the seventies and by the eighties, the new religion of the almighty dollar was in full swing.

Prior to that, we were mostly still playing a game our own way and the sixties had shown that it could work. There were always a few of us who sold out and we hadn’t fully punked out yet as a race.

But the eighties wasn’t called the “ME Decade” for nothing.

And the new religion of Money had already changed every game.

The new religion changed the way some Blacks thought of themselves with the illusion of inclusion.

During this time, we saw many so-called Black Republicans became such not purely because of politics, but because they assumed that there was something for them based on having money and/or privilege. This was the first time that large numbers of Blacks were open about separating themselves from other Blacks based on the pursuit of individual goals, which they placed above concerns for the race.

Of course, white people had been doing it, but as a race whites could fall back on being white and having white privilege. Without a community, what could blacks go back to? Slavery?

The new religion of Money even changed religion.

Those of us with independent thinking already knew that many religious figures were in it for the money, but with the new religion kicking in, we began to see more religious icons embrace their new god unashamedly. This is why today we see so many disgustingly huge mega-church structures in the Black communities and pimped out preachers, who don’t care about hiding their avarice.

As religious people go, many Americans pursue a relationship with a church that will praise them and promise to reward them with prosperity for being faithful to the church, as though they are better than the average person who may be a good person, but not dedicated to the church.

The new religion of money also changed the concept of being smart.

I knew that we were at a new point in time when people claimed that Puffy was smart–not because he did anything clever that they could point to, but smart because he had the aura of having money. Intellectuals be damned—people would rather take their advice from Cosby, Oprah and Wendy Williams, rather than someone who thinks and does research.
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(Akiit.com) The Presidency aspirations of Barack Obama have caused a renewed discussion on race in America.

The prospect of a black President has cast America in a different light throughout the world (as demonstrated by Obama’s highly successful trip to the Middle East and Europe last week). But here, at home, America wrestles with the notion of the first black President in the history of the United States.

In what should be, by all accounts, a run-away lection season–with an unpopular sitting President, a Republican Party embroiled in controversy, a failing economy and a war the America people are tired of–Barack Obama still finds himself running even with a tired old man that is a maverick in his own party. How can John McCain run also even with the most exciting political figure of the last two generations. It is clear.

White people in America are confronted with a choice not even they imagined. So, now they have had to reacquaint themselves with that 400 year old problem they once called “the American Negro” but now simply refer to as “Black America.”

Having relegated its historical dilemma of racial animus to the least priority of society, and rather than engage in any semblance of racial reconciliation chose instead to simply dismiss race as an irrelevant and outdated construct, the emergence of Barack Obama has forced new generations of Americans to discuss their parents and forefathers racial history and face up to the current dilemmas of race, particularly with respect to the African American. Black is back in America. At least for now, while Barack is in the running and dominates global media.

There is much fanfare around the two-part, six hour CNN special, Black In America, which ran all weekend (literally). America hasn’t looked at race in so long it has to even ask itself, “what is this thing called Black America?” Often referred to in an antiquated paradigm, most of America still ties Black America to the civil rights movement and its leaders to that same movement–largely cause many of them are still around. As the generation that won’t sit down, the civil rights generation still thinks it speaks for Black America (and the two generations that have come after them).

The question of “Who speaks for Black America?” is as convoluted as the question of “Who is Black America?” The fact that America acts as if they don’t know us (because they don”t–Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” still plays out in many facets of this society) and have to study Black America every 20 years, like they’re some new phenomenon or something. Stands to reason that the same issues–socio-political inequality, economic subjugation, systematic and institutional discriminations–that went unresolved after slavery, and went unresolved after Reconstruction, and went unresolved after Jim Crow, and went unresolved after the Civil Rights movement, and went unresolved during the Reagan “White Backlash” Revolution and went unresolved in the Colorblind movement, would still be unresolved.
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(Akiit.com) Warning: The following column discusses the recent CNN series, “Black in America.” Do not read it if you wish to retain oversimplified standardized images and ideas - i.e., stereotypes - about black folks.

Despite what you think, what you’ve read, what you’ve seen and what you’ve heard, there’s nothing simple and standard about being black in America.

It shouldn’t take a three-part series on cable TV to drive that fact home. But at this point, any bit of help is welcome.

I imagine this is how women often feel, trying to explain the nuances and subtlety of sexism, while acknowledging their tremendous advancement and accomplishments. Trying to explain that they love being females, yet pointing out society’s built-in advantages for males.

Trying to explain that supporting and encouraging other women doesn’t mean they hate and want to tear down men.

Sometimes it feels like you’re banging your head against the wall.

But you keep doing it anyway, hoping that your headache won’t be in vain and, ultimately, another someone joins the rolls of those who understand.

Of course, it’s impossible to totally understand without walking in black skin. Not that I’m looking for sympathy, mind you. Empathy, or at least your best effort, is the goal.

Critics of this discussion will consider it “divisive.” They’ll accuse me, as they’ve done in the past, of being “hateful,” and “playing the card,” and embracing “victimhood.”

My head hurts already.

Thanks be to God, I’m a college graduate who’s been gainfully employed for 23 consecutive years in my chosen field of study. I make a decent living and have a lovely family, a wife and two daughters. Never been arrested, never gang-banged, never sold drugs, never robbed or shot anyone.

I’m not alone in these accomplishments. CNN reports that the number of black households earning $100,000 or more has increased by about 50 percent since 1990.

Surely, rappers and athletes can’t account for all of that.

But since I can’t wear my degree on my forehead and my resume on my chest, I still have trouble catching taxicabs at night. I still attract more interest and scrutiny from cops in cruisers and security in stores. I still draw more suspicion from strangers, still give more pause to passers-by.

How pointing this out makes me divisive is beyond me. Besides, some of the aforementioned folks looking at me twice are black, too. They’ve internalized the stereotypes that are rampant in mainstream media.

Thursday night’s installment of “Black in America” focused on black men. A University of Texas researcher found that two-thirds of news stories about blacks were about crime. A Princeton researcher found that black men with no criminal background fared no better as job applicants than white men with prison records.
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(Akiit.com) It’s hard to believe but the kids shall be heading back to school soon… I for one will enjoy being able to have alittle peace for a few hours, but still miss not having my daughter running around the place all day… Will have to do some shopping soon, as you wouldn’t believe how fast kids grow up… On that note, I wonder how to get rid of acne when one’s skin is so sensitive… A friend was saying I need to do and that… I shall just visit the doctor…

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(Akiit.com) To my delight the yankees are back in the race, and shall once again contend for the AL title… Derek Jeter and the crew seem to be so alive again while having fun playing the game… Would love to visit Yankee stadium since it shall no longer be used anymore… Their new home is next door, as NYC is the big apple indeed… Oh well I need to go and look at some cabinet knobs and a few other things for the house… Will do that once the game is over, so go Yankees…

Written By CTA