"The System" and its "Errors"

Hey blogging world, I hope all is going well. Yesterday, I saw a post on Facebook that made me think and I decided to share it on my own fb page. Later I viewed the video again and this blog post is a result of it (after viewing it a few times to figure out as much as I could ... but I know I missed something. Actually will be asking ya'll for some help about that later). As a disclaimer some of my points may seem harsh but hey it is just an opinion and you are welcomed and invited to disagree in a respectful manner.

First, here is the video that spurned this post. Watch it and let it marinate:

Now that you have experienced the awesomeness of that video ... lets dissect it together. I will only hit on three points that I thought were the most interesting since if I sat here and dissected his entire spoken word I would be here for a while. Now I feel the best place to start would be at the beginning. Mr. Powell starts off with a powerful statement (in paraphrased form): the system don't want us here right now since we live in a system that is designed for us to fail, essentially dictating what we do and say. That is a very interesting way in which to start his performance (which is the way he always starts it, found other videos featuring him performing the system). I say interesting because he starts with his conclusion and then goes into how "the system" achieves this point. As a trained attorney we do this all the time especially when writing a decision or memo. It allows us to get straight to the point without the reader guessing what the conclusion will be. So they already know the ending and are just guided through the how. Definitely an interesting approach. Now let dive into the meat of the matter.

Second, the "system", Mr. Powell states, defines everything that is essential to popular culture even defining what is "swag"/"trending". He goes on to describe the ridiculous "need" that seems to surround our culture, from the incessant want for the new Jordans or Fendi bags to the need to talk about the many sexual encounters you have had in your life. This description is sad but true, as we saw this past weekend with the release of the Gamma 11's. The lines at the sneaker stores were ridiculous. There were fights over these sneakers and screams of triumph when some received their pair. The fact that this actually became news shows that the "system" has done its job in creating an insatiable need for consumer goods and placing that need in the homes in order to gain more followers. This "need" leads to an emasculation of the male and misguided women as they are being raised by the television instead of their parents (lets leave that there at this moment, but go see my other post "Black is Beautiful" for more explanation). When they are raised by the television these children begin to copy the the values that are being preached through the media, leads in my opinion to men who create a defense mechanism of aggressiveness and women who see marriage as "trendy". Therefore, this starts a vicious cycle; by providing this need for consumption (in general), it allows the system to define what "popular culture" is and then this "popular culture" defines what is needed in your life. All for the simple fact that they (the system) cant have them (the blacks)"thinking for themselves".

Moving on and finally, he talks about "Operation Exploitation" which the "system" has initiated in order to keep blacks from being successful yet thinking they are by throwing money at a person. As we all know money is the defining factor at how successful a person is in life and as a result many sell their souls in order to achieve this meager monetary goal. As money becomes the goal these negroes(ERROR) these people become vessels that the "system" can use to their liking. Hmmmm lets use the example he does. The common rapper today typically sucks (well at least to me), but seems to have an immense following. It is because of this following that we always hear how hip-hop is slowly yet surely destroying our entire culture from the inside out (as we saw when "the system" was scanning our popular music [hip-hop] it almost crashed). Most rappers today speak mostly about self-destructive behavior and the ones that don't are usually ostracized as "wack" or not "bout that life". They speak about the "need" that was spoken briefly about earlier but also about a general distrust for authority figures, a glorification of the "thug life" (drugs, prison and the like) and a complete disrespect for women and education. This reaches the next generation and slowly starts to whittle away at those who dont want to think for themselves and to be lead by the masses. Therefore, creating a generation of exploited young men and women who follow the pack to destruction but avoid accountability at the same time since they are just following the crowd.

This is just light sprinkling of what I got from this spoken word. Yet there is so much to dive into here. That is where I call on you. What did you get from this performance? Is it as powerful and I make it out to be or just another negro (ERROR) spouting nonsense? Let me know in the comments and lets talk. Well now back to enjoy my vacation, yall have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! As always GOD BLESS!