analysis – Nómada [con] Rumbo

Will Democracy Die to the Sound of Thunderous Applause?

Returning to the United States has been an experiment in reverse culture shock. We are all being forced through the ringer; I know it is not just myself that is feeling the painful spasms of a conglomerate of seemingly apocalyptic issues: COVID-19, the most contagious virus to appear in recent history and develop into a sweeping global pandemic, natural disasters, and political and social unrest on an international scale just to name a few of those issues. It is merely the zeitgeist, or ghost/spirit, of our generation. Every generation has theirs, right?

So why does this feel so different to many of us?

As a teacher of English and Social Studies, I’ve been spending time explaining history to my students. With the discussion of history comes that of change, cause and effect, how the past and the present interact and shape each other. When you study history, you begin to realize that we are simply experiencing the effects of a long stretch of decisions and actions which have been broadly problematic in terms of the overarching balance of things. There are many factors to consider when asking ourselves why we are experiencing what we are experiencing, and not a single one of them is an anomaly. They are all tied to some thread of past events.

Recently, I’ve taken to unpacking and analyzing things for fun. Maybe it’s a sign that I really do need to return to academia, writing papers, and reading texts to further my own educational pursuits. But even without the impetus of a grade hanging over my head, I find myself drawn to these questions. Why are we so screwed? How can I help?

We need to all ask ourselves these questions in this day and age. If we want to prevent the tragedies of the past, the only solution is to learn from the mistakes others were too blind to see.

So here we are, filled with information. Everything we want to know is a google search away. A click and a wall of text. Information from billions of sources. And we ask ourselves, which source is true? Is there a True Source? (unintentional wheel of time reference, any nerds pick that up?) And if there is, is it trustworthy? Sound paradoxical? How do we define truth in this era when the truth we are handed is often far removed from the concrete events that took place?

I know, I’m getting in too deep. This is supposed to be about our US election season, a true mass of unadulterated cringe, but I can’t get past all of the muck that contributes to why this election season is unprecedented in its sheer nihilist grime.

But more than any one election, it is about our collective subconscious. Are we finally waking up? Or are most of us just “fake woke”? We can all proudly point out that truth as we interpret it, like many things, is a social construct. There are realities and the different ways in which we experience them. These days many will agree that most things are overwritten and constructed by our social context. And then there are traditionalists (“boomers” as they are colloquially called) both young and old that say, well, black is black, white is white, up is down, etc. Truisms define truth, and by questioning everything, we are believing in nothing. Dogma, basically. Doctrine. Security. Simple, clear-cut “truth.”

All while screaming about “fake news” and showing more levels of cynicism than I have seen even the most angsty young person display these days. Yes, I would even say that we young people are anxiously optimistic compared to the hardliners who cling to their constructed idealizations of “truth”-the truth handed down by the few to the many, “divine truth” if you will. Paradoxically, we, the younger generations, are set up as the brainwashed and the blind. And yet, we are the most educated generation in HISTORY. We are far from the stupid, over-sensitive idiots the older generations (some members, not all) make us out to be simply because we disagree with them so boldly.

Going back to our unprecedented instantaneous access to gold mines worth of information, most of us are aware that the truth that we are reading is subjective. Everything we are exposed to is subjective in that it is interpreting hard facts in unique ways, some more relevant than others. This is the first time in history where any common Schmoe can post and project their subjective experience into the ether. And people will actually listen. Read. Reblog. Repost. Follow. Repeat. And the echo chamber is formed.

Many point to this when they talk about how things have “gone to shit” – spoiler, but they haven’t. As I mentioned when discussing current events and history, the past plays a direct role in shaping our present, and disinformation is the exact reason we are where we are. People cling to myths that have been created and spread over decades and centuries, myths that validate and explain their very existence. “Going to shit” is relatively a reactive understanding of the fact that we are now exposed to more shit.

This is also why we have generational gaps. Each generation is liable to cling to their own myths and memes which were indoctrinated into them as children and young adults and fully cemented by the time their brains matured. There is a reason most conservatives are older people, even older people that were once more open-minded, and it’s not because time = wisdom = be conservative and distrust everyone and everything to protect your interests. But looking back at the last century of American history – of post-colonial history – you can see where certain myths were manufactured and distributed and regurgitated to a point that made these subconscious concepts come alive and hold the title of Truth in the minds of many.

Many, I might add, privileged individuals who are not aware of how they benefit and are contained by the complacency of this system.

I’ll elaborate on my own experiences to clarify what sort of privileges I mean, because they may not be the privileges you are expecting. Often the illusion of privilege is more compelling than the privilege itself. Hence why our individualist society has so many divisive characteristics that have affected our ability to make decisions intended to benefit the masses.

On a personal level, many members of my family have serious blindspots. They don’t even acknowledge their own biases. This has led to a sort of broken telephone, to such a point that what I express as my own opinion formed on the basis of facts, research, and critical thinking skills holds zero validity in their “wizened” minds.

I have been uprooted, several times over, this year. It is part of why I haven’t been writing. It’s part of why I feel at times like the illusion of control I cling to really is just that – an illusion.

A month ago, we were coping as a community with the aftermath of a devastating category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Laura brought high strength winds that had the power to carry entire houses away, uproot 30 year old trees in their prime, and leave an entire urban area in shambles. A month later, we still haven’t recovered. Everywhere you look, you see trees and debris and sometimes entire roofs sitting on the side of the road, waiting to eventually be carried away. There just isn’t a place for so much destruction. Mother Nature will always win against our loftiest creations. My power went out today, and there is not a cloud in the sky. My parents had no running water and still have no internet access. Simply put, these are things that contradict our dogmatic trust in “Modern Conveniences” which have become essential to all of our lives.

During this period of displacement, I stayed with some members of my dad’s side of the family. Full disclosure: My dad comes from a racist community in a part of Southwest Louisiana which has struggled to integrate. The only time a white person from these sorts of communities is content with coexisting with a person of a different color of skin (particularly of African origin) is when that person is kept in a state of docile servitude. They can sit at the table, as long as they are willing to keep their mouths shut and avoid acknowledging the white elephant in the room.

I’ve been paying attention to these types of people, even as I feel turned off by the things they say, trying to understand where this absurd prejudice comes from. For most of my life, it has only made me angry and filled me with a sense of hopelessness. Hopelessness because so much in our communities is still so broken. Hopelessness because many do not realize they are involved in this post-colonial racist system which is rigged to maintain a sense of superiority among even the poor lower class white folks. But how can they live with themselves? Believing that their neighbor is a “good person” and that makes them less of their skin color? Demonizing an entire group of people?

Fear. I realized fear of losing power was at the center. My dad’s family was not by any means well off. My grandfather was discriminated against for speaking French and being raised in a Cajun household. Mainstream WASP America was not a fan of the Cajuns, until movements began to be made to embrace multicultural identities in this country. But that was slow going. The racial tensions of a working class dichotomy still exist today: the white European side that has been promised social ascendance if they “work hard” and being told that black Africans of the same social class cannot be on the same level as them because they are inherently “lazy” or “ignorant” or “dangerous.” Stereotypes become social codes or behaviors that are warped to fit this narrative, creating a strawman caricature of a default persona set into these peoples’ minds from childhood, easily reinforced by anything perceived as confirming the stereotype.

So prejudice is reinforced by a governmental system, education, small town community paradigms and biases, segregation… Systemic Racism. But in the minds of the racist, there exist exceptions to their rigidly established rules and world view, and because they acknowledge those exceptions they aren’t “really” racist.

The family I stayed with has ascended, on one side, socially. They have a coveted position in a country club gated community with every sort of amenity a person could dream of. Their gated community has a sense of surreal utopia. And outside of this utopia exists the social dilemmas, the unrest, the violence that needs to be policed, the crime they rarely experience firsthand but have been trained to hate and fear.

The threat to their own existence in privileged euphoria.

Then you have a man, a demagogue, a puppet – call him whatever you want – who only thinks of his own power and position. Well, not only his. He also appeals to the selfishness of his followers. In this household, I heard the term “Silent Majority” when talking about these one-percenters ad nauseum. I learned what the term really meant: the MINORITY of people who have access to the MAJORITY of our society’s wealth and production. The ones that sit atop an economic pyramid scheme if you will, one in which they are too far ahead to ever really fall.

Unless there’s an uprising. Unless Trump loses.

That’s what they say.

If Biden wins…we’ll become like Venezuela. We’ll become socialist. Communist! The BLM and Antifa will take over.

These are the words they repeat to themselves, again and again.

I was in this home in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods I have ever seen, in some sort of Stepford reality, and all they could think of from their ivory towers is how they will be doomed if Trump doesn’t win.

Then the comments of how they will not settle for him to lose. Remember, we are talking about the “Silent Majority” – the privileged few with more than the normal amount of access to the Earth’s resources. The same people that boast that they will never want for anything, that they will never struggle again because they struggled enough to get where they are – and that means no one else in their family tree should be forced to struggle either.

These people look to the military with hope that they will back Trump if he loses the election. They refuse to say “loses” – if the election is “stolen from us” is what they say. They identify whole-heartedly with anything and everything he says and ignore anything stupid or wrong he might have said or done. He can do no wrong, to them.

He has become a Divine Leader in the eyes of his followers.

But not only in the eyes of the most privileged. In the eyes of the poor white people I mentioned before that cling to beliefs of superiority and fear their African American neighbors. In the eyes of the NeoNazis and fascists who would do anything to take up arms and shoot all of the people that don’t belong in “Their America.” To the religious fanatics who are appalled by a woman’s choice to abort, who stake all of their political actions on the upholding of “Family Values.” In the eyes of the delusional who idealize him. The shrewd business owners who dream of being him. The old money that haven’t had to worry about their position for too long yet spent so much time hating everything the Democrats or any protestor might say or do.

Yes, there is a radical population that will applaud when Trump announces himself president for another 8 years – as he has said numerous times that he will do with that same greasy confidence, that bravado that makes any sane person wonder if he is perhaps joking or really does believe in his own exceptionalism.

And that same population no longer believes in the legitimacy of our democratic process. They don’t question the resounding mistakes that have been made, the cover-ups and rigged elections, the gerrymandering and voter manipulation, the fact that the one with the most money is almost always destined to win, that we haven’t had a presidential candidate from any party other than the Donkey and the Elephant for well over a century (if ever*). I could spend some time unpacking history, but instead, I will leave some sources down below.

And while these precedents exist, up until now, no president has tried to convince his followers to rise up and overturn due process in his favor. The illusion of democracy – for what it’s worth – has existed, with some stability in this country for centuries.

Not so in other countries. We would do well to learn from the mistakes of others who know of corruption and have been aware that votes were bought and sold and that political legitimacy is often times more of a construct in itself than a reality.

But what does it mean? It means we have a recipe for revolution. Fascism. Left vs. Right. And as always, the Right has an economic advantage, and the “left” – a catchall for anyone that is not okay with being systematically oppressed or seeing others mistreated – is popularly displayed as guerrillas, as rabble, as lawless animals.

In this day and age, can we honestly sit back and accept this? How will we respond, once the votes are counted and our fate is sealed? Does our response matter?

I think it does. Today, although Mother Nature still wins, we have the technology that allows for simultaneous connection all over the world. We need only have the sharpness of critical thought to explore and deconstruct history in order to find the patterns which point to what is happening in the world right now. More than ever, we can hear BOTH sides of the story.

And yet, what those supporting Trump fervently want is for us to question everything. Question the news. Fakenews. Question the election. Watch the polls. It is deeply ironic how they almost, almost get it. That we have been fed lies is undeniable. That we should question things is important. But there is not a conspiracy that has single-handedly destroyed the evidence which points to the facts. There IS more than one truth, but it’s rarely the truth you expect or have been taught to accept.

So let’s not hate for the sake of hate. We have got to become sharper, more critical, more flexible than ever before if we are going to survive these trying times. Look to the same or similar struggles happening around the globe, and the picture becomes clearer. Unity is what we need. Division is what those like Trump want, benefit from, and espouse.

Let’s get out and vote. Let’s not go quiet into this night (nothing good about it). Let’s not go down without a fight.

Let’s not let our Dreams of Democracy (or, more broadly, true Liberty) get drowned out by their thunderous applause.

Could COVID-19 Jumpstart Online Voting? - Center for Illinois Politics

Historical sources and thingz:

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/presidential-elections-1

https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/partisanship-in-perspective

La Pantera Negra: an analogy of resistance against colonialism

When you see a great film, it’s almost impossible to let it go without noting just how fucking great it is. Now, any film is subject to criticism. The greatest works generally are not without their flaws, because, well, they were produced by a team of humans, and yes, we are all flawed. However, the concept of Black Panther, after seeing it, has left such an impact on my mind so as to overlook or deem less important its flaws as a work of fictional entertainment and to praise it, not simply as a work of popular fiction, but to appraise it intellectually for the concepts it draws out of the psyche upon watching it.

While I loved this film a lot, I don’t just want to explain what was great about it (though I will, inevitably, be doing that throughout), but I’d rather discuss just why this film is important for so many as a definitive reflection of culture and the desire to preserve it in spite of colonial and globalizing influences.

Maybe it’s because I’m reading My Ishmael right now, I don’t know, but I can’t help but relate this film to the struggle that the book explains – that primordial struggle between the survival of the Leavers society in face of the Takers unending march toward advancement – and self-destruction. Some of my criticism will be put into those terms, so to provide definition for those who haven’t read any part of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Takers are considered the champions of our modern society, the root of our industrial revolution and, ultimately, capitalism. Leavers are those we consider the “vanquished,” the fringed indigenous societies that have lived off the land for millennia and fought to preserve their own culture and ways of life, which also bespeaks a complete preservation of the land itself which they are native to.

myishmaelcover — Obviously, this is a cross-over waiting to happen.

In Black Panther, the Wakandans are the epitome of a Leaver culture, an isolated society struggling to preserve its essence and the secrets its lands possess – especially its abundance of natural resources. It does this by maintaining a closed border and a non-threatening facade. Like so many Leaver societies, it is tempted repeatedly by the seductive promises of the Takers: influence, recognition on a global scale, and (inevitably) endless warfare in order to maintain that position.

The plot thickens when racial relations are added into the picture. Many are forced to question (and the film does this itself as a major plot point which I will try not to spoil) why it is that such a rich, advanced, powerful country would hide away and masquerade as a poor, third-world nation of little status or importance in the world arena. Why would Wakandans turn their backs on the struggles of Africans during the Triangle Passage and slave trade days? The answers, however, become more and more obvious through the internal and external struggles of the protagonist, T’Challa, serenely and sympathetically portrayed by Chadwick Boseman. He fights to maintain a clear head and right the wrongs of his father’s legacy (well, one in particular which rises to haunt him). For the Wakandans, as for most Leavers, the preservation of culture and folkways, of peace and balance, is far more important than the involvement in world affairs that could destroy it.

Doesn’t that face just have serene and kingly written all over it?

Pan left, and we see the Takers’ side of things through the eyes of a young, ruthless Erik Killmonger. Cousin of T’Challa, as his name suggests, his goals are to avenge his father while violently seizing the resources of Wakanda in order to establish a new world order. His goal? To bring justice to those affected internationally by the African diaspora, communities impoverished and disenfranchised by the consequences of the slave trade and the systematic racism. Erik knew this struggle growing up as an orphan in Oakland, California. When his father is murdered by T’Challa’s father for betraying his nation and putting their secrets in danger of being compromised, he is left with nothing but a violent city and memories of his father’s vision to bring him to maturity.

Angry, angry eye-candy: Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger.

One could say that Erik is a bicultural character, the son of an immigrant who never experienced his father’s culture firsthand and therefore was bound to misinterpret it and even intentionally rebel against all forms of traditionalism. Being only partially initiated into the culture of his father, he knew it only on the most superficial level: resources of boundless power and (in his mind) selfishly stark isolationism, a world that does not accept or want him. Erik does not jibe with what he views as a senseless withholding of the powers Wakandans hold which, in turn, contributes his own personal sense of entitlement to take those for himself. He is inevitably affected by the militant visions of his father’s revolution, and rightfully so as they serve an essentially noble, humanitarian cause: bringing justice to the Black community via violent revolutionary means.

If we back up, we can see the references made throughout The Black Panther to the real life consequences of colonization. Africa has been ravaged by the British, the US, and other Western countries for centuries, leading to a complete corruption and fragmentation of identity of some groups within the continent. From diamonds to human beings and the labor they provide, Africa’s riches have very often attracted outside attention and that attention has led to the bloodletting of those tribal societies. In essence, the Takers have done exactly what their name implies throughout African history on a broad scale.

So, let’s imagine that Wakanda did exist. A country with the power to camouflage itself and go unnoticed by the rest of the world while perfectly preserving its cultural pride and way of life. Is there any question that the outcome would be for the country to do just that, even at the expense of its African relatives and displaced descendants? It would be the only country in Africa never to be colonized, which would create a bond so great so as to make such a proud, closed society completely conceivable.

Outside of Africa, the diaspora created a bond of sorts not previously known in Africa – for many, it created a monolith by ripping Africans from their homes and denying them the practice and knowledge of their own native cultures. This is why, while Caucasian Americans generally know their ancestral origins and proudly proclaim themselves x% Irish or y% German, African-American is the term most widely used in the United States, with little recognition of Africa as a diverse, incredibly complex continent of 54 official countries.

Killmonger falls into the African-American, post-diaspora camp with generations worth of anger and little understanding of the complex context in which his relatives live. He sees himself as part of the larger culture of post-slavery pain and disenfranchisement – literally, he lost his kingdom and his father in one fell blow – and one which Wakandans cannot relate to. However he doesn’t know the world he wishes to rule or the urgency the Wakandans feel to protect it at all costs.

And it’s important to note that it isn’t just the Wakandans’ own culture and future they wish to protect. After all, they have no ambitions to impose their culture upon others or to be a ruler in the world arena the way Killmonger does for clear reasons – they are aware of how small they are in terms of population and how big the resources are which they possess. Leavers are now a scattered minority, trying to protect themselves from the corrupting influences of commercialism (this would be why selling Vibranium is so looked down upon by the Wakandans – it is not just a commercial resource, but like the water of the land, it is a part of their very identity as a nation).

On the other hand, Wakandans have seen exactly how far the Taker culture will go to exploit the natural resources of Leaver cultures – from the coal and fruits of South America to mining in Australia and the torture and decimation of Aboriginals. And the movie makes evident that this corruption could lead not only to destruction of the Wakandan way of life but a destruction of the very planet, brought low by endless fighting and the misuse of the mythical Vibranium.

Only through looking inward and outward for guidance can T’Challa overcome this struggle for the future of Wakanda. How will they enter the world arena? He decides by remaining levelheaded and safely grounded in the values of his culture while also keeping an open mind and heart to those struggling around him. He sees the wrong his father did by taking Erik’s father and does everything in his power to right it, even going against the wishes of Erik himself by trying to save him. That is what makes him such a great king: he does not act simply on base emotions of vengeance, anger, and self-preservation (even though he certainly could) but with empathy, even for his enemy, as he meditates and seeks the greater good for all.

Even though Wakanda is a fictional place, it serves as a clear analogical metaphor for so many countries and cultural groups that seek and have sought to stick to their own path in an ever-evolving world. Latin America has also faced this struggle, with many countries having to make the decision to isolate itself, like Paraguay and Venezuela, or become a pawn in the world arena that results in debt and dependence on outsiders for resources that could just as easily be produced on native soil.

Ultimately, Wakanda chooses to “step into the spotlight,” neither as a warring nation seeking to avenge the oppressed and dish out just deserts to the oppressors nor as a pawn for those bigger nations, but as a force of peace striving to protect and provide aid to those disenfranchised outside of its borders. Like a true Leaver society, T’Challa and the Wakandans choose peace over power.

I loved this concept because it goes against the blatant machismo seen in other Superhero movies (and brilliantly expounded on by Adam Chitwood of Collider). The focus is not placed on the number of explosions but on the internal strength and character of T’Challa and the unity of his people which face a serious dilemma brought about by the antagonist’s actions. The way that they choose to handle this struggle shows their love for their culture. Wakanda Forever echoes throughout the movie and reflects the enviable bond of the Wakandans and a deeper desire for unity and preservation of African cultural values across the diaspora.

Also, the characters, costumes, and sets are stunningly gorgeous. The soundtrack bumps with the rhythms of Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd and other urban wonders and sucks you into the action in a way that sends your pulse bumping along with it. The female cast that brings General Okoye (top warrior and the bodyguard), Princess Shuri (T’Challa’s sister and tech extraordinaire), and Nakia (War Dog spy that manages not to be pigeonholed by “love interest” despite her romantic ties to T’Challa) to life is absolutely superb and reflects the importance given to the role of women and the (hopefully) continuous expansion of female roles in movies, especially for women of color. Pleasantly, they were untouched by the usually glaring filter imposed by the male gaze when dealing with “empowered” female characters. All of the cast was nuanced, individually interesting, and real, while also being really badass.

See this film. See it to witness the analogy of resistance and strength in the face of colonialism. See it to understand the struggles faced by Leaver cultures forced to choose between preserving themselves and reconciling the past with the present by providing a safe haven for its descendants shattered by the consequences of colonialism on community and psyche. See it for…Wakanda, a place of wonders and hope for a new generation.

**Edit: this will probably be updated (think of it as a draft) because I was ridiculously tired this week and writing was not coming easy. Feedback welcomed!