By Solomon Comissiong
“I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream–I see an American nightmare.”
― Malcolm X
When Western Europeans embarked upon their expansion of death and destruction throughout what is now commonly known as America, they would often justify these grizzly campaigns in the name of “civilization”. They felt it was necessary to civilize the “barbaric red-man”. These people whom they often referred to as “Injuns” (a racist term used by white settlers/thugs to label indigenous people throughout North America), were in their way of land that wanted to plunder. The amoral hypocrites from Western Europe needed to conjure up some specious reason to rationalize the tidal waves of mass murder they were soon to unleash upon the people that regarded as “uncivilized heathens”. Europeans felt as though these “Injun heathens” needed a European brand of “civilizing”, and they needed the white man’s numerously rewritten bible.
It did not matter that these Western Europeans fled England in large part due to religious persecution; these frauds were now referencing their “holy book” to validate brutal massacres. As a matter of fact, they, and their European cousins (Spanish, Portuguese, French, et al), made a habit of imposing their bible and religion upon indigenous people of color—no matter where they went. They simply had to “civilize” and bring culture to the world’s “savages” of color, or so they said. They were deemed “savages” predicated on simple facts like; they were non-white and they had different cultures. Oh—they were also on land the Europeans wanted to steal. Europeans needed little justification to execute their routine acts of savagery and barbarism. This was the European way.
It mattered little that, no matter where they went, there were prosperous societies riddled with indigenous people of color. It didn’t matter that these societies were much better off, more democratic, and humane than the regions these Europeans fled. And it surely did not matter that these indigenous people had their own form of spirituality. What mattered was that they were different and occupied land they wanted. This simply became reason enough for the real barbarians to initiate killing sprees that would make Hitler blush. They were the teachers—Hitler became their pupil.
Indigenous people of color throughout the globe were not the savages; it was those who imposed incessant onslaughts of terror upon them. Their actions make this an undeniable conclusion. These horrific true tales happened throughout the globe almost wherever Europeans roamed, including throughout what we now call “America”.
America’s foundation is built upon the bloodied, mutilated, and lifeless bodies of innumerable people—-mostly of color. Given the undeniable historical background of the illegal founding of this country, it should be of no surprise that its legacy of death and destruction continue unabated, even in 2012. It should; however, be a surprise the level of complicity most Americans have with the barbarism that is often done in their name, and with their tax dollars. Americans have become, in essence, complicit in their overall mental and social demise. They have allowed a government they believe represents them to psychologically dumb them down, as well as to rob them of humanity. Each time someone (anyone) is complicit with the loss of innocent lives, regardless whoever is the murderer, they are exhibiting disregard for humanity. Martin Luther King, Jr. had it right when he said, “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
Barbarism has become entrenched within American society—although the foundation was built hundreds of years ago, it is now perfected. The rulers of this strange society have convinced its populace that lies are truths and that truths are lies. The people believe almost anything their government (and its unofficial 4th branch called the media) feed them. Ostensibly it matters little to most Americans that their government has created carnage throughout the globe. Americans have been easily persuaded in to believing that somehow these people are a different kind of human, therefore their lives are less valuable. We cannot evade the fact that America is a swampland of institutional racism and white supremacy. These realities make it easy for many Euro-Americans to accept the mass killings of people of color throughout the globe. And they certainly don’t give a damn about the state sponsored loss of black life within their own stolen country, let alone that of other countries.
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement recently released a vastly important report detailing the extrajudicial killing of 110 black people between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012, by police, security guards or self-appointed law enforcement in America. How many Euro-Americans give a damn about this report or the rampant police brutality and terror communities of color are subjected to throughout this so-called land of “freedom and democracy”?
How many of the white corporate owned media outlets (MSNBC/NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX ‘News’, ABC) give a damn enough to do a feature on this human rights crisis? Please don’t hold your collective breaths waiting for an answer other than ‘zero”! The corporate media in the US has a duty to make sure the overall status quo is upheld. They do this primarily by making sure Americans are oblivious to various issues (which means keeping it off their limited radar), and if they do think about these kinds of issues (police brutality), their job it to make sure Americans cast immediate doubt on the victims (people of color murdered by police) and not on the murderers (cops that kill people of color). In a sane and civilized country there would be a national outcry to immediately put a stop to a system of policing that nefariously preys upon specific communities. Is there a national outcry regarding police brutality in black and brown communities in America? If you correctly answered “no” you also answered the question whether the US is a sane and/or civilized nation.
America is a nation where even its highest government officials, like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, routinely exhibit themselves like bloodthirsty cave dwellers. When Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was barbarically murdered on camera by US financed terrorist thugs, it was Hillary Clinton who savagely proclaimed on camera, “we came we saw he died“. Only a nation of mentally obsequious zombies would condone this kind of barbaric behavior from one of their high-ranking government officials. Americans accept this kind of inhumane behavior because they have been trained (programmed) quite well.
Hillary “the barbarian” Clinton would be a suitable name if she were a professional wrestler, however she is not—nonetheless the name is still befitting of a proud war criminal. Are we to believe that US Secretary of State Clinton has genuine well-intentioned reasons for recently visiting Laos? Are we to believe that she actually gives a damn that decades after the US imperialist Vietnam war there are still people dying from undetonated bombs? These incredibly destructive weapons were left over from the 2 plus million tons of bombs the United States military indiscriminately dropped on Laos. Hillary Clinton claims the US is so concerned that they are now willing to clean up the leftover bombs. Really? Are civilized human beings to revel at the idea of the US spending 9 million dollars this year to cleanup a mess they created? Where are the hundreds of billions of dollars (at least) of reparations, nations like Laos are owed so that they can move forward towards truly rebuilding much of their nation? There can never be a price tag placed on the countless lives lost( millions throughout Southeast Asia), however with a justifiable reparations package these resilient people can further rebuild their region, thus creating a more stable and prosperous future for their children. Once again, don’t hold your breath on the US doing the right thing in this case either. Providing justifiable reparations to the people of Southeast Asia would validate culpability. Euro-America wants not part in accepting responsibility for its crimes against humanity, past or present. This is why Euro-America has never taken seriously the issue of reparations in regard to the decedents of enslaved Africans or Native Americans whose land they stole (and people they massacred). They don’t want to admit guilt for the crimes of Euro-Americans who build their economy and infrastructure on the blacks of kidnapped African people—and on land they had no right to.
Doing the right thing regarding human rights, in America, has become an elusive idea. Americans have largely accepted the narrative imposed upon them, which is often referred to as “American Exceptionalism“. This most dangerous idea moves Americans further and further away from the majority of the global community. They are allowing themselves to be moved to a state of isolation from those within the global community who appreciate humanity and want a world free of war and injustice. Americans have decided to put on the myopic eyeglasses given to them by their government—-which ultimately impedes them from visualizing a world of peace, justice, and equality. US residents have accepted barbaric narratives of “justifiable wars” and “humanitarian wars”, when conveniently fed to them from a trough full of lies.
America’s wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Libya (to name a few), are the furthest thing from humane. They are nothing less than wars of death and destruction—all in the name of Western Imperialism. The United States’ insatiable appetite for destruction is growing. The US government now has its ravenous sights set on Iran and Syria.
A politically and socially engaged US populace can make all the difference in the world, literally and figuratively. However, in the meantime many Americas are roaming around a psychologically deleterious pasture, after been led there by shepherds who care little about their overall well-being. It is time for these sheep to break free and realize that there is a vast world out there, well beyond the limitations of their troublesome worldview. In essence, it is time for Americans to regain their humanity and lose the barbaric tendencies they have been programmed to embrace. It is time to join other humanity centered global citizens in creating a more livable world, free of injustice. Americans must understand that this important goal cannot be achieved through the status quo. Opting not to speak out or not to organize do more harm than good. The struggle to build a better world is going on at this very moment. When will a majority of Americans use tools at their disposal and become the social justice carpenters this world needs, and ultimately join others throughout the globe in building a more humane global society? Hopefully we won’t have to hold our breath on that question. It is long overdue that Americans reject all forms of barbarity, especially when it comes from their own government.
Solomon Comissiong is an educator, community activist, author, public speaker and the host of the Your World News media collective (www.yourworldnews.org). Solomon is the author of A Hip Hop Activist Speaks Out on Social Issues. He can be reached at: solo@yourworldnews.org
