When it comes to bling, most people aren't always aware of the bang-bang that goes into it. How much do you know about what goes into the purchases you make to maintain your lifestyle?
I was reading an old blog post from the blog site Righteous Minds entitled, “Have we become the Derelict Bourgeoisie?” The post was written by Kimel Empilder about a popular reality show on Bravo called The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In her musings, Empilder makes an analysis of the mainstream culture of the African American middle class; which places its emphasis upon engaging in social activities, acquiring material wealth and status. Empilder’s primary critique is that modern day African Americans who are fortunate enough to achieve enough income to make it to the middle class are adopting many of the destructive patterns and behaviors that enable the current system of oppression to continue to oppress those unable to afford to live up to the status quo. Similar to those who held the social attitudes of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette who was later overthrown and beheaded by the Proletariat [working class] in 18th century France, today’s middle class is easily dazzled by the illusion that through the acquisition of bright and shiny objects; houses, clothes, cars they can achieve success and recognition by following every whim and fancy trend dictated by the status quo; at the expense of those at the bottom of the food chain.
I can compare this bourgeoisie and the sentiments of those comparable to many African-American students who graduate from Universities. We see many of our people becoming part of higher societies that are usually composed of fraternities and sororities. In these organizations, they develop flawed and backward behavioral patterns, sentiments and desires. However, I do not want to limit the discussion only to these organizations, but these manifest through many other walks of life—they seem to emanate from our culture (Empilder).
Cast of The Game, a television show on the network The CW in a spin-off from the popular show Girlfriends in which "a young woman who decides to put her pending career plans on hold for the rising success of her star athlete boyfriend."
Empilder goes on to add that
….There is also a growing number of African-American populace that no longer identifies with the less fortunate of our African-American sisters and brothers, whom some would say, have not had the privilege to make it where they did. In item 3, you will see the last quote perfectly describing the derelict bourgeoisie. They begin to view other African-Americans with contempt and suggest that they’re backward and “they make them look bad.”
Leaders such as Bobby Seale, Huey Newton or Louis Farrakhan, these people who comprised the vanguard of our movement have been nullified. They are usually co-opted in the same manner Fanon described. They are lured by money, driven crazy, illegitimized or simply executed.
Many of our bright youth, especially college graduates, are never directed to benefit their personal communities. They are funneled back into the machine to devote and exert their energies to continue to support the mother country, better known in America as the system. This is especially noted since the financier structure of our education system induces compulsory servitude (Empilder).
And in fact, many African Americans who graduate from college or manage to make it to the middle class appear to be the most susceptible to the culture of consumerism, narcissism, and instant gratification that can only be remedied through material means. But how many people have found this diet nourishing and substantial to meet their mental and emotional needs. When looking at programming on stations like BET [Black Entertainment Television] or even other mainstream programming, visual distinctions are often made between those who represent African American culture between those who are struggling to make ends meet and those who have “made it” through the visual representation of fashion choices, homes, vehicles, liquor choices, music differentiation and so on. Unfortunately, even for those who are depicted as those who have “made it”, many of the lifestyle choices associated with the black middle class associated with diet, at risk drug or sexual behaviors and communication methods do not always reflect or portray the behavior of those who lead wholesome lifestyles, take care of themselves and their community, or make the healthiest choices.
Recently developments have been made through efforts like media producers such as Tyler Perry and cartoonist Aaron McGruder, author of The Boondocks who grew up challenged with issues such as homelessness and assimilation and used their works to parody these social challenges in a way to address some of these serious issues in a way that both the middle class and financially challenged African Americans can understand. But often, the dynamic of how to address these issues in a healthy and responsible manner is overlooked, except through the concept of some divinely inspired miracle which leaves the minds of some African Americans undernourished and longing for more, without the affirmation that there are practical solutions out there, that don’t hold as much complexity that have been developed to heal some of these social and psychological ills.
Despite significant levels of economic achievements made in the past 25 years, well over 1 billion people in the developing world remain as poor as ever, according to the study entitled: "The developing world is poorer than we thought but no less successful in the fight against poverty."
Revisions of estimates of poverty since 1981 revealed that 1.4 billion people (one in four) in the developing world were living on less than $1.25 a day in 2005, down from 1.9 billion (one in two) in 1981, said the study's authors Martin Ravallion and Shaohua Chen.
style="font-style: italic;">Until now, poverty estimates were based on the (then) best available cost of living data from 1993. The old data indicated that about 985 million people were living below the former international $1-a-day poverty line in 2004, and about 1.5 billion had been living below that line in 1981. ~Haider Rizvi
The inherent problem lies is that those on the economic ladder who aspire to no longer be at the bottom of the food chain rely too much upon the salvation of external systems and resources that without these things they don’t know how to cultivate their inner resources in order to remain fulfilled. I have seen countless numbers of black professionals and aspirants break themselves, neglect their families, and demean themselves in order to hold onto their material assets they believe to serve as a representation of their success, accomplishments as if it were an expression of their true selves.
Unfortunately, as the linear economic model has begun to decay, some resources such as jobs or money don’t always provide the consistency or reliability to be able to afford the lifestyle for a long time, and with the debt incurred in order to acquire and hold onto these things, some are unable to continue to afford the lifestyles they’ve worked so hard to afford. And when circumstances present themselves in a manner in which their lifestyles finally collapse, they are unable to cope with the loss of being thrust back to the bottom of the food chain, and the desperation or nihilism that results often becomes equally devastating and destructive to the health of those who have looked to them for inspiration as it is to themselves.
The unnatural dominant culture, coldly spewing its noise and heat, subjecting us to dirty machines and pavement, no longer makes sense in terms of our needs as humans. But don't let it get you down and make you give up. Play your guitar, enjoy the company of friends, or whatever else restores your humanity. Perhaps the songs and the conversations will lead to some liberation and justice, alleviating the pain of this senseless system running our lives into the ground. But we must do even more. Finding a "better job" is no solution long-term, however much we think we need money to survive (Lundberg).
The attitude that I am worth nothing because I have nothing becomes the definitive attitude that is assumed by those who diminish their own self worth for failing. Sadly, those who more or less felt as if they did all of the right things bare the brunt of this self deprecating lifestyle when the only error made was that their education failed to instill in them a sense of pride and social responsibility in making conscientious fiscal choices or learning how to adopt a lifestyle that they can maintain.
Catherine Sneed is the Founder of The Garden Project [est 1992] which employs former prisoners and at-risk youth in an internationally recognized model that helps individuals link the stewardship of their lives with the stewardship of their community. Using gardening and environmental work as a tool and metaphor, The Garden Project encourages personal growth and renewal. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has gone so far as to call The Garden Project “one of the most innovative and successful community-based crime prevention programs in the country.”
Empilder addresses this in her assessment of Franz Fanon’s work The Pitfalls of National Consciousness that
…many of our people graduate from Western schools and have been given an inadequate education. They can run a business extremely well. They are trained for occupations, but never to birth an industry. This is exactly what Fanon is citing when making the statement, “not that of a captain of industry.” There are many people whom I know, that believe deeply, that they are smart and accomplished, but they fail to grasp real-world concepts, and they have an extremely difficult time accepting reality. This is what he means when he says they lack intellectual resources (Empilder).
In schools we are taught fundamentals regarding business, oppression theories, the complexity of social problems such as poverty and homelessness, and so on. But why aren’t we taught practical methods to alleviate these ills? Very few college students are attuned to the fact that
the clothes they purchase at discount stores like Walmart are produced in sweathops overseas by people living in conditions worse than some of the impoverished African Americans here,
- that they food that they eat is injected with toxic chemicals and hormones that can affect their brain chemistry and can contribute or even create health problems such as alzheimers, ADHD, diabetes, schizophrenia, hyper tension, heart attacks, or other untreated ailments often simply labeled as “black rage”, anxiety, manic depression, or other conditions that are completely treatable. To read more about this correlation in Kevin Powell's article, "Black Men and our Health" featured in the Huffington Post click here.
- That many of the at risk behaviors that create epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases, generational health problems, obesity, teenage pregnancy, poverty and homelessness could be reduced by reforming dietary and economic behaviors that trigger unhealthy or compulsive behaviors through holistic health and nutritional education, the establishment of community agriculture measures, wellness activities, artistic outlets and outdoor safe spaces funded through local economic investment initiatives. For more info read here...
- Which programs, centered to improve community health, prevent disease, and reform the quality of community intervention through sustainability efforts are funded to provide scholarships to those who wish to go back to school and learn how to adopt practical measures as well as gain field experience in sustainable community planning that reduces unhealthy risk factors introduced into the community and replaces them with healthier inputs that educates members within the community how to lead happier, healthier lifestyles and contribute to the communities economic well being through these programs centered on holistic empowerment. Click here to read more about the World Bank's Strategy to Reduce Poverty through Environmental and Sustainability Issues.
In an article published in Ode Magazine, entitled “Two Myths That Keep the World Poor”, Indian Physicist and Environmental Activist Dr. Vandana Shiva argues that the misconception that those who live in poverty are the barriers to global progress is the biggest myth perpetuated that continues to oppress those “left behind” at the bottom of the social structure and hinders economic prosperity for these communities. According to Shiva,
This is a totally false history of poverty. The poor are not those who have been “left behind”; they are the ones who have been robbed. The wealth accumulated by Europe and North America are largely based on riches taken from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Without the destruction of India’s rich textile industry, without the takeover of the spice trade, without the genocide of the native American tribes, without African slavery, the Industrial Revolution would not have resulted in new riches for Europe or North America. It was this violent takeover of Third World resources and markets that created wealth in the North and poverty in the South (Shiva).
To read more from this article click here…
In her article, Shiva shares that economic growth through the current system of extraction, production and consumption is what has facilitated the economic and ecological decline that keeps groups of people poor and unable to provide for themselves; beginning with depriving these people of education, their dignity and the fertile soil needed to at least provide basic resources such as food. Shiva also states that there is a distorted perception that those who live conscientious lifestyles; that provide their own sustenance by growing their own food, make their own clothes out of hand woven fibers or live in ecologically adapted self built homes are not living up to the economic status quo and believed to be poor because they do not contribute to the GDP. Even though statistics show that communities are better off economically by producing material assets through ecological production, and endure a healthier quality of life by sustainably providing their own resources, many of these endeavors have been perceived as a threat by some economists, to national economic security despite the significantly more efficient and sustainable lifestyle because it takes away the taxes and monetary resources to purchase things like weapons for the military, or communications systems for military defense.
A report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute states that
A national budgeting process involves the allocation of public funds to various categories of public spending, subject to the constraints of available resources. Two of the main areas competing for resources are the military and social sectors. A common concern is that excessive military expenditure may often come at the expense of these social expenditures that are so crucial for a country’s human and economic development – the so-called ‘guns vs butter’ trade-off (SIPRI)..
When comparing the correlation between decisions regarding the increase in military spending versus economic growth, the report also states that
Broadly speaking, more studies show negative or insignificant effects than positive. Some studies find a more negative effect for developing countries, for ‘resource constrained’ countries, and for those that do not produce their own arms. One study found a negative effect for countries with few or no security threats, but positive for those with major security threats. This study also found that the effect of military spending on growth was more negative the higher the level of corruption in a country. Studies of individual countries have most often found negative effects in developing countries, but a more mixed picture in developed countries (SIPRI).
Taken from P.A.P. blog --human rights etc.
According to Travis Sharp of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation wrote in February of 2009,
GDP is an important metric for determining how much the United States could afford to spend on defense, but it provides no insight into how much the United States should spend. Defense planning is a matter of matching limited resources to achieve carefully scrutinized and prioritized objectives. When there are more threats, a nation spends more. When there are fewer threats, it spends less. As threats evolve, funding should evolve along with them.… (Shah).
Unfortunately, as Anup Shah shared in his article World Military Spending, the United States spent approximately 48% of money spent on military defense of all of the money spent GLOBALLY on military defense back in 2008. Which leads many to question, what are we policing half way across the world that could cost so much that we neglect supplying the needs of basic resources Americans need such as healthy food and housing and an improved quality of health care and education, particularly when on the home front we seem to be cutting so many corners. And for those who do question the United States spending initiatives, how many of us realize that every time we make a purchase on an ipod, cell phone, clothes, shoes, liquor, or virtually anything we are in a sense financing this spending each time the dollars we pass changes hands, are taxed and calculated. We measure our nation’s wealth in numbers such as our GDP, but perhaps what that number shows is not an indicator of how wealthy our nation presumably but rather an indicator of our nation’s ignorance and fiscal stupidity.
Increased economic wealth thus allows its people the ability to consume more, which drives production in the materials economy - a linear system starting from extraction of resources to the production, distribution, consumption and finally, disposal of economic goods. However, according to Annie Leonard (director of the Story of Stuff project – www.storyofstuff.com), this system is unsustainable given that resources are finite and that forces of globalization only intensify the economic process while ignoring the various social processes at work. The United States, for instance, is said to be the biggest consumer worldwide. Although making up about 5% of the world’s population, it consumes 30% of the world’s resources and produces 30% of the world’s waste (and let’s not forget all those carbon emissions). Leonard further notes that if everyone were to consume at the United States’, we would need 3 to 5 more earths worth of resources to sustain it, something we certainly can’t afford (The greenbush).
The time has come to make a change in our culture to stop buying into the b.s. and begin behaving responsibly to change our future and make healthier decisions about how we invest in our future. While everyone wants to feel as if they are being rewarded by the hard work they put in so that they can be able to have nice things, there also needs to be a sense of accountability from those who have the means and the privilege to make these changes if we all are ever to be free. This is means that we must become more aware of how we invest our interests. We must also understand how the way that we spend our money impacts not just ourselves, but the plight of those shackled to the bottom of the food chain and the social implications that they have. We must educate ourselves about the effects of how our investments affect our lifestyles, health and environments. We must also understand that by ignoring the relevance of the environment, technology, natural resources and economic issues we continue to contribute to pattern of slavery and ignorance that keeps us in a state of slavery both as victims and perpetrators of economic oppression. The corruption we finance through our ignorance of our nation’s energy and agricultural practices could virtually be eliminated by altering our lifestyles to be better stewards of our communities through healthier and more conscientious choices.
More importantly, we must first and foremost make ourselves aware of the consequences of our actions and expenditures and begin to take a stand by learning to support ourselves economically in a more sustainable manner if we are ever going to be able to give ourselves a better choice. Because the reality is, if we begin to take these steps now it becomes the first step in the recognition that it is possible to build a better future for those who need it most, ourselves and for future generations.
Taking responsibility for our own lot and the climate crisis means we must first reject an unworkable system and culture. I hasten to clarify; this does not mean there aren't a lot of nice people caught up in it. But if they believe elections and voting with their consumer dollars are going to save them from the ecological crisis and the slide into societal chaos of collapse, they are of no help to themselves or to the countless species being driven extinct by modern civilization (Lundberg).
Why DO we work to let people go hungry in this country when we could be doing something more substantial to ensure that we invests in our own health and economic security. Think of the way food is regulated and what they are putting in it. That is funded through our tax dollars and we are letting companies like Monsanto, not only take away that the variety of nutrients we need to sustain ourselves as human beings, but we are more or less paying them to make us sick with the toxic fertilizers, chemicals and petroleum they use to coat the food that we eat. We pay for shoddy healthcare for our workers and to send our jobs for those overseas to exploit other people. We more or less pay for the inadequate resources that degrade our communities, ruin the environments we once used to cherish and revere and we pay developers to decimate the planet and exploit those less privileged and fortunate than us just; and for what….. for no other reason than so that we can “look good”. And according to the status quo, that is supposed to be a model of success in this country? Wake up! I don’t know about you, but when I look at these shows, women riding around back biting about who said what, and who doesn’t like who, drinking liquor, getting into catfights and riding home to gossip about one another in their obnoxious SUV’s that doesn’t look like anyone I’d want to emulate. These women are slaves to their own ignorance and to imitate their unhealthy behavior is just another way to chain yourself to the self destructive behaviors of the status quo…. Call me crazy, but that lifestyle just doesn’t look very healthy to me. It certainly raises the question; are those in the middle class really at the top of the food chain? Or are they simply leading a chain gang of economic enslavement for fools?
In the movie Blood Diamond, actor Djimon Hounsou plays an impoverished African the fisherman in the conflict area of Sierra Leone in order to spread public awareness of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to reduce the amount of precious stones extracted by slave workers in conflict zones. In the film Vandy, dreams that one day that his young son Dia will become a doctor. But his dreams are shattered when the rebels invade his village and kidnap his son and force him to work as a slave in the diamond mines. Solomon finds a huge pink diamond and while hiding it, the commandant of the rebels sees, but the rebels are attacked and Salomon is arrested by the government army in Sierra Leone (IMDB). To read more about the Kimberly Process and Conflict Free Diamonds you can click here.
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