The AC Phoenix
December 2004
Page 31
It’s lour more
so dryymr
It’s Four More Years, So Dry Your Tears
By: James Clingman
—Guest Columnist—
This may be difficult for some of you to take, but it needs to be said
and, more importantly, it needs to be heard and acted upon. I cannot
count all of the articles I have written over the past 10 years that deal
with Black folks’ emotional investment in politics.
Just as I thought, on Nov. 3—after the “most crucial election of our
lifetime”—Black folks were, once again, shocked and amazed at what
took place. They were calling talk shows, whining about the outcome
and asking, “What are we going to do now?” Well, we should have had
a plan for that long before now.
Black participation in this game called politics always results in one of
two things: Lamenting the fact that our guy lost or celebrating the fact
that our guy won. Beyond the crying, complaining, whining, lamenting
and, in some cases, tears, our “loss” means absolutely nothing.
Beyond the celebrations, glad-handing, ataboys, euphoria and
happy-days-are-here-again rejoicing, scenarios result in either a
depressing, almost fatalistic, blue funk kind of despair, or in a temporary
state of exhilaration, excitement and victory-at last!
Neither outcome really benefits Black people; we have experienced
both and have remained in the same relative position for the past 50
years. When will we learn to apply what our elders taught us? When will
we move away from thinking that politics will solve our problems? When
will we invest in something that will give us a reasonable return on that
investment?
Yes, Black people have been “played” yet again. Now many of us will
crawl back into our cocoons and hibernate until the next “most crucial
election of our time” comes along. We won’t do anything; we won’t
change; we won’t even attempt to participate in an economic strategy
for empowerment; we will simply say, “Wake me when I can vote again.”
The campaign for the hip hop generation was “Vote or Die!” Sounded
real good. Got some folks fired up. It even made some young folks go
to the polls and vote. Maybe some of them are now thinking, “Man! I
voted, and I am still dying.”
Maybe P-Diddy, et al, should start a new campaign now. How about
“Start your own business (like he did) or die!” Maybe it could be, “Pool
your money or die!” Or, maybe even, “Economic empowerment or die!
I wonder what message the hand-wringing, alarmist Black politicians
will give us now. Will they finally capitulate to the message of gaining
economic empowerment first, and then move on to political empower
ment?
Let me be as plain as I can be. We ain’t got no juice in this political
game! And we will never have juice until we get our economic act
together and start leveraging our vote against the benefits we want to
receive from either party that is willing to reciprocate,
could also form our own
Of course, we
Many of the folks we depend upon for
information—preachers, radio talk show
hosts, and politicians and their opera
tives—are ignorant and willingly complic-
it when it comes to misleading Black
people on politics. They make the weak
and ignorant among us actually believe
that the single act of voting will take us
to new heights of freedom. Newsflash! It
will not!
independent party to
demonstrate how serious
we are. But didn’t they try
that in 1972 in Gary,
Indiana? Again, we did not
listen.
Many of the folks we
depend upon for informa
tion—preachers, radio talk
show hosts, and politicians
and their operatives—are
ignorant and willingly
complicit when it comes to
misleading Black people
on politics. They make the weak and ignorant among us actually believe
that the single act of voting will take us to new heights of freedom.
Newsflash! It will not!
For most of us, it will be back to the drawing board, back to the
political strategy sessions, and back to whining about what Pres. Bush
and his cronies are not doing for us. Many of us will return to our
pattern of begging our politicians to do the right ting by us. All of this is
futile without leverage, without the ability and willingness to reward our
friends and punish our enemies—the leverage we must have to
accomplish that is found in economic empowerment.
My advice is what it has always been: Stop putting all of your hope
in politicians and the political process. It’s a huge gamble, and Black
folks have no chips in the game. Let’s work together to build up our
chips and then get into the game.
I direct you to Claud Anderson’s quote in the Harvest Institute
Newsletter (Fall 2004). He notes that Black folks are outnumbered eight
to one by non-Blacks in this country. He writes, “When one rabbit is
fenced-in with eight hungry hound dogs, how important is the rabbit’s
vote on what the hound dogs want for dinner? In a racial context, they
only way Blacks can expect to receive benefits from their vote is to first
build and control their own economic structure. Then, they can use their
economic power to back, rent or buy politicians who will support the
interest of Black Americans.”
I say, since we are going against hound dogs, we had better at least
have enough money to buy them dinner.
(James Clingman is an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati’s
African American Studies department. He hosts the radio program,
“Blackonomics.” Visit his website, www.blackonomics.com, for more
information. He may be reached at (513) 489-4132.)
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WishingYoua FBS^ Quisttnas
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Light the tree and hong the holly; 'Tis the season to be jolly! Sing the carols, old and fine, like Silent Night and Auld Lang Syne!
Greet dear friends, both far and near, With cards, and gifts, and much good cheer. And say it loud for all to hear -
Have a joyous Noel, and a Happy New Year!
MAURICE INTERIORS
James Maurice Barber, Sr. Phone: 986-2574
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