THE IDOLS WHO DESTROYED THOSE WHO IDOLIZED THEM

For so long and almost without noticing, we have been idolizeing those who have played a major role in the destruction and deprivation of our children and communities. They are those who sold drugs on our corner, shed the blood of innocent children in our streets, whether directly or indirectly. Ultimately their lifestyle has caused the dismantling of many families and communities. They justify the reason for their lifestyle on the “system” and the reason for doing what they do as a means to get out of the hood. As if the only way to get out of the hood is to destroy the hood and those who live in it. And now these very same individuals who lived/live in the hood that they’ve helped destroy wants to sell us books, videos, or pay to come hear them speak. They want the very same community whose lives they caused to implode to pay to hear them speak words of empowerment. They want those who have lost mother, father, brother, sister, children, and love ones because of what they’ve done, to now embrace them and their social initiatives. Consider this; who in their right mind if a man would come with a hammer and totally demolish their car, would you pay that man to fix their car?

Our idols should be those who’ve grown up in the same hood but have chosen not to commit treason and exploit the community they lived in for selfish gain. Idol should not the Judas’s of our society, selling out their people allowing a wayward ideology to crucifying the communities they say they love. Those who salute the communities they lived in with a kiss of betrayal. Our idols should not be the Delilahs of our society, who also sold out the one whom she claimed to love, for the all mighty dollar. Seducing those who were and those who would have been fathers through social intoxication as they laid their heads and slept on the lap of the harlot of social genocide. While strong communities slept off this toxicity a system inters in and cut away the very thing that gives a community its strength…FATHERS. And just as the Philistines put out Samson’s eyes, communities become powerless and without direction because like Samson the eyes of fathers are put out so they are unable to see or give guidance. And so, our community, our women, and children see us as week blinded entities incapable of being the strong figure we were supposed to be. So even now we have young men and women standing on our corners selling death to the future mothers and fathers of our communities. they will do so probably until they come to their senses or have an epiphany and suddenly want to become the mentors and teachers of the communities they've destroyed. Mentors and teacher of the things that they themselves have not been successful at but would like for you to pay them for it. After they have sapped your strength and buried communities under a sea of deprivation, they think they are deserving of and have a right to be funded for their new-found epiphany. While those who grew up under the same conditions but refused to sell out or betray their community are looked at as being corny. Please don’t misconstrue what I’m saying; I do believe in second chances. I believe people can change for the better. No one is perfect but I'm not talking about perfection, I'm talking about perception. Understand that a second chance won’t bring back that mother, father, or child that died and life potential have been obliterated because of the greedy, thoughtless, selfishness acts of those we now idolize. This should make us all become circumspect and selflessness in our actions because while we may not have sold drugs we must also be careful not to promote negative stereotypes and degrading ourselves. Which can have a negative impact on our children and communities; if not more. having made those we idolized rich and comfortable, that has left many unease and living under social, emotional, and mental deprivation that will take years if not decades to come from up under.

Yes, those who should be idolized are those who grew up in the same difficult environment but instead of being weak, cowardly traders were determined not to sell their community out for small change. Determined that if they could not do anything good for their community, the least they would do is no harm to it. Even that is good. Our idols should be those who grew up in the same negative environment but choose not to become the negativity of that environment. These people are those who often go without praise and go unnoticed by the masses, while those of the contrary become the greater celebrities. The subliminal message of negativity being pushed to the forefront over positivity is not by chance, it is calculating and strategic. We must not allow big corporations to dictate to us whom our idols should be, rather we must dictate to them whom we want our idols to be. Again, am I judging or condemning those who have turned their life around for the better? Absolutely not, but we must give more credence to those who have successfully come out of the negative environment without damaging the success of their communities, and because of their actions have not left a pile of carnage behind. They are the true success stories from the hood and if I were looking for an idol I would want to hear or read from them how they did it.

I believe in a second chance at life, but I also believe in penitence and community service, which comes without a cost. Especially if what they’ve done has cost the community and people who idolize them so much grief. Fathers and mothers should be idolized but we must make sure that we're worthy of the idolization.