By Sam Frescoe
samfrescoe@gmail.com
http://veterans-recall.blogspot.com/
The Sam Frescoe Project
Welcome to the first installment
of Sam Speaks. Sam Speaks is an opportunity to endorse compelling thought and
rebut stupidity. This forum is dedicated to upholding thinking over feeling,
self-control over tantrums, and self-respect over self-loathing. I am your
host, Sam Frescoe. I’m glad you’re here!
--- WARNING ---
You are about to enter a “feelings
endangerment zone” currently occupied by a liberated, straight, white, God
fearing, gun toting expert marksman; an all American patriot. Be advised, it’s
highly likely that he doesn’t care about your feelings in any way.
--- WARNING ---
Getting Started
Did anyone see the 2016
BET Awards held on 26 June 2016? If the answer is no, then you are not
alone. I also had better things to do.
Has anyone seen or heard the Jesse
Williams speech given after he received the BET Humanitarian Award? If not,
then you’ve been living under a rock. I must admit that I was not that far from
under when I noticed my entire web media horizon was filled with this speech.
It was everywhere; from Fox News to MSNBC, from People to Salon, and all points
in between. The next morning I got to read about it on the front, second, and
fourth pages of the newspaper. Then, one click later, I was neck deep in the
mire.
Framing
The BET Humanitarian Award is an
annual award presented by BET during a televised event. To the best of my
knowledge the honor has no formal criteria; therefore, is nothing more than a
fancy trophy. (I must admit that, as entertainment-based awards go, it does
look good and seems to be well crafted.) Jesse Williams was selected by BET “for
his work in fighting for equal rights” and his “support of the Black Lives
Matter movement.”
Jesse Williams is an actor and
producer best known for his role on Grey’s Anatomy. He is regularly described
as an equal rights activist and champion of black culture in America.
The Speech
The scene is typical of most
entertainment award shows. There is a stage, podium, mics, lights, music and
sound, a script, and an array of well-dressed hosts and hostesses. Mr. Williams
is introduced in typical fashion as he arrives on stage; and then, accepts the
trophy with the standard smile-and-shake procedure. The gathered audience
quiets; Williams addresses the microphone; and then, an explosion!
My first impression of amazement
bordering on disbelief. Here stood an incredibly successful American man, a
master of his craft, standing at the top of a very exclusive industry, filled
with rage. It was completely unexpected. Upon finishing the video, I started it
again for a second viewing.
My second impression
transitioned from disbelief to disappointment. Until this point in my life, I
had not seen a grown man throw such an amazingly well rehearsed temper tantrum.
Even though I was watching a masterful performance of a professional actor
playing his assigned part (that of a 3 year old trapped in a Millennial’s
body), I could not ignore the tragedy being laid before me; an American man of
wide cultural influence fully embraced viciousness in the name of
self-righteousness.
Sam Speaks
Begin transcript.
This award, this is not for me.
This is for the real organizers all over the country.
This is for the real organizers all over the country.
Okay. I see an attempt at humility. It’s clearly fake; but,
it’s an attempt just the same. Perhaps he will pass the trophy to those that
have earned it; being that it’s not for him and (by his own admission) he is
not a real organizer.
The activists, the civil rights attorneys, the struggling parents, the
families, the teachers, the students, that are realizing that a system built to
divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do.
To better frame the scope of the speech I’m going to assume,
based on the fact that it’s a BET event, terms like “us” and “we” refer to
black Americans in general. I’m going to further assume, by his use of “us”, that
he considers himself a member of that group.
He used “realizing” as a verb (meaning to recognize,
understand, or comprehend) in conjunction with “system” as a noun. So, if a
system “built to divide and impoverish and destroy” black Americans can be recognized,
understood, or comprehended; then I have some questions.
1.
What activities, actions, decision, etc. are
being realized by black Americans?
2.
What is the system that is dividing,
impoverishing, and destroying black Americans?
As you might imagine I’m now waiting with some excitement;
however, severely reserved. After all, here stands an actor raging about the
oppression of Americans. Surely, he wouldn’t possibly hand out a rash of
self-righteous crap about the inability of other Americans to realize the same.
It's kind of basic mathematics, the more we learn about who we are and
how we got here, the more we will mobilize.
Okay! Now you’re talking. Realizing the oppressive system is
question is akin to the objective nature of mathematics. – Nope!
He wants you and me to believe that his opinion of an
ever-present and oppressive system of black American oppression is as certain
as 2+2=4. And, that this self-proclaimed fact is conclusively based on the entirety
of black history in America.
Perhaps it would be worth getting the opinions of General
Powell, Secretary Rice, or Justice Thomas?
Finally, he wants you and me to believe that no other rational
conclusion (different than his own) could manifest itself.
Who is teaching what to whom and for what purpose? – If it’s
education, then why not check the work of other historians?
Now this is also in particular for the black women, in particular, who
have spent their lifetimes dedicated to nurturing everyone before themselves.
Wait a minute!
Which “particular” black women? – I assume you are not
referring to those on the nightly news speaking out about oppression as part of
their salary jobs; or, those waiting in the Social Security lobby demanding
entitlements while picking their professionally manicured nails.
Just how are you able to speak out against oppressive
conditions (much less even realize those conditions exist at all, objectively
or subjectively) when there is a system is designed to “divide and impoverish
and destroy” black Americans?
We can and will do better for you.
What are you saying?
Is nurturing others ahead of themselves not virtuous in of
itself?
Why do black mothers need you and others to legitimize their
effort?
What do you owe to black mothers because they choose to
nurture others?
Now what we've been doing is looking at the data and we know that
police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every
day.
My ears are perking up again. Data! – Cite something. Anything.
– Dang.
And, now to re-attack the same hill…again…you want me to
believe that police are somehow NOT managing to de-escalate, disarm and not
kill black people every day?
Mr. Williams, please check your black privilege before you say
anymore.
How long have you been a police-ophobe (someone that suffers
from cop-ophobia, an irrational fear of law enforcement officers properly doing
their job)? A statement such as this,
without presentation of evidence, is highly prejudice against police officers
as a whole, including black police officers.
So what's going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and
justice in our own country or we will restructure their function and ours.
Got it! You want your own country. – Don’t let the door hit
you on the way out. Oh…and…have a safe and comfortable journey.
If your statement is taken as a premise, then there is no room
for good faith negotiation. You’re saying it’s going to be the black way or no
way at all. This is a war footing. How far are you willing to go?
-
What are equal rights?
-
What is justice?
-
Which country is your own country?
-
What is the function of the police?
-
What is the function of black Americans?
Yesterday would’ve been young Tamir Rice’s 14th birthday, so I don’t
want to hear any more about how far we’ve come when paid public servants can
pull a drive-by on a 12-year-old playing alone in a park in broad daylight,
killing him on television then going home to make a sandwich.
An expression of grief and mourning for the loss of a child,
in my view, is virtuous and well-founded. To invoke “look at how far we’ve
come” in conjunction with the untimely death of a human being is dishonorable.
The objective value of a person’s existence far exceeds the subjective value of
a generality.
Tell Rekia Boyd how it’s so much better to live in 2012 than 1612 or
1712.
Tell that to Eric Garner.
Tell that to Sandra Bland.
Tell that to Darrien Hunt.
Tell that to Eric Garner.
Tell that to Sandra Bland.
Tell that to Darrien Hunt.
Tamir Rice (12-yrs): Died of gunshot wounds delivered by two
law enforcement officers after “reaching towards a gun in his waistband.” The
gun was an Airsoft replica lacking the orange feature marking it as a replica.
A grand jury declined to indict.[1]
– Having been on both sides of the gun, I agree with the grand jury.
Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old woman, was fatally shot on March 21,
2012, in Chicago, Illinois, by Dante Servin, an off-duty Chicago police
detective. In November 2013, Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter,
but was cleared of all charges on April 20, 2015, by Judge Dennis J. Porter in
a rare directed verdict.[2]
– This one stinks! Technicalities are the first refuge of scoundrels.
On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died in Staten Island, New York City,
after an NYPD officer put him in what has been described as a chokehold for
about 15 to 19 seconds while arresting him. NYPD officers approached Garner on
suspicion of selling single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps. The grand
jury decided on December 3 not to indict.[3]
– I view this as a likely miscarriage of justice. A man was killed over a
matter that could have easily been addressed with kind words and a paper
citation.
Sandra Bland was a 28-year-old black woman who was found
hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015. An autopsy
conducted by the Harris County medical examiner ruled Bland's death a suicide
and said it found no evidence of a violent struggle. In December 2015, a grand
jury declined to issue an indictment. However, the arresting officer was
disciplined and later dismissed for failure to follow procedures governing the
traffic stop that involved Bland; and later, her arrest for assaulting a police
officer. [4]
– A tragedy, but not a murder.
Darrien Hunt, a 22-year-old black man was killed by police. An
attorney for the man’s family alleged that he was shot repeatedly from behind
by officers while running away. Two police officers who were responding to a
911 call reporting a man with a samurai-style sword acting suspiciously.[5]
– I don’t have enough understanding of the case to support a position on this
incident.
Can you demonstrate that you have not stacked the evidence to
your favor? Can you name similar incidents with non-black victims?
Now the thing is though, all of us in here getting money, that alone
isn’t going to stop this. Now dedicating our lives to get money just to give it
right back for someone’s brand on our body, when we spent centuries praying
with brands on our bodies and now we pray to get paid for brands on our bodies.
And the tantrum continues. – Enough with the metaphors and
coded imagery.
What do you mean by “someone’s brand on our body”?
-
Who owns black Americans?
-
Why do black Americans consent to being owned?
What do you mean by “praying with brands on our bodies”?
-
To what is the spirit of black Americans bound?
-
Who is the master of your soul?
What do you mean by “now we pray
to get paid for brands on our bodies”? – Same questions.
Do you hate the fundamental nature of the United States of
America and the American way of life? Do you understand, it is that very way of
life that allows you to speak at will and as you please?
There has been no war that we have not fought and died on the front
lines of.
This is a true statement.
There has been no job we haven't done, there's been no tax they haven't
levied against us, and we've paid all of them.
This is a true statement.
But freedom is somehow always conditional here, 'You’re free,’ they
keep telling us, ‘But she would’ve been alive if she hadn’t acted so… free'.
What?! It appears that you are free to speak as you please
(even in a private venue while using private property). – So much for “us”
being captive.
Just who do you believe you are? How are you qualified in any
way to stand on the graves of the honored dead, American warriors, and declare
with your black-civilian-actor-celebrity mouth that the total of their lives
were stolen for the sake of vanity.
I do not know your true intentions, or your fundamental
desires, but I do know this about you. You are vicious, immoral, and ungrateful
man.
While you are free to choose your course of action, you are
not free to choose the consequences. – Acting without care (cause) does not
inherently mean that one can opt out of someone else caring (effect).
Freedom is always coming in the hereafter, but, you know what though,
the hereafter is a hustle.
Same tree, different branch. – I pray that God judges you with
favor and grace underserved, if it is right for Him to do so.
We want it now.
Alright, young man! Go stand in the corner. Move it!
And let's get a couple of things straight, just a little side note, the
burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. That's not our job,
stop with all that.
Is this an accurate translation? The load represented by those
dehumanized does not exist to pacify onlookers. – If this is what you meant,
then I agree.
If you have a critique for the resistance, our resistance, then you
better have an established record of critique of our oppression.
Got it! You are a rebel leader of a resistance. Excellent! I
like the fighting spirit. – Who is the enemy, what are they doing, and why
should I care?
The phrase “…then you better…” as used in your statement,
amounts to picking a fight.
-
What happens when someone throws that gauntlet back?
-
When do you believe violence is justified?
-
How far are you willing to go?
If you have no interest in equal rights for black people then do not
make suggestions to those who do. Sit down.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin
Luther King, Jr.
I’ll pick that up. – My genuine interest is the protection of
personal liberty for all Americans. To that end, I want to know which American
rights are not being accorded to black Americans; and then, stand with those
that are equally opposed.
Your turn. – Which American
rights are not being accorded to black Americans?
We’ve been floating this country on credit for centuries, and we’re
done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses
us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind, while extracting our
culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil, black gold.
There it is! The leopard has shone its spots. And, it looks
like “whiteness.” – If whiteness is an invention (a noun), then it can be
defined. What is the definition of whiteness?
“Burying black people out of sight and out of mind.”
-
Are you saying black Americans don’t have a
voice?
-
Blacks are hidden? Where? How?
-
Blacks aren’t provided a choice?
-
Buried by who, and for what reason? If the
grievance is so severe, then why do blacks participate?
“extracting our culture” – That’s enough bull shit to
fertilize all of the Midwest six feet thick!
-
How can what is openly shared be unjustly
extracted?
-
What portion of black culture is so exclusive to
blacks regardless of circumstance?
“our dollars” – Extracting money from people requires
agreement and/or use of force. How is this a problem exclusive to black
Americans?
Ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying
our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies
like rinds of strange fruit.
Who builds ghettos? – Answer: Those that decree it to be
built, and those that agree to build it. – Notice that the answer is not
whiteness.
Who demeans (belittles, humiliates, degrades)? – Hint: The act
of demeaning is not exclusive to whiteness.
How do you explain the contributions of blacks to America’s
social institutions such as music, sports, civil rights, military service, and
medicine? – If whiteness is to blame, then on behalf of white America, you’re
welcome.
The thing is, just because we’re magic, doesn’t mean we’re not real.
Hey! No one is denying your
existence.
End transcript.
Recapping
Given all that was said and
done, what was actually said and done?
I’ve heard angry words that
raged against the oppression of black Americans. I’ve heard the belittlement of
motherhood and an apology for the assumed shortfall of blacks in general. I’ve
heard legitimately unjust particulars leveraged to make righteous intent to
destroy American history, principles, and arrangements. I’ve heard blame
attached to whites, police officers in their entirety, presumed intent, the long-time
dead, political leaders at every level, the American way of life, the existence
of the United States, and even God Himself. All of this was done to illustrate
the existence of a “system built to divide and impoverish and destroy” black
Americans. All of this was shouted above the thunder of standing applause, real
and virtual.
Where was the difference given
to good and bad, right and wrong, grace and evil, virtue and vicious? Where was
the effort to state that human injustice is a human failing?
Mr. Williams, what do you and those
you claim to represent want? What, exactly, do black Americans want from
history, government, and country; from whites, cops, parents, ancestors,
politicians, the dead, and God? – Regardless of the answers, why do you choose
to think the way you think, or believe the way you believe?
Jesse Williams
You did it. You identified the system of oppression built to
“divide and impoverish and destroy” black Americans.
The oppressive system you want us to “realize” is not rooted
in “whiteness” or a grievance-by-hatred industry. These things, however real or
imagined, are symptoms of a deeper root cause. A cause that has evolved into a
foundational idea, a golden rule; to be a virtuous “black” individual, one must
first be vicious to the “white” collective.
While I do not know your true intentions, or your fundamental
beliefs, I do know these things about you. You are a grown man, a brilliant
talent, and gifted orator. There is no doubt that these gifts are inherent
within you and add to your uniqueness. I also know that you are choosing to be a
vicious, immoral, and ungrateful racist.
BET
Nicely played. You couldn’t have provided a better
advertisement opportunity for Jesse Williams, Black Lives Matter, or yourself.
I am truly impressed. Despite the blatant race-based hatred being puked out to
the world through your platform, you managed to stay clean.
·
I am particularly impressed with the lightning
speed that the speech penetrated the internet.
·
I am particularly impressed with how well the
vast majority of media outlets used identical, or nearly identical, terms and
syntax to describe the speech.
You have effectively used free speech as a weapon system
against the human capacity to do what is inherently good. Enjoy the paycheck.
Media Outlets
Providing the benefit of the doubt, you were duped by a narcissistic
racist that was sponsored by an organized conglomerate of narcissistic
businessmen. In doing so, you failed to do your duty as an American institution
specifically protected to act as the “check and balance” of American discourse.
You sold out for money. There is no reason for your failure,
just excuses.
The Public
You are not blameless. Not even close. The only reason the social
institution of the media can do this is because you, the consuming public,
allow it to be profitable.
Stupidity, like wisdom, is built on choices made over an
extended period of time. In my view, it seems clear that you have a long
history of making stupid choices.
In Closing
There are two realities of human
life. Both are ever-present simply because human nature and human beings exist
in this world. The two unavoidable realities are “that which is good” and “that
which is evil.” My intent in posing the questions stated was to determine which
reality was being sought; one that is good, or one that is evil. I am
astonished by how fully “that which is evil” has been embraced by those that
claim to know better.
Viciousness is a human failing;
but, virtue is a human triumph. Both are ever-present simply because human
beings exist. Both represent the desire of human nature to cultivate thoughts,
make decisions, and take action on those decisions. But, it’s not human nature
to puts failings and triumphs into the world; it’s individual human beings.
In my view, for an America to
achieve unity without mandating uniformity in a way sustainable by human nature
it’s incumbent upon each American citizen, regardless of their circumstances
(transient or fixed, real or virtual, natural or supernatural), to choose the
virtuous path.
Thank you. – Sam Frescoe
Your View
Your thoughts and perspectives
are important. I invite you to tell me what you believe in the comments section
below or at samfrescoe@gmail.com. I
am looking forward to reading your thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
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