http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/ Assata Shakur Speaks is a Site Devoted To Assata Shakur And All Political Prisoners Around The World. Assata Shakur Speaks Is An Oasis Of Pan African Information Geared Towards The Liberation Of Afrikan People. Powered by The Talking Drum Collective. en Fri, 24 May 2013 23:59:56 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/ http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/introduce-your-afrikan-self/57403-starter-locs-question.html Tue, 21 May 2013 22:58:35 GMT Hi. I have 2 strand twist for starter locs. I plan on getting them retwisted soon but I was wondering do I have to wash them out or can I just get them retwisted the way that they are now. They aren't loc just yet but they are tighten. ]]> Introduce Your Afrikan Self HYFRpara http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/introduce-your-afrikan-self/57403-starter-locs-question.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/d-c-b-more/57402-african-liberation-day-saturday-may-25-2013-washington-dc.html Tue, 21 May 2013 21:42:57 GMT African Liberation Day - Saturday, May 25, 2013 -Washington, DC





The All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC) hopes that this correspondence finds you in the best of health and revolutionary spirit. We write to you as we organize the 50th anniversary celebration and commemoration of African Liberation Day (ALD). This year’s observances will be held on: Saturday, May 25, 2013 at the Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Road NW, Washington, DC.

ALD (African Liberation Day) for the A-APRP (GC) is being organized under the banner “Take African Liberation Day Back To Revolutionary Pan-Africanism: Africa Is On Fire!” This theme was chosen out of what we believe is a critical need to clarify the very nature of the revolutionary struggle for Pan-Africanism at this moment in history.

We invite you, your family and friends to attend and share this year’s ALD forum with us as we discuss, debate, and clarify issues that have advanced or impeded the African revolution and the struggle to achieve its primary objective, Pan-Africanism.

ALD 2013 Symposium - 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Panel 1: Take African Liberation Day Back to Revolutionary Pan-Africanism: Africa Is On Fire!
Invited Participants: Lang T.K.A. Nubour - Centre for Conscientist Studies & Analyses * Explo Nani-Kofi - Kilombo Centre for Civil Society and African Self-Determination * Ismael Conde – Parti de la Revolution Populaire Africain de Guinee * Kit Aastrup - Danish Cuban Friends in Aarhus, Denmark * Ibrahim Ebeid – Iraq Palestine Committee, Iraqi Resistance Movement & Arab Baath Socialist Party * Johnson Mlambo & Ike Mafole - Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania * Jafar Jafari - Palestine Liberation Movement * Nubia Kai - Malcolm X Grassroots Movement * Kali Akuno – Black Left Unity Network & Malcolm X Grassroots Movement * Penny Gamble-Williams & Janice Denny - American Indian Movement * Bill Means – International Indian Treaty Council * Dr. Zoe Spencer - Associate Professor of Sociology, Virginia State University
@
Panel 2: Building and Consolidating Revolutionary Alliances within the Revolutionary Pan-Africanist and Socialist Movements!
Invited Participants: Charo Mina-Rojas - Black Community Process (Colombia) * Eugenia Charles, Director - Fondasyon Mapou (Haiti) * Herman Wainggai - West Papua National Authority (Papua New Guinea) * Diego Pari, Ambassador - Embassy of Bolivia to OAS * Sonia Umanzor, Cultural Attache - Embassy of El Salvador * Patricia Pego Guerra, First Secretary - Cuban Interests Section * Marcos Garcia, Second Secretary & Labor Attache - Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela * Machivenyika Maparanga, Ambassador - Embassy of Zimbabwe
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ALD 2013 Diplomatic Reception - 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
co-sponsored by Friends of the Congo
Diplomatic Reception: Celebrating and Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of African Liberation Day! Forward to One Unified Socialist Africa!
Maurice Carney, Executive Director - Friends of the Congo * Ofunshi Oba Koso, President - MN Yoruba Cuba Association, Cuban-born nephew of the late Freddy Ilanga (Che Guevera’s personal interpreter in the Congo) and protégé of Victor Dreke (Che’s second-in-command in the Congo) * Bob Brown - A-APRP(GC) & Kwame Ture Papers Project

In Solidarity with Palestine Day (May 15), and In Remembrance of Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh (May 19).

We are asking all ALD participants to RSVP through our website at The Inheritor and Continuator of the Revolutionary Theory and Practice of Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure and Kwame Ture! - All-African People's Revolutionary Party (GC) . We look forward to seeing you at ALD. If you cannot physically be present, we appreciate your participation at the level in which you are capable. We thank you in advance for your support. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit your email reply to ald@a-aprp-gc.org
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Admission is Free! – Space is Limited!
For more information, contact
www.a-aprp-gc.org - ald@a-aprp-gc.org - (202) 719-0529

__________________________________________________ _________________________________ ]]> D.C./B-More XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/d-c-b-more/57402-african-liberation-day-saturday-may-25-2013-washington-dc.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/conscious-music-artists-news-views/57401-hands-off-assata-shakur.html Sun, 19 May 2013 16:27:52 GMT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8HU-JE91vc ]]> Conscious Music - Artists - News And Views XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/conscious-music-artists-news-views/57401-hands-off-assata-shakur.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57400-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:21:00 GMT Proverbs of Kenya

I'm working to attribute these proverbs to a particular tribe. If you know which tribe the unattributed proverbs come from, please send me some feedback. Asante!

A baboon (monkey) laughs at the buttocks of another baboon.

A child does not fear treading on dangerous ground until he or she gets hurt stumbles.

A donkey always says thank you with a kick.

A flea can trouble a lion more than a lion can trouble a flea.

A fool’s walking stick helps the wise man to stand.

A fully grown up tree cannot be bent into a walking stick.

A good person once you shelter with him under the bush you will know him, and bad one as well.

A house cannot be repaired when the owner is destroying it.

A judge is himself under judgement.

A leader does not wish for war.

A leader who does not take advice is not a leader.

A lion cannot hide in the grass.

A lone runner says he has legs (runs fast).

A man who uses force is afraid of reasoning.

A nation is never exulted by disunity.

A nose alone does not lead.

A person changing his clothing always hides while changing.

A person who carries responsibility also receives blame.

A rat-trap catches both the guilty and the innocent.

A rope parts where is thinnest.

A sinking ship doesn't need a captain.

A slave has no choice.

A slippery person is not a king.

A thread follows the path of the needle.

A true person is the one who gives birth to a foolish child.

After a foolish deed comes remorse.

All cassavas have the same skins but not all taste the same.

All monkeys cannot hang on the same branch.

An elder is a healer.

An empty pot makes the loudest noise.

An old pot never lacks food remains.

An orphaned calf licks its own back.

Avoid singing a song without a soloist.

Bad leaders are elected by poor citizens who do not vote.

Bartered grains do not fill up the granary.

Blessings are better than possessions.

Bow-legged person does not hunt antelopes.

Consensus does not lead to easy decision making.

Crookedness does not lead cattle.

Cut your nose to save your face.

Dip after dip depletes a jar of honey.

Do not respond to a mosquito with a hammer because you will miss and hurt yourself.

Do not show wisdom, where there is wisdom.

Do not use your spear to separate cattle.

Elders choose their words.

Even if you bewitch in the night, you will be known.

Feet cannot stop one from going into danger.

Follow bees and get honey.

Force is not profitable.

Good things sell, bad things advertise.

He who has not reached his destination never gets tired.

He who is unable to dance says the yard is stony.

He who wants what is under a bed must bend over to get it.

He whose seeds have not germinated does not put down the seed container.

Home affairs are not talked about on the public square.

How gently glides the married life away, when she who rules still seems but to obey.

However much it rains on you, no wild banana tree will grow on your head.

If a leader limps, all the others start limping, too.

If it doesn't resemble dad, it resembles mum.

If you do not know death, look at the grave.

If you want to kill a monkey, avoid looking him in the eyes.

In times of danger it is important that people act together.

Intelligence is like hair, everyone has its own.

It is better for the eye to die than the heart.

It is better to be poor when one is young, rather than becoming poor at old age.

It is the grass that suffers when elephants fight.

Leadership comes from God.

Nine is nearly ten.

No length without end.

No water without waves.

Of five fingers, which is the best?

One arrow can knock down an elephant.

One does not throw away one's old praying mat just because of a new one that one has borrowed.

One in the woodpile does not laugh at the one in the fire.

One whose seeds have not sprouted does not give up planting.

Reason is wealth.

Regular work tires a woman but totally wrecks a man.

Someone relative is blood of the tongue, some you spit out and some you swallow.

Talking with one another is loving one another.

The abundance of fruit caused the death of the fruit lover.

The alarm from the other house does not prevent one from eating.

The big fish eats the smaller one.

The brewer dilutes the beer if over-praised.

The cattle cannot all have bells.

The celebration does not last forever.

The cow that bellows does so for all cows.

The curse of the fowl does not bother the eagle.

The elders’ meeting is the sharpening stone of men.

The elephant eats from many trees.

The fool hides what would eat him.

The foolish cannot be leaders.

The hen pecks and wipes its beak.

The leader knows the reality.

The medicine man has no fame in his village.

The mouth wronged the walker.

The one who has been attacked by a buffalo, is afraid when he sees a black cow.

The powerful should mind their own power.

The remedies of several medicine men weaken one another.

The stick in the hand kills the snake.

Those exercising good habits and truth are leaders.

Three can keep a secret when two died.

Thunder is not yet rain.

To lead is not to run roughshod over people.

Too much tolerance paves the way for trouble.

Two bulls fighting must disengage their heads before one is defeated.

Two lions cannot rule in one valley.

Two noisy waterfalls do not agree.

Unity is the real thing.

Water never flows up the mountain.

We have not inherited this land from our ancestors; rather we have borrowed it from our children.

What has defeated the elders’ court, take to the public.

When the leading animal is lame, the herd fails to get to the pasture.

When the lion cannot find meat, it eats grass.

Who thinks to stay should take care not to fall.

Who walks slowly will also reach the aim.

Wisdom breaks a taut bow.

You don’t teach a grown up monkey how to climb a tree.

You should never forget your neighbour when you invite people to come to the feast. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57400-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57399-swahili-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:19:45 GMT Swahili Proverbs of Kenya Better a curtain hanging motionless than a flag blowing in the wind. Burning charcoal is turned into ashes. Every bird flies with its own wings. Every door has its own key. Swahili Proverbs of Kenya

Better a curtain hanging motionless than a flag blowing in the wind.

Burning charcoal is turned into ashes.

Every bird flies with its own wings.

Every door has its own key.

He who eats another mans food will have his own food eaten by others.

He who tells the truth is never wrong.

Let the guest come so that the host or hostess may benefit (get well).

No masika (rain season) without mosquitoes.

Too much fear creates slavery.

The child of lion is a lion.

The country rooster dows not crow in the town.

What bites you is in your clothes.

When elephants fight the grass gets hurt.

We do not suffer illness when the doctor is around. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57399-swahili-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57398-samia-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:18:45 GMT Samia Proverbs of Kenya

A dog squats just like its mother.

Don't smile so much at the one serving of food, they'll serve you with the bones. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57398-samia-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57397-luo-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:17:45 GMT Luo Proverbs of Kenya

A child's lie is like a dead fish in a pond that in the end, always comes to the surface, explains his mother.

A fool is like a wanderer lost on a path.

A friend is like a water source for a long journey.

A friend is someone who walks by your side.

A village without elderly is unhappy.

All cassavas have the same skins but not all taste the same.

Alone a youth runs fast, with an elder slow, but together they go far.

An elder's handbag is never completely empty.

An eye that you treat is the one that turns against you.

An undecided man is the worst disaster of the village.

Disease and disasters come and go like rain, but health is like the sun that illuminates the entire village.

Everybody loves a fool, but nobody wants him for a son.

Happiness is like a field you can harvest every season.

He who does not know one thing knows another.

Hunger pushes the hippopotamus out of the water.

If you have a lot, give some of your possessions; if you have little, give some of your heart.

Once the mushroom has sprouted from the earth, there is no turning back.

Termites cause death, damage, and great harm to white ants.

The chief's wisdom is a mesh of old stories, good and bad.

The earth is not an inheritance of our fathers, nor one for our sons.

The turtle does not suffer when running.

Those who do not listen to the voice of the elderly are like trees without roots.

When a lion roars, he does not catch game.

Wisdom is wealth.

Working in the fields is hard, but hunger is harder.

You do not beat a drum with one finger.

You may laugh at a friend's roof; don't laugh at his sleeping accommodation. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57397-luo-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57396-luhya-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:16:23 GMT Luhya Proverbs of Kenya A champion bull starts from birth. A child points out to you the direction and then you find your way. A messenger cannot be beaten. Bad dancing does not break an engagement. Luhya Proverbs of Kenya

A champion bull starts from birth.

A child points out to you the direction and then you find your way.

A messenger cannot be beaten.

Bad dancing does not break an engagement.

Beer that will spoil ferments unequally.

Competition exhausted the lungs.

Even an expert swimmer drowns.

Hurry hurry has no blessings. (Ndetekhane yayia ameno)

Only someone else can scratch your back.

Suppression of hunger leads to death.

The blame of the antelope is on the hunter.

The devil turns against its friend.

The eyes of the in-law belittle what they have seen.

The fire burns the fire maker.

Think before you act. (Andakonya yalikha obukhaya)

You suffer from smoke produced by the firewood you fetched yourself.

You only make a bridge where there is a river. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57396-luhya-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57395-kuria-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:15:07 GMT Kuria Proverbs of Kenya A black ant will not bite another black ant. A debt between children born by the same mother is paid in a clever way. No one can perform a celebration by himself. One person is a thin porridge; two or three people are a lump of ugali. Kuria Proverbs of Kenya

A black ant will not bite another black ant.

A debt between children born by the same mother is paid in a clever way.

No one can perform a celebration by himself.

One person is a thin porridge; two or three people are a lump of ugali.

Slowly, slowly, porridge goes into the gourd.

One person is a thin porridge; two or three people are a lump of ugali.

Slowly, slowly, porridge goes into the gourd.

Stream, it knows where to flow.

When the rock is not around, the small stone sits there.

When you mention the person with one eye, the one with the eye problem reacts.

When you spread it in the sun, it becomes dry.

The thing that kills someone is small.

The rat does not help the other rat to peel a piece of maize.

The possessor may become dispossessed.

The one who is praised, comes forth to chant. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57395-kuria-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57394-kikuyu-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:14:00 GMT Kikuyu Proverbs of Kenya A word in the heart does not win. Two waterfalls do not hear each other. A fool has many days. An elder can be advised but never insulted. Kikuyu Proverbs of Kenya

A word in the heart does not win.

Two waterfalls do not hear each other.

A fool has many days.

An elder can be advised but never insulted.

An elephant is not overpowered by its tusks.

Cooked food is not sold for goats.

He who does not know one thing knows another.

He who refuses to obey cannot command.

If one is roasting two potatoes, one of them is bound to get charred.

If you rattle a snake, you should be prepared to be bitten by it.

One finger does not kill a louse.

One who relates with a corrupt person likewise gets corrupted.

Peace is costly but it is worth the expense.

Rich people cook their food in a potsherd.

Rich people sometimes eat bad food.

That which has been mutually agreed upon does not bring about disputes.

The chaser and the one who is chased get tired.

The food eaten first lasts longest in the stomach.

The food found Wacu in the field.

The food that is in the mouth is not yet in the belly.

The man may be the head of the home but the wife is the heart.

The one chased away with a club comes back, but the one chased away with kihooto [reason] does not.

Two guests cannot be entertained satisfactorily at the same time.

We speak in proverbs; he who is intelligent will understand.

A bug grows up in dry wood, and yet comes to maturity.

War is not porridge.

When the food is cooked there is no need to wait before eating it. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57394-kikuyu-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57393-masai-proverbs.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:10:00 GMT Masai Proverbs A bargain cannot be held in the palm of the hand. A blind sheep might chance across rain water. A bull cannot bellow in two places at once. A lie cannot fill the palm. Masai Proverbs

A bargain cannot be held in the palm of the hand.

A blind sheep might chance across rain water.

A bull cannot bellow in two places at once.

A lie cannot fill the palm.

A lion can run faster than we can, but we can run farther.

A man does not know when he is well off; it is only when he is poor that he remembers the days of plenty.

An elephant fears attack from several sides.

A new idea (custom) follows an old one.

A particle of goat dung cannot be eaten by a large gourd.

A boy (man) is not asked where (how) he recovered.

A cow is as good as a man.

A person does not itch from a thorn that is not his.

A proverb does not answer itself.

A zebra takes its stripes wherever it goes.

Actions come by the use of the legs, and if arrows come, there are legs behind them.

Baboons do not go far from the place of their birth.

Be as familiar with observation as you are with the place you live.

Behold the people you are passing. The man is there, and the male, the woman and the female.

Being defeated and dying are the same.

Bravery is not everything, and however brave a man may be, two brave men are better.

Cheating and doing something by force are not the same.

Coal laughs at ashes, not knowing that the same fate which has befallen them will befall it.

Daylight follows a dark night.

Do not allow the belly to make you useless.

Do not go gathering fruit when a dance is taking place.

Do not jump about, for there is no use in jumping about.

Do not repair another man's fence until you have seen to your own.

Do not show the hawk your bow, or he will fly away.

Do not sweep someone else's home while yours is dirty.

Do not talk a great deal.

Don't fight a lion with a stick.

Don't go to the plain without somebody to take the dust out of your eye.

Don't make a cloth for carrying a child in before the child is born.

Don't reply one wrong with another.

Don't tread on the post, i.e. don't be proud, like the father of many sons.

Even the ostrich, with its long neck and sharp eyes, cannot see what will happen in the future.

Events follow one another like days.

Everything has an end.

Facing backwards does not perform itself.

Flies have ears.

Foolishness first, then wisdom.

Friendship likes distance.

God, shield me with your wings.
Happiness is as good as food.

He is like a hyena's sinew.

He eats his food like a donkey.

He separates himself from his friends like a sick (or dead) donkey.

He who has a father is still not circumcised.

He who is unable to dance says that the yard is stony.

Hide the mouthfuls of food.

Home is not far away when you are alive.

If a stranger comes to stay with you, do not forget when you lay aside his weapons that he is hungry.

It cannot be cleansed with a brown he-goat.

It does not take as long to settle a quarrel as it takes a cow's udder to fill with milk after she has been covered.

It is better to be poor and live long than to be rich and die young.

It is impossible to find a man who has everything, but it is possible to find one who enjoys the things he has.

It is the belly which daily gives thanks.

It is the eye which has travelled that is clever.

It is the same thing when a man is once there whether he has been called or whether he has come of his own free will.

Life and death are not alike.

Life has seasons.

Lonely is one.

Man is always beaten by his own tricks.

May you be as big as the white mountain.

Mountains do not meet.

Nobody can say he is settled anywhere forever: it is only the mountains which do not move from their places.

No matter how young or weak a child may be on his father's death, he is strong in his own kraal, for his friends will see that he inherits the cattle.

One finger does not kill a louse.

One head cannot hold all wisdom.

One house cannot be divided.

She is treading against the post like one who is not allowed in the warriors' kraals.

Teeth do not see poverty.

The bark of one tree will not adhere to another tree.

The belly does not swell if a woman is not pregnant.

The boaster will not cross the valley.

The buttocks and the ground do not remain long apart.

The buttocks never mistake the ground.

The children are the bright moon.

The cow has no owner.

The cow said 'Say as many words about me as I have hairs in my body.'

The daily path never ends.

The elephant can trip over a creeping plant.

The elephant does not get tired of his tusks.

The eye cannot penetrate darkness.

The eye of God is large.

The fart of the mouth and that of the bottom are not the same.

The firewood which has been cut ready for burning laughs at that which is being consumed.

The forest has ears.

The hyena said 'It is not only that I have luck, but my leg is strong.'

The man does not see the brisket he is eating.

The mouth which ate fat shall eat excrement, and that which ate excrement shall eat fat.

The neck cannot become the head.

The night has ears.

The nose does not precede the rest of the body.

The slayer of the enemy has become a coward, and the poltroon has become a brave man.

The stomach cannot steal.

The withered tree will destroy the healthy tree when it falls down.

The words of the elders are blessed.

The village which is not discussed is not built.

The zebra cannot do away with his stripes.

There is a dog in the gourd, and his ears prevent it from being closed.

There is a Judge for him, and He will avenge me.

There is no gecko that does not claim to possess the longest tail.

There is not such a thing in the world as a sheep of many colors.

Warriors and cripples remain apart.

We begin by being foolish, and we become wise by experience.

What does it matter whether a person is one's own child or somebody else's as long as he does his duty.

When an event occurs, only a part of the truth is sent abroad, the rest is kept back.

Why do you behave like a woman whose son has just married?

You are as clever as Konyek.

You are not like a child who when carried only presses on my back, you press on every part of my body.

You are not like firewood which is burnt, you are always there.

You cannot advise a man who is after a woman.

You cannot force water up a hill.

You know what to say, but you do not know what you might be told.

You will not be beaten when you think before acting.

Zebra of course have no huts. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57393-masai-proverbs.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57392-gusii-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:04:06 GMT Gusii Proverbs of Kenya The bush in which you hide has eyes. Gusii Proverbs of Kenya

The bush in which you hide has eyes. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57392-gusii-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57391-bukusu-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:02:21 GMT Bukusu Proverbs of Kenya A child does not fear treading on dangerous ground until he or she gets hurt. Bukusu Proverbs of Kenya

A child does not fear treading on dangerous ground until he or she gets hurt. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57391-bukusu-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57390-akamba-proverbs-kenya.html Sun, 19 May 2013 01:00:59 GMT Akamba Proverbs of Kenya

A woman's stomach does not grow if she is not pregnant.

All monkeys cannot hang on one branch.

An old man doesn't know what makes him herd again.

A big goat does not snort without reason.

Despite your bark, you'll be eaten.

One in the woodpile does not laugh at one in the fire.

Only a medicine man gets rich by sleeping.

The hyena with a cub does not consume all the available food.

The person who has not traveled thinks his or her mother is the best cook. ]]> Traditional XXPANTHAXX http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/traditional/57390-akamba-proverbs-kenya.html http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/open-forum/57389-black-people-suffering-learned-helplessness.html Sat, 18 May 2013 21:37:03 GMT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8C94FUvN8k Learned Helplessness by David McRaney The Misconception: If you are in a bad situation, you will do whatever you can do to escape it. The Truth: If you feel like you aren’t in control of your destiny, you will give up and accept whatever...

Learned Helplessness
by David McRaney
The Misconception: If you are in a bad situation, you will do whatever you can do to escape it.

The Truth: If you feel like you aren’t in control of your destiny, you will give up and accept whatever situation you are in.

In 1965, a scientist named Martin Seligman started shocking dogs.

He was trying to expand on the research of Pavlov – the guy who could make dogs salivate when they heard a bell ring. Seligman wanted to head in the other direction, and when he rang his bell instead of providing food he zapped them with electricity. To keep them still, he restrained them in a harness during the experiment.

After they were conditioned, he put these dogs in a big box with a little fence dividing it into two halves. They figured if they rang the bell, the dog would hop over the fence to escape, but it didn’t. It just sat there and braced itself. They decided to try shocking them after the bell. The dog still just sat there and took it. When they put a dog in the box which had never been shocked before and tried to zap it – it jumped the fence.

You are just like these dogs.

If, over the course of your life, you have experienced crushing defeat or pummeling abuse or loss of control, you learn over time there is no escape, and if escape is offered, you will not act – you become a nihilist who trusts futility above optimism.

Studies of the clinically depressed show that when they fail they often just give in to defeat and stop trying. The average person will look for external forces to blame when they fail the mid-term. They will say the professor is an asshole, or they didn’t get enough sleep. Depressed people will blame themselves and assume they are stupid.

Do you vote? If not, is it because you think it doesn’t matter because things never change, or politicians are evil on both sides, or one vote in several million doesn’t count? Yeah, that’s learned helplessness.

When battered women, or hostages, or abused children, or long-time prisoners refuse to escape, they do so because they have accepted the futility of the attempt. What does it matter? If those people do get out of their situation, they often have a hard time committing to anything which may lead to failure.

Any extended period of negative emotions can lead to you giving in to despair and accepting your fate. If you remain alone for a long time, you will decide loneliness is a fact of life and pass up opportunities to hang out with people. The loss of control in any situation will lead to this state. A study in 1976 by Langer and Rodin showed in nursing homes where conformity and passivity is encouraged and every whim is attended to, the health and well-being of the patients declines rapidly. If, instead, the people in these homes are given responsibilities and choices, they remain healthy and active. This research was repeated in prisons. Sure enough, just letting prisoners move furniture and control the television kept them from developing health problems and staging revolts. In homeless shelters where people can’t pick out their own beds or choose what to eat, the residents are less likely to try and get a job or find an apartment.

When you are able to succeed at easy tasks, hard tasks feel possible to accomplish. When you are unable to succeed at small tasks, everything seems harder.

Rats given the opportunity to escape electric shocks are half as likely to develop tumors than those who are forced to bear them. Rats already suffering from cancer will die faster if placed into the inescapable shock experiment.

Every day – your job, the government, your addiction, your depression, your money – you feel like you can’t control the forces affecting your fate. So, you stage microrevolts. You customize your ringtone, you paint your room, you collect stamps. You choose.

Choices, even small ones, can hold back the crushing weight of helplessness, but you can’t stop there. You must fight back your behavior and learn to fail with pride. Failing often is the only way to ever get the things you want out of life. Besides death, your destiny is not inescapable. ]]> Open Forum Ephraim http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/open-forum/57389-black-people-suffering-learned-helplessness.html