Dilemma In Consciousness and Revolution

[Im The Truth]

Dilemma In Consciousness and Revolution
by Thunder X

Talk of revolutionary armed struggle among Afrikans in the west has been going on for since we were dragged to these shores. With the exception of a few uprisings in the U.S., the only revolutions we have seen among our people have been in the Caribbean and Afrika. Different terrain, different time, different circumstances. What prevents Afrikans in America and Europe achieving the same today? As cliché as it is to speak of, the fact remains that a new consciousness, an evolving, revolutionary consciousness is necessary. Necessary, but unfortunately not forthcoming. We are too caught up in utilizing outdated strategies rather than improving upon past movements and updating our programs to meet certain challenges that did not exist in previous eras. What is proving more difficult is getting enough of our people who are philosophically and ideologically aligned. Any action without having the support of the masses is suicide. How to convince our people that what one is proposing is in their best interests is problematic. Fact is, the majority of our people are not philosophically aligned, believe the United States is still the best nation in the world to be, or are terrified of having to lose all of their creature comforts to wage a battle they don't believe is necessary. Otherwise it would have been a done deal a long time ago. Who wants to give up their iPods, MTv, fresh clothes, nice cars or any of it to hunker down in the dirt with a sniper rifle and war paint on their faces? People in America are fat and soft, even the ones who aren't doing to well. This also applies to the less-than-well-off populace. I've known many folks who were receiving state or federal aid, and/or who have a hustle, who were content with the little they have. These people aren't interested in learning why they're in the situation they find themselves in or anything to do with their culture or history. This is the power of suggestion, of propaganda (seduction), psychological and sociological conditioning.

Of course the first step is making sure your program of action is sound, your cause valid. One can look to the War of 1812 for a prime example of when one fails to establish such. The United States had had a time trying to recruit civilians into that battle with Great Britain, most wanted no part of it. The reason being that there was no clearly defined goal, no rallying ideal. That war was a war of egos, on both sides, rather than a war for independence or against any sort of tyranny. Ultimately, if your program is baseless or weak, the people will not support you. In this day and age, however, it is not enough to have a legitimate concern or clearly defined program. The most difficult part of any revolutionary program is convincing the masses that what you propose is in their best interests and the best interest of their families and descendants. This has become increasingly difficult and frustrating today due to the proliferation of distraction previously unseen in the history of human existence. The illusion of America is enticing and seductive; the reality of America is ugly and depressing. If you want the masses of people to a least listen to what you have to say, you need to understand that the primary duty needs to be to shut down the distractions (have you seen the movie "Equilibrium" ?) Remove the illusion. People need to be able to witness for themselves the reality of their situation without the rose-colored blinders on. In times past, if your cause was just, your strategy sound, the people would follow. But only after we have removed the obstacle of distraction and illusion can we hope to make any headway.

We also need be cautious of infiltrators. Make no mistake; there is only one kind, those who look like us. During the civil rights era, there were individuals working for the government whose job it was to incite our people to reckless action in order to give them an excuse to destroy our programs, raid our gathering places and kill us. These infiltrators were known as agent provocateurs, and were members of an intra-governmental law-enforcement unit known as COINTELPRO (Counter-Intelligence Program). These agents were always the first to shout "kill" or "shoot" in volatile situations, precipitating immediate violent response from "law enforcement". We all get frustrated at the conditions the Pan Afrikan community face, but we must always be mindful of what our objective is and remain focused. Unorganized people can not hope to win against those who are highly organized, no matter how many of us there may be. We are undisciplined, they are not. Evolution of consciousness takes time and even those of us who are "conscious" are not disciplined enough yet to be useful. Some of us who are "conscious" do not possess the intellectual capacity to formulate strategies. Some of us who are "conscious" have emotional and character issues that are a result of their upbringing. We are a people who are in need of great healing before we can consider accomplishing our goal. Being Afrikan is an immense responsibility. There are some of us who may not immediately come around; there are those who may take years to come around. But if we are truly dedicated to our people, we do not ever give up. Picking up guns is easy; we do it every day in the hood. How many of us have the ability to enlighten our people, are willing to do whatever must be done, are intelligent enough to build sound strategic models? Shouting Black Power and kill whitey may make some feel good, but that's all it does. Revolutions were never carried out by people who were anything less than brilliant, committed and organized.

There will come that day when we can and must do more; a day when we will have to take up arms. On that day, we will be clear on our objective, disciplined enough to stay the course, and trained to adequately use firearms. Currently the masses of Afrikans are capable only of shooting themselves in the foot... or each other.

With regards to so-called "conscious" Afrikans, I would also like to add their exist a dilemma of those who have served to increase the division amongst us by adhering to non-Afrikan (Eurocentric, Arab) beliefs, and the space alien chasers. In our quest for identity, Afrikans in the West are willing to grasp onto anything they believe to be non-European derived, and therefore end up adapting the ways of others and/or creating cults. Some of us are waiting for God to deliver us, and some of us are awaiting space-gods for deliverance. Waiting. So on the one hand you have Blacks who are of the belief that their (non-Afrikan) spiritual beliefs are superior to all others (Islam, Christianity/Rastafari), on the other those who dawdle waiting for divine or extraterrestrial succor.