Showing posts with label Miles Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miles Davis. Show all posts

Friday, March 26, 2021

THE EDUCATION OF A TRUMP-LOVIN' FRIEND

Beneath the Spin*Eric L. Wattree 

EXCELLENCE IS THE KEY TO BLACK EQUALITY 

 

THE EDUCATION OF A TRUMP-LOVIN' FRIEND 

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I have a friend by the name of Howard. Politically, we’re as different as the day is long. He’s a devout conservative who thrives on Donald Trump’s every word, and I’m an independent-thinking progressive who’s convinced that Trump is the consummate self-serving idiot. Yet, Howard and I like one another. Probably, because we’re both widowers who miss our late wives desperately, and we’re both musicians – I’ve played sax since I was 12 years old, and he’s trying to get to know the instrument better. We also have an agreement that binds us. We’ve agreed to always feel free to be honest with one another and say what’s on our minds. That way, we can both grow from our knowledge of how the other side thinks – and it works. 

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I recently got on Howard's case by sending him my article, TRUMP AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY REPRESENT A PORTRAIT IN FASCISMHe responded as follows: 

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Howard: 

 It's 3 hours behind East Coast time. Shouldn't you be sleeping? 

Me: 

Howard, I take catnaps between research and writing sessions. That's why I said you can't challenge me - I'm thinking and growing while you're asleep. A juvenile officer once made the mistake of laughing at how "dumb" I was as a child when I was in one of their institutions - that was one of their favorite pastimes, laughing at Black kids who were in trouble. Even as a child, I didn't appreciate being laughed at, and especially being called dumb, because we weren't dumb, we were simply undereducated. But that's when I decided to remedy that, and I set upon my mission to correct that shortcoming. I've been on that mission ever since, and now I'm the one doing the laughing. I've also dedicated my life to getting young Black people to adopt my passion for knowledge, because knowledge is power, and what we casually refer to as Black "soul", is actually Black creative brilliance straining to be unleashed. 
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Much like those juvenile officers, many White people have a propensity to underestimate Black people due to their desperate need to feel superior. But as a direct result of that propensity, along with their need to be dismissive of Black people, we know you much better than you know us. That places you at a severe disadvantage. My grandfather once told me as a child, “Eric, never tell others everything you know, because then, they not only know everything you know, but what they already knew, and that’ll make them smarter than you.” 

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That’s the position that many conservative White people have place themselves in with respect to Black people. Black people know everything about you, but due to your arrogance and dismissive attitude towards Black people, you know next to nothing about Black people and our capabilities, and that’s to our advantage. That’s why I advise every young Black person that I come into contact with to avoid wasting their time on the frivolous, and focus on developing their minds. 
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Thomas Jefferson once said with respect to Black people, In music they are more generally gifted than the whites, with accurate ears for tune and time, and they have been found capable of imagining a small catch. Whether they will be equal to the composition of a more extensive run of melody, or of complicated harmony, is yet to be proved.” That comment is laughable today, and in the future, we’re going to be laughing even harder at some of your current misconceptions. 

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I was fortunate enough to learn what it meant to be Black as a child.  Look at the video below of Miles Davis and John Coltrane and learn what I did at 12 years old, not just about music, but about demeanor, excellence, and the importance of taking myself seriously. That’s the key to life - self-esteem, having the common sense to define yourself, and not allowing anyone else to do it for you. I don't care if you call me a nigger, because I don't identify with the word. That just gives me more information about you. Black conservatives have yet to learned that simple lesson. They’ve taken ownership of the word, and they’ll do anything to keep you from thinking of them in that way. But I know who I am, so I don’t give a damn what you think, or say. Why should I? Who the hell are you?
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Notice how dead serious every member of this group is in representing their culture. There’s no struttin’ around, bouncin’ their heads, or acting like damn fools for the benefit of the television audience. They simply put on, without any fanfare, an incredible display of pure artistic genius - and without bustin' one sweat bubble. This wasn’t “Hee Haw”, or “Can we all get along?” This was pure, unadulterated Blackness in all its glory, allowing America to either take it or leave it. 
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Unlike today, Miles, Coltrane and the group, simply represented the dignity of their people. They didn’t try to tell the White man who we are – they weren’t interested in what he thought. They simply demonstrated what it meant to be Black, and in a very matter-of-fact way. That’s identical to how I view life. I neither love White folks nor hate them. They just happen to be around, and that’s fine with me, as long as they don’t step on my groove. 



This video was recorded in 1959 when you rarely even saw Black people on television. Yet, they weren't fazed a bit. None of them even bothered to look into the camera - in fact, at one point you can see Coltrane even turn away from it. They were so solemn, dedicated, and dead-serious about what they were doing, in fact, that Robert Herridge, the White man who introduces them, whispers their introduction in complete awe, and the White musicians who were fortunate enough to be on stage with them obviously considered it a great honor - and check out their effortless groove! They were laid-back and completely in their zone - their Black zone. 
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So young people, don’t buy into the bullshit. In the introduction Robert Herridge points out that "There are many ways of telling a story." Well, Miles is telling you yours. He's telling you who you really are, so listen and take heed. You’re not the product of idiots and clowns who have to tap dance, denigrate your culture, and put on a minstrel show for the White man. You’re the product of masters and true intellectual giants. I grew up understanding that fact. That’s why today, I’m a proud Black man, and no one can ever take that away from me. 
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But Howard, you might say, that's just music, but life is about more than music. That's true, but music is the most complexed endeavor that man can engage in. Math has only ten numbers, yet, those numbers can be manipulated in an infinite number of ways. But music has twelve notes, so it's even more complexed than math, and any competent jazz musician can manipulate the complexity of those notes off the top of his or her head, and at breakneck speed. That's why jazz is not as popular as many other forms of music, because it's so complexed that the average mind can't keep up with it.
.
That's the power of the Black mind, and we can take that power and apply it to math, physics, philosophy, engineering, or anything we choose. I've applied it to writing 
this piece. You're also a writer, Howard - a White writer. So, write me back, and show this uppity Black man how it's done . . . if you can. But let me warn you - to underestimate the Black mind is an exercise in gross stupidity. Because, again, I'm up thinking while you're asleep. Perhaps that's why I'm immune to Trump's bullshit and I can see him for exactly what he is - a self-serving and mindless idiot with the spoiled and petulant disposition of an 8-year-old. 

BELOW IS A SCIENTIFIC STUDY ON MUSIC AND THE MIND


Eric L. Wattree 
Http://wattree.blogspot.com 

Ewattree@Gmail.com 
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA) 
. 
Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.  

 

 

 

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Saturday, May 23, 2020

A NEW BLACK AGENDA

Beneath the Spin*Eric L. Wattree

EXCELLENCE IS THE KEY TO BLACK EQUALITY
.
A NEW BLACK AGENDA


I’M NOT IMPRESSED BY BLACK WARRIORS -
THAT’S A LOT OF MACHO BULLSHIT.
IT’S BLACK THINKERS THAT GET MY ATTENTION.
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Far too many Black people give more priority to going for bad than they do intellectual development. That's what's holding us down as a people. Rather than taking the time to develop our minds many of us would rather indulge in the “Black warrior” myth – and it’s clearly a myth. The mere fact that George Zimmerman and others can continue to walk around talking shit with impunity after the atrocities they’ve committed against the Black community stands as an undeniable testament to the fact that the concept of “The Black warrior” bears about as much of a relationship to reality as a comic book character. The reason for that is quite simple, while Black people like to go for bad, war is not really our thing - showboating is, and the White man has always used that fact against us.
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On the other hand, what we so casually refer to as "soul" is nothing short of intellectual brilliance straining to be unleashed, but instead of using it to our advantage, we use it to try to Twerk, talk shit, and sing ourselves to equality one person at a time. That keeps us divided, because it keeps each one of us constantly auditioning for the White man against one another. Thus, we constantly avoid developing our most valuable asset – our minds - in order to put on a minstrel show for the White man. Kanye West and Diamond and Silk are perfect examples of that at work. If they hadn't gotten attention by kissin' ass, they would have presented themselves as warriors to get attention. That's the way it works. It's all about getting the White man's attention, "by any means necessary".
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Our intellectual capabilities represent the difference between Boots Randolph and John Coltrane. It’s what makes Black people the people of the future, but instead of developing our intellect, we're wasting it trying to go for bad. Whenever we see Black people online, 99% of the time they’re either singing, dancing, talking shit, or trying to be cool in some way in order to get attention. That’s what’s holding us back as a people. We were taught these behaviors during slavery, and they serve two very important purposes in maintaining White supremacy - first, they keep us thinking on a frivolous level and marching in  place, and secondly, they keep us competing against one another to gain the White man's attention instead of working together to move forward.
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The fact is, even being radical is designed to get the White man's attention, because he rewards radicals to keep them under his control. Look at how large Al Sharpton is living these days, and while we haven't heard a word from Jesse Jackson in awhile, I can assure you that, wherever he is, he's not living in poverty. So it’s long past time that we begin to wake up, and I've taken it upon myself to sound the alarm.
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Black people weren't enslaved because the White man could beat us up; we were enslaved because he had a knowledge of gunpowder that we didn't possess. So it was a lack of knowledge that led to our enslavement, and it’s a lack of knowledge that’s keeping us enslaved. NOTHING is more powerful than knowledge, and since Black people are only12% of the population, if we ever expect to gain equality in this society, we'd better start focusing our energies on learning to think.
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Promoting Hip-Hop, flooding the Black community with Crack cocaine, and mounting an assault on our educational system are all a part of the very same effort - the White establishment's desperate attempt to see to it that the Black community never produces another generation like the one that came out of the 60s.
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When I was in college it cost me $6.50 a term to get an education – and that included parking. Now a young person has to go into debt for life just to afford a degree. There’s two reasons for that. The first involves class. The White establishment is maintaining a class system that keeps the “Haves” on top by ensuring that the “Have Nots” won't be able to get an education, because with an education, the White “Have Nots” began to realize that Black people weren’t the only ones being oppressed, so they became a part of the struggle. But now, due to a lack of education, the ignorance of many lower-class Whites keep Donald Trump in office and help to maintain the viability of the Republican Party.
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Secondly, when the White establishment began bringing Black people here in 1619, they thought they were merely importing dumb beasts of burden. But as the Africans began to adapt to the White culture, our intellectual brilliance began to reveal itself and the White establishment began to recognize that the very same intellectual creativity that led to what today is commonly referred to as Black “soul”, could very easily be applied to other areas of intellectual pursuit, like math, science, engineering and politics. That made us a clear and present threat to the White man's stature in society.
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It was a Black slave who introduced inoculation to White society, which all but wiped out Smallpox and many other virulent diseases that plagued their society for centuries. That knowledge  had completely eluded the White man's great institutions of higher learning. And beyond that, a Black school teacher did the math that made it possible to send man to the Moon – or, at least, made it possible for man to go there and get back safely without being lost in space – and later, a Black man made personal computing possible. In addition, Black music (jazz) serenaded this nation through the “Roaring Twenties” (or what’s commonly referred to as “The Jazz Age”), and helped to inspire this nation's victory over Hitler during WWII.
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So, for generations the White establishment has made it their top priority to keep Black people dumbed-down and prevent us from unleashing our powerful and creative intellect – they even made it illegal to teach us to read. But in spite of their most valiant efforts, after the Civil War former slaves walked right out of the fields into the halls of congress, and Frederick Douglass, a self-educated escaped slave, became a confidant of President Lincoln, and one of the most celebrated and sought-after intellectuals of the 19th Century. He was way ahead of his time, and was one of the first prominent intellectuals to address the issue of women's rights.
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But in spite of that, the White establishment wasn’t about to give up on their efforts to convince the Black man that he was inferior, so they instituted “Jim Crow” laws and traditions, and promoted anti-intellectual schemes that continue to this day, and the promotion of Hip-Hop is a part of that effort. But they're fighting a losing battle, because what we call "soul" is nothing less than Black intellectual brilliance straining to be unleashed. So the Black community should dedicate all of our efforts towards demolishing all of their efforts to dumb-down our people - and this Black warrior shit is one of them. We're never gonna be able to outfight the White man in this country as long as he controls the military establishment, and he not only knows that, but he passionately hope we try. So the one, and only way Black people are going to move forward in this country is with our minds, so we might as well accommodate ourselves to that fact, and start to build on it. 
BLACK CHILDREN WITH THE HIGHEST IQs 
IN THE WORLD - EVER!
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https://face2faceafrica.com/article/these-black-little-geniuses-have-the-highest-iqs-ever-in-the-world/2 
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But the technique currently being used to obstruct Black intellectual development is brilliant in its simplicity. The White establishment clearly recognized that we are what we think, so they're attempting to influence young Black minds during their early development. Through the use of the corporate media the White establishment is making it possible for a handful of underinformed Black individuals to gain wealth and fame by denigrating our people and referring to the very womb of our culture as “bitches” and “hoes”. They’re also keeping many of our Black youth distracted from developing their intellect through the simple use of vulgar nursery rhymes. In short, they’re indoctrinating many of our youth into believing that being dumb and self-destructive is cool, and that's the Black man's place.
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The establishment has convinced many young Black people that ignorance is what it means to be Black, and that trying to embrace intellectual development is "bougie", selling out, and trying to be White. So instead of helping to promote this nonsense it's the responsibility of the older generation of Black people to help our young people to understand that knowledge and intellect are not synonymous with White. 
KEEP IT GANGSTA, DAWG

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As Black people we must educate ourselves and learn to stop shooting off our mouths and telling the White man everything that's on our minds. We must also stop trying to go for bad, and focus on developing our minds in order to outthink the White establishment instead. And most importantly, Black people must always remember that God made birds to fly, fish to swim, and man to think. That’s why, even though man’s not as ferocious as a lion, he has dominion over the Earth, nevertheless.
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And finally, we must remember that the rich, powerful, and educated are never the warriors; only the poor, dumb, and manipulated die in battle. When was the last time you heard of a president's child dying in an American war? And Donald Trump is a perfect example of that - he ran like hell during Vietnam, bone spur and all. So it’s always the people at the bottom who die trying to be heroic and cool, while people with money, brains, or both, sit on the sidelines and cheer the dumb ass heroes on. So the White man has brainwashed Black people into believing that Black people are bad, but there's one thing he didn't teach us - that nothing is as bad as a powerful mind.
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And I’m not spewing a conspiracy theory here. The evidence is clear. Look at the video below of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Look at how different old school music was from the Pablum we listen to today. And notice how dead serious every member of this band was in representing their culture. There’s no struttin’ around, bouncin’ their heads, or acting like damn fools for the benefit of the television audience. They simply put on, without any fanfare, an incredible display of pure artistic genius - and without bustin' one sweat bubble. These brothers portrayed an entirely different mindset than we see today, and it's perfect for showing just how far Black people have slipped down that slippery slope.
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Unlike today, Miles and Coltrane simply represented the dignity of their people. They didn’t try to tell the White man who we were, they showed ‘em what Black people represent, and in a very matter-of-fact way. This video was recorded in 1959 when you rarely even saw Black people on television, yet, they weren't fazed a bit. None of them even bothered to look into the camera - in fact, at one point you can see Coltrane even turn away from it. They were so solemn, dedicated, and dead-serious about what they were doing, in fact, that Robert Herridge, the White man who introduces them, whispers their introduction in complete awe, and the White musicians who were fortunate enough to be on stage with them obviously considered it a great honor - and check out their effortless groove! They were laid-back and completely in their zone - their Black zone.
.
So young people, don’t buy into the bullshit. In the introduction Robert Herridge points out that "There are many ways of telling a story." Well, Miles is telling you yours. He's telling you who you really are, so listen and take heed. You’re not the product of idiots and clowns who have to tap dance, denigrate your culture, and put on a minstrel show for the White man. You’re the product of masters, and true intellectual giants. 

THIS IS WHO YOU ARE:
MILES DAVIS
(SO WHAT) 


MILES

We knew him as Miles,
the Black Prince of style;
His nature fit jazz to a tee.
Laid back and cool,
a low threshold for fools,
he set the tone
of what a jazzman
should be.
.
Short on words,
and unperturbed, about
what the people thought;
frozen in time, drenched
in the sublime,
of the passion
his sweet horn
had wrought.
.
Solemn to the bone,
distant and torn,
even Trane could
scarcely get in;
I can still hear the tone
of that genius who mourned,
that precious note
that he couldn't
quite bend.
.

Eric L. Wattree
BLACK WRITERS, INTELLECTUALS, AND INDEPENDENT THINKERS
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Religion: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.  

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