A “TEACHABLE”
MOMENT?
MAYBE
One of the
overlooked faces in the turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri
TAGS:
FERGUSON, MISSOURI, MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING, RACIAL TENSION,
SOCIAL
INFLUENCES, CULTURAL TRENDS, FADS, LONG HISTORY OF
PUBLIC
DISTRUST OF POLICE AND GOVERNMENT,
LESSONS
TO BE LEARNED BY EXAMPLE
(Tuesday, August 19, 2014,
Ferguson, MO) With so many story lines
coming out of the events in this small community of approximately 21,000
residents wedged between Interstates 70 and 270, it is difficult to discern facts
as each night since the August 9th death of an unarmed 18 year old,
Michael Brown who was fatally shot by a White Ferguson Police Officer, 28 year
old Darren Wilson. Aside from the typical controversy that follows the death of
an unarmed African American by a White member of a Law Enforcement Agency (LEA)
or in their custody, sometimes with puzzling cause, there are other
undercurrents at play in this particular part of the country and in the
metropolitan St. Louis area specifically.
There is a long and nasty history of distrust of the LEA’s in this
community and county among the majority Black populace. The local power structure is dominated by
White officials, administrators and other government entities including the 53
member Ferguson Police Department that employs three Black Officers. But the story here is not unique; it has
played out and remains a reality in many cities and urbanized areas throughout
the Midwest. Speaking over the phone
with a St. Louis County Officer who only wanted to be identified by his first
name, Wes, who is African American, born and raised in St. Louis commented
that, “Folks out on the East coast probably have a certain picture in their
heads of the “Midwest”. They might think
of farms and fields and nice White folks all getting’ along. Well, that is certainly not an accurate
picture. Some of the cities in the
Midwest remain the most segregated and the prejudice here is hidden just behind
the smiles of the White folks”. Wes is
not alone in his description of the racial undertows that have been laid bare
for all to see in the daily peaceful protests and demonstrations that seem to
take on a sinister, violent tone once the sun sets. The cover of darkness allows a certain degree
of anonymity that some of the “provocateurs” exploit as they engage in a far
different type of demonstrating than what is seen during the day. The differences between non-violent civil
disobedience championed by Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King in the Deep South of the
1950’s and 1960’s and the more volatile brand of social discord beamed into TV
sets all across the country are hardly even related. One is the bastard child of the other but it
is that child that overshadows those honest citizens seeking answers about Mr.
Brown’s death and justice.
THE NEW SOCIETAL, CULTURAL TABLEAU
It seems that every so many
years in America an incident such as that where Mr. Brown lost his life occurs
somewhere and by now there is a predictability to the aftermath that is
disturbing and counterproductive to say the least. Yes, occasionally there are blatant
incidences of Police misconduct, brutality and overly heavy-handed tactics, but
they are few and far between given the fact that there were approximately 90
million arrests in the United States last year.
Our per capita national crime, arrest and incarceration rates are the
highest in the “Western World”, a dubious distinction that is contrary to the
founding principles as laid out in our Constitution. But, we are, after all, a
violent society. We enjoy our violence
in controlled ways usually as spectators rather than participants but there can
be no denying that violence is a large component of our cultural milieu and our
society.
The pace of our society
permits the rapid transmission of styles and trends, behaviors and new “norms”
that were simply not possible in the “pre-digital” age; an age that ended
within the last 20 years or so. Now
social media is the currency our youth trade in and an individual’s location is
no longer a hindrance to being exposed to new ideas and fads. One of the many unintended consequences of
our technical advancement and the degree to which it has infiltrated our youth
is that regional boundaries – boundaries of all types – have been eliminated by
the fiber optic lines and cellular devices that now constitute the very fabric
of our cultural and social tapestry. Despite
all the incalculable benefits of this new mind numbing speed of transmissions
and hyper-connectedness, there are inherent perils. There always are. Technological advancement has always come
with unintended consequences some of which time ironed out, others of which
have persistently thrived like metastatic malignancies feeding off the
underbelly of our society at large. The technology used by our youth today permits
the spread of trends and fads that typically emerge on the East and west coast
urban centers and make them accessible to the vast span of the country between
the coasts. Much of today’s youth
culture is of African American origin. A
certain style of dress, the popularity of certain genres of music breeds an attitudinal
posture adopted and embraced by youth everywhere in America. But, there is a disconnect; when you see
White teens in Omaha or St. Paul wearing saggy jeans with their underwear
exposed, caps cocked to the side, arms covered in tattoos listening to gang
banging rap music their entire persona seems more like a ridiculous costume
than an original local fad.
One might question what all of
this has to do with the situation in Ferguson.
The short answer is that all of the worst of society’s ills most prevalent
in the largest cities are now present everywhere. The glorification if not the glamorization of
“thug” life and “gang culture” is not a home grown local phenomenon but rather
an insidious import from the coasts. Some
will argue that it is a positive sign of a “post-racial” age that our White
youth in the heartland have so easily adopted Black cultural influences. Reality appears to smash that argument to
bits.
MY GENERATION, THEIR GENERATION
Every generation of youth has
some element of uniqueness about it and it has always been that way. The Baby Boomers certainly appeared alien to
their parents as they grew their hair long, burned bras and draft cards and had
recreational sex while experimenting with illicit drugs. The 1960’s where arguably the most tumultuous
times in recent American history with the thorny matters of desegregation,
civil rights, and opposition to an unpopular war in Vietnam challenging all the
formal institutions of society. Riots
erupted all across America and as the 60’s gave way to the 70’s, those coming
of age at that time were also making their own way in our cultural stew. And on it goes. But there seems to be an ill-defined
belligerence, a certain “in your face” and fuck you aggressiveness in teenagers
today. For example, the “ghetto chic”
style of dress so popular with our teens and young men today sends a message that
is difficult for adults to understand.
There is also a distinct lack
of respect for authority of any kind among our youth be they Black, White,
Latino or any other ethnicity. Outside
the home the most visible authority figures are the members of Law Enforcement
and, as such, they bear the brunt of the hostility and frustration that appears
to infect so many young people today. Public
school teachers particularly in urban centers also must contend daily with the
myriad obstacles that find so many students simply dropping out. Without a high school diploma a youngsters
chances of finding a job are awful. And
the cycle is exacerbated by the high rates of unemployment that ensue. Without
attending school and no prospects for employment there is a significant segment
of the young population who aimlessly wander through the days, loitering and
lingering on stoops and street corners, around convenience and liquor stores
often presenting an intimidating gauntlet for others to navigate.
These are just some
observations and, in a way, generalizations but that does not deny their existence
and influence in neighborhoods from Brooklyn, NY to Oakland, California and
countless locales in between. What we
are witnessing today in Ferguson, Missouri is a microcosm of the confluence and
collision of the facts of reality of all the societal ills we are all very
familiar with.
WHAT CAN’T BE TAUGHT
How do we teach our youth
about the concept of respect? How do we
impart in them the sense of self-worth, self-esteem and responsibility and
accountability? Cleary it cannot be done
in the schools but our public education system has an important role to
play. These concepts can only truly be
taught by example, the kind of examples that are in evidence in the home. Parents bear the ultimate responsibility for
who their children will grow up to be. Developmental
psychology has proven just how tender an age it is that our children begin to
be molded into the adults they will someday be.
Yes, it is all about the children, our children; they are our future and
we owe them all the positive influences we can provide. When young children hear their siblings or
parents referring to each other as "nigga”; calling women “bitches” and “hos”,
they will absorb that quickly. Children
are like sponges continuously taking in all they are exposed to and mimicking all
of those stimuli. This is no profound
revelation or novel idea. It is simply
the way of nature and nurture with the environment being the most important
element of nurture. Parenting is quite a
responsibility and should not be undertaken carelessly or casually.
Today there are many lessons
for all of us to watch and to teach; even out of the most troubling times
something positive can emerge. What is
transpiring in Ferguson today can be a “teachable” moment for parents of all
colors, and creeds to use in a prosocial manner to teach their children. Children need to be taught right from wrong
just as much as they need food, clothing, shelter and love. Our children all need to feel safe in their
homes and, hopefully, in the neighborhoods where they live and play. There is no grand theme or overarching
solution to the problems millions of our fellow citizens face today. These are very difficult times and our
society seems to be sliding backwards regarding some aspects of race relations
and social order.
What happened to Michael Brown
was a tragedy. Could it have been
avoided, who knows? The entire story has
yet to be revealed even though a grand jury will be empaneled tomorrow. There remains all these days later so much
that is unknown and much of the social unrest is the result of not releasing
even the most basic of information from that fatal encounter between Mr. Brown
and Officer Wilson. Withholding such
information has only reinforced the inherent distrust of the Law Enforcement
Agencies among the residents of Ferguson and beyond.
Copyright The Brooding Cynyx 2014 © All Rights
Reserved
