American Rape Culture: Are You Surprised?

One quarter of high school girls in America have been victims of physical or sexual abuse or date rape. This means that it is probable that a female in our life has been a victim of physical or sexual abuse or date rape whether it's our mother, sister, aunt, cousin, friend or girlfriend. Equally important to understand is that the lasting effects of a female being sexually assaulted increases their susceptibility to pregnancy, more domestic violence, STD's, eating disorders, substance abuse, addiction and attempted suicides. 

What the above statistics communicate to us is that the culture of sexual violence simultaneously creates a culture of silence. There are females we unknowingly speak to and closely interact with each and every day, oftentimes in our own household, who are victims of physical or sexual abuse or date rape, yet they never shared that with us. 

The fact that people were/are actually surprised about the multiple sexual assault allegations coming out of Hollywood, Government and Corporate America confirms some things:

1. People don't study "history" and how it shapes current systems and predicts future outcomes. This New World [America] is the face of Old World [Europe] misogyny. We live in a society that labels women 'minorities' even though they are the numerical majority... Thus their issues and concerns are also of minor importance UNTIL it financially impacts the so-called majority [men].

Culture Bandits

2. Rape Culture is exactly that: a culture. It's a way of life which includes a language, social agreements [norms] and various other people activities that reinforces its institutions and economy. Holding those who are responsible is a start yet not good enough. The culture itself requires a systemic paradigm shift to insure that this doesn't continue to happen.

3. "Some", NOT all, of these Sistergirl Networks and Feminist Groups are nothing but misandry. A vagina with teeth is not the right weaponry to behead the snake. Again, the culture itself requires a systemic paradigm shift, not Nola Darling collective freedom.

4. In this country, the most degrading insults you can hurl at a human being refer to the degradation of women: b*tch, p*ssy, mother f*cker, f*ckboy, c*nt, f*ggot and etc. This reflects the psychological framework behind the culture that we live in, that men and women perpetuate. Suing or firing someone for sexual misconduct/harassment doesn't change that mentality. It's usually just a public warning by men for men to keep some of those thoughts to ourselves.

5. As men, we are adorned with the phallus bearing costume of the misogynistic status quo in the same way that white people wear the complexion of white supremacy. Because of this we must work hard to demonstrate that we're not with the sh*ts when it comes to publicly denouncing dudes who are sexual predators, even if that's our brother. Our voice and action is important because it provides evidence to neutralize the rhetoric that all men are sexual predators. Obviously since this kind of culture has been allowed to live it confirms that there are many men who cosign this bullsh*t. The only way people are going to know and trust that some of us don't cosign that way of life is when we're proactively engaged and aligned with others who are against this Rape Culture. 

It's easy to talk about how horrible issues like this are yet the real question is, "What are we doing about it?" Prior to these reports coming out in mainstream media I started the above "Boys as Allies" Rights of Passage Program; the first official initiative through my Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters. Boys as Allies is a FREE 10-Week Rights of Passage Program for boys ages 12 to 14 that explores ideas and myths about manhood, masculinity and is a proactive deterrent against sexual violence. Some of the topics we cover are: Self Knowledge, The Male "Box", Misogyny and Sexual Violence, Respecting Intimate Partners, Being Allies with Girls and Woman and etc. Also, participants earn $100 upon completion of my program surveys! If you would like me to do a workshop on my program in your city, speak on a radio show or include me in a panel discussion on any of the related topics, you can email me at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com. 

Peace,
Saladin

5 Ways to Combat PTED; Post-Traumatic Election Disorder

   Now that I've given it some time for the dust to settle I wanted to take a moment to offer some insights on this year's Presidential Election. Before I do that I want to again direct you to an article I published on August 29th of 2015 entitled Trumpla: Political Reality TV that predicted this election's possible outcome based upon pop culture and the political trajectory I saw. 

   For those of you who are unaware, I am a certified Machine Inspector for the BOE [Board Of Elections] in my County so I work at assigned polling sites during elections making sure the voting machines are operating properly, assisting citizens with their ballots and other things that come up. This is always an eye-opening experience and I get to meet and converse with people I probably wouldn't meet unless it were election day. So on November 8th I worked the polls from 5 am to 9 pm and like always, I wasn't disappointed. I'm sharing this to say that as a certified BOE Machine Inspector, a former 2013 County Legislature Candidate and now a Board Member for my City's Human Rights Commission, alot of my perspectives and talking points about the political process are from the inside looking out. This damn sure don't make me an expert, this experience just equips me with the knowledge to help others better understand realms that many of us don't enter, especially as Five Percenters. Anyway, PTED is a variation of PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder]; a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event -either experiencing it or witnessing it. In this case, that event was the 2016 Election. Basic symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, mild to severe anxiety, depression, avoiding work, insomnia, irritability, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. From what I've seen every day published in the media, overheard in conversations and witnessed on social media are clear signs that this election was traumatic for many people and will continue to be traumatic for at least the next 4 years. Unlike most clinical diagnosis where the individual is labeled, PTED is the labeling of society -particularly its maladaptive political process. This is something we're all directly or indirectly dealing with and here are 5 ways to address it:

1.) According to exit poll data collected by Edison Research for the National Election Pool, which consists of ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, the Associated Press and the NY Times, almost 65% of white men and over 50% of white women voted for Donald Trump. A whopping 13% black men and only 4% black women voted for Trump. 93% black women supported Clinton. What's also important to consider is that more than 50% of the Baby Boomer and Traditionalist Generations voted for Trump while over 50% of Generation X and the Millennials voted for Clinton. This data, including data around voter's income and education, highlights the fact that there is not only a racial divide in this country. This country is also divided along gender, generational, education, income and political party lines. This country is divided regardless how cool Brad and your drinking buddies are during your tailgating parties or how close you are to Becky with the girl hair who cries and confides in you about her personal life. More than half of the time they've been smiling in your face but quietly rationalizing, and identifying, with Trump's misogynistic, xenophobic, racist rhetoric. The fact that over 50% white women voted for Trump but only 4% black women also says something about the Feminist Movement and to black feminists and their so-called white allies directly... Some of us were already aware of these divides and have been striving to communicate this to the masses of people for some time now. The problem is many of us didn't and probably still don't believe that certain segments of the American population are deliberately keeping us, people of color, women, low/middle class and the youth apart from their own socioeconomic equality. Hell, some of the 13% black men who voted for Trump are striving to keep people apart while they're being kept apart. The irony. This exit poll data, including looking at the voting data in the region, county and city where you live, gives you a very good critical analysis of the people, and their politics, around you. There's a great deal of mental stability having this knowledge.

2.) Trump supporters celebration victory of hate crimes, vandalism, embolden racism, sexism, religious fanaticism, homophobic violence is a stark reminder of this country's divide many of us have chosen to ignore. From Muslim women getting their hijab ripped off, Mexican children being taunted/bullied in Kindergarten, Black college students finding swastikas spray painted on university landmarks and black baby dolls with nooses around their neck, the elderly and disabled being ridiculed/assaulted and etc., this is and has always been a face of America. I say "a" face to imply that America is two-faced; it parades ideals of freedom, justice and equity for all citizens yet they've never lived up to them. It many cases it hasn't even tried. Considering this level of hatred and outright ignorance on the part of Americans I can only see heightened attacks on people of color, women, non-Christians, the LGBTQ community, the disabled, our youth and anyone else who is not the face of a White Nationalist American Male status quo. Because of the exit poll data it also indicates that there are many allies/sympathizers with this status quo who are not white males. We need to protect ourselves, not out of fear, but because self defense is important. First we need to arm ourselves with knowledge to expand our awareness of the American landscape outside of the perimeters of the status quo. In addition to checking out my books at Quanaah Publishing, I encourage you to follow the blog of my Educator's Educator Life Justice: Black Consciousness on the 3rd Stone from the Sun. Next we need to literally arm ourselves by learning combative arts, survivalist skills and purchasing legal weapons. If we, especially our children, need to defend ourselves intellectually, emotionally and physically, we need to be prepared to do that without fear or hesitation.

3.) The Golden Era of Hip Hop was a time when the most creative, conscious and substantive rap music was born. This took place in the late 80's to the late 90's at the tail end of the Reagan Administration, during the Bush Administration and during the beginning of the Clinton Administration; the Crack, War on Drugs and Three Strikes You're Out Mass Incarceration Era. I am from Generation X so I lived through these Administrations and in hindsight can see how the various policies that came out of them effected the regional/local landscapes where I and many other black, brown and poor whites lived around the country. It wasn't good. Yet the social commentary of that time, via Hip Hop culture and rap music in particular, kept us consciously orientated and positively committed to one another in a way we hadn't seen since the 1960's inception of the youth-centric Five Percenters. The Black CNN as Chuck D called it, gave us life and life more abundantly during the most turbulent time of my generation. Because of this, I predict another cultural Renaissance. This also puts Generation X in vital position to help guide our peers, the Millennials and our Alpha Generation who may potentially experience similar policies under a Trump Administration with a Republican controlled House of Representatives and Senate. Our younger generation don't have the experience nor do they know what to expect. Even in light of what they're now witnessing with police terrorism and the post election white supremacy, many are still under the false impression that we're in a post-racial America. Half of the Baby Boomers and Traditionalists voted for this Administration or don't have the energy/ambition to lead so it's on us. If we don't model the core values, principles, collective work and responsibility and cooperative economics to lead the people it's a slim chance that it can happen. Additionally, realizing that our family is the vital building block of our communities, cities, regions and nation, we must reassess our views on relationships, motherhood, fatherhood and the role of the nuclear family. With more than half of all black, brown and poor white Millennials and Alpha Generation born out of wedlock, "Family First" must be our living motto, regardless how radical a change we'll need to make to our rugged individualistic, career woman and bachelor pad lifestyles. Our future literally depends on us.

4.) Regardless of our reaction to the election results, we must be willing and able to respond. For those of us who are protesting to raise awareness about the flaws of the Electorate College, Trump being elected or any other thing we're dissatisfied with about this government I commend and encourage you to also demonstrate this disapproval financially. There are businesses, organizations and agencies who share your sentiments, reciprocate your support and amplify these same ideals. Many were founded specially to do this! They are allies and a necessary connective base to help redirect the resources, build the institutions and transform the policies of this government.     

5.) Now is not the time to be investing a bunch of energy trying to convince people about Trump's incompetence, his wife being an Amber Rosian FLOTUS or how ignorant his children are. Energy is better directed at striving to get together with people of like minds who are striving to help each other out. Let me repeat, HELPING EACH OTHER out. Some of the key words during these next 4 years are: Collaboration, Partnership, Family, Community, Youth Advocacy, Localism, Volunteerism, Entrepreneurship, Alternative Energy, Underserved, Social Capital, Trades, Optimal Health, Investment, Consensus, Savings and Residual Income. There are others yet these are some vital ones to conceptualize and add to our language. We will need every one of them!

   In closing I want to again remind all of you that this isn't the Rapture. Without a doubt we are going to have some tough times ahead of us, yet to weather any storm we must be willing and able to rise above our petty differences and unify. It seems like this election has forced many of us to realize this. I have confidence in our ability to work it out and I'm here, as I've consistently been, to add on. If you're striving to reach me directly my email is: atlantisbuild@gmail.com

Peace,
Saladin

Your Vote Kinda Don't Matter, But Kinda Does, Well Let Me Explain...

   

   
   This 2016 Presidential Election has been a mess. If America were a person its Face Book relationship status with the world would be 'complicated'. Every time I'm over the boarder visiting our Canadian neighbors they bring up this year's race with a somber air of condolences as if I just lost a family member. Seriously! Right now America is an international embarrassment and the world is sitting back watching what's happening in this country like it's a Monty Python marathon. I can see why so many people say they don't vote, they're not going to vote and their vote ultimately doesn't matter. Hell, I facilitate a program for adolescents and work with other youth of various ages every day and they are disgusted about what they're seeing and hearing this election and they're not even old enough to vote. So the statistical statement that Millennials are not interested in or engaged in the political process is right and exact. Because of this degree of dissatisfaction, and me having the experience as a 2013 County Legislature Candidate in my city, I'm consistently in the position to educate others about the political process. And I'm not talking about educating people based upon some "your grandmother died so you could vote", "if you don't vote you can't complain" or "your vote doesn't matter" script either. I'm talking about making the political process more accessible through breaking that sh*t down in layman's terms. In regards to terms, as in the four year term of the president, the truth is, your vote in this or any presidential election kinda doesn't matter, but kinda does, well let me explain. 

The Popular Vote vs. The Electoral College Vote

   
   When we think of voting, it's different on a local, regional and national level. When we're voting to elect local or regional public officials such as our School Board, City Council, Mayors, County Legislators, County Coroners, Senators, Assemblymen/women and etc. they get elected based upon the popular vote. in other words, we directly elect these public officials with our vote. When it comes to the national level, we are not directly electing the President and Vice-President with our popular vote. We are actually voting for representatives in our State who are then expected to vote on our behalf for the President and Vice-President we choose. These representatives are called Electors and this process is called the Electoral College. Sometimes these Electors are actually on our ballot. A lot of times they aren't on the ballot and we don't even know who the hell these people are. Electors are usually people affiliated with a Presidential candidate, state-elected officials or political party leaders. In other words, people with clout who can pull the strings, buy, bully and also destroy opponents popular voting power in order to get their own candidate elected. The Electoral College is made up of 538 Electors; a number equal to this nation’s 435 Representatives, 100 Senators and 3 Electors in the District of Columbia. These 538 people are the ones who cast votes to actually decide the President and Vice-President of the United States, not the people directly. So when we go to the polls on Tuesday, we will be choosing which candidate receives our State’s Electors. The candidate who gets a majority of electoral votes (270) wins the Presidency and Vice-Presidency. With the Electoral College there have been instances when a Presidential candidate won the popular vote, but lost the Electors vote. The most recent example is when Al Gore won the popular vote but the Electors said f*ck it and voted for George W Bush instead. Although this doesn't happen all of the time, the fact that it has happened and can happen again, is a problem. A fundamental problem, and flaw, in this system. To guard against this, different states have laws requiring Electors to vote for their statewide winner of the popular vote and/or sign pledges promising to support their party. In this 2016 Election we've already seen Democratic and Republican Electors step down or openly agree to break the law and accept paying a fine if they're required to vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, regardless what the popular vote is in their state to support these candidates. This is the exact kind of political atmosphere that has caused a candidate who won the popular vote, lose the Electors vote or who lost the popular vote, win the Electors vote.

   So yeah, I can understand when people say their vote for the President doesn't matter but here are a few things we can actually do about it:

1.) What does matter is what we can politically control on a local and regional level, not just as voters but as lobbyists, constituents. We need to financially support the campaigns and initiatives of those candidates we want to see represent our concerns in public office. Here in New York State the Jacobs Family who owns Delaware North Companies are Governor Cuomo's best friend. Delaware North is a food, venue and management company that operates around the country in  various sports arenas, state parks and etc. The Jacobs have a pretty large family during election time each family member makes a huge contribution to Cuomo's campaign. Then they make a collective donation to his campaign as a family. Because of that support, Cuomo's policies and initiatives always lean in favor of his friends, the Jacobs family. If we don't see any candidates we like, we need to financially support local organizations, businesses and community members who have initiatives that are addressing our concerns. If we don't see any of them, then we need to create something and/or look for others to create it so you can financially support that. The bottom line is we need to put money where our mouth is, especially those of us who have the most to say about what people are or aren't doing. 

2.) Another vital part of local and regional control is finding out who our state Electors are, how they were vetted, holding those who gave them this position accountable and what we can do to lobby for Electors we think best represent us in the Electoral College. As Five Percenters we often talk about our ability to master city science, social science and high science. In this regard, we must ask ourselves how can we use our city science or knowledge of local and regional politics to utilize the social science or social capital to influence the higher science or politics on a national level with our Electors? An excellent example of this is the political pressure that was put on Donald Trump's Ohio campaign chair and Elector Kathy Miller for making openly racist remarks about black people during an interview with The Guardian. She resigned just hours after the interview came out. 

One of my signs from my 2013 County Legislature Campaign

3.) If you want to be involved or on the fence about being involved in the political process, realize that you do have the ability to be a candidate or encourage others you would support as a candidate. It's obvious, especially on a local level, that many of the people you see on the School Board, City Council, Legislature and even your Mayor don't have any special qualifications to sit there. And yes, I mean sit there because that's what some of them are doing. You don't need no doctorates degree in political science, 10,000 hours of community service or know how to use $50 dollar words. We've had actual Presidents and Presidential candidates that are far from being people like this. So hell yeah you're qualified to represent your community, city or school district if you genuinely care about people having the proper resources and services to succeed. That's the first thing you need, heart! Heart is your moral compass that helps guide you as a candidate, and be a guide to a candidate you support, in a sea of intellectual impotence and egotistical tides of petty politricks. If you're not comfortable enough to put yourself out there as a candidate then volunteer to work on the campaign of a candidate that you support. 

   As I write this article we are two days away from Tuesday's General Election and what my Christian family calls The Rapture -yet neither of these political candidates are coming to save America. Those of us who live here, and plan on staying here, must save ourselves. If you're like myself, someone who doesn't support Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, keep in mind that there are two other candidates you can research and feel good about voting for; Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. If you still don't feel good after researching these candidates then I encourage you to just write-in Rev. X. 

Peace,

Saladin

Trumpla: Political Reality TV

Trumpla: Political Reality TV

While out in DC recently I had the pleasure of running into White House Commentator/Georgetown Adjunct Professor Jon-Christopher Bua. JC covers international politics and writes for a few publications including the UK Huffington Post. We had an excellent discussion on foreign political processes, the 2016 Presidential Election, some of his work media training campaign spokespeople and his course at Georgetown 'Politics and The Media: an American-European Perspective'. One of his latest pieces you should check out is called Donald Trump vs Everyone: Do TV Debates Really Matter and to stay in tune you can follow him on twitter: @JCBua

Morton Downey Jr. Show 

In a reality tv society where the best press is bad press, all of this 'Trumpla' and his stagecraft antics have forged him into a one man Morton Downey Jr. show; a true pioneer of political trash tv. Like him or not, the guy is entertaining and represents the voice of millions of Americans who think and feel the exact same way. 

Like the 1980's era that catapulted Morton Downey Jr. into a pop culture celebrity, the same trend is happening with Donald Trump. To give you a sense of his popular culture impact consider the fact that his name has been dropped in rap lyrics at least 67 times by popular artists over the last 25 years. In terms of popularity, Trump is almost peerless in comparison to other presidential candidates except for Deez Nuts -no pun intended. Unlike Canada or other places where citizens vote for political parties represented by candidates, American citizens vote for the popular guy, not political platforms. Couple that kind of political process with an uneducated apathetic electorate and what we see is exactly what we get.

Know Nothing Party political rhetoric  

Two things I wanted to point out about Donald Trump is his 'whig' and no nothing political platform. When I say whig I am not talking about the spider monkey hairpiece on his head. I'm talking about his Whig Party perspectives. In the mid 1800s, the Whig Party was known as American Patriots, anti-Democratic and took many conservative stances that would be considered 'far right' today such as occupational prestige and upper class opportunism. Eventually succeeded by the Republican Party, Whigs were also said to be many things to many people, willing to abandon core convictions for the purpose of gaining political clout. Ironically the word whig is derived from the Scottish word 'whiggamore' and Donald Trump shares Scottish ancestry; his mother Mary Anne MacLeod was from the island of Lewis on the west coast of Scotland. In the mid 1900's the Anti-Masonic Party, the third major party in the United States, merged with Whig Party, and was considered the first right-wing reactionary movement in American politics at that time. In regards to Trump's no nothing political platform, his views are reflective of The Know Nothing Party’s xenophobic (fear or dislike of foreigners/outsiders), anti-immigration/naturalization sentiments. Also active in the mid 1800s, The Know Nothing's were a party who viewed themselves as the true Native Americans and only accepted membership of Protestant males born of British ancestry. They were also considered semi-secret because its members were instructed to reply, “I know nothing” if asked about the Party’s activities. Unlike today, xenophobic, anti-immigration/naturalization and anchor baby sentiments are not a secret; every time Trump opens up his mouth it is clear that he 'know's nothing' about addressing certain national and foreign policies. 

In the final analysis I think it's important that we understand that things happen in cycles, including political philosophies. Technology wise, we just have easier access to some of the same ideologies that built or destroyed this country in the past. In order to be an educated electorate we must be aware of this. I don't have a prediction on the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election because it's still too early to tell who corporate America will choose to represent their interests. What I will say is that we cannot underestimate the power of popularity vs political platforms. A little over a decade ago the Morton Downey Jr. Show set a rachet television precedence and helped pave the way for reality television. Today we have a new kid on the block leading the same flock and it is going to be hard to trump that.

Peace,

Saladin