American Inheritance

Born in this land tis of thee, one is saturated from inception with values of material and accomplishment. Endowed with this edict to conquer, to fatten, to better one’s self. It is the propaganda that informs this country as the place all want to come to, the land where anything and everything is possible. A land of plenty , a stock dream of wealth obtainment and prestige. A bunch of bullshit. I’m not sure where I’m going with all this except to say at times it just feels like a rigged game. One built on following a certain set of rules and standards, for having certain qualities and making it to the other side, a much more prosperous and comfortable side. By its’ construct though I’d venture to say most Black people are left out of this fabulous equation that equals the American dream. A lot of us won’t escape the generational deficits that prevent access to that other side. A lot of us don’t follow enough of the constructs and do what we’re “supposed” to do to get us to the other side. A lot of us are just too damn Black to get there. And what I mean by that is that amongst the melanin enriched, success in this United States does not come without acquiescence to white ways and whiteness itself whether by emulation or proximity in tone, or literal subjugation in the name of a dollar. Wealth saturates the Black mind as the only route to obtain as close to whiteness also known as rightness as we can. The differences between those of us who have and those who don’t are profound true. And we bask in our people’s success. Those who look like us who make it. It inspires hope that we too can share in these capitalistic spoils, fuels a drive to get there and finally feel almost as good as them. I don’t knock grinding or being successful. I don’t knock using them lemons or even the repeating of success formulas to those who want to make it. But I do question the prominence of ideologies that promote the dollar over everything else and how it saturates personhood to the point of willing to do anything to get it and have it. I hate the unspoken sort of truism in American culture that tells us without material that we ain’t nothing. I hate that in writing this I wonder about the repercussions of talking about systems and norms that exist as God -like in this society. Fear of losing access to crumbs keeps the discontented quiet and condoning. American Inheritance.