Prometheus 6

This was originally posted as part of the Racism Series, a link to which is available in the Best of P6 box.

Don't worry, I'll get around to posting new stuff this month.

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The Root of the Resistance



I've already pointed out that I feel our physical, animal nature
is a prime determinant of our needs, capabilities and reactions
and that I'm a fan of the way Maslow described what motivates
humans. I need to quickly review "http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/regsys/maslow.html">Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs to make sure we're on the same page. The
following text has been stolen from "http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/index.html">Educational
Psychology Interactive:





That the deficiency needs must be met first is critical to
understanding the position Black people find themselves in
today. The third and fourth needs are social in nature, the first
and second (because we are social) are best fulfilled in a social
context; though they are possible to fulfill as individuals,
instinct compels us to seek out social means of doing so. This
means the primary requirements of living successfully as a human
are only (belongingness and esteem) or best (physiological and
security) met as an integrated (in the non-sociological sense)
part of a functioning society. Only then is it reasonable to
expect a human to grow into the pursuit of knowledge, beauty,
wisdom and all the higher aspects of human nature made possible
by intelligence.



Unfortunately, potential members of a group do not get to simply
attach themselves to the group. Africans in America, and their
descendant African Americans, have sought to do exactly that and
found it outside our power to compel the mainstream to grant us
full membership in American society (which, unless you're in
absolute denial, you will admit is more than a matter of legal
status). Unreasonable people have actively resisted that
inclusion… though in strict terms I'm hard pressed to call
it unreasonable because that inclusion would change the nature of
the social "laws of nature," which would affect them much like
changing the rate of gravitational acceleration would change the
life of your average bird. Reasonable people (and those who would
appear reasonable) place a requirement on membership—Black
people must demonstrate proficiency ("be qualified") in
exactly those areas Maslow says cannot be approached
successfully outside the context of the membership we seek.




This is the crux of the dilemma Black folks find ourselves in,
and its repercussions are legion.