Some motivational poetry

Published by Jack at 7:29 pm on Nov 25th, 2008 in Syndicated with 9 Comments



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9 Responses to “Some motivational poetry”

  1. Daddy J Says:
    November 26th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

    Motivation? Motivation to violence justified by the same old blame the “government” conspiracy theories. Nothing new here, I have heard it all before. Peace sign with a gun in my pocket? Both the German army and the American army had “In god we trust” on their regalia. The more people think they are justified to violence the more likely violence becomes.

    We have plenty of people willing to fight and die for what they want / deserve.

    We need more peace makers.

  2. Jacob Says:
    November 27th, 2008 at 11:19 am

    Rest assured that none of these guys will be taking to the streets any time soon. Not as long as they can keep making incredible amounts of money with TV shows and rap albums.

  3. Drrty T-Money Says:
    November 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    We are a violent race, and that will never change. Technological advances in self destruction is the biggest differentiation between humans and apes. Try as we might to change our nature, we are but simple beasts.

  4. Daddy J Says:
    November 30th, 2008 at 5:50 am

    I must disagree. There is nothing simple about human beings. We are a complex interaction of emotion and logic and biology and spirit. We can change. People do so all the time in many ways. Again, to justify violence via a limited view of “our nature” will only encourage more violence. This view of “our nature” is a defeatist view which encourages people to simply not dream not try not accomplishing. And whose nature are you talking about. All Humans? or just men. White Europeans or Australian Aborigines? Capitalists or socialists.

    Jacob, a agree these individuals are unlikely to take to the streets. But many of thoes who listen to them do follow this mind set.

  5. Jack Says:
    November 30th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    I’ll respond by looking at the content of the pieces.

    In the first one, my favorite lines are “Justice is somewhere between reading sad poems
    and forty ounces of gasoline crashing through windows,” and, “Freedom is between the zeal of the young and the patience of the old.” I think the first poem is the most mature, and what Mr. Sulaiman is pointing out is that the answer is, as he said, somewhere between the extremes. Common points this out in his last line when he says “I hold up a peace sign but I carry a gun.” I don’t think he’s saying that he carries concealed weapons whenever he goes to protests. I think he’s saying that neither alone is a solution. But what this thought is rooted in is anger and disenfranchisement. So when we hear these thoughts we need to think about where they are coming from. As the second poem points out, voting is a scam. In the 2000 election, Florida rejected tens of thousands of black votes because their names were “accidentally” found on the list of felons that had been compiled by a private company contracted by the state government. What message does this send? If you’re black, don’t vote. But if you can’t vote, how can you have your voice heard? Then toss people like Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell into the picture. On top of them we have Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu-Jamal. And countless others.

    So these poems come from a place of anger and desperation. The conditions that created that anger and desperation don’t affect all of us, so we might have trouble relating. So the question is not, do these poems resonate with my life experience? but rather, what do these poems teach me about the life experiences of others?

    Then we might want to ask how have these poets had such different experiences from me?

    If you’re black and poor in this country, you can get murdered and rest without peace knowing the pigs who shot you will be acquitted. Because they always are. And voting won’t change this, because we are spoon-fed bullshit options.

    I agree that “we need more peace makers.” But people who are worried for their life do not have the energy or security to be out there making peace. Police brutality works doubletime for this white supremacist nation: it simultaneously terrorizes black folks and makes any that fight back seem like villains.

    So I don’t have answers here and I am not saying that violence will change anything. I just want to explain where these poems are coming from. And because we don’t have answers, these poems can provide some comfort because they validate a worldview that is constantly hushed–a worldview that is much more accurate that the one that is pushed on us by the elite.

  6. Daddy J Says:
    November 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pm

    While I agsree about the source of the anger. And the racism past and present in our society. I do not agree that this is valid excuse for violence. And I think your reading of the line “I hold up a peace sign but I carry a gun.” is in error. This is meant as a threat. One does not carry a gun if they are not willing to use it.

  7. Daddy J Says:
    November 30th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

    Jack, I find your writing to be expository and, as such, it teaches and is helpful. The role of teacher is a critical role in peacemaking. But many of the points you make are not in these songs. They are your interpretations through your own filters and experiences. Again, your teaching is expository and helpful, but it is an expression of you, not the rappers.

    I find this rap and the attitude and body language and image it presents to be inflammatory. “I am not angry, I am ANGER!” This expression of anger is a threat.

    And I find this dangerous as there are many out there who will use this to justify violence.

    This kind of rap does not stand alone without the kind of exposition you bring to it. This is what I mean when I talk about needing more peacemakers. I don’t mean pacifist make nice. Your exposition is not making nice. It forces a reader to think.

    But this rap does not force me to think. It forces me to react to the inflammation. It is inflammatory and reactive rather then expository and teaching.

    Peace, and carry on the struggle.

    Daddy J.
    I

  8. Jack Says:
    December 1st, 2008 at 8:16 pm

    Well we disagree. It’s important to point out that this is spoken word, not rap, though certainly the line between is blurry.

    These poems do not justify violence, but they speak to an experience that is already violent. If someone who found meaning in these poems were to be violent, it would not be the poems causing them to be violent–rather, they would have found that meaning because the poems speak to their experience.

    Perhaps it is easy for us to see these black men yelling and perceive it instantly as a threat because we are conditioned to be afraid of black men. But if we had had their experiences with racism and state violence, then I have no doubt that we too would be ANGER.

    Violent resistance to racist police–and by that I mean all police–may or may not be morally defensible. But even if it is not, it is certainly the lesser concern, because it is a reaction to an institution that does so much damage to communities of color. And because of the immense pain that follows, I think it is important to listen to these poems.

    We don’t have to agree, but we have to consider. And we have to respect where these voices are coming from.

  9. Drrty T-Money Says:
    December 2nd, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    I’m not justifying anything, really. It would be great if humanity at large could get over itself and learn to get along, though I’ve seen nothing that would make be think this to be possible in the near future. I’m just not terribly optimistic about where we as a species are going.

    I mean humanity as a whole, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, etc.

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