Perspective

Let us put things into it...

If you do not understand the agenda behind all the recent flap over the Confederate flag, please continue to read, for a little perspective. Unless you've been living in the wilderness (and if so, I envy you), you have seen the media and political frenzy proclaiming the inherent racist symbolism of that piece of colored fabric. 

There are a lot of people being duped, once again, by a manufactured crisis. Those provoking the brouhaha were well aware of the impending response - they, in fact, were counting on it - once again driving a wedge between those who need, now more than ever, to stand together. Proof of this tactic can also be recognized in the rainbow lighting of the White House. Any sane person would have known how the opponents of same sex marriage would react. Both sides of each of these non-issues are unwitting accomplices to a shameful political game. How many Confederate flags did you see being flown before the senseless and horrific murders of the nine people in South Carolina? How about since the first mention of the murderer having it displayed on his car?

Can you roughly estimate the number of times you've seen a Facebook post or news piece on the Confederate flag, today? How about over the last week? Now, during the same time periods, how many times have you seen or heard outrage by the media and political elite over the number of black youth victimized each year? I mean real victimization, as in violent, criminal attacks, not the perceived victimization of walking past a flag or monument - which is what the elite propose you should "feel."

According to a 2007 government report, 8,000 black people were the victims of homicide in 2005. That number has since steadily risen. It is noteworthy, although apparently not newsworthy, over 90% of those were intra-racial assaults. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf

It is estimated that, over the past 35 years in the U.S., over 300,000 have lost their lives to black-on-black violence. The numbers of intra-racial, non-fatal violence is utterly astounding, at about 805,000 in 2005. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/bvvc.pdf

Here's the perspective part - During the 350+ years of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, 12.5 million Africans were ripped from their lands and around 20% died tragically enroute to the New World. Do you know how many were actually shipped directly to North America? According to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (yes, the same Henry Gates at the center of the 2009 Cambridge arrest fuss that culminated in the Beer Summit), only about 388,000. Don't get your feathers ruffled over the use of the word "only"; it was his word and I strongly believe even one was too many. It is simply putting things into perspective. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/how-many-slaves-landed-in-the-us/

Now, when we extrapolate from these numbers, we can see that, in only 35 years, nearly as many U.S. black people have lost their lives to intra-racial violence, as were enslaved on the continent in ten times the number of years. Combined with the victims of non-fatal violence during the same time frame, the number approaches 77% of those who survived the trip to become slaves in North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

If the media and political elite had any concern for the plight of any of us, wouldn't you think that would be a higher priority than a piece of colored fabric or whether or not two people can be married?