Saturday, December 27, 2008

Detroit and Black Labor

TwitThis


I have a thing for Wise Jalapeno chips, so I went to the bodega
to get some the other day, and ended up in a conversation with a
neighborhood man who was
old enough to be my father, about
Philly and Detroit.


He mentioned that his son is at
Temple. He asked me if I went to
Temple, I said no, but that I had visited
Philly this summer, that
I had friends that went to Temple and that the row homes there
were beautiful.
He explained to me where his son lived and
how its wild for
the night there. I was like, yeah, some parts
of Philly,
Oakland , Chicago and DC have murders that approach
New York from the 1980's style.
I added
that I was delighted to see all this attention
being
being shined on Detroit recently, as I have always had a
soft
space in my heart for the city.


When I mentioned Detroit, he lit up and told me that he had been
to Detroit
recently and that the men were just "wondering around
aimlessly."
I guess he thought I was about to trash black men.

Uh. Negatory.


I mentioned that Detroit, like many other cities were
left for death after deindustrialization
and the crack era.

That it is a place with roughly only a million people
but it was
built for 5 million.
Finally, I added that when the system we live
in
has decided that your labor is no longer needed you are left
for dead
.


I know he was like, "No more talking to sassy black girls in bodegas."

I will not blame individuals for status, when it has been

made clear by the economic and politcal system
that
they are only useful as warm bodies to fill a prison.


Black labor used to be needed and simultaneously
resented, then it was Chinese labor, now its Mexican
labor.
Any guesses on whose next?
I didn't say that to him,
but it is what I thought.


Detroit?
The Bail Out?
If We Nationalize the Banks and the Cars,
then Why NOT
HEALTHCARE?


9 comments:

Unknown said...

I dont know

Maybe there's just to much money in prolonging Death

Model Minority said...

Maybe there's just to much money in prolonging Death
======
Dios mio.

Unknown said...

What does god have to do with greed?

hahaha Wait, i forgot i live in america

Model Minority said...

What does god have to do with greed.

Nothing on its face, yet, everything when you think of the role that prosperity gospel and mega church's play, which is unbelievably antithetical to how Jesus rolled.

Kevin Phillis, in Bad Money, makes a great link b/w the two.

Unknown said...

Ahhh Ill have to read that book.

Could you do a post on good books to read. I just got a fresh ass library card.

Model Minority said...

Say word. I BEEN in the book stores this week.

Tripping off this dead Algerian dude, Camus, I am kinda falling in love with him.
He makes an argument that the death penalty is premeditated murder, and that if we wanted it to
be preventative we would display the heads of those murdered.

Amazing, no?

Unknown said...

For some reason that whole scenario seems familiar. Like someone was talking about the same thing in a movie or documentary i was watching. its killin me I cant remember where.

Did sadaam do that?

I was watching the sadaam mini series and he says to his son in one part," DO YOU THINK VIOLENCE IS A PAST TIME? VIOLENCE IS A TOOL"

I feel like displaying the heads would be a good tool to prevent future crimes.

Didnt they cut people hands off that stole something in some parts of africa? I think they did and I think people were still hungry and poor enough to get it how they lived, despite the fact theyd lose a limb for life.

Im sure it would stop some people from doing some stuff. but when people are on the brink of destruction, that "I dont give a fuck" gene in all of us comes out. and death aint something to be worried about when it seems inevitable whether you do or you dont.

But amazing, Yes!

Model Minority said...

Camu is an Algerian Philosopher who ran real independent.

He wasn't pro violence, per se. He was ANTI DEATH penalty. And his rationale was that if you you ARE FOR IT, and you think it prevents people, THEN DON'T BE COY about the fact that you, the state, just murdered someone.

Check him out, you may like him. Intense but, you feel hella smart after reading him.I know I did.

Unknown said...

Will do!

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