#IfSlaverywasachoice : The world within would be different

It has been a while since I posted last, and since then quite a bit has happened locally: politics, the economy, the stock market and the world economy. I understand that some posts particularly the ones I spend a lot of time writing may not be so popular so I've tried to speak about many issues from the perspective of an Economist. 

This past week Social Media and particularly the African Amercian and persons of African Decent community have created a firestorm over Kanye West's Comments. Slavery for many African descendants is a super sensitive issue but the comments and actions over the past week have shown us just of unable we are to take the views of persons who we deem controversial into context. The rapper said these words

"When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice." 

"You were there for 400 years and it's all of y'all. It's like we're mentally imprisoned."

"To make myself clear. Of course, I know that slaves did not get shackled and put on a boat by free will. My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though the numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved."

And then Kanye quickly made it about Kanye:

"The reason why I brought up the 400 years point is because we can't be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years. We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thought. It was just an idea. [O]nce again I am being attacked for presenting new ideas."

In context, he posed a question that questioned the choices of our ancestors. Many of us are not mature enough to think beyond the emotion of slavery and look at is a historical phenomenon. when we think of slavery its almost as if we go right back to suffering. 

One of Bob Marley's famous songs Redemption song has his most quoted lyrics "Emancipate from Mental Slavery none but ourselves and free our mind"...the song in an of itself like many others is an ode to slavery but an empowerment to the current generation. When we begin to stop rehashing the past and work towards a future that is inclusive of all.    

As a Jamaican, I admit I have never fully experienced racial struggles including discrimination just because I am black, but the civil rights movement in the United States never ended with the death of Dr. King. It has to continue until all Americans accept that they shared a gruesome past ad discrimination is something that cannot be tolerated but that aside African Americans cannot continue to play the victim card. 

As Jamaicans, we went through our own slavery struggles and we continue to e faced with issues of classism and "shade-ism". Where browning or light colored somehow means better. I went through a period where I wanted to look white to enjoy the benefits. But because I cannot naturally do that I have to work twice as hard or three times as hard. 

The difference between other minority communities and the black community is that hardships brought them together. The Jewish holocaust, Asian Communities though communist rule, etc. But the groups such Indians and Africans still continue to fight against each other and pull the victim card. In Chicago, most of the murders against blacks are committed by blacks, yet, we only hear when a white man kills a young black innocent man. We don't hear about when two youngsters who went to the same school fight against each other just because of which part of town they live. 

Redemption song also challenges us to change the way we think about ourselves, our past and I would challenge us to think about the way we view each other. "A nation divided against itself cannot stand." Therefore we'll never make any headway if we do not resolve our internal racial disagreements and discord. 

Although #Ifslaverywasachoice provides many areas of comic relief it shows just how immature we are in thinking and just how far it will take is if we begin to change the way we look at issues, in particular ones that touch the bedrock of our heritage. Many Christians have not remembered that Christianity was imparted by missionaries to slaves on the plantation although it was used a tool to keep enslaved in hindsight many other good things have been derived by through slavery's existence. such as music and other artistic expressions, food,  literature as well as many inventions we use daily etc.

As an economist, we are taught that the bedrock of our profession is utilizing scarce resources in an efficient manner leads to the most efficient economies. All of the worlds major Economies were also built on the back so slaves but acknowledging this and the fact the sins of our forefathers can never be repaid we have to move forward and try to build a future that benefits everyone. 

#CollegeEconomist 

PS: Some of my readers might not agree with me, but I would my thought to at least challenge your thinking