OK – So, the “black card” joke isn’t funny, nor will it ever be.
I get that races that have been subjected to acts of persecution and oppression should stick together, but that does not mean that we have to walk in synchronized formation or monitor our actions out of fear of getting our membership revoked. It’s as if skin color defines one’s way of thinking, and if one deviates slightly, all of a sudden, he or she is abandoning his or her race or ethnicity.
There is an unwritten code, the “black code,” that lists the do’s and don’t’s of the black community, which should be adhered to at all times. Those who do not follow these terms are subject to getting their black cards revoked. This is not a defense for the black people who somehow forget they are black, like Raven Symone; this is a defense for the black people who often feel like they aren’t “black enough.”
Black people are expected to register democrat and like rap music. To act properly means to act “white.” Wearing makeup and weave or using chemical processing on one’s natural hair means one does not like her natural “African” beauty. And if a black person doesn’t like fried chicken, he or she can forget about even being black.
The good thing is that this horrible black code isn’t overpowering the entire black community, as it’s just infecting a few. Unfortunately, many of the few are people of power, and their persecution of the people within their own community is overpowering the importance of black power.
For example, we have comedians like Chris Rock who are known for commenting on things black people should not do or things only black people can do. We have websites called stuffblackpeopledontlike, and if you go on Google and type in the words “black people,” instantly links to stuff black people should and shouldn’t do will pop up.
Why is there a manual on how to correctly be a particular race? A race is something used to identify someone based on physical characteristics. So yes, we may share complexion, face structure and hair texture, but that should not determine what one can or cannot do.
Race is just one part to the whole that helps people identify themselves. Black people share history and culture, and, the truth is, it’s a unifying force. But that union should not and does not prohibit black people from deferring from what some consider to be a social norm. The ideas presented in the black code are a new age form of oppression that comes from within the oppressed. This black code is overshadowing the Black Power movement, and instead of black people promoting the differences within the community, we are persecuting them.
Before we can expect the world to care about the oppression of minorities, the minorities must learn to care about each other.
