Americans, woke or asleep?

America takes pride in thinking that it is a “woke” country. But what America thinks and what America really is, are two different things. America, is a country that has fallen deeply asleep, dreaming that it is woke. The lies politicians are using to inflict voter suppression is proof of America socially heading backwards in time. There has been no proof of any significant voter suppression, yet laws are being made to make it difficult for people, especially people of color, to vote in areas around this country. The lies that schools are teaching critical race theory, to inflict guilt on little white children, are also proof of America heading backwards in time. I’ve been an educator for over 25 years. If I had that kind of mind power, I wouldn’t cause students to feel guilt. I would simply teach students to think for themselves. When students think for themselves, they tend to discover truth. Lies about who really won the presidential election, caused the violent insurrection at the Nation’s Capital on January 6th. How many lies were told about what the coronavirus was and how to handle it? The lies told to the American people led to deaths. Many of them were deaths that did not have to happen. So, I repeat. We are not a woke nation. We’re a nation walking around like zombies. And before you liars start crying out, “If you don’t love America, then leave it”, let me tell you this. I am an American! I love what America could be. But I’m tired of watching my country take one step forward, only to be pushed back two steps. Wake the hell up! Realize that there are people who profit from America being in social disarray! They don’t give a damn about people of color, or a white people who aren’t wealthy. 95% of Americans are fighting over 5% of America’s wealth. That’s because 95% of America’s wealth belongs to only 5% of Americans. The wealthy Americans’ trick is to put Americans, especially white Americans socially asleep. Then they make them think that the reason they’re not part of the wealthy 5%, is because of people of color. One would have to be socially asleep to believe that people of color, especially Black Americans, have anything to do with white Americans being poor, or not being able to make ends meet, or not having extra money after the bills are paid. What’s sad is, America has plenty enough of everything, to assure and ensure that all Americans can eat. But because the love of money, has become more important than the love of our citizens, many people go without housing and food. This country isn’t about dreams or being woke. We are now teaching our children how to survive a nightmare! Okay, when I count to three and snap my fingers America will wake up. Well, it was worth a try!

If ((IS+UH) + (EC&PPE)>(KF+MCOM)) = RACISM By Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D. The formula above is in my last book, “From Racist to Non-Racist to Anti-Racist: Becoming Part of the Solution”. Racism in this country is difficult to un-do. However, it isn’t difficult to understand. As I look at the history of racism in the United States, I am convinced my hypothesis on racism can be displayed as a social formula. I see the social formula for racism stated as such: If IS=internal superiority; UH= un-true history; EC&PPE=economic and political power and entitlement; is greater than KF= knowledge & facts; MCOM=Meaningful communication; R =racism will occur and remain constant. If ((IS+UH) + (EC&PPE) directed negatively towards a particular racial group > (KF +MCOM)) Racism will occur and remain constant. Even though I wrote this formula years ago, this country is expressing the components more and more each day. One example is, using political power, internal superiority entitlement and economic status, people are banning Critical Race Theory and well-known books. Banning these things keeps un-true history, in front of true history. The next generation of economical, politically powered and entitled people will again spew lies. They will spew the same known lies, of the economical, politically powered and entitled people before them. This will happen, not because they haven’t discovered truth, but rather, truth was hidden from them. So, what happens when the current push for un-truths is greater than the current push for knowledge and facts? What happens when Americans and our leaders, no longer feel the need to engage each other in meaningful communication? The answer, racism will continue to exist.

God of Love or man gods? By Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D. When we talk about God, who are we talking about? Are we talking about the God of love? Are we talking about the God who, we say, sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins? As I look at this country and even the world, I wonder just who it is we’re praying to and worshiping. I mean think about it. We acknowledge that God is a God of love, yet we hate each other for things like skin color, gender, and gender identity. If we are to be totally honest, we’d have to admit that we promote more reasons to hate each other than we do to love each other! We war against our own kids, our poor, the elderly and people who aren’t members of our particular political party. We also war against other countries, at the drop of a hat. In this godly country, our leaders show no hesitation or remorse about lying to the people they have sworn to protect. We do all of this under a flag we claim represents God and Country. Again, what God are we talking about? We do a lot of lip-service and internet yapping; about how great God is. But I wonder if God is annoyed at those of us who call Him “Lord”! The God of Love can’t rid us of racism and other hate because His people are too busy trying to become their own little gods. His people want to stay huddled up in their churches, singing about “How Great Thou Art”. In writing there’s a saying, don’t tell, show. Regardless of our denominational affiliations, maybe it is time to SHOW how great God is. In my fight against racism, I have run across too many pastors who don’t want to talk to their congregations about the sin of racism. Yes, racism is a sin! If God is indeed love, and hate is a manifestation of racism, then racism opposes the love of God. Anything that opposes the Love of God is by definition, sin. Therefore, those of us who believe God is love should be at the forefront of ridding this country of racism; and any other hateful isms and anti-people phobias. So, do we worship the God of Love, or have we created man gods? Although this piece sounds as if it directed at Christians, it isn’t only directed at Christians. This country and this world are made up of many groups of people with many beliefs. No one group is absolved of the consequences, resulting from the actions of other groups. We all pay. Like Michael Franti sings, “We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can’t bomb it into peace!” A world of peace means loving every man, woman and child.

In my Dream By Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D. It's saddens me that my country, the country I was born in, finds it so easy to hate and kill. Why won't we give love a chance? I don't mean the fake, I must give everyone a big hug kind of love. I mean the kind of love that demands I give respect to every human being. In my dream this kind of love is always our first thought towards each other. In my dream this kind of love says I will not steal life or liberty from any man or woman, boy or girl, regardless of the color of their skin. In my dream people stopped hiding behind God. In my dream people stopped blaming God. In my dream we all started doing what God, Allah, Elohim, El-Shaddai, Yahweh, Jehovah and Adonai, whatever religion people followed, told us to do, which was to love each other as we loved ourselves. In my dream we understood, without love we cannot see each others humanity. We understood when we lose contact with our humanity, we'll destroy ourselves. In my dream Americans said, no more hate. In my dream Americans said there's plenty room at the table for all to eat and not go hungry. In my dream the people got off the fence and created a pathway to love, so all may follow. In my dream we openly celebrated our differences and learned much from one another. In my dream I have no more nightmares. You see, we don't have to be Martin Luther King. We just have to wake up to our dreams.

What’s Really Funny? By Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D. I love a good comedian. You know that comedian who can make me laugh so hard that I shed tears. The comedians who make me bust a gut are Richard Pryor (own all his albums), George Carlin (saw him in concert), and Kevin Hart (just added him to my list). I can’t remember any of them telling jokes to purposely belittle a real person. These comedians would create characters, such as Pryor’s ‘Mud-bone’. Years ago, I was wearing a straw cabana hat at Carlin’s show. I was sitting close enough to the stage that he wanted to use my hat to do one of his routines. Hart creates characters from his childhood and sometimes adulthood. Every time I get in my car with my son(s), I do the routine Hart talks about. The one where the older guy in his posse checks everything before starting the car. Then he asks, “You ready to go?” Then shoots his fingers towards him. The point I want to make is, those guys didn’t get laughs by being mean. They wanted us to laugh with them. They didn’t get laughs by insulting someone or group of people and have us laughing at someone. Years ago, I went to a Redd Foxx show at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California. Slappy White opened for Foxx. He was very funny. When Foxx came on, he immediately, started getting on this woman for being overweight. He was relentless. He even made fun of her husband for being with her. I decided to leave. I didn’t find Foxx’s routine funny. I understand that comedy has changed. I’m not for the cancel culture. But I’m also not for anyone insulting people and then hiding behind “it was only a joke”. I’m also not for people physically attacking people over words said to them. In my research days, I studied words and what teachers’ words could do to students. Words do hurt! Words are powerful. We must get past whether we have the freedom to say this or that. A great magician doesn’t really saw a person in half. Really sawing a person in half doesn’t take magical skill. The skillful magician makes us think the person is sawed in half. Society must get past whether we have the freedom to say this or that. We must ask ourselves, should hurting people ever be considered funny? For me, a good comedian creates comedy, from his or her imagination, not from the pain of others.

Racism, the Bible and being a Loving Christian? By Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D. The Bible has often been misinterpreted by those wanting power over others. All over this country Christians are behaving badly. Unknown by most Christians, the Bible does talk about Christians with racist attitudes. The Harper Study Bible Revised Standard Version, Numbers 12:1 says, “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.” The passage seems to be straightforward, until it’s compared to the same passage from the King James Version, which uses the word Ethiopian instead of Cushite. Unaware Christians don’t know a Cushite is the same as an Ethiopian. Why would The Harpers Study Bible, copyrighted in 1952 (Old Testament) and 1946 & 1971 (New Testament), insert Cushite instead of just saying Ethiopian like most versions of the Bible? They didn't stop there, in the small print at the bottom of the page it says Cushite and Ethiopian are generally considered to be the same, but and I’m quoting here, “that doesn’t mean Moses’ wife was Negress”. They’re suggesting there wasn’t anything different about her skin color. Jeremiah 13:23 asks, “Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard his spots?” This strongly suggests an Ethiopian's skin color was different. Some scholars claim the word “Ethiopia “ comes from the Greek word “Aithiopia” which actually is a combination of two words aitho- “I burn” and ops-“ face”, which would give us darkened or burned face people. God struck Miriam with leprosy for probably two reasons. First, Miriam shouldn’t have gone against God’s chosen leader. Second, like my Mama tells me, “God don’t like people actin’ ugly.” Even from the beginning of the Bible skin color didn’t seem to be a problem. People of color fought against biblical heroes and some of the people of color were biblical heroes. According to Wikipedia and many other encyclopedias, the origin of the word "Cush" is from the ancient Egyptian language, and denotes a person of dark-skinned complexion. Cush was the eldest son of Ham and the father of Nimrod, who was the first mighty man and mighty hunter (Genesis 10:7). Acts 8:26-40 talks about Philip meeting and teaching an Ethiopian eunuch, sitting in his chariot reading, about Jesus. Can some of what we think we know about Christianity be incorrect? Could it cause an attitude of superiority? In an 1939 article entitled “Ethiopian and the Origin of Civilization”, written by John G. Jackson, who quotes French historian Constantin-Francois de Chasseboeuf Count de Volney. Count C. Volney wrote before he died April 25, 1820, "Those piles of ruins which you see in that narrow valley watered by the Nile, are the remains of opulent cities, the pride of the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia. … There a people, now forgotten, discovered while others were yet barbarians, the elements of the arts and sciences. A race of men now rejected from society for their sable skin and frizzled hair, founded on the study of the laws of nature, those civil and religious systems which still govern the universe." A lot of what happened in the Bible took place in or near Africa, the cradle of civilization, therefore some of the people in the Bible, would have had to been people of color or even Black. So, here’s my justification for teaching how to become anti-racist and for Christians to be at the forefront of this country’s racism problem. Today we are seeing Christians who Jesus talks about in Matthew 7 21-23, where it says, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” So, what is a good reason for Jesus to say this to people who call themselves Christians? I’ll answer that this way. One of the manifestations of racism is hate. And since God tells us to love and not hate, Christians who follow hate have a problem with God. In 1 John 4:7-8 it says, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” “If a man says he loves God but hate his brother, he is a liar; for he that love not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen” (1 John 4:20). Like my Mama says, “God don’t like people actin’ ugly.”

Living Black in America By Keith L. Anderson, Ph.D. Except for spend a few weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark, I have never lived anywhere but America. I was born in America. My mother and father were born in America. Their mothers and fathers were born in America. I’m a damn American! But America says, because my skin is black and not white, I’m not entitled to live free of discrimination and violence in the only country I know. I often wonder what America would be like if Americans would put all its effort into making sure everyone, regardless of skin color, has equal opportunity, equal access and equal government protection. What would happen if Americans put as much effort into equality, as we put into hatred? What if America believed all people are equal, because they are human? How advanced, Christian, or compassionate is a country that has to write laws, in order to treat its citizens equally? Jane Elliott proved on April 5, 1968, the day after Dr. King was assassinated, with her blue eyes / brown eyes experiment, that even if we all had the same color skin, Americans would find another reason to cause division in this country (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/04/us/jane-elliott-anti-racism-blue-eyes-brown-eyes.html). Growing up, my Mama taught me to care about ALL people. Sometimes I wish she hadn’t. It’s heartbreaking to realize there is a significant number of people who don’t care about people of color. Mama, I’m so tired of having to watch what I say to a group of people who say and believe the stupidest shit, ever uttered by human-beings. Mama, I’m tired of having to shrink in stature, knowledge and experience, just so the so-called superior people, don’t feel uncomfortable around me. I didn’t come to America looking for a better life. I was born here. I’m an American! Because I’m an American, I should have equal access to all of America’s opportunities. That’s called being a citizen, and it shouldn’t matter if I’m a born citizen or an immigrant who becomes a citizen. Equality should allow me to make a better life for myself! I am tired of being on America’s endangered species list. I want to live, to love, raise my children, grow old and spoil my grandkids. I want to contribute to America’s potential greatness! STOP making Black people and people of color out to be people who are seen as bad for OUR country! As an educated Black American it offends me to understand how America has put more energy into demonizing Colin Kaepernick, than it has put into addressing the real reasons he kneeled. America’s response to Black Lives Matter, has been a resounding, Black lives do not matter! While it is easy to point out national politicians and leaders who show a lack of racial and social justice, let’s not forget those politicians who do nothing and saying nothing about America’s racial and social injustices. Doing nothing makes these people accomplices to the racial and social injustice going on in this country. We see them. We should remember them. These are Americans stuck in the “blind self” of the Johari Window. And because of the “blind self” they would rather see this country burn, rather than do what we were taught in kindergarten, “share equally”. As for me, I’m going to hold on to the wisdom my Mama taught me, for as long as I can. I will love all, teach the teachable and pray for wisdom, strength, discernment and the ability to forgive. Learning to do so, is one of the most important steps to surviving, living Black in America.