Master’s
Table
Fighting for Master’s
love
By
Sengbe Ben Yosef
For the last few weeks people have turned their focus away
from Bill Cosby and began to focus on the Oscars. This year’s Oscars had no
black nominees for any of the major awards. In fact there was a total lack of
nominees of any color other than white. The New York Times even held it up, a
joke on the front page of their paper a week ago. I don’t get why everyone is
surprised; this has been the history of the Oscars and it really wouldn’t be a something that I would consider talking about, if it had not been for one of Hollywood
darling black couples speaking out against the Oscars. Will and Jada Smith have
been for some time Hollywood’s token black couple that is pushed on public to
show how diverse Hollywood has become. If you ask me they seem to want to be
the new Ossie and Ruby D. but they lack the strong convictions of our elders in
too many ways to name.
I recall a few years ago Jada Smith was trying to justify
her young daughter lying in bed with a 21 year old grown man. Everyone was, so
understanding but not me I felt she was setting a bad example for not only her
daughter but for other young girls as well. Sense it was Will and Jada’s child
people let it die. Jada became quite after that whole thing blew up in her
face. From that point anything Jada had to say, I found something about it a
little suspect and I didn’t much care to hear from her. I thought to myself she
seems a little off since her and Will got hitched. I didn’t think of her much
as a rebel anymore because it seemed Hollywood and marriage had subdued her. So
when she came out with her spill on boycotting the Oscars I look at it as her
sharing her nonsensical logic again. How could this woman turn activist on the
very industry that her and her entire family was making a living off and a
really good one if you asked me.
The reason I have a problem with her stance on the Oscars is
she never seem to mind going to the Oscars especially when her husband was a
nominee. Now out of the blue she wants to go activist. I myself can think of
plenty of things we should boycott as a people; things that are way more
detrimental to our people than some dam awards show. I mean in 2016 with all
the dirty nasty things that the system on a whole is been doing to people of
color and it’s this shit she wants to go to war over? There are a whole bunch
of things worth making noise over and this may be on the list but it’s not a
priority. It’s sad that black folk like Will and Jada never seem to be able to
find there voice when the people need them to speak out. On the other hand they
seem to want the people to come riding to the rescue on issues that directly
affect them and their livelihood.
I have a problem with many of the so called prominent people
of color who roll right along with the program until the system comes crashing
down on them. They never can find time to speak out when black men and women
are murdered by the police. In fact a lot of them make heavy donations to the
same police departments that murder their brothers and sister. Most of them act
as if they can see us on the ground as they step over us on their way to be
super stars. When it was Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince we were needed because
Hollywood didn’t give a fuck about them. I’m not saying they owe us anything
but at least they could remember that they come from us and even now they are a part
of us. Also they could be more thankful to us because after all we are the ones
who watched their movies and pay for tickets when Hollywood say they couldn’t
sell. We cheered them on when they had no name and we were the ones who help
the world to see them as something more.
The other issue I have with these black Hollywooder’s is,
most top celebs like Will and Jada have a tremendous amount of money prestige
and influence and yet they are still begging for scraps at their master’s
table. Can you imagine watching your parents fight and grovel at the feet of
another for scraps that fall from the table especially when your parents did not have the means to care for themselves. Has it never accrued to them to start
their own motion picture studios and form their own awards system to give
praise and honor to whom they deem worthy. What is this obsession that lives in
my people that make them want to suffer this society and all of its abuses?
Even now when my people that are at the top of their professions with mass
amounts of wealth and knowledge go back to their oppressors with hat in hand on
bended knee to receive nothing except scorn and ridicule. What kind of madness
drives them to need love from their rapist? Who would want love from a system
that still sees you as sub-human no matter how much you achieve?
Only when we play the butler, the maid, the thug, or the
slave and like it, will Hollywood award us an Oscar or give any kind of
recognition to us in their beloved Hollywood. I bet the movie industry and the
oppressors of the mind get a kick out of taking highly skilled black actors and
turning into players in the new era minstrel show. The sad part for me is the
fact that my folks are still lining up for the job in 2016. You can’t get
love from an industry that was built on destroying your very image. How can you
act surprised and complain when your masters spit in your faces. I mean come on
man; you really thought Hollywood would recognize work by actors and actresses
that gives dignity to the image of the black race when for years Hollywood has
done nothing but reinforce stereotypes. In this day and time given all that has
happened in the last few years with regards to race you couldn’t really believe
Hollywood would change. When the political butt heads like Trump say they to
make great again they mean they are taking us back to a time that made them
comfortable.
How much more abuse will it take before you see they will
never change? Not only that but they don’t want to change so the best thing for
you to do is take your talents elsewhere. What are you afraid of when you have
everything you need to succeed? Not only that but the world already secretly
adores and worships you and everything you do. Think about that and then I want
every major black player in Hollywood to rethink their stance on being a part
of the same system that denigrates demeans disrespects and destroys the image
of your people. Then I want you to stop begging for a place at their table and
gather yourselves to build your table. We people whom they call black are the leading
influencers of the world yet we are at the same time among the poorest people
in the world. Let’s come together and build our dreams into a vision; a legacy
that we can leave to our children. One where we are seen as hero’s and not
slaves and beggars pleading for scraps from another mans table.
Ms. Smith if you really want to use your influence to change
things I suggest you turn to your brother and sisters in the entertainment
industry and build something we can call our own. Also to my people let us not be
so easily swayed to focus on things like this that in the long run are very low
on the list of things we need to address. Even though it is an important issue
that must be addressed at some point, we have more pressing issues and it may
serve us better to address those first. I’m just trying to get my people to
understand a lot of these issues are nothing more than distraction from the
larger goals of our people. Lastly Ms. Smith if you were sincere in your message
to us then be a little more constant in your activism so that we can take you
at your word more easily. As a people we need prominent figures such as yourself to
be more vocal and to use your influence to inspire others to get involved in
the fight.
