I will not lie to the reader: I have walked a very rocky path through this world. Though educated, I've met with very little success as I meandered from one mundane job to the next. And I'm remarkably comfortable with that fact, for reasons I will eventually explain.
But in no way would the average person consider me to be a shining example of how to conduct one's life. I've won no awards, received no scholarships, and made no personal fortune for myself. Quite the contrary: I have been all but disinherited, and have been reduced to a bohemian, subsistence lifestyle.
Why would a person be comfortable with this kind of life? The answer is that, as my grandfather would often say: "It beats the alternatives." To many, I'm just another unsuccessful person of color. And those in power haven't minced words over the years about people like me, who remain at the bottom of society. Many of them argue that it is due to the inferiority of the black race, which is less naturally skilled in intellectual matters than whites. Others assert that it is a culture of laziness that pervades black life, and that they need the guidance of whites to help them become more productive.
I propose a much more obvious explanation though: Emmett Till, Medgar Evars, James Chaney, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X... there's been a bullet waiting for nearly every person of color who has ever tried to excel in life. That creates a powerful incentive to lay low, and not draw attention to oneself by rising to the top in any one area of expertise, because the slightest indication of talent, and a literal lynch mob will come knocking at your door.
Why would anyone want to tempt fate by striving for worldly success under those circumstances? You would need to either be insane, or have a cause so profoundly righteous that you were willing to sacrifice your entire life -- everything you ever were, are, and will be on this Earth -- for it. Otherwise, there's no incentive to play a game you're destined to lose. If you chase after money and fame, you will die a miserable, bloody death. But if you accept your place in life, you will live longer, and at least have a shot at dying peacefully. Which choice would an intelligent, competent person make in such a situation?
This is not to say that there is no reason to challenge an oppressive system. It only means that doing so is an "End Game" strategy, which is to be pursued when there is no other option, and when death has become more preferable than life. Otherwise, the intelligent strategy is to lay low, and buy yourself time. And that is the reason why there are so few people of color in the upper echelons of society.
Add new comment