In my previous life as a student of business, I was exposed to, and became quite a fan of, the Andrew S. Grove notion of a strategic inflection point (SIP). Grove, the late co-founder of Intel, defined an SIP as “[an event or circumstance] which causes you to make a fundamental change in business strategy. Nothing less is sufficient." To continue as you were, to maintain the status quo, is to write the organization's death certificate. Recently, I've taken to wondering, “Has the United States had the requisite sociological inflection points to effect change in its way of dealing with matters of race?” And if yes, how come so little has changed?
Life is full of SIPs. SIPs visit individuals, communities, organizations, and nations with equal regularity. And when a strategic inflection point occurs, folk really just gotta lean in; change or perish. That’s how it usually works, but somehow, it hasn't worked that way with America. Here, we've faced inflection after inflection on the matter of race, and managed to change not one whit. And we haven't perished..............yet. Soon come tho? I'm starting to wonder how much longer we can hold out cuz the tides, they are a-risin'.
Here's today's $64,000 question: why hasn’t America had a post-inflection change of direction? Simply put: change comes only if you want it bad. America does not want it at all, far less for wanting it bad.
For change to result from an inflecting experience there must be crisis (like the secession of the slave-owning states for example); we must acknowledge that we are in crisis (like declaring war against those seceding states for example); and we must recognize that our current thinking and behavior are detrimental to our welfare (er, um, lemme come back to this) and finally, we must endeavor to do and be different (LOL, not happenin').
As a nation, these United States started this journey in 1492. It’s 2017 and we are still not there yet. We’re not even trying to figure out where *there* is!
For this society to change, we’d need to make major internal shifts: we’d need to understand (i) the ubiquity of racial animus and the power of White supremacy and racism; (ii) we’d need to own that all of us carry negative stereotypes of Blackness, Native-ness, and Brown-ness with us wherever we go and (iii) we'd need to address same if there was to be change. Mostly, we would each need to own our part in creating the cesspool of ugliness in which we live.
We’re not there yet.
How do I know? Well, there's this little lovely, Briana Brochu. (She's the one in the mug shot.)
The story of Ms. Brochu is here. I will not re-tell it. It is too vile.
Let's pause for a moment to observe that Ms. Brochu is 18 years old. One. Eight. She's part of what is arguably the most diverse generation of teenagers America has ever seen. Her high school cohort is majority minority........
...and yet here she is, as nasty and vile as a slave master's wife who heaps abuse on the enslaved woman her husband has taken to raping; as vile and disgusting as Dylan Roof and Richard Spencer, who bring nothing to the table but the brutality of the conquistador (with about just as much ability to tolerate cognitive dissonance). Yes, I said that.
Brochu is not some 80 year old who grew up in Depression Era America with its week-a-day lynchings, who either attended same (and took her children) or turned a blind eye to them. She's not some Carolyn Donham Bryant (responsible for the death of Emmett Till). Or maybe she is?
She's not some 60 year old who grew up in Jim Crow America with segregated schools and water fountains who believes in the Divine Right of Whiteness. Or maybe she is?
She's not some 50 year old who grew up in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement and feels that the acknowledgement of Black rights means the abrogation of her own. Or maybe she is?
Instead, Brochu grew up in the Age of Obama. She was ten when he was elected. She's known two terms of Barack and Michelle Obama. She's come of age right alongside Malia and Sasha. And this is how she turns out? Clearly she's not Donham Bryant, she's Donham Bryant on f--king steroids.
America’s failure to accede to the demands of an inflection point has resulted (and will continue to result) in creatures (I really want to use the word miscreants eh, but that would be impolite) like Briana Brochu and Dylan Roof being allowed to wage perpetual war on Blackness; creatures like Dolt cuarenta y cinco landing atop the political heap, with oxygen bandits like Bannon, Se(ce)ssions and Miller standing beside him.
America's unwillingness to lean in to change results in Betty Shelbys (Terrence Crutcher's killer); Timothy Loehmans (Tamir Rice's murderer); Brian Enciniases (Sandra Bland's harasser); Milam & Bryants (Emmett Till's killers) and so very many others, being encouraged (yes, encouraged) to rain down terror of various levels on Blackness, Native-ness, and Brown-ness without challenge and generally without remorse.
The United States of America has seen several strategic inflection points in its history, but the U.S has also managed to half-ass every single change opportunity. Agitation may have made for civil rights legislation, but plenty folk (see list above and that's a very abbreviated list) ain't really wanna be any different. Agitation may have led to gay rights, but there's still a sh*tload of folk who don't actually want equality for non-cishet folk. Agitation may yield rights for transpeople, but they'll still be at dangerously high risk of death for being who they are.
God must be shedding hella grace on these shores. The nation's history of perfunctory attempts at change really ought to have run this ship aground by now. I swear, if this joint were a business, the stock would be selling for a halfpenny. Instead, peace & prosperity shine forth like a beacon to the world's huddled masses, or some other such. Isn't that what the brochure says?
What have been the USA’s inflection points? Well, in no particular order, we have: The Civil War; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the Civil Rights Act of 1968; the Stonewall Riots of 1969; Native law suits against the federal government (all of them); DOMA and Gay Marriage victories; the recognition of transgender rights. Even Roe v. Wade was a possible inflection point and still, nada. Every advance of equality results in a brutal backlash (see Election 2016 if you don't believe me). And why? Briana Brochu and others of that ilk.
For all America's inflection points y’all are still here, stuck on ugly; here in this place where a young Black man who learned the names and allergies of 500 children so that he could better serve their needs, is dead and his killer is acquitted.
How do I know? Well, there's this little lovely, Briana Brochu. (She's the one in the mug shot.)
 |
| Image: West Hartford Police/Facebook |
The story of Ms. Brochu is here. I will not re-tell it. It is too vile.
Let's pause for a moment to observe that Ms. Brochu is 18 years old. One. Eight. She's part of what is arguably the most diverse generation of teenagers America has ever seen. Her high school cohort is majority minority........
 |
| Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Education |
Brochu is not some 80 year old who grew up in Depression Era America with its week-a-day lynchings, who either attended same (and took her children) or turned a blind eye to them. She's not some Carolyn Donham Bryant (responsible for the death of Emmett Till). Or maybe she is?
She's not some 60 year old who grew up in Jim Crow America with segregated schools and water fountains who believes in the Divine Right of Whiteness. Or maybe she is?
She's not some 50 year old who grew up in the heat of the Civil Rights Movement and feels that the acknowledgement of Black rights means the abrogation of her own. Or maybe she is?
Instead, Brochu grew up in the Age of Obama. She was ten when he was elected. She's known two terms of Barack and Michelle Obama. She's come of age right alongside Malia and Sasha. And this is how she turns out? Clearly she's not Donham Bryant, she's Donham Bryant on f--king steroids.
America’s failure to accede to the demands of an inflection point has resulted (and will continue to result) in creatures (I really want to use the word miscreants eh, but that would be impolite) like Briana Brochu and Dylan Roof being allowed to wage perpetual war on Blackness; creatures like Dolt cuarenta y cinco landing atop the political heap, with oxygen bandits like Bannon, Se(ce)ssions and Miller standing beside him.
America's unwillingness to lean in to change results in Betty Shelbys (Terrence Crutcher's killer); Timothy Loehmans (Tamir Rice's murderer); Brian Enciniases (Sandra Bland's harasser); Milam & Bryants (Emmett Till's killers) and so very many others, being encouraged (yes, encouraged) to rain down terror of various levels on Blackness, Native-ness, and Brown-ness without challenge and generally without remorse.
The United States of America has seen several strategic inflection points in its history, but the U.S has also managed to half-ass every single change opportunity. Agitation may have made for civil rights legislation, but plenty folk (see list above and that's a very abbreviated list) ain't really wanna be any different. Agitation may have led to gay rights, but there's still a sh*tload of folk who don't actually want equality for non-cishet folk. Agitation may yield rights for transpeople, but they'll still be at dangerously high risk of death for being who they are.
God must be shedding hella grace on these shores. The nation's history of perfunctory attempts at change really ought to have run this ship aground by now. I swear, if this joint were a business, the stock would be selling for a halfpenny. Instead, peace & prosperity shine forth like a beacon to the world's huddled masses, or some other such. Isn't that what the brochure says?
What have been the USA’s inflection points? Well, in no particular order, we have: The Civil War; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Voting Rights Act of 1965; the Civil Rights Act of 1968; the Stonewall Riots of 1969; Native law suits against the federal government (all of them); DOMA and Gay Marriage victories; the recognition of transgender rights. Even Roe v. Wade was a possible inflection point and still, nada. Every advance of equality results in a brutal backlash (see Election 2016 if you don't believe me). And why? Briana Brochu and others of that ilk.
For all America's inflection points y’all are still here, stuck on ugly; here in this place where a young Black man who learned the names and allergies of 500 children so that he could better serve their needs, is dead and his killer is acquitted.
Y'all still at a place where a young Black man kneeling to protest injustice is more offensive than an officer killing a man with his hands in the air; or running away; or selling loosies; or selling CDs; or crying out for help.
Y'all still at a place where kneeling to highlight injustice is more egregious than talking about the neo-Nazis as "good people".
Y'all still at a place where a football team's name is a racial slur and the controversy isn't the name but that folk want it changed.
Y'all still at a place where ignoramuses can be handed material to read and they won't even open it because FACTS are propaganda and the bullshit in their heads is da troof. And then we pretend that Briana is some kind of aberration? Briana is a feature not a flaw of this system. Feature.
Strategic inflection points, my ass. Y’all have zero interest in *inflecting*. Briana Brochu and the parents and community who taught her everything she knows are the proof. Oh wait, you thought she spontaneously combusted? Nuh uh. Somebody raised her so.
And because someone raised her thus, people like me have to worry about when and where the next one like her is gonna show up, because show up she will. That's just how it goes.
1 comment:
Brava!
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