Just Say It…Obama is a Socialist.

I’ve been planning another “super post” since the ‘Jesus did not intend to start Christianity’ (as I have Earthsuit playing in the background while typing) one, and I think this is another appropriate topic to delve into. More prefaces:

1. I also used to be a flaming socialist for awhile, almost joined the party, but I didn’t want to have an FBI file on me at the age of 18 like some others in the family *cough*.

2. I won the sophomore oratory contest in high school advocating for the nationalization of health care in America.

3. I am a fan of Red Emma’s in downtown Baltimore, another flaming socialist institution.

4. I still don’t think of communism as a dirty word. Just an interesting concept that never seemed to work anywhere.

Okay, with those prefaces, I think I have enough socialist street cred to call Obama a flaming socialist, let’s just all say it. Taking wealth and “spreading it around” is a socialist concept. Trying to stimulate economic growth from the “bottom up” is a socialist concept (I would argue that the opposite of socialism is capitalism…just sayin’). Even though Obama has been crystal clear with regard to his intentions to “spread wealth around”, it seems as though some folks do not realize that they may be saying goodbye to a chunk of their income soon. We will now refer to this “spreading of wealth around” as the Socialist-Lite crew.

Let’s have some fun with the Socialist-Lite Camp.

I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur. Whether it’s coming up with a new fundraiser for the church youth group, developing a marketing plan for my future businesses, or working on academic research for the business plans I work on, I absolutely love entrepreneurship. I certainly do not come from a family (or city, for that matter) of entrepreneurs. My mother is a teacher, loves scrapbooking, is fantastic with design and crafty stuff, doesn’t really have a taste for CNBC or Donald Trump literature. My father is also a teacher and is more into the technology side of things, but he is also very creative guy. He is not tremendously impressed by CNBC or Donald Trump literature either. In fact, virtually nobody in my family is and I only have maybe 2 or 3 friends who are successful entrepreneurs. Yes, creativity is a large part of entrepreneurship, but when it comes to being self-employed and developing new business ideas, nobody in my immediate family is really into that sort of thing. Instead of hanging on the block with my homies and playing Xbox live 24 hours a day, I chose to do more constructive things with my time.

I’m not a multi-million dollar business woman (yet haha) and I’m not particularly obsessed with making a pile of cash. But I like to think that I’m pretty well versed in tax law, incorporating, investing, small businesses, moreso than probably many business owners. With the right combination of patience, education, WORK and creaitivity, I think that building different types of wealth is extremely possible in America. I did not always hold this viewpoint until I pursued my entrepreneurial interests outside of my classes. I think it’s really sad that a person who pours their blood and tears into building financial wealth will be told by the government where THEIR investments are going. I know I know, many small business peeps just become skilled at writing off their expenses before taxes, but it’s still YOUR money.

I will tell you why I jumped ship on Socialist-Lite camp to Capitalist camp using an example that is very close to home for me. Baltimore. Most of the Socialist-Lite camp in Baltimore, Black and White alike, would have you to believe that the dire situation in Baltimore will be greatly improved by a re-distribution of wealth. As soon as you pour $$ into the school systems, build affordable housing and bring jobs to the City that will remove youth from the streets, things are going to be amazing. This rhetoric is poured on heavy by my favorite soul+spoken word scene, Black churches, Academia Land and communist coffeehouses. Stick it to the man, snitches! Lift up the poor!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with lifting up the poor. I’m pretty sure that is what YHWH commands us to do and this was the practice of many of the early churches. There are a few major holes, however in how Socialist Lite camp attempts to address this problem and how the early church DID address the problem. We are also leaving out numerous examples around the world of how impoverished people are doing extremely well in their schools, not succombing to gangs and violence and building up their communities in amazing ways. When asked why she chose to build a school in South Africa as opposed to Baltimore, Oprah simply said that kids in Baltimore could care less if she built a school here.

Our problem in the States is not a lack of money, wealth or resources reaching the people. Baltimore spends more money per student than the entire state of Maryland. My mom talks about how the military and colleges try to recruit her students EVERY DAY. Our problem is what I like to call Victimology. The theory of Victimology makes excuses for poor performance. The theory of Victomology places personal problems on others. The theory of Victimology contends that power is something that can only be given. I think the greatest irony in this whole Baltimore mess is that our ancestors, the great Civil Rights Freedom Fighers did not sit back and succomb to Victimology. They began their own schools. They formed their own sports leagues. They began their own churches. They FOUGHT for their civil liberties. They were the greatest of entrepreneurs. Their victories had nothing to do with how much money they could come up with or even how many resources they could pull together. No matter how hard the challenge, our Freedom Fighter ancestors took it upon themselves to make the most out of their lives, they did not wait for the government to hand them happiness in the form of a check.

Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, Billie Holiday, Jackie Robinson, Booker T. Washington. Their accomplishments are beyond amazing, even by today’s standards, yet they all were victims of unbelievable discrimination each and every day of their lives. None of them would live to reap the full benefits of the Civil Rights Movement. And yet the Thurgood Marshalls and Bea Gaddys were some of the most generous community members to ever live. Much like the early church, these African American pioneers banded together out of the innate goodness of their own hearts.

Socialism-Lite Camp does not offer this type of innate and spiritual goodness. It is a cold mandate from Washington that will most likely divide more people than it will unite. Poverty, violence, inadequate health care…these problems are certainly not new or unique to any ethnic population. As history and various global circumstances have shown us, pouring money onto situations of these magnitudes will not do much good. The African continent receives millions and millions of dollars every year, yet it never seems to reach the people and it never seems to settle the “debt”.

Change we can believe in? The only change we can believe in comes from OUR HEARTS. Change has to come as much out of the young gangster from downtown Baltimore as it does from the detached Washington politician.

A quick ending note….I think one of the saddest case studies where I have seen this play out is in the music scene in Baltimore. Just like the churches, the music scene here is incredible segregated. And over the past five years or so, the White indie scene has seriously put the Black soul/spoken word/gospel/indie scene to SHAME. I can’t even keep count of how many bands now are signed to major indie labels, started their own HUGELY successful indie labels, are traveling the world, the list goes on. Rolling Stone even did a piece on Baltimore being the “best scene”. You will absolutely not find a better music scene outside of Baltimore or Brooklyn, New York. With everything else, this has absolutely nothing to do with who is more talented or who has more money. At the end of the day it’s about who puts Victimology behind them and gets the job done. It’s about who is willing to pursue their dreams with everything that they have in them. I think the Black music scene in Atlanta is probably a great example of this, so it doesn’t look like I’m picking on Black folks haha.

Don’t wait for the government to inspire you and make a change in your community. Being an American citizen with access to free libraries (with free internet), free speech, free education, it just don’t get a whole lot better. We are far from being the greatest country in the world, or in history, but we have an unbelievable amount of opportunities to puruse our dreams and in the process help out our fellow neighbors. But, whether or not you do that, is up to YOU.