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American culture continues to spiral downward to an oblivion and the only way to stop it is through our love and concern. Much has occurred over the past few days and week. The shooting massacre at Virginia Tech jarred us into disbelief and renewed our concerns over domestic violence, gun control and man''s inhumanity to man.
It was just days ago that the nation was embroiled in the Don Imus ''nappy-headed ho'' controversy along with the ''bitch-ho'' culture that rappers and hip hop artists have cultivated over the past 20 plus years.
And it was only a few months ago that the ''F-word'' slur towards the gay community with Isaiah Washington and later with Tim Hardaway was fodder for the evening news. Meanwhile America continues to be engaged in a prolonged war over nothing as it desperately tries to force democracy and Western values onto a people who resent it.
America, the land of the free should be more accurately be renamed, America, the land of the fractured. This country''s biggest strength is also its biggest challenge, its diversity. Home to over 300 million people, the US represents the world in its various ethnic, cultural, language, and racial makeup.
Our past is also intriguing too. We''ve oppressed and then later liberated entire groups of people (i.e blacks, women) yet still there lingers negative affects from it (i.e racism, sexism, inequality in income, housing, education, etc.). We live in a culture that says pull yourself up by your bootstraps, but provides no real guidance to those who have no clue through generational poverty and institutionalized racism.
We live in a country that proudly states that all men are created equal but continues to treat gays/lesbians as if they were second class citizens, denying them of over a one thousand different rights and benefits because they are not allowed to legally marry.
We live in a nation that prides itself on being devout, religious, or family valued and centered, yet the divorce rate exceeds 50%. We live in a culture that despises getting old and refuses to adequately protect its elderly.
We also live in a culture that fears that the rest of the world is jealous and is out to get us but without fully recognizing how our own foreign policies and decisions negatively impact the rest of the world.
We live in a culture, an American culture that is abound, replete and overflowing with contradictions, contradictions that opens the door of frustration, disrespect, anger, rage, and sadly violence.
There is a seeming resistance, an American resistance to refuse to hear, see and to embrace the truth about itself. There are entire groups of underprivileged, angry, depressed and joy-deficient people living within our own borders who are yearning to be free of their societal chains.
Some of them strike out in the form of profane song lyrics. Others act out through disrespect towards others (i.e women, gays, a person walking down the street). Still others take a very dangerous path of crime and violence.
However, what is very disturbing is that no one in American culture seemingly is able to understand the pain of others. No one seemingly cares to know about the footsteps in which others have taken. We barely stand long enough to hear let alone listen to what others have to say.
Many Americans say they attend church regularly and profess to pray often but we still manage to overlook the obvious, we overlook and ignore the least of these....
Now this is not to say that I am excusing the behavior of the Virginia Tech shooter, the callous words of Don Imus, the profane words of rappers, and the criminal behavior of others in society. I just wonder what could have been done to curb if not avoid many of the situations that we see happening today.
What could have been done to guide, mold, train, teach, inspire, hold and love the least of these... And what can be done today in order to make our culture, the American culture much less commercially driven and much more compassionately driven.
The answer is love and concern, because when love and concern are present, then right actions are not too far behind.
---
Herndon L. Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio host. He can be reached directly at www.herndondavis.com.
It was just days ago that the nation was embroiled in the Don Imus ''nappy-headed ho'' controversy along with the ''bitch-ho'' culture that rappers and hip hop artists have cultivated over the past 20 plus years.
And it was only a few months ago that the ''F-word'' slur towards the gay community with Isaiah Washington and later with Tim Hardaway was fodder for the evening news. Meanwhile America continues to be engaged in a prolonged war over nothing as it desperately tries to force democracy and Western values onto a people who resent it.
America, the land of the free should be more accurately be renamed, America, the land of the fractured. This country''s biggest strength is also its biggest challenge, its diversity. Home to over 300 million people, the US represents the world in its various ethnic, cultural, language, and racial makeup.
Our past is also intriguing too. We''ve oppressed and then later liberated entire groups of people (i.e blacks, women) yet still there lingers negative affects from it (i.e racism, sexism, inequality in income, housing, education, etc.). We live in a culture that says pull yourself up by your bootstraps, but provides no real guidance to those who have no clue through generational poverty and institutionalized racism.
We live in a country that proudly states that all men are created equal but continues to treat gays/lesbians as if they were second class citizens, denying them of over a one thousand different rights and benefits because they are not allowed to legally marry.
We live in a nation that prides itself on being devout, religious, or family valued and centered, yet the divorce rate exceeds 50%. We live in a culture that despises getting old and refuses to adequately protect its elderly.
We also live in a culture that fears that the rest of the world is jealous and is out to get us but without fully recognizing how our own foreign policies and decisions negatively impact the rest of the world.
We live in a culture, an American culture that is abound, replete and overflowing with contradictions, contradictions that opens the door of frustration, disrespect, anger, rage, and sadly violence.
There is a seeming resistance, an American resistance to refuse to hear, see and to embrace the truth about itself. There are entire groups of underprivileged, angry, depressed and joy-deficient people living within our own borders who are yearning to be free of their societal chains.
Some of them strike out in the form of profane song lyrics. Others act out through disrespect towards others (i.e women, gays, a person walking down the street). Still others take a very dangerous path of crime and violence.
However, what is very disturbing is that no one in American culture seemingly is able to understand the pain of others. No one seemingly cares to know about the footsteps in which others have taken. We barely stand long enough to hear let alone listen to what others have to say.
Many Americans say they attend church regularly and profess to pray often but we still manage to overlook the obvious, we overlook and ignore the least of these....
Now this is not to say that I am excusing the behavior of the Virginia Tech shooter, the callous words of Don Imus, the profane words of rappers, and the criminal behavior of others in society. I just wonder what could have been done to curb if not avoid many of the situations that we see happening today.
What could have been done to guide, mold, train, teach, inspire, hold and love the least of these... And what can be done today in order to make our culture, the American culture much less commercially driven and much more compassionately driven.
The answer is love and concern, because when love and concern are present, then right actions are not too far behind.
---
Herndon L. Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio host. He can be reached directly at www.herndondavis.com.