I recently watched a YouTube video that really disturbed me. The video was of famous child star Maia Campbell at her worse. I was very shocked and embarrassed, not because of her condition, but because someone thought it entertaining to post such a humiliating video instead of trying to help her. Usually I link videos to my post to give examples of what I am talking about, but I refuse to give that video any more airplay than it has already gotten.
When did our generation become so vain and dehumanizing? When did we get so caught up on money and fame that we forgot our morals? We forgot our feelings for others? We forgot what it feels like to be demeaned? It saddens me that this video is being floated around for entertainment purposes and some people actually find it entertaining and that "our people" make such awful and off the wall comments about this young lady. Is this not the same young lady that you looked at as a goddess? Is she not the same young girl that you thought was beautiful and you supposedly respected? Why has her demise become the center of attention? The trending topic? The most searched article? She like many child stars have become exploited and thrown out as garbage and labeled as useless by not only the media industry but we as consumers.
Whoever shot that video should really take a look in the mirror at themselves because you would have to be sick, twisted and have very low self-esteem to think of this as entertaining or anything else. Instead of adding to her demise, why not try to help her?
I am so sick of this crab mentality that "my people" have all of a sudden developed. This mindset that it is okay to kick someone while they are down. That mentality that it is fine to "cash in" on someone else misfortune. That mentality that instead of helping each other to the top, lets "hate on them," lets "kick them while they are down," that "I didn't make it out, so I'm going to make it my business to ensure you don't either" When did we as a "black race" become so obsessed with fame and money that we will attempt to "cash in" on it at any cost.
We have talked so much about being oppressed by "the white man" that we have forgotten what oppression is. Well let me define it for you. Oppression is a form of bondage. According to Wikipedia, It is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions and anxiety. We have been oppressed so long as a people that we have adopted the oppressed mindset. If you are wondering what I am talking about, let me enlighten you. I am talking about how we have become our oppressors. We have now started oppressing each other. "The man" is not our worse enemy anymore, it's our own people. We have been dehumanized so long that we forgot what it means to be human.
To be human is to have compassion. To be human is to show love. To be human is to be of service and to help others. Stop have that "me" mindset and that "I got to make it by any means necessary" mindset because it is hurting our generations and future generations to come. You want to know why Mississippi has never has a black governor, why President Obama is catching "hell" in the white house and why our people are the ones in poverty, why we have the highest drop-out rate, why black men and women are the highest percentage of prisoners in the prison system, it's because we as a people do not stick together but rather have developed the "crab mentality" and forgot where we came from and how hard it was for our people to get the "limited privileges" we have. So the next time we choose to cash in on the demise of our own people, we should ask one question, "What if that were your mother, your sister and your daughter, niece, friend etc. in that video being exploited by her own race. What would you do? Now where the heck is Debbie Allen and L Cool J? One of you need to be going to Compton and searching for Ms. Maia to help her, enough of our people have been lost to the streets, LET'S NOT LET HER ADD TO THE NUMBER!!!!
When did our generation become so vain and dehumanizing? When did we get so caught up on money and fame that we forgot our morals? We forgot our feelings for others? We forgot what it feels like to be demeaned? It saddens me that this video is being floated around for entertainment purposes and some people actually find it entertaining and that "our people" make such awful and off the wall comments about this young lady. Is this not the same young lady that you looked at as a goddess? Is she not the same young girl that you thought was beautiful and you supposedly respected? Why has her demise become the center of attention? The trending topic? The most searched article? She like many child stars have become exploited and thrown out as garbage and labeled as useless by not only the media industry but we as consumers.
Whoever shot that video should really take a look in the mirror at themselves because you would have to be sick, twisted and have very low self-esteem to think of this as entertaining or anything else. Instead of adding to her demise, why not try to help her?
I am so sick of this crab mentality that "my people" have all of a sudden developed. This mindset that it is okay to kick someone while they are down. That mentality that it is fine to "cash in" on someone else misfortune. That mentality that instead of helping each other to the top, lets "hate on them," lets "kick them while they are down," that "I didn't make it out, so I'm going to make it my business to ensure you don't either" When did we as a "black race" become so obsessed with fame and money that we will attempt to "cash in" on it at any cost.
We have talked so much about being oppressed by "the white man" that we have forgotten what oppression is. Well let me define it for you. Oppression is a form of bondage. According to Wikipedia, It is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions and anxiety. We have been oppressed so long as a people that we have adopted the oppressed mindset. If you are wondering what I am talking about, let me enlighten you. I am talking about how we have become our oppressors. We have now started oppressing each other. "The man" is not our worse enemy anymore, it's our own people. We have been dehumanized so long that we forgot what it means to be human.
To be human is to have compassion. To be human is to show love. To be human is to be of service and to help others. Stop have that "me" mindset and that "I got to make it by any means necessary" mindset because it is hurting our generations and future generations to come. You want to know why Mississippi has never has a black governor, why President Obama is catching "hell" in the white house and why our people are the ones in poverty, why we have the highest drop-out rate, why black men and women are the highest percentage of prisoners in the prison system, it's because we as a people do not stick together but rather have developed the "crab mentality" and forgot where we came from and how hard it was for our people to get the "limited privileges" we have. So the next time we choose to cash in on the demise of our own people, we should ask one question, "What if that were your mother, your sister and your daughter, niece, friend etc. in that video being exploited by her own race. What would you do? Now where the heck is Debbie Allen and L Cool J? One of you need to be going to Compton and searching for Ms. Maia to help her, enough of our people have been lost to the streets, LET'S NOT LET HER ADD TO THE NUMBER!!!!
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