In the wake of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963, then Nation of Islam Spokesman Malcolm X referenced the killing in the following manner.
I’m a good ol’ country boy and it ain’t never made me sad, its always made me glad when the chickens come home to roost.
Of course, this was Brother Malcolm’s way of saying that the violence America has allowed, and even perpetrated worldwide, has finally circled and taken out its Commander-in-Chief.
There may not be a more appropriate description of what we saw today as thousands of Trump supporters asininely attempted to execute a coup in the nation’s Capital. I cannot join political commentators, politicians, and naïve American citizens as they express shock and outrage at Donald J. Trump’s reckless language and the subsequent actions of persons marred by historic historical illiteracy and astounding ignorance regarding the political process of a nation that they profess to cherish. I am unmoved by today’s events.
As a Black man who has lived in a nation controlled by powerful Whites and even harassed by White non-elites, I long ago realized that the words uncivilized, uncontrollable, and ungovernable fit many of my White countrymen like a tailored suit. Do not be unduly dissuaded into believing that what you witnessed today is the exception to the rule. This is the standard behavior of such people.
I find it impossible to believe that a single Black person was surprised at the deplorable antics of adrenaline-filled Whites who have been convinced, without a shred of evidence, I might add, that their foremost inheritance, the United States of America, is being stolen from them. Whites have been convinced for the longest time that Abraham Lincoln’s words that “America is a nation that was created by Whites and should always serve the interests of Whites” is the baseline of their existence. Such thinking serves as the impetus behind an unmistakable preference to rule in hell rather than serve in heaven. Any attempt to wrestle what they have convinced themselves is their birthright from them reveals them as an uncivilized, uncontrollable, and ungovernable lot.
Although most are shocked by Trump supporters forced entry into the Capitol to halt the electoral vote, the truth of the matter is that this is not the first time that Whites have behaved in such a manner during the past four years. They have stormed State Capitol’s before with guns in hand. In fact, it would be fair to state that this type of behavior should be expected by angry misguided Trump supporters devoid of any semblance of civility.
Although I am not shocked by their antics, I do not blame them alone for this situation. I blame reasonable-minded yet cowardly Whites who have turned a blind eye to the behavior of this uncivilized, uncontrollable, and ungovernable lot. Of course, it is easy for well-meaning Whites to ignore what amounts to social cancer as long as it ravages Black and Brown bodies, not their own. The deplorable conduct of our countrymen should have been addressed long ago. Yet, the powers that be allowed the alluded to domestic terrorism to grow unchecked.
Let’s be honest about from whence these actions come. Domestic terrorism by Whites predates the founding of America and continues to the present moment. Marauding lawless, uncontrollable, and ungovernable Whites have lynched others, including some Whites that they disagreed with, burned bodies, raped, and ruled by unbridled force. It is who they are. In this nation, we must never forget that the unofficial mantra for who rules is summed up in the thought that “might equals right.”
So, you must excuse this Black man for being somewhat amused at today’s events, because much like Malcolm X, “I’m a good ol’ country boy and it ain’t never made me sad, its always made me glad when the chickens come home to roost.”
Dr. James Thomas Jones III
© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021.