Blogs

Parable ofValue

Dat Dere

Dat Der


Brother Khalid came to Plato Negro wanting to know why his latest book waspriced a hunid dollars? Plato replied, did not a character in one ofShakespeare's plays say, "I know my price"?
Plato told Khalid I wantpeople to value wisdom as opposed to the common, Miller Lite trashpromoted as literature by the bourgeoisie press. Value is based on truthand beauty. Will you not, Khalid, admit The Wisdom of Plato Negrocontains a generous amount of truth and beauty. Khalid agreed. But hesaid, times are hard, people don't have money.

Plato replied, Iknow times are hard, but I see people flocking to music and rapconcerts, paying one hunid dollars and more for tickets. I see thempaying two hunid for tennis shoes made in China for fifty cents. Khalid,he said, you went to college. You bought textbooks that cost over ahunid.

True, said Khalid.

You did not cry crocodile tearsnor snivel, and the books were full of white supremacy and helped fuckup your mind even more than before you got to college.

True, saidKhalid.

So why not a hunid for a book of original wisdom by yourindigenous North American African brother? It might make you saneagain, help you regain your mental equilibrium. Dr. Nathan Hare calls itbiblotherapy.

But a hunid is a lot, Plato!

Now the commonpeople use their common sense to figure out a way to get what they wantin life, especially when they sense something has value. People here inthe Bay who've been reading my books the last fifty years don'thesitate to rush me the hunid. Or they come with twenty, forty, or sixtyand I give them the book. They pay me the rest later. All you need dois ask, can I get a deal? Bargain Negro, you so damn African, but youhave forgotten how to bargain. I don't give a damn what price the whiteman has on his shit, when I go to him, I want a bargain, yes, even athis department stores.

The book is hunid because I want you toappreciate my labor, aside from the wisdom that Fahizah Alim says,"...Reaches in and pulls from a life lived hard, deep, wide, high andlow, i.e., a sacrifice in blood. At the root of sacrifice is sacred,which is of God and for God. He has lived and examined the lives of theproverbial 10,000 black men and women...."

Plus, it is a limitededition, thus the cost of printing is high. I'm dealing with quality,not quantity.
More than anything, give me something for my labor, ifyou don't mind. You are not going to sit on your ass two or three weeks,two or three months, two or three years, so show me appreciation forthe value of my labor and discipline.

If I went the regular bookselling route, let's examine the process. If the book cost twentydollars to print or 20% of the hunid, the distributor wants 70% (or moredepending on his additional mysterious fees--the book stores take 40%),so we are down to 90% or ninety dollars of the hunid. Don't forget thetax man--let's say 5% to 9%, so I come out with $l.00 to $5.oo off ahunid dollar book. Now what kind of trick do you think I am? My Mama wasa businesswoman and my father a businessman, don't you think theytaught me better than to get pimped like a two dollar hoe?

Ofcourse if I cut out the middle man and sell direct to you, I come outwith my shirt on--I can even give you my publisher's discount and stillbuy me some new socks! Do you mind, Khalid?

No, sir. I see yourpoint.

You don't mind if I get paid for the multi-tasking:writer, editor, typist, proof reader, cover designer, layout designer,promoter, publisher, salesman?

That makes sense, Khalid said.

As-Salaam-Alaikum,brother.

Wa-Alaikum Salaam.

After Khalid departed, Platothought further on the matter of value. Value, he mused, can be surmisedby considering the relationship between two women. One woman is aclassic, another a two dollar hoe. Yet, the classic woman has hoequalities and the hoe has classic qualities. Thus they both haveintrinsic value. The classic woman has holiness and hoeness, and the hoehas holiness and hoeness.

The classic woman has the value ofselflessness in her holiness. And the hoe has selflessness in herhoeness, i.e., she is willing to give her love to all willing to pay forher services. The classic woman reflects the hoe's selflessness insharing her love with many, except she doesn't charge for her services.She may request flowers and wine, and maybe trinkets from her loversfrom time to time. The hoe may get these items in addition to her fee,especially if she has a positive attitude that tricks appreciate in ahoe. She will often get a bonus because tricks value attitude.

Wesee both ladies have intrinsic value as human beings and must berespected as such--they are not to be abused nor disrespected in anyway, physically, verbally or emotionally. We can try to make adistinction between the value of the two women, but it is false,especially if one has an emotional connection to both types of women. Ineither case, as spiritual beings, both emanate a positive vibration, anaura of holiness that is external and internal.

It is possibleto learn the value of life from both types of women. The classic womancan teach one to appreciate the finer things of life, to not be a brute,a savage, to be gentle and civil. She will not tolerate disrespect,unless she becomes addicted to the golden handcuffs syndrome wherein shesubmits to harsh treatment by her well heeled mate to the extent shewill reduce her value to that of the two dollar hoe to maintain acertain standard of existence, better known as the world of makebelieve.

The holly hoe will tell you to not be so rough, begentle. You're too rough to be a pimp! And so, Plato mused, love the oneyour with, recognize and respect their value. No one is useless,valueless, everyone has a function. Thus, one object of life is todiscern the value of each human being, beginning with self.

Whatis one's own value or self worth?How can one recognize and respect valuein another without knowing the value of oneself? It is abysmalignorance of self worth that allows human beings to kill and destroyeach other in the hood.

In the interconnectedness of theuniverse, to kill another is to kill oneself! When you kill your brotheryou kill yourself. How can you enjoy life when you have taken life. As aspecial forces soldier said to me, no one who has ever been to war issane. In Iraq, some US soldiers said they used to stand watch at nightuntil they said they knew they deserved death because of all the killingthey'd done, so they stop doing post at night and went to sleep. Theyknew in devaluing others, they had devalued themselves.

When youkill, you are a dead man walking yourself. You must eternally watch yourback, watch your siblings, your children, your mama and daddy, becauseyou know revenge is coming for your ass, it is only a matter of time.

Further,how can you enjoy eating while your brother is starving. Why will younot feed your brother? Why will you not give him a dollar for ahamburger when you have a hunid in your pocket? Can you not imagine aday when your brother may need to feed you? Thus, your brother hasvalue--every dog has his day, to use a cliche.

During slavery theNorth American African had value as chattel property. You were "chattelreal" or personal property of your master. You were not real estatewhich is land and buildings, but you were property none the less. Youcould not destroy the master's property without compensation. You wouldnot think of killing another African unless you were able to paycompensation to the master. We think there was little black on blackhomicide during slavery.
Of course the slave catchers could kill youif you resisted, but even the slave catcher had to compensate yourmaster for your value.

Today you have no value other thanintrinsic, but you don't value yourself. You are the master of yourselftoday. You are the captain of your ship, yet you are reckless anddestructive to yourself and kind because of your consciousness or thelack thereof. You destroy your brother and yourself in senselessnegative activity, as though you have no value.

Your formermaster and his slave catchers, today known as police, recognize you yethave value. You are worth $30,000 to $60,000 per inmate per year in jailand prison. A correctional officer was overheard saying, "Come on back,nigger. I just bought me a yacht. Come on back so I can get one for myson!"
--Marvin X
6/29/10

from Hustler's Guide to the GameCalled Life, in Pull Yo Pants Up fada Black Prez and Yoself by Marvin X,Black Bird Press, 2010.