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THE KIDS ARE DOING ALRIGHT, BABY!

      One of the things I learned while job hunting many years ago (during yet another economic downturn) is that you need to ‘turn off’ the mainstream mess (MSM) because the ‘talking heads’ will cause you more harm than good with their steady stream of bad news.  Therefore, following that advice, I’ve decided to supply some good news on the youth front.

 STILL PAINTING ALL OF OUR YOUTH WITH A BAD BRUSH:

     It’s not that hard to turn on the news or get your ‘daily dose of drama’ from social media and fill your eyes and spirit with all kinds of negativity.  As a (former) member of the fourth estate and ‘working press’ (as we used to call it), I’m enjoying life retired.  However, I still know the tricks of my former ‘trade’.  One of them is—since the public is not protesting how OUR young people are being portrayed—to showcase OUR young people as “Pimps, Playahs, Thugs, Hoes and Prostitutes”.

      It’s not enough to develop our own media sources.  Seems that MANY of the ‘Black Press’ have sold us out and are playing the same blame game as those media outlets ‘of the lighter hue’.  By the way, much of the Black Media community are solidly in the camp of the Democratic National Committee, Planned Parenthood, the NEA, the NAACP, the Sodomite mafia, the Transvestite goons and a host of other liberal, alphabet organizations dedicated to the destruction of the Black community they ‘claim’ to represent. 

      Please—don’t cash their ‘sucker checks’, amen?

      Let me drop a pause at this point.  The Black community—as a whole—is still Pro-Life, Pro-Church, Pro-Police and Anti-Crime.  Our families are growing stronger, our marriages are lasting longer, and we are still creating business, raising solid children, and finding our way to the church house—Wuhan virus or not.  There are too many ‘Black Traitors’ in the Black Press and the various (alleged) alphabet groups bent on our destruction, on the one hand, and claiming ‘victimhood’ on the other.  Of course, all this has to do with making money off us.

      If we did our homework, we would find that MORE than a third of us live in the suburbs.  More Black parents are homeschooling their children, and fewer of our children are winding up in the criminal justice system.  Yes, there will always be a share of our young knuckleheads on TV or social media committing crimes…but the ONLY reason why you see US is because of design, NOT because of reality.

      Black myths sell White—and Black—media narratives.

      Wanna see a change in how we—and our young—are covered in the MSM and the SM?  Boycott the liars in the media, whether they are Black—or White.  Write letters.  Cancel subscriptions. Cut your cable.  Bypass some apps.  The ONLY reason why negative media coverage of Blacks continues is that we are content to let someone else control our narrative.  I’m here to tell you that, even though we have MORE news on the airwaves, there are FEWER Black reporters, editors, and news managers involved in the process than there were back in the sixties and seventies.

      The power is not in the byline or in front of the camera, my friend.  The power is behind the scenes.  We—as a people—need to get beyond being ‘seen’ on camera and be in positions that determine not only WHO is on the camera, but WHAT is being reported about US!

      Got your OWN podcast or column out in cyberspace?  Why not?  What are you waiting for?

 THE KIDS ARE DOING ALRIGHT!

     This summer, I have had the opportunity to be blessed by some of the sharpest Black youth I have seen come down the pike since my teaching days.  I’ve met them in church, on the street, or working and serving as local deliver help.  I decided to pen this column after meeting my latest ‘Black heroes’, a team of pizza delivery warriors.  Dad was the driver and bodyguard.  The teenage daughter stayed with the car and rode shotgun.  The real hero was a young man who was a SIXTH grader who delivered the pizza (under the watchful eye of Dad), counted the money and watched to see if I—the customer—was satisfied (which I was).

      Earlier in the summer, I had the chance to teach at a church Vacation Bible School.  A 14 year-old Black brother was my only student for the entire week.  Not only did he learn his lessons, he asked about the background of several other religions in comparison with Christianity.  When it came time to do the summary presentation for the class, he presented flawlessly.  His presentation was so solid that the young man’s grandmother JOINED the church at the invitation by the Pastor.

      Not to be outdone, I ran into a few older Black college students and graduates this summer.  Young men and young women.  Sharp.  Able to present themselves.  Sure of their abilities.  Knew when to drop the slang and put forth plain English.  Able to tell me where they attended, what they hoped to accomplish and the fields they were going into.  And—most importantly—not only did they know WHERE the church house was, they carried themselves as if they had the church and Jesus Christ IN them.  Sure, a few of them suffered setbacks, but I encouraged them to take a few more steps forward in their studies and ‘try’ some practical advice.

      Black parents who are doing the job—whether they are single or married—need to the commended by the REST of the sensible Black community.  We’ve been down on ourselves for far too long.  When you see an upstanding young Black man or young Black woman, let ‘em know that you are proud of them.  Put a book, money, anything encouraging into their hands or into their ears as sources of information.  Someone invested in you.  I believe it is high time that we return the favor and invest in our youth who are doing—not just trying—to live life on the right side of the street.

      Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister & KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and book reviewer who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.  “The Ramey Commentaries” is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996.  To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: manhoodline@yahoo.com.  ©2022 Barnstorm Communications International.