systems |
Neo Genesis
Black Wall Street 2.0 began as a partnership between 2 black men and fathers who simply wanted to see a better world for the next generation. We focused on solutions instead of protests, but we had to balance the multiple impacts of history with current realities. We understood that those who do not know or understand the past are doomed to repeat it. So we focused on Black Wall Street and the spirit of that most successful black community in Tulsa. We were inspired by their story and relished in the knowledge of what we could still do today if we simply worked together. And so we, Brett and Jonathan, set out on a mission to do what we could do to promote economic solutions.
The legacies of both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, leaders in both Black Christianity and Islam, began to converge before their assassinations. Malcolm, as well as the Black Panthers, had always spoken about self-reliance and economic power. Without these, the dominant society would not have the same motivation to accept and therefore treat the African Descendants of Slavery the same. And through this website, I hope to teach this audience that “Perception is Power”. Another point I will work to prove, being equally valid, is that “Racism is Intellectual Warfare” and when verbal communication fails (“The pen”) the sword tends to follow.
And this is why Malcolm and King were assassinated. If they were able to join hands, join movements, join communities, join intellectual weaponry, under the same ideal… “Economic Justice”... It would potentially be too powerful to stop. And for the same reasons that Rome crucified a man who was positioned to be the next “King” of Israel, while Israel was already in rebellion against the Empire, MLK was yet another “King” assassinated before he could “Unite The Tribes”.
And just as Cyber warfare happens under the radar of the general consciousness of society, this war is designed to continue to be fought under the general consciousness of society. This is a lesson I’m still learning and teaching myself.
The threat to the empire is snuffed out, in ruthless precision, by attacking the head and roots. We, that is the early formation of BWS2.0, thought we could play some role in bringing people together. We even came up with an overall strategy and plan to create an economic engine. And in that strategy, we saw the need and opportunity to work with Pan Africans to create a Pipeline between Africa and the African Diaspora that included products and services.
There are 2 major puzzle pieces necessary to create an Economic Engine. You need Supply & Demand. One simply doesn’t work without the other. Even if there is a demand for “black products”, and we dreamed of creating a “Black Amazon” there simply weren’t enough products that we could find to support an entire mall. Daunted, but without this, we didn’t want to compete against what others, like Tag Team Marketing, are doing as reinventing the wheel was against our ideal of bringing people together. Instead, we focused on simply supporting the Buy Black Movement and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done there to help increase the demand.
On the supply side, greater demand would require more manufacturing. To fulfill orders we could then encourage the creation of manufacturing facilities in Africa to compete with Chinese facilities. This could create jobs in Africa in places where the cost of living is much lower. And then to link African production to demand in the diaspora we could then invest in transportation services and delivery services. This way, as products are moving, we’re gaining from it more and more as we invest, instead of losing from it. If this Pipeline could be established on the supply side and if Group Economics could be applied on the demand side, it would create a host of jobs on all sides that are independent in such a way that wouldn’t require African Americans to depend as much upon initiatives meant to pressure private companies into hiring minorities. It’s not about giving up on the fight for inclusion and diversification. It’s about establishing an economic base of our own while doing so. This way, if the left hand isn’t enough, the right hand can help out.
BWS2.0 identified the Black Hair Industry as the industry we needed to focus on. This is the industry that has the most potential. Brett led the way in making inroads and partnerships while I (Jonathan) focused on developing an appropriate strategy. And the idea was simple. We needed to use technology to help move the point of sale for products to the salons and barbershops where the black consumer base was already being served. This would reduce the dependency on Asian products sold in beauty supply stores across the United States, targeting this vacuum in our community that has a prime potential for generating billions of dollars in revenue. By giving that money away we’re investing in our own not-so-hostile takeover. And to be targeted in this way, by another “race”, is simply a part of “Economic Warfare” that has become systemic. As such we determined that we would never be able to now compete on the same previously established field of battle. Meaning, that instead of trying to play catch up with black-owned beauty supply stores, we had to move the point of sale to the territory we already owned: black-owned salons and barbershops. Because this situation and strategy both remain true I am encouraging anyone who owns or knows the owner of a black-owned salon or barbershop to sign onto the strategic plan that we developed which will be available on this website.
To make much of what we wanted and hoped to do possible, it requires funding. We wanted to operate with minimal overhead while continuing to help BOBs (Black-Owned Businesses). We positioned ourselves as consultants in this effort. And we were just getting started when we suffered a major setback.
We were approached by a man going by the name DeVon. This man had a partner but who was also able to gain other followers to lend credibility to himself and what he could do as he played the role of an angel investor. This took the shape of what he called “The Kemetic Pipeline” which tried but failed to acquire BWS2.0 under the umbrella of “Black Wall Street International”. What would have made it “International” was the work we were aiming to accomplish with our Pan-African partners; to engage with Africa on the supply side. However, something didn’t smell right to me and so in my skepticism, I choose to pull back and wait and see if any of our partners were receiving any funding out of this “investor”. But all I heard instead were people who couldn’t get through the process. So we had to sever our relationship with DeVon and Charisse and as we did so and even before, DeVon was increasingly behaving erratically like things weren’t progressing fast enough because what he wanted us to do was use our collective influence to provide him with “members” that he could leverage for his own gain. But, again, we weren’t going to participate in that if it was a scam. And some of this erratic behavior involved things he personally claimed to me to be of a “covert ops” nature; like I was dealing with a secret agent of sorts. This was designed to make us fear him. I was even told I was under surveillance. But, “I ain't no punk” and I continued to dig and although I couldn’t find anything incriminating on him, I did discover his partner was involved in a cultish scam.
This relationship, for the short time it lasted, tainted us in some way and I felt tainted by it. It was discouraging and I was extremely discouraged. I felt like we had the ball in our hands, we had the momentum, but right when we were trying to shoot, we were getting checked and blocked by our own people. So it’s important to understand that when people use the term “agents” it shouldn’t be taken lightly and it shouldn’t be restricted to government agents or “coons” (black people who are anti-black). Agents can be anyone who is incorporated with but whose agenda runs contrary to the needs and greater good of the corporate unit. Agents will respond to anyone who is conscious and anyone trying to wake other people up to rebel against the system. And those who now have the ball, who are more actively on the front lines, as we were, need to be aware of agents in all forms and colors.
We were weakened enough by this that other personal matters were able to end our partnership. After that, it simply never felt right to continue without my partner. I still miss who we were and what we were able to accomplish together. Brett was a great partner and friend. BWS2.0 simply isn’t the same without him. And so, like Yoda had to retreat into the swampy wilderness of Dagobah, I too retreated and am only now re-emerging, in a sense, as a voice from the wilderness; reaching out to a new generation.
Now, I hope to build upon the strategies and tactics I learned between then and now and present them as systems, programs and tools for those on and behind the front lines, whether you’re engaged in debate (intellectual combat) or whether you’re wanting to build or get involved with a team of builders, my purpose now is to stand with but more importantly behind you, because we need both.
Definitions & Understanding the Power of Words
In case this site is found useful for people of all races, I have found that definitions are very important and we need to make sure that our definitions are accessible to everyone. Definitions that aren’t will become weapons that The System will use against us. And since Black People, in general, already know this, this understanding is mostly for allies and non-allies either trying to understand us or who have been purposefully “dis-informed” to attack us. The pen is mightier than the sword and whoever said words can’t hurt was probably not discriminated against or even constantly bullied. Even if we don’t want it to affect us, it does because words are thoughts and ideas that seep in and have the ability to influence our own thoughts and ideas.
Consider how many people of all races and cultures accept and believe in “magic”. It is universal and yet not a single person has ever proved it to exist. The one place it definitely exists is in our minds. It becomes a mental construct that people accept. Channeling belief through that construct, people cannot prove their spells, their blessings, or their curses, have any real power but we convince each other that it does. Therefore, when people use words against you, whether they are calling you names or whether they are trying to convince you their definition is authoritative, please consider this concept of magic and spells and how, as powerful as we can make these things sound, these are simply words that the human mind accepts and the power is created by our own belief. So even if something isn’t real in a factual sense, people make things real (to them) in a belief and experiential meta-sense.
Because the power of words becomes the power of the mind, words can manipulate the mind. This could be empowering to us personally but equally disempowering to another individual or group. Child psychologists understand this. People in marketing understand this. Our “magic” is in saying things over and over in an attempt to make them true. And once the meaning is accepted, that’s when our behavior acts out the intention. So when I say X is a mental construct, I’m saying that it exists in the mind and has the power that we believe it does. If you truly understand this then you will see through words and their meanings and understand that this is a pathway to ending some of the worse social viruses on the planet: racism, sexism, anti-semitism, etc. because they are nothing more than ideas that spread from person to person like a spell.
We can even go deeper into this and understand that just as spells could have connections to “spirits”, words too can embody a certain “spirit” (not a ghost) or: “those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person, nation, or group or in the thought and attitudes of a particular period.”
To fight bad ideas we need to understand and attack what they mean. Believing a curse placed upon you helps to make it real just like believing that you are stupid or guilty of a crime because some parent, teacher, or police officer told you repeatedly. We LEARN BY REPETITION so anything, positive or negative, that we repeat can affect us socially on both a personal, national, and even a global level. (For the record, this is a concept I have been developing that I call PSIONIX; which has to do with mental programming)
And as much as I really don’t like and have an aversion to conspiracy theories… the more I think about this the more I see that this is something they demonstrably do not want everyone to know and agree on, especially “White People” or people of European descent. It’s no different from Financial Education. It isn’t taught institutionally because it doesn’t benefit the people who fund institutions. So by the very same token, there are other subjects that aren’t taught because they do not benefit those holding the power and purse strings of America. How do we know? Because normally, if you wanted to learn about a subject you’d go to a master of the subject or at least someone with enough experience in that subject to teach you about it.
Think about that. Am I wrong? And yet there are many people fighting to protect ignorance by shutting down access to education and American history only as it relates to “wokeness” which is being used as a banner for consciousness about sexual orientation, racism, and sexism. And by extension “they“, the divisive group that does the dividing, creates monsters for “straight white men” to fear out of the: LGBT community, black community, and feminist community. These attacks are how we know what they’re afraid of. They know that if there is not only exposure but understanding resulting from information and education, things will continue to change. And that’s what they’re ultimately afraid of. So if I say “they don’t want you to know X” they are literally trying to block you and others from the knowledge I want to share with you. Knowledge is power and so it is also the power to change things. But the more desperate their attempts to keep people from knowledge, the more it will backfire; whether it’s curiosity or rebellion.
Black Wall Street 2.0 Dictionary
What is "The System"?
The System is a mental construct, metaphysically used to embody the social construct of the Globalized distribution of white racial power against non-whites (White Supremacy).
What is White Supremacy?
White Supremacy was instantiated as a subclass of classism wherein humans tend to divide into social castes, classes, or tribes for the purpose of creating advantages by placing one above the other in the social hierarchy. This social engineering is planted like a seed in the mind and grows into a mental virus that infects even those who would never consider themselves racist.
What is Systemic Racism?
Systemic Racism is adapted from Stokely Carmichael’s original definition of “Institutional Racism”. It is a “covert” and thus hidden form of racism that hides in the beliefs and biases of individuals who have positions of power within an institution, allowing them to negatively impact individuals with race as a factor. These beliefs and biases can take different forms such as actions and/OR business practices, presumptions, policies, and/OR any other social, economic, or political activity that treats any members of a “Race” better or worse than members of other “Races”.
Note: Debating this was the catalyst that led me to the realization of why these definitions are so important. Every website dedicated to a cause should have clear definitions of what they mean and intend so as to disallow others to hijack the understanding between speaker and audience.
What is a Racist?
A Racist is an individual who has accepted the social construct of race and the mental virus that creates a superiority complex by virtue of believing that members of a different race are inferior to members of the dominant race. The symptoms of this mental virus present on a spectrum of ignorance from covert racism and belief in common stereotypes that seem playful and harmless to more destructive ideas and overt and intentional support for the dominant race.
What is Race?
Race is a mental construct composed of the idea that all men (and women) are not created equal. This inequality is built into the idea of race and therefore makes the acceptance of race into the acceptance of the power dynamic that it implies. While race is mainly associated with color, color is typically incidental; a mask making “the other” more easily identifiable. Race is used to rally allies against a common threat; whether because “the other” group is a threat or because the group loses cohesiveness without that common enemy.
What/Who are Whites?
Because Race is a mental construct, by definition this means that “White People” do not exist. However, to say something doesn’t exist that people identify as is also problematic. Whiteness; therefore, is an umbrella term for persons believed to fall under the parameters serving as the unwritten qualifications to be white. These qualifications, beyond skin color, were relative and related to moral/ethical standards, pedigree, wealth, and linguistic and cultural assimilation.
Different ethnic groups that were, previously hated and discriminated against, could be and were at different times accepted as white. This allowed them to be seen according to the best qualities of the best “Whites” instead of the worst qualities of the worst of their social group. This acceptance is analogous to a general acceptance into American society (American Exceptionalism) which is not only racist but the reason that White Nationalists, accepting all of the previously non-white groups, consider America to be for “Whites Only” and the unwelcoming expense of minorities, who by their skin color, could never be accepted as “White”. You are white if you and others believe the label applies to you; however, you do not have to identify as white whether or not you are identified or treated as such.
What/Who are Black People?
Black People exist as a "race" only to serve as a contrast to the invention of Racism and the mental construct that is ascribed to this belief in white power and superiority. Even though “All men are created equal”, calling some “White” creates the illusion that they are better. Generations buy into this notion through the acceptance and tolerance of the existence of “White People”.
Black People are a forced opposite, forced opposition, to rally White People against.Although it doesn’t exist in reality, it is accepted as fact but only tolerated to varying degrees represented by White Power as a source of social influence. By its very definition, “Black People” are racially oppressed, creating an illusion of inferior parameters that go beyond skin color: inferior morals/ethics, pedigree, wealth, and linguistic and cultural assimilation.
Since "Black People" are the race on the receiving end of White Supremacy, persons identified as black try to reverse the stigma of “Blackness” by associating it with positive and opposite messaging in order to release mental chains as well as encourage the rest of the world to see blackness in a more positive light; affirming the best qualities of the best members of the group, rather than the worst of the worst. Skin color cannot be washed off or covered. Therefore, some black people, hating the additional parameters applied monolithically to the Black Race may suffer a mental conflict that causes them to further assimilate into the “American” label in order to escape the realities of American racism (see “Coon”).
Black Excellence
“Black Excellence” is an ideal and a contrast to “American Exceptionalism” that exists because Black People were denied entry, not as citizens, but as equals. White America wanted to take credit for Black Contributions as Americans without accepting black people or taking credit for the adverse conditions perpetuated by the continued presence of systemic racism.
What are Black Conservatives?
Black Conservatives are often seen as coons and sellouts but loved by Republicans for agreeing with them, mainly about black people. Black Conservatives have a tendency towards a certain myopia where they think their own personal experience is indicative of what the black experience in White society could be without realizing that the only reason why they are shielded from racism is because they agree with racists and justify their feelings and beliefs in a way that makes them feel like they’re not racist. Black Conservatives have more fortunate lives because they do not realize the unique privilege they receive by being the “token” black in that position.
The Great Switch: When Black people switched parties
Black Conservatives often pride themselves on seeing issues in the Democratic Party or with Liberalism in general; especially as it represents more secular values as opposed to theocratic Christian values which most Christians wouldn’t mind living under the rule of. Many people are pulled in by their values while Black Conservatives also feel an aversion to Liberal values because of their strong beliefs or loyalty to their religion. Black Conservatives may also blind themselves to the political history of both parties in regards to race because the parties weren’t necessarily separated by geography so the reality was that both parties were racist. And while this was exceedingly true at the time and still true in a more covert manner, Black Conservatives overly identify the Democratic Party with the fact that it used to be the more overtly racist part of the KKK and now, because they didn’t want to be in the same party, they (racists) switched to the Republican party just as African Americans switched to the Democratic Party. This switch is disregarded by a lot of Black Conservatives, seemingly out of loyalty to the original party, when in reality, African Americans were simply willing to vote with the party that was promising more representation. This was done to appease black people just enough to get their votes. If the Republican party would have countered with a better offer the switch would not have happened. But not only did the Republican Party fail to offer Black People a better deal, it took its rejection of Black People as a political strategy to market their racism and fear to White conservatives and racists who would join and remain loyal to the party to this day. That is the reason Black People vote the way they do and why Black People will not switch back.
However, there is a growing movement not to be loyal to either party. Democrats, and the DNC especially, need to understand that they’ll need more than rhetoric and black faces and showing up in black churches if they want to keep the black vote which is large enough to sway close elections.
The N-Word vs Nigga
There is a conflict in the Black Community over the use of the word “Nigga”. The word is colloquially used in different tones in order to indicate both positive and negative feelings toward another individual. It was adopted in order to be recast in a manner that black people have control of instead of the previous era where racist Whites had control and freely used the term to denigrate black people. This is generally identical to how women were called the B-word and how many women took power back by using it themselves but applying their own flexible definitions according to their tone. The tonality and context create a spectrum in how the word is used that designates its meaning. This is no different from how many other words are used in the English language, having multiple definitions.
It isn’t the word that ever has power. It is the meaning and what it means to you. Black People who choose not to use “nigga” according to their conscience are perfectly fine and I love and respect their point of view. If they think it should be retired, that’s also fine. People who use the word are also fine and may not ever use it with the same context or tone as the “er” version. I believe what matters is that it’s our choice which means we have the power. I have the power to use it as I see fit, along with words such as: Niger, Negro, Negus/Negast (King/Kings), Adham, ebony, jet, onyx, raven, etc. because there is nothing inherently wrong with the word, but rather how words are used. And if you understand how “black” is used in the English language and all the negative associations it has (https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/black) then you will see that “black”, applied by racists, was nothing more than the original N-word.So the concept is still being used and will continue to be used until we all stop using “White”.
What is Woke?
Woke is simply a construct of consciousness. It is the awareness of ourselves in relation to others around us. There is a spectrum of consciousness just as there is a spectrum of ignorance. It ranges from “Knowledge of Self” all the way to “Enlightenment”.
“Wokeness” has existed in the black community for more than 30 years. The controversy over wokeness exists today because the embracing of consciousness has begun to spread into American culture at large. People of all races are starting to understand and in their understanding, they are beginning to wake up to the realities of life as it relates, not just to their own experience of life, but the experience of others. This involves something that has traditionally plagued separated labels but also the overall aggregate of the Human Race; EMPATHY.
This level of growing “awareness” is misunderstood and combated by those who see it as a threat to their social norms and status quo. And they’re absolutely right. But who said their social norms were righteous? That status quo is simply what benefits them and therefore the largest opposition to “wokeness” comes from those most benefited by the status quo: “straight white men”. These three labels (orientation/race/gender) are the antithesis to equality in each of these three areas and the conflict between “pro” and “an” creates protagonists and antagonists whose methods create and perpetuate: homophobia, racism, and sexism.
The ultimate enlightenment at the end of “the rainbow” of Human differences is the knowledge and acceptance that all of humanity is one Race and therefore ONE (Neo) and the same.
Understanding "Wokeness" / Consciousness
When you are conscious you will understand why “wokeness” is under attack. The mind that is sleeping desires to stay asleep, entranced by its benefits. However, staying asleep too long is destructive to the tasks that can only be done when you’re awake. We all live for a night and a day. Life is too short to sleep it away.
I’ve given you the definitions but these definitions are somewhat lacking on their own. We need to apply the correct philosophy to them in order to actually spark the creation of consciousness and new neural connections. Many people think they understand these words because they read the definition in a dictionary. However, these words alone cannot quantify the experiences they speak to.
In the movie, The Matrix was shown as a fully rendered virtual reality but its operator saw it for what it really was. Code. Programming. As a programmer myself, this is easy to digest. And Neo could understand it more readily even though he was just woken up because he too was a programmer inside the program. Most of what we see is based on what we expect to see, which is the image created by society. We both feed into it (output) as well as adapt to it (input). Many people want to know how they can help make things better if they’re not racists. I/O. Be conscious of your input and output. Your output is (influence) someone else’s input. Racism persists because the virus creates a feedback loop. Because a common factor is ignorance we can say that racism feeds off ignorance. Therefore the virus (seeming to have a mind of its own) seeks to block and destroy any education that would create a vaccine to itself.
For those (deep sleepers) who cannot be told what the Matrix is, you simply have to see it. Morpheus (An older black man) explains the difficulty of this (to a younger white man). It is important that Neo understands that the system is everything and everyone around him, whether they realize they are or not. Morpheus tells Neo what the goal is. The goal is not payback or retribution which is often the secret fear and fantasy of so much unspoken hype. No, this is not a story of mutually assured destruction. This is a story of salvation. The last profession you hear from Morpheus is “carpenter”; one of many references to Yeshua (“Jesus”). Neo has to be willing to sacrifice himself to save humanity; however, like Yeshua, this sacrifice is simply a demonstration of love. Love itself requires us to sacrifice our own selfish wants and desires in the interest of the greater good. What is the greater good and who does it apply to? Well if you’re stuck in the Matrix then it only applies to the people stuck with you in the Matrix. And if you’re programmed to hate a group of people then you are programmed to fear and hinder their progress. You’re not actually free unless you aren’t programmed. And this doesn’t apply only to race, but to gender and sexual orientation. Until we can escape the programming, as a society, there will always be Neos (the ones) who must rebel.
Another hugely important note is that until people are saved from the programming of The Matrix, they are an enemy. You’ve surely already heard that we are all our own worst enemy. So then apply the same logic to society. There’s no reason to be partisan about it if we apply this same logic. It’s not about which society is superior. It’s about how we, as a society, can improve. And if we’re stuck in the past, stuck in loops, we cannot move forward. The reason there is a racial divide when it comes to consciousness is also because of what Morpheus says about why they aren’t ready to be unplugged. He tells Neo that he has to understand because he wants him to be understanding and not try to force everyone into consciousness kicking and screaming.
Morpheus is telling us, in general, that attacking random people on Twitter is not the answer. In fact, that behavior likely further entrenches them into their position. Instead, we must understand why they hold that position similar to a pawn on a chess board. And that is because they are “so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it”. Ever wonder why the MAGA crowd plays the angle of being so patriotic? For them, America is The System and it is good because of what it has done for them. And so they are blinded to what it may be doing to you. And so the MAGA crowd is afraid of gay men trying to “get” their children when the reality is that those gay men used to be children; children who were brutally teased and bullied. So they’re not trying to “get” them. They’re trying to show them that it’s okay to be who they are. But the defensive mechanisms of the system aren’t trained to see that. They only recognize it as a “virus” because their immune response can only see it as “other”.
Were you listening to me? Or were you looking at the woman in the red dress? These are the distractions that The System parades out in front of us to steer our attention from the truth; from the agents manipulating us and protecting the Matrix. The purpose of the Agents is to keep the masses asleep by silencing those who are telling the masses to wake up.
An example of this is every debate about every new movie that some people will always hate because they’re responding to something in it that is “too woke”. What they’re telling you is that they cannot be educated and entertained at the same time. They just want to be entertained. They just want to sleep and dream and who is Morpheus but the god of dreams?
You're supposed to share in this negative reaction; missing the fact that the greatest stories ever told have always inspired and educated us. Storytellers, like griots, recounted our history and preached to our imaginations by having us relate to characters and inspiring us through the hero’s journey. If all you want is action then all you want from your meal is sugar. And that may be all your stomach craves but it isn’t what you need and it isn’t what content creators have to serve you. Mindless entertainment inspires mindless consumption. Dopamine highs. People get addicted like crack without being conscious of what it’s doing to their bodies because they aren’t “woke” to its effects. And why do we get addicted to mindless entertainment, demanding more and more? It is because we want to escape. But are we escaping the dream? Or are we trying to escape reality by staying and being put back to sleep?
The training program used to teach Neo about the Matrix was designed to teach one thing. If you are not one of us you are one of them. When Neo asks who they are as I’m sometimes asked who the “they” is that I keep referring to, Morpheus answers by saying “sentient programs”. In essence, what he’s revealing is that even though most people in The System are asleep (which enables The System to keep running) these agents are not. They have a higher level of awareness and, unlike others, are choosing to fight for The System. They are ruthless because they too depend on the system but they are fully conscious of it. They accept that they're racist, but they’re also a police officer or a judge, or a prosecutor, or your lawyer, or your school teacher, and so at any moment, the virus (epitomized by Agent Smith who literally replicated) the virus manifests itself as something more than just a harmless carrier. At that moment, when the gun is drawn, that is when they will execute the will of The System from the conscious perspective of one who is the enemy. This is why Systemic Racism exists. It is because the agents only appear when they are acting out the racism embedded in their programming. That police officer interrogating a kid for 10 hours? He doesn’t care about the well-being or mental health of that kid. He is simply following his programming with ruthless efficiency.
Agents incite sleepers to judge Systemic Racism by the existence of policy. Policy is Programming. It’s written down. It’s a rule that everyone can see. When we take the job we are agreeing to follow the rules and regulations of that job and the policies of that employer, acting as their “agent”. But Racism is a mental virus. Viruses are code. Viruses often use “good code” to sneak “bad code” into a system. And then the bad code is executed by The System because it cannot tell the difference. A lot of people don’t expect viruses because they’ve been taught that bad things look bad and good things look good. A man in a suit… good. A group of young men wearing baggy jeans… bad. But one of those young men could steal a purse or a wallet, but the man in a suit can steal the pensions of hundreds or thousands of people. You can’t judge a book by its cover and this is often exactly what people do when it comes to race.
Why black people? It is simply due to the contrast of skin color that makes it easier to see one’s own self as “good” by seeing “the other” as bad. Anyone who hasn’t been unplugged potentially sees the world like this and will potentially act, consciously or subconsciously, according to their explicit or implicit biases. As Morpheus says, “they are everyone and they are no one.” The masses gather round in a circle to tell each other they’re not racist and racism is over and so there’s nothing to fix now because ding dong the witch is dead. But the stark reality is that Black people have survived up to recent years by hiding from them and running from them.
A lot of white people consider why black friends aren’t plentiful. They, like the author of Dilbert, reach a faulty conclusion that it is because black people don’t like white people. The only reason why Morpheus is hanging out with Neo is because he knew that Neo had been at least, on a physical level, unplugged. Morpheus’s trust in Neo is based on his potential of being The One. Otherwise, everything Morpheus said about The System and people in it, applies to Neo by default. By default, Black People’s survival is predicated upon limiting our exposure. I’m in communities with white people but I need to have something in common with them and our commonality has to be stronger than our differences. We may both want to live in a world where this is the default. But in the real world, the virus is the default. That is The System.
Lastly, before I leave the rest to address in other articles designed for Neos and Future Neos (aka Allies), White people often seem to wonder about this “they” who long ago we simply called “The Man” which no doubt drove white people crazy trying to figure out… but more than who is how. How are Agents doing… this? And by this, long ago we would say “he’s holding me down”. This translates to modern and academic terminology as… prejudice, disenfranchisement/exclusion, and the subtle manipulation of a person’s future through everyday and ordinary discrimination; things that DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) were designed to stop. Only agents would try and stop that. Many people can’t, for the life of them, see the harm done by modern-day racism. They think it exists but question how powerful of a force it could be without painfully overt policies and marketing campaigns around those policies with flashing pulsing red arrows pointing to them. And because they are looking for the obvious they cannot see the virus because the individual cells… individual cases of it… are simply too small to be seen by the naked eye unless you zoom in which you wouldn’t do if you weren’t consciously trying to see it. This is why so many do not. They just want to be entertained so just shut up and dribble.
But we can’t. Because as Morpheus said, “they are the gatekeepers. They are guarding all the doors and holding all the keys which means that sooner or later someone will have to fight them.”