Black People Will Never Get Their Reparations
not angry this time just disappointed ... again
I’m writing this right after the Tyson vs Paul fight, for better context. But I watched it and I’m aware of who won(I don’t want to talk about it) after the fight was finished like any other human being in the 21st century I hopped right onto social media. Right away a tweet popped out “I’m going to bed, but if Mike Tyson loses the fight tonight America is 0 for 3 this month in letting white men win titles they don’t deserve”. That hit me, it finally was out in the open, why everyone was geared and pumped for this fight. Yes everyone wanted to see Jake Paul get punched repeatedly and yes it’s Mike Tyson returning to the ring. But what everyone(Black People) really wanted to see was Black Men come on top, no offense. This month Black People have just been catching strays, it feels like since we’ve been on a winning streak for a minute, society has found a way to remind us of our place.
I know, Mike Tyson winning the fight isn’t what I want for reparations but it’s the best thing(most realistic) I could’ve gotten from America. We deserved that.
That’ll never happen though, we’ll never get our reparations because to do that America would have to acknowledge what they have done, continue to do so, and when given a chance choose not to. They understand how it would look, and the implications that would bring. It’s one thing to acknowledge a small blip of history but to say “So we’re sorry for everything we’ve done to your people and continue to do so, here’s some money, I hope that makes you feel better”. They know that’s not going to cut it, we want more than 40 acres and a mule now. Shit, I want free education for Black People, free healthcare, free housing, 80 acres, and a Hellcat then I “might” HEAR your apology, NOT accept. America knows we want blood now it’s too late.
It’s not just us, they’re worried about all of the people America has wronged. They’d have to rewrite the whole Government to make this equitable for all of their victims. America doesn’t and won’t do that, this country is built off of the backs of others. It is an imperial, capitalist, war-hungry, country that needs things to stay like this and never change.
Reparations now are just tearing down and rebuilding the institutions in place. That’s the only thing that not only will be equivalent but also fix America for the better(that’s stretching).
Now that a couple of days have passed and that anger is just simmering instead of burning I can confidently say that the fight was to showcase that reparations are a dream of the old negro. After understanding what the fight meant to Black people, I came to understand that White people saw it differently. Just like us, they were fighting to prove something by pushing Paul to fight this 58-year-old man(even though it was Mike Tyson). I’ll give Jake some credit once he realizes Mike’s shape and that he wasn’t going as hard as he used to, Jake didn’t go too far(which is a lot for him). But I will never get over the two speeches that they shared. It was the finality in their tones like it was always meant to be this way. Everyone was there to prove something, which they did.
The old and new negro have gone back and forth; What would be substantial enough for all of the suffering done to our people? How would we determine the handout of these reparations? How do you make sure that these advancements stay in place? So many unanswered questions. Now as a modern negro I will say we will never have to worry about those answers. Just like the White Americans have feared Black people want blood. Nothing is enough now, that’s why this fight was so publicized and pushed to American society as the “fight of the century”, kind of poetic right like it came straight out of a Greek tragedy.
If you aren’t aware of American history, one of the big reasons why White Southerners were afraid of ending slavery or acknowledging/giving reparations for Black people was because they were afraid of what Black people would do. The retaliation… Scary right, the knowledge that you’ve done something so bad that you fear revenge.
This fight was to put Black people in their place, as a reminder, the final nail in the coffin if you will. I like to look at things through a storyteller’s lens, so let me set the scene for you. An American sport brings the country together to watch a once-in-a-lifetime fight that will be talked about for days to come between a legendary historical icon who has retired gracefully and a new and upcoming internet bad boy turned athlete. What can I say I love a good story, and American stories are always the most symbolic, if you will. I watched this fight with my dad, just us two, an older White man, and a young Black woman. We both were cheering for Tyson(obviously) but still, it’s something I know in 10 years he and I will still be bringing up, just like he does with the other matches he’s seen. Which is why I say, there was nothing more disheartening to see Tyson lose. The look on my dad’s face as he realized that Mike, although he’s Mike Tyson was still just a 58-year-old man. And yes I am aware my dad didn’t have the same hunger as I did to Tyson’s victory but still, he was well aware of the implications this fight was addressing.
Every American was…
History has a funny way of repeating itself, it’s almost as if the joke relies on the fact that the person telling it doesn’t seem to get it. Maybe if it repeats they’ll finally get it.
We’re approaching a cultural shift, a new chapter for America, people are restless and want change. Sadly Obama becoming President didn’t give us that so now it looks like people want more. Blood, guts, and gore galore is what they are hungry for.
