The social ills of American society always represent an interesting enigma all of us having a hand in the establishment and evolution of the greatest country that the world has known to date. The paradox of the American social enigma is that through the turmoil of history’s brutal development, most of us have not been able to stand back and look from a wider perspective a perspective that allows us to see the intricacies of our American experience. Most of us go about looking and judging the world based on our narrow vision, knowledge and understanding. As we celebrate Columbus Day, a man who was a mass murderer and enslaver, and watch O.J. Simpson be acquitted, and prepare for the monumental Million Man March which is more hype than the coming together of African American men to strategize for patient perseverance I have quietly reflected to critique us. By this I do not mean us African Americans, but us Americans.

Every culture has a psychology that is handed down for the prevalence of that culture. Think of the psychology of celebrating Christopher Columbus. He killed, he maimed and enslaved, and we celebrate the legacy that he established. His objective was money, not the establishment of a justly balanced nation. I am not a writer of history, this is just science. I have considered the popular interpretation of him and the interpretation given by the earliest Americans (Native Americans). If we are really interested in the perpetuity of this nation, it would be more sensible to celebrate the struggles of the enslaved African Americans or the abolitionists and others who gave their lives, not rhetoric, to the ideas in our constitution. How does this relate to the current social ills of America? What we pay homage to or give our allegiance to will inevitably shape our views in every respect, particularly in a social context. I thought about Columbus as I listened to the news report of the Build up of the White Aryan Resistance. They and other supremacist organizations are fed up with the acquittal of O.J. Simpson and are calling for the repatriation of African Americans to Africa. This is not even worth addressing.

With the acquittal of O.J. Simpson, I’ve seen just how easily misled White Americans and African Americans can be. African Americans are cheering for a man who has represented nothing positive for African Americans, and White by-and-large, according to polls, wanted him to be found guilty despite the lack of evidence in a fair trial. The pitfall in racial reasoning in both cases is that they over looked the real issue. Two people are dead and the average American could not afford and would not get a fair trial under the same circumstances. The state will pay for an $183 public defender and a don’t blink or you’ll miss it-style trial. A fair trial costs roughly $8 million and just as much effort in time. Our impulse is the most common enemy to critical thought.

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Last but not least, in my reflection of the American enigma is the Million Man March on Washington D.C. Led by a man with split personality contradictions, African Americans will be herded to Washington D.C. when the presence of African-American men and application of genuine principles are needed in the individual communities. We will pay the government (the so-called white devils) for land contracts, spend $2.65 million on a Sony sound stage and pay all expenses to get to Washington when those funds would be best spent igniting the floundering economy of Black America. Symbolism without substance is time and energy wasted.

I pray for the day that Americans will be able to divorce their rational minds from their emotions, for the progress of this nation and the establishment of yet more evolved social civilization. I hope that readers will be able to tie together the three points of reference to develop a broader reflection on American society. It boils down to the individual responsibility of Americans to not allow themselves to be spoon fed or dictated to. No one can teach critical thinking it’s an individual endeavor. However, in a place that is theoretically democratic, it is necessary for the establishment of the excellence of the common man in society.