HERE HEAR.... A MESSAGE FROM OUR BROTHER ANTONIO TOPPIN: Challenging the Challenges We HAVE to take care of ourselves. Some of us have lost family, friends, and loved ones to the same diseases and ailments that have plagued our people for generations. Sadly, many of us are ignorant to the facts regarding the things that are killing us - residual White Supremacy and racism, hypertension, dehydration, sleep deprivation, and diabetes, to name a few. I am not insensitive to ALS, but I am incensed by our inability to focus and streamline resources toward finding cures and relief for conditions that affect so many poor and Black people, almost exclusively. I am not knocking the few Brothers and Sisters who participated in the Ice Challenge for the genuine purpose of spreading awareness and making a donation to a cause they deemed worthy. However, I bet if we quizzed ALL of the people that participated in that challenge to tell us what ALS is, how its caused, what it affects, etc., wed be overwhelmingly unimpressed with the level of awareness that was actualized by the exercise. They raised a ton of money, but real awareness?? The one thing that I am aware of as a result of the Ice Challenge is the rampant narcissism that plagues many of us that are suffering from SMA (Social Media Addiction). Most of the videos I saw were all about the people doing the challenge, and making a half hour speech before actually getting down to it. We all know that everybody that made a video didnt make a donation, either. Lets keep it 100. Everybody likes attention; I get it. Do YOU get that this challenge basically played on our presumed collective inability to resist the opportunity for the spotlight? The Ice Challenge generated nearly $100M so far. That is awesome. I am not hating on the push to increase awareness. Im hating on the fact that comparatively, we dont do a DAMN thing to develop awareness regarding the things that are killing US, as BLACK people here in America. If I polled FB for Black people who lost someone due to Diabetes, the number of respondents would be substantial. If I asked them individually to tell me what Diabetes is, how its caused, and how it can be reversed, the results would pale in comparison. Yes, that is presumptive, but my gut is I am not off base...and I wish that were not so. The overwhelming support the Ice Challenge received is not surprising. In fact, it is a microcosm of our overall consumerism. How long are WE going to be exploited? We have horrible fiscal consciousness, and are easily duped as perpetual consumers. If nothing else, the Ice Challenge was a brilliant marketing scheme. Think about it.. Either give us $100 or make a video of you dumping ice and water over your head... and give us $10.. For them, it was a win-win...Ten dollars adds up pretty quick.. and everybody has a smartphone (or access to one) with a burning desire to garner a little attention. Again, Im for awareness, but I want us to be more active and enthusiastic about things that we need to take control of.. like our collective health, wealth, and consciousness. Know that we were forced away from our prominence in medicine, architecture, and science. We have to refocus our innate intelligence on the things that are decimating our populous. We will help others by leading.. and setting medicinal trends through organic innovation, and purposeful, disciplined lifestyles. Time to unplug from this wicked Matrix we have come to accept as life.. We HAVE to take care of ourselves. -AT
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 15:52:15 +0000
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