The first image--the shining pillar of democracy, boldly bringing freedom to the world--is the false image. The real image is the dirty world pirate, who deals in oil and money to support or denounce foreign nations, depending on what is at stake.
The primary image of America is the image that is trotted out when any citizen dares to spit sedition, or when justifying the beatdown of a sovereign nation and/or the deposing of its leader.
However, the secondary image, the true America, is the seedy, ruthless drug dealer of the world block, serving poison-cut drugs to family and stranger alike, raping and pillaging each village possessing spoils, but no means for intrinsic defense.
This bully acts with impunity, spitting in the face of authority, committing vile acts of inhumanity, while lying with a straight face.
There is no mission to save the world, because much of the world, especially its darker regions, has been plundered and plunged into incessant poverty.
The problem with the second image in this nation is that each successive generation since the Sixties has continued to rebel, not only against the previous generation, which they are wont to do, but also against the ugly realities of life in America.
America today has inherited a legacy of the "Master Race" pathology, personified overtly by Adolph Hitler, but embodied covertly in the day to day social fabric of the nation more than a century after the end of slavery and decades after the Civil Rights movement. This legacy promotes America as the finest nation in the world, as though it is one people, united under one cause.
That peculiar legacy is being rejected more strongly by each succeeding generation of white youth, who grapple with the rich benefits of the sick psychology and the soul staining liabilities innate in the package.
This is why even among white youth who want to embrace the benefits, but reject the liabilities of racism, old guard racist groups such as the KKK and the Skinheads appear foolish and out of time.
That is not to say that racism is not still in existence or that it will ever erode and disappear, but that the inherent silliness of racial domination is now more apparent to the sons and daughters of racists.
The simple reality is that some impoverished whites awakened to find that their elders and the privileged class of whites had a boot on their necks as well.
They realized that they were being used as pawns in the game, playing the racist card against people of color who were erroneously blamed for their poverty.
The nation proceeds about its business even as the privileged pretend that there is only one nation, and as some of the citizens of the second nation pretend that they are citizens of the first.
This brand of pathology can be witnessed in the likes of O.J. Simpson or Michael Jackson, who busy themselves greatly with the removal of race as an issue from their lives, only to scamper back to the Black community when trouble stomps in their black asses while visiting the first nation.
Jackson's public image and standing will never be the same, but meanwhile R. Kelly enjoys sustained and even increased popularity and sales in the midst of his legal challenges. Why? Because Kelly never pretended that there was only one nation, and when trouble came to stomp in his hindquarters, he was already prepared. He expected it.
If there is any doubt that there are two nations, Kelly can be used as a prime example. There is still some doubt as to the facts of his case and he maintains his innocence, but still had to face a public conviction.
Yet film director Roman Polanski admitted to the rape and sodomy of a thirteen year old girl and fled the country to escape prison, while still garnering a standing ovation at the Academy Awards.
There are clearly two Americas.
One America tosses billions of dollars to the Middle East and to any foreign nation with resources or strategic alliance, while the other America ignores the European-generated genocide in dark nations such as Rwanda.
Yes, there are two Americas.
The first image, the lie, is in danger of being exposed and has one foot in the grave with the other foot on a banana peel as more youth of color refuse to be shackled as their foreparents were, and as more white youth refuse to play the silly game.
America's split personality has been evident since its inception, promoting a land where "All men are created equal," yet referring to Blacks as mere fractions of men in its defining document--the Constitution.
We see the contradiction ever more clearly when young whites embrace the culture of Black youth. Their elders hate what they recognize as an awakening to the reality that racism is silly and outdated. It is time for a change.
What we must embrace is the simple reality that, as Author/convict/Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver put it:
"The American way of life is a fossil of history. What do they (white youth) care if their old baldheaded and crew cut elders don't dig their caveman mops? They couldn't care less about the old, stiffassed honkies who don't like their new dances."
Neither do I.
Both Americas can kiss my ass.
- Darryl James is an award-winning author who is now a filmmaker. His first mini-movie, "Crack," was released in March of 2006. He is currently filming a full length documentary. James' latest book, "Bridging The Black Gender Gap," is the basis of his lectures and seminars. Previous installments of this column can now be viewed at www.bridgecolumn.com. James can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
