Elitism Among the Oppressed

by Burnett W. “Kwadwo” Gallman, Jr., M.D. Noted Expert on African Culture
Burnett W. “Kwadwo” Gallman, Jr., M.D. Noted  Expert on African Culture Burnett W. “Kwadwo” Gallman, Jr., M.D. Noted Expert on African Culture

Elitism can be defined as a belief that certain people or members of certain groups deserve favored treatment because of their assumed superiority as in intelligence, social standing or wealth and behavior arising from such a belief. This should not be confused with snobbery which is a belief or feeling of superiority.
The earliest Afrikan civilization, according to recent research by the brilliant Ghanaian scholar, Ayi Kwei Armah was egalitarian (the belief that all people are equal) but devolved into a bureaucratic society with elite classes and lower classes in Kemet (ancient Egypt). When, thousands of years later, the people that we now call Greeks were allowed to be educated in Kemet (ancient Egypt), they imitated the superficial structure of Kemetic society but used their cultural interpretations that magnified the elitism and inequality (See the article, “AUSA Have More Than One Culture”).
This inequality and inequity has been a part of the so-called Western world for the past 2,500 years and has contributed to much heartbreak and mayhem for many people of all colors and descriptions.
Unfortunately, the people defined as the underclass have developed classism and snobbery, sometimes in the reverse.
Among AUSA, perhaps the best-known example, although found to be false, is the one that was used by our honored and esteemed Ancestor Malcolm X, who drew a distinction between the “house slaves”, who were loyal to the white slaveholder and the “field slaves” who were enemies of the white slaveholder. He even said that when the slaveholders house was on fire, the “house slaves” prayed for rain (to put out the fire) and the “field slaves” prayed for wind (to worsen the fire). I’m sure that there were some “house slaves” who felt superior to their brothers and sisters who worked in the fields and who felt a kinship with their enslaver. In fact, these folks still exist today in all walks of life, including Congress, the judiciary, in business and in entertainment.
Fortunately, we now know that rifts between “house slaves” and “field slaves” were rare. Professor Norrece T. Jones, in his book, “Born a Child of Freedom, Yet a Slave” tells us that often, the “house slave” was the eyes and ears of the “field slave”, using their favored position to spy on their mutual enemy.
How often do we hear someone say, “She thinks that she’s better than me”. Even though that statement may or may not be accurate, it is helpful to evaluate the origin of that perception. Does the speaker have evidence or is that an opinion? What is the opinion based on? Is it correct or incorrect? If incorrect, is it due to jealousy or envy? Would the person making the statement act differently if the roles were reversed?
We should not “cut off our noses to spite our faces”, as my grandmother frequently said. We should try not to project our own insecurities onto someone else. We do need to know who we are so that we can knowledgeably answer the questions posed in previous essays. like, “Who am I?” and Who are my Ancestors?” etc.
We should not fall for that old “divide-and-conquer” tactic of “Let’s you and him fight”. We are too ready to believe the worst of each other without stopping to fully evaluate the “whys” and “hows” of our feelings. Before we fall for the old “they say” we must evaluate, who are “they”? Why are “they” saying what they are saying? Are “they” telling the truth? Again, we must avoid the human frailties of jealousy, envy, and betrayal. If we are ever to get out of what Dr. Jacob Carruthers called, “this mess that we’re in”, we will have to be able to work together.
I have been in a situation, many years ago, with a group of people where we had a common goal but had some personality conflicts. Some individuals in the group actually had genuine dislikes for each other. But, because we realized that we needed each other to reach the goal, we pledged to work together with the knowledge that once the goal was reached, we didn’t have to deal with each other anymore. Not only did we learn to work with people that we didn’t “vibe’ with, but we all reached the goal. Some of us have been in contact since then and some haven’t but to this day, we all appreciate the efforts that we all made. Even though some worked harder than others, the common goal was reached.
Mistrust among AUSA has been carefully crafted over many generations and, indeed, there are some people who are not trustworthy. However, let us base any mistrust that we have for others on facts and not suggestions and innuendoes and not jealousy and accusations of elitism.
Food for thought.