The pimps, whores, and Welfare brats

                                                                  THE PIMPS
The pimps plainly put are the government socialists who believe man is basically good. They do not believe, however, that blacks have the smarts to make it on thier on. The name pimp fits them perfectly, because it seems as though thier motives are to control black america. Whenever a problem arose, the "pimps" of America only created more programs that only appeared to be solutions. These solutions were merely just webs they spun to trap thier "whores."

                                                              THE WHORES
So who are the whores? Black leaders who desired to make a difference and bring change were considered the whores that were caught in the web. Thier rewards consisted of a job in government, a power base in thier home district, and plenty of campaign money.


                                                             THE WELFARE BRATS
Welfare brats are those who feel like life is not worth living unless they have handouts from the society. They do not believe in sticking to the principals of hardwork that brought balcks out of slavery to begin with, but they have an "I want it now!" type of attitude.  Welfare in a sense is abused and makes Americans who use it weak. They become lazy and dependent. Black families believed that the "pimps" main concern was to assist them, but in actuality there were more problems placed on them from higher taxes that were created to "eliminate poverty." Several of these attempts caused breaks in the families between marriages of husband and wife, as well as parent to child. The government wanted the permanent underclass to believe that they could not survive without government help. Welfare in the black community has has transformed receiving public aid into an alternative lifestyle rather than what it was inended to be.

Sandra Golden starts her article off by first giving her own personal experience in the topic. She mentions the shocking experience that she encountered while seeking help from the County Department of Human Services. After her visit to the welfare office, she felt "dehumanized and humiliated." due to the treatment of the caseworker, who automatically placed a stereotype on her as a black woman. "A black single-parent female utilizes special literacy skills to negotiate within a social context that marginalizes and disenfranchises groups based on gender, race, education and class. Many black females carry the assumption of being uneducated, unskilled, and unmotivated just because they receive publicc assistance. They make it seem as if they are lazy and do not have the desire to work on  thier own. Sandra Golden decided to gather a group of women in order to get thier thoughts on the welfare system. It was clear to see that each woman had a negative comment to share. One participant stated "....SSC makes you feel stupid.". This is why literacy is so essential. Not everyone is able to obtain the common known literacy, but lets not forget that other literacies exist. These literacies are not recognized by the welfare system. Most of the women that Sandra Golden talked with had other literacies that were ignored, such as literacies from home and community. Sandra Golden believes that instead of automatically placing someone in a stereotypical situation, create an organization that will get to the root of the situation and find better solutions.

Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films

JoAnne Kilgour Dowdy talks of the importance of critical film literacy. Because our society is so media saavy, feature films are an important part of our life as they affect our literacy as black women. This affects how we view, more so she, films. Dowdy gives an overview of nine films ranging from 1985-2001. The emphasis that the stereotypical opinions of black women have not changed, as these movies show how little the media understands the literacy of the black woman. Dowdy stresses the importance of our knowledge of these films as they pertain to how we are viewed in not just society but Hollywood. For example, she mentions Eve's Bayou. The film is about a homemaker who struggles to keep her sanity as she deals with a cheating husband, her three children, and the standards of society.

This deals with a different aspect as it portrays the homemaker as a wealthy black woman of society. Although it is heavily disguised, she is given the sterotypical black woman role as a caregiver except she cares for her family and not an outside person. Her mother-in-law comes and helps her cope with the chaotics in her life, acting as "mammy." There is no evidence of her educational background provided in the movie. She is seen as just a beautiful wealthy housewife. Dowdy points out that our literacy is not viewed as important as it has not made an appearance on the movie screeen. As a society that lives through the media, this is sad as black women have still not been able to find a place where their literacy is portrayed in a pleaasing and accurate manner.

Movies are more than forms of entertainment, they are a message board that conveys the thoughts and opinions of society. Black women have long seen the struggle as they try to be more than caregivers and drug users in feature films. Dowdy makes it a point that we are not too young, as students, to take a look and see the pattern. Showmanship of black literacy is scarce in Hollywood as "Eve's Bayou" shows. Dowdy just wants people to bridge the gap between films and literacy, especially when talking about black women. Movies are used as a way of getting ideas across to people. We have to take notice that we are not portrayed in the best of light. These movies range from 1985-2001, and not a lot has changed. There just has to be an understanding that our literacy is few and far between. There have to be some changes if we ever want to be known as more than a maid or a caregiver for someone.

Unearthing Hidden Literacy: Seven Lessons I Learned in a Cotton Field

 

Usually when you hear someone say they used to pick cotton, you either think they were a slave or had a negative experience with the task. That was not the case with Lillie Gayle Smith as she recounts her experience of picking cotton on her aunt's farm during the summer. Smith took a graduate class called "Black Women's Literacy" which helped her to appreciate the values and teachings that she learned from being on the cotton field. The class helped her to recapture her literacy and to draw from past experiences that helped to shape her literacy as well. By doing this, she began to think deeply about her time on the cotton field. She made comparisons as to how black women were expected to be in the field alongside their men doing the same back-breaking work. This was added fuel to the independence, self-reliance, and survival skills that have defined the black woman. She later talks of how black women exude a certain confidence that women of other ethnicities do not. black women do not face the same self-esteem issues as women of the other races do for they have acquired a certain appreciation that the others have not. Besides this, there were many values that she learned on that cotton field that have helped shaped her into the woman that she is today. As she was picking cotton, she earned wages that she saved and budgeted for things such as clothes and books for school. Smith also learned of the strength and wisdom of the elders that she worked alongside. Their work may have been "degrading" but there was certain pride in it as they helped the younger workers and sang songs to help pass the time. She gained an understanding of their story and a bond that drew her closer to these people who she later viewed as her family. 

The essay was very good as it helped to give you an appreciation of being on a cotton field. Very few people understand the job other than standing in the hot sun and picking cotton in a crowded field. The people are more than workers. They are a family. They share the same work and many share the same experiences as well. They also guide the younger workers and provide a wisdom that cannot be matched in any other way. 

One of the experiences, this nation would rather forget, although it continues to haunt America today, is the immoral institution of slavery, Black Africans were brought to this nation sometimes for the express purpose of picking cotton. Arguably no job in the annals of American history has rested lower on the menial-labor ladder than that of picking cotton. Drudgery and back breaking are two words always associated with it, and the dominant picture in many minds remains one of Black slaves laboring in plantaion fields from sunup to sundown.

The one experience that America would love to erase from its history is the "immoral institution of slavery." No job has been lower on the todem pole than picking cotton. "Drudgery and back breaking" are mostly associated with the task. The most vivid picture that comes to mind is the black slaves working in the plantations from dusk to dawn (Smith 41). 

Smith, Lillie Gayle."Unearthing Hidden Literacy:Seven Lessons I learned in a Cotton Field." Readers of the Quilt: Essays on Being Black, Female, and Literate. Ed: JoAnne Kilgour Dowdy.  Cresskill, New Jersey:Hampton Press, Inc, 2005. 41. Print