American History X

[Da_Yog]

This is my firs attempt at writing for the "spoken word" format and is the first time I have attempted to write a poem with a focus on the way it sounds. This may sound odd, but usually when I write a poem it is written mainly from a visual perspective.

 

I will throw out this one warning. If you are easily offended, you probably don't want to read this.

 

Barring that, I hope you enjoy.

 

American History X

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of Racism
And to the republic for which it stands,
One nation, under God …
	Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, Buddha, 
	Secular Humanism, Existentialism, Scientology,
	And many others!
Indivisible:
	Except for the color of our skin,
	The religion we worship,
	Our sexual orientation,
	Socio-economic status,
	Height, weight, dress, appearance,
	And political affiliation.
With liberty and justice for all …
	Unless your jury is twelve angry men
	Then be sure and be nice to:
	The giant, sweaty, hairy, toothless,
	Sociopathic, drug-dealing, mass-murderer,
	Named Bruno, who will be your cell-mate …
	For the next twenty-five years.
	Or if you are rich:
	Then you can kill your wife,
	Hire Johnny Cochran,
	And walk away free.
Welcome … to the United States of Racism!

Now, it all started in 1492
When Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He sailed, and sailed, and sailed,
And finally found dry land.
He knelt down, kissed the sand,
And praised God for his divine hand!
Then plunged his flag into the land
And claimed it for the Queen of Spain
No matter how much the natives may have complained!
Welcome … to the United States of Racism!

Then in 1620
The pilgrims sailed to the land of plenty
Fleeing England’s religious persecution
They brought to the new land old institutions
And sought to civilize the savages …
At the end of a musket!
Thanks so much for the food!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Now get the hell off our land!
Bang, bang, bang, and God bless!
Remember Jesus loves you…in hell!
Welcome … to the United States of Racism!

In 1776 we declared:
We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal …
Except for blacks, Indians, women, and children …
White men of European descent only need apply!
But if you want to kill English
Please sign here¬¬¬________________________.
And so it was with the aid of the French
The French?  Oh yes, the French!
That we set out to form a less imperfect union.
Welcome to the United States of Racism!

For four score and seven years more
Race, in the states, was the strongest of “isms”.
Darker than Paganism
And more overt than Plagiarism!
In a war, anything but civil,
Where brother fought brother,
And sons killed their fathers;
In a land of such hate
How could racism ever die?
Such blasphemy—they said—the bible backed
“Man shall have dominion over the animals.”
And other such crap!
As if coloration
Was enough for such a justification.
Such a proclamation
Should warrant you a special station
Where Jesus can love you … in hell!
Welcome to the United States of Racism!

For the next thirty years or so
Our destiny was manifest
And though the trail of tears had already flowed
We had our sights on another conquest
—From sea to shining sea—
The Indians?
Why, it wasn’t their land.
They just lived on it.
Besides, we had the guns to prove it was ours!
Bang, bang, bang, and God bless!
Remember Jesus will love you … in hell!
A hundred peoples shattered!
Their wills thoroughly scattered!
Welcome … to the United States of Racism!

Then came the Great Depression
Leaving a new cultural impression
As the rich and poor divide
Leaving each other to deride
Still the races collide.
And such would remain the case
Until Hitler showed his ugly face.
Then we could briefly set aside
Our hate of the other colored race
To jointly despise the Arian race.
Oh, but this was not to last
For hate was all in our past!
And while Hitler was burning Jews
Japanese-Americans we locked in prison camps,
While Germans walked free!
Welcome to the United States of Racism!

With the murder of a King
Dreams, dreams, dreams,
Dreams of children playing subside
The races fervently collide
And a nation in turmoil further divides.
Accusations fly,
Racism goes on the rise,
And the dreams?
They just die, die, die!
Welcome to the United States of Racism!

That’s why …
 I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of Racism
And to the republic for which it stands,
One nation, under God…
	Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, Buddha, 
	Secular Humanism, Existentialism, Scientology,
	And many others!
Indivisible:
	Except for the color of our skin,
	The religion we worship,
	Our sexual orientation,
	Socio-economic status,
	Height, weight, dress, appearance,
	And political affiliation.
With liberty and justice for all …
	Unless your jury is twelve angry men
	Then be sure and be nice to:
	The giant, sweaty, hairy, toothless,
	Sociopathic, drug-dealing, mass-murderer,
	Named Bruno, who will be your cell-mate …
	For the next twenty-five years.
	Or if you are rich:
	Then you can kill your wife,
	Hire Johnny Cochran,
	And walk away free.
Welcome … to the United States of Racism!

Edited November 14, 2007 by Da_Yog

[Silver WInd]

I fround that throughtly amusing.

 

Just one little thing I wanted to point out

 

Japanese-Americans we locked in prison camps,

While Germans walked free!

That is techniqually not true. There were in fact both Germans and Italians who were intured, it is not as well known and it was not in as great of numbers, but it still did happen.

[reverie]

I think he's trying to illustrate how German POWs in the U.S. had more privileges than the Japanese Americans imprisoned by their own government. By no means did they walk free, but they were treated pretty good, I've heard it argued they had more rights than African Americans in the Jim Crow South, so there's more irony for you.

 

Anyway, you may want to tread a little carefully if you plan on preforming this piece because the "dissecting the pledge" motif has been done before. In other words, others have done it, so on one level you are sort of competing with everyone else that has done it before.

 

* * *

 

Hmm, you might be interested in picking up this book:

 

 

Democracy Betrayed

The Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 and Its Legacy

 

Edited by David S. Cecelski and Timothy B. Tyson

 

http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/T-4785.html

 

An Online version is here:

 

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=35934122

 

David's one of my current professors. I didn't study this book in class though.

 

Basically the book details the only successful Coup d'etat in U.S. History (well at least that we know about).

Don't let the title fool you the Coup was a state wide event that permeated all levels of government, journalism, and commerce. Basically the Democrats (and the most liberals ones among them if you can believe it) of the day forced out via armed insurrection, economic coercion, and Black / White Sexual propaganda the Fusionist Party: an alliance between the Populist and Republican Party. The Fusionist had control of North Carolina for a full five years before they were overthrown at gun point. The only reason Wilmington gets any note above the State as a whole is because that is where the Coup was least organized and thus the most resistance and blood shed occurred. Whole communities statewide became refugees within a two month time span.

 

This is one of the darkest chapters in U.S. History, so dark that even over 100 years later few even acknowledged it ever occured. Outside of North Carolina, it probably doesn't even come up on anyone's radar. As horrific as it was at least the Genocide of the Native Americans has a place in our history. This chapter for the most part is unknown.

 

Want to know the underlying logic behind Jim Crow Laws and Southern Paternalism? Or why the South is such a bad place for Unions? Read this book.

 

 

rev...

Edited November 15, 2007 by reverie

[Da_Yog]

I fround that throughtly amusing.

 

Just one little thing I wanted to point out

 

Japanese-Americans we locked in prison camps,

While Germans walked free!

That is techniqually not true. There were in fact both Germans and Italians who were intured, it is not as well known and it was not in as great of numbers, but it still did happen.

 

I freely admit to quite a few technical inaccuracies. This was written from an extremist viewpoint and presents its argument in that manner. It was designed to shock, amuse, anger, and sadden all at the same time. I have to say that if you didn't get a moment of "pissed off" or righteous indignation while reading this then either I didn't do my job or I need to worry about you a little. http://www.themightypen.net/public/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif Basically take it with a grain of salt because it was written with one intentionally included, if for no other reason than to rub everyone the wrong way...at least a little.

 

Want to know the underlying logic behind Jim Crow Laws and Southern Paternalism? Or why the South is such a bad place for Unions? Read this book.

I actually did include a stanza that discussed Jim Crow laws. It didn't have the same feel as the rest of the piece and was more philosophic than historic oriented so I left it out.

[reverie]

Actually it didn't tick me off at all. I'm an American Studies Major, half of what I study is Dirty Laundry. If you really want to see evil, try looking at what the United Fruit Company did to South America or what the Tobacco Industry did and is doing to the world (they practically invented Public Relations). Or not so much evil as outright arrogance look at the entire history U.S. with Cuban's struggle for independence combined with the motivations for the Spanish American War. Or if you want something more recent try the FED's use of undercover agents to disrupt Peace Protests and other Activist now and way back in the 1960 / 70s.

 

No nation is perfect, but all have have episodes that they shouldn't be proud of...some more than others.

 

rev...

[Regel]

I am a Canadian citizen, and yet I was offended. If that was the intent then I say bravo, you were successful. As a Canadian I can look no further than this country's history to find the racism that your poem talks about. It has had its share of dark moments and while it speaks of tolerance it has been anything but. It is difficult to take an entire society and cast aspersions without understanding it was true of some but not of all. The truth is a transient thing, devoid of content and without balance it be made to seem what ever you want it t be. Probably the most controversial piece I have seen you write and not one of my favourites even if it did have some valid points.