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So
there I was. Face down on the Sheridan
road pavement with a Northwestern police officer barking orders to put my hands
out and spread my legs. Realizing the severity of his mistaking my choice to
kick bikes as an attempt to steal them, my only response was “It’s cool I go
here.” We chatted for a bit, and he and a fellow officer (who was
African-American) let me off with a stern warning.
For the first time
in my life, I had been forced – at what appeared to be gunpoint - to the
ground. I knew it would most likely happen to me one day. As a young black man,
I can’t say that the mass media and popular culture have not shaped my fear of
the boys in blue. I guess you could consider it a right of passage that all of
us must take at some point in our lives. This episode is a definitive example
of just how much ‘the man’ has us all down.
The struggle
against the MAN has spawned some of the greatest rebellions the world has ever
seen. Revolutionaries such as, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and
George Washington each fought their own MAN - some succeeded in their attempts,
while others are historically venerated for their efforts. However, it is
unfair to assume that the battle against the MAN is fought only by those with
grandiose ideals and missions.
The MAN has many
faces for many people, because we are all affected by it in different ways.
From the bottom dwellers in poverty stricken countries, to the fat cats on Wall
Street, the MAN is behind the scenes, playing CEO of the “powers that be” in
our lives. Sometimes it’s the government, sometimes your teachers, usually its
local authority, and for many of us, it’s even been our own parents.
“The MAN”
officially stepped on the scene in the early 1900s. It was originally code word
for prison wardens in southern jails. The MAN is faceless, genderless, and
lacks the capacity to empathize with anyone who does not contribute to its
dominance. This is how the MAN has managed to stay atop the social, political,
and economic ladder. It can strike at any time from all directions with
whatever force necessary.
As out of touch as
many of us think our parents are, it was their efforts during the 60s, 70s, and
80s that kept the MAN somewhat at bay when it came to meddling in the lives of
those it controlled. But overtime the tables turned. Those who once fought the
power are now in power, and their loyalties are no longer with those who fought
beside them.
>For the modern
collegiate, the MAN keeps tuition high, healthcare expensive, and makes the
American dream seem more like a myth. No more white picket fences, little
league, and barbeques. The MAN has me yearning for overtime pay, stock options,
and early retirement.
No longer are
young adults fighting for their freedom to speak and protest with the same
fervor as mom and dad. The efforts of our parents only shifted the MAN’s
dominant strategy from suppression to appeasement. Our generation was taught
that you could do anything you put your mind to but upon realizing that the MAN
makes that impossible for the masses, our goals became more focused and
individualistic. This inevitable has forced people in the poorest areas of the
world to resort to illegal and sometimes violent behavior to make some sort of
headway in their struggle against the MAN.
To me, the MAN has
forced the innocent hopeful children who one day dreamed of being doctors and
astronauts to “get real” and find their niche within their environment. It’s no
longer a matter of living with the MAN, it’s about surviving. Well I say the
MAN hasn’t got us down, we just don’t want to get up.
Fighting
the man? Tell Cory about it at c-smith-1@northwestern.edu
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