The Hateful Delusional V. The Condescending Jerks

It is interesting that one country’s election can be of such consequence to peoples interspersed worldwide that citizens of other countries (case in point, Ghana) take to the street supposedly campaigning for one candidate over the other. Ridiculous, isn’t it? But such is the world we live in. In this interconnected, globalised world we live in, this is not all that shocking—ridiculous sometimes, but not shocking. But there are some peculiarities always underlying the African or Black narrative when it finds itself intertwined with that of White-majority countries like USA. So, without naming names, I would like to examine those two polarising—albeit very similar in so many ways—legs of the American political divide.

It is a matter concerning the Condescending Jerks and the Hateful Delusional. On my African part, this is how I always see it—when it comes to this country, and its election of leaders. In the American political climate, debates, disagreements, etc. are made in the extreme. There are well-meaning people in the middle of course, but the loudness of this political divide proceeds from those in the extreme ends of both sides. These extremes have been normalised throughout history that they barely feel like extremes anymore—but mind you, they are. And just like staring at a boiling pot (or in this particular case, a supposed melting pot), the feelings elicited in a Black person, witnessing this divide is visceral—at least, it ought to be. We are not pretentious in giving the American election a close look, but we may just be looking at it through problematic eyes—faulty perspectives.

The Hateful Delusional
It is this childish, bizarre feeling that ‘they’ are better than ‘us’; it is this feeling coupled with an unmatched greed for money and power; and an absence of scruples in this bid to undertake all means to attain this wealth and power that lead ‘them’ to set sail for the African continent and commit atrocities yet to be matched in recent history. This condescension coupled with greed helped maintain the narrative of the tyrannical/oppressive ‘them’ and an oppressed/victimised ‘us’ for centuries—from the start of it all, slavery, through to colonialism of the decades following, then neocolonialism and racism of the present. The oppression persists, albeit in changing forms.

So, on one side of the American political divide—again, when attention is paid to their extremes (again, these extremes are normalised, hence rampant)—you have the Hateful Delusional. These folks take delight in brazenly affirming the stupidity of their ancestors—that indeed they are inherently better than all, specifically the Black person (it is very important to them that they assert their ‘importance’ over us, Black folks). And this hatred and childish condescension, this Hateful Delusional section of the American sociological and political divide, makes a point of extending to all aspects and groupings of society. It is not just White against Black. All sections of human society, forming minorities in any form, have been made to bear the brunt of this childish bullying.

[Side note: I am trying to make my point clear without completely spilling the beans. I hope I succeed, but the odds are against me.]

I said, Caucasian Americans (emphasis on them for this article, but not limited to them in the real world) have always, throughout their history, sought ways to assert their perceived dominance over their fellow human beings. They have been on a searching spree for people to make small. And it is not only Blacks who have come out preys in these searching sprees. Meticulously, the Caucasian American has sought for different groups of people (again, not just on the basis of race) to subject to ill-treatments. [Read between the lines, please. Bear with me—still not naming names).

And one weapon they have always succeeded in using is the Almighty himself—God. It was how the slave trade persisted for centuries; it is how colonialism followed closely afterwards; it is how racism has had its roots buried deeply into the world. White folks found enough verses in the Bible to twist around to their advantage, in their bid to dehumanise the Black race, to insist that the Black person was borne slave, that the Black folk was gifted them by God Himself to slave away—to murder, torture, rape, to pillage from. All these atrocities, they committed, Bible in hand.

They said it was a sin to go against ‘God’s word’. To insist that the Black person was equal to the White man was sin of the highest degree—they said. To fight for the freedom of the Black slave, to insist on the humane treatment of the Black person was sin—SIN! Think about that. Hence, those White folks, who, during these moments in history (slavery, colonialism, etc.) stood with Blacks to fight for freedom from oppression were deemed sinners, advocates of the devil, radicals—all the devilish things you can call a person.

One ought to live in history from time to time to learn humility; and to get a better understanding of humanity—most importantly of self. All these hatreds perpetuated hiding behind the name of God (fraudulently done in the name of God) makes one wonder, ‘who around me am I sending through hell, all in the name of the ever-loving God?’

The Condescending Jerks
The Condescending Jerks always attack the Hateful Delusional on their degenerative moral flaw—that constant senseless bid at superiority. The former condemns the latter on their holding of slaves, in the distant past; and in recent years, on their longstanding brazen racism. The Condescending Jerks indicate, with their criticisms of the Hateful Delusional, that they are not like that; that they respect humanity—all humanity, in all their minorities (mind you, minorities in pure numbers—in populations, wealth, or power—not inherent lowliness). And maybe—just maybe—history has shown this to be true. But digging deep into this supposed truth, we find, almost always present, skeletons of delusions—sometimes, blatant lies. Lies purporting to be truths. Because how can you claim respect for all humanity when you constantly are on a spree yourself, for peoples, nations, etc. to impose your ideologies on? How can you claim respect for all of humanity when you constantly find ways—in all aspects of life—to impose your beliefs on other peoples, cultures, nations, etc.?

Because you see, a blue shirt is just as good as a green shirt—so when you find a way of insisting that I wear that same blue shirt you are donning, just for the sake of it, without a care for my preference for the green, you might just be a narcissistic sociopath. Cultures differ, ideologies differ, humanity in all its vastness, can never be on the same side, always, on each and every issue. We all know who it is that insists on such absoluteness—always. It is plain and simple—tyrants, authoritarians, totalitarians. These are words the American, specifically the Condescending Jerks section of America, claim they hate wholeheartedly. The Condescending Jerks need to learn humility. They need to read between the lines, and perhaps, they will find themselves to be overtly democratic, and covertly, sociologically and politically as tyrannical as they get.

The better of two evils
This boils down, always, to this phrase: ‘the better of two evils’. And what is the use for two evils for societies aiming at sanity and peace, at respect for national sovereignties, and human dignity?

You cannot watch American elections—present and future—with that ‘straightforward eyes’ we have been employing. The better of two evils—is a concession, it is not a choice. You are an independent individual in a sovereign nation, Ghana you ought not be making concessions, not even in your thinking; perhaps you ought not to be seriously selecting in the first place (but that is open for debate). You do not vote for American presidents, let not your love and support for them be without a historical perspective—we make crucial mistakes in so doing. You are not at stake in an American election—not in a good way, even if you are. The Hateful Delusional will blatantly tell you this; the Condescending Jerk will, with their actions make you feel this—if you pay close attention.

It is incumbent that we build for ourself a nation so independent—even in this obviously interdependent globalised era—that we do not bite our nails down to the quick, watching on, as they elect their leaders. Because none of them can save you and me—not the Hateful Delusional, not the Condescending Jerks. Most importantly, none of them care enough to want to save us.

I have my fingers crossed for December 7.
By YAO AFRA YAO