Before anyone says not to put your faith and trust in any human being, but put ALL in the The Most High, I write this from the standpoint of that already being a given. When I speak about faith and trust when it comes to people, I’m talking in terms of faith and trust as far as can be expected from flawed humans.

The Bible says in Mathew the 17th chapter and verse 20 that,” If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Now regardless of belief system, these words are apropos.

Typically, when this verse is quoted, the focus is on the FAITH aspect of it… and though important, when recognizing that it was Jesus who said it, something became very clear to me. Is the scripture about faith? Of course, it is, but more importantly, Jesus was implying WHY it would activate and work.

A mustard seed is small. Tiny. But that\s all the faith you need to move mountains. Well, how does that work?! Because it isn’t about faith for faith’s sake—it is about faith in Jesus.

Again, whether you believe it or not, or are even an atheist, doesn’t matter. The principle holds true. I have told people like this:

Imagine there is a large lake, and the lake is frozen over and you’d like to walk across it as a short cut.

If the ice is only about the thickness of a sheet of paper and you have all the faith in the UNIVERSE! The size of your faith in physical terms could be likened to the mass of a THOUSAND suns! What will happen when you step out onto that ice?

As soon as you put your weight on it you would go right through, end up in the ice cold water, and even if you could swim, likely go into shock within moments, drown and then have the emergency squad come and fish your lifeless body out. Film at 11.

But what if the ice is five feet thick, and you have JUST ENOUGH faith to step out onto it? I mean… JUST enough, if your faith could be measured physically, it would be like cutting a grain of rice in half and then keep cutting it in half until you need a microscope to see it. But that microscopic bit of faith is ALL you need to step out onto the ice. What will happen?

The ice will hold you up and you will walk safely across to the other side.

Why with all the faith in the world would you fall through, and with a minuscule amount you are upheld? It doesn’t have as much to do with your FAITH as it does upon what you are PLACING your faith!

In terms of human beings in general, people will fall short and will let you down—that’s a given. However, if you MUST trust someone—sometime—as in trusting and putting your faith in a people; will you put it in those who have historically PROVEN their hatred and contempt for you? Will you place it in a people who have made no secret of the fact they want you dead or at best subjugated underneath them? Or will you place your faith in your own people who may yes, be VERY problematic (BECAUSE of the people who hate and despise us), but at least they are your family and your people.

The takeaway from I’d like the reader to get from this is that the most important thing about faith, is where that faith is placed. Sometimes knowing (or deciding) can be a daunting proposition. At times it can be downright frightening (depending upon the magnitude of the consequence of having chosen wrongly). In my opinion, for as problematic as my people may be (though little to no fault of our own I might add), I maintain now, and likely shall always, that on a human level—when it comes to people—it is those of my family, the Black family, on whom I will go the distance. I say this with full knowledge of the fact that “all skin folk ain’t kin folk”. Given the alternative however, I’ll vet as best I can, and give my people a chance (on an individual basis) as much as possible and believe in them until given a reason not to. As far as we as a collective, I’m team Black all the way! No question! 

We need work and we need help, and along with The Most High, that work and help must come from Black us, who have a love of being Black, along with an honor and respect for our people that we are not given by people of other persuasions. There was a time when I looked for validation from people outside my people, and looked for praise, applauds and accolades from them, but now, I pull what I need from within. That said, when it comes to being recognized, it is now the case that the ONLY group I’m concerned with in terms of their opinion of my work is my people!

I do believe that when it comes to human beings—I believe that my trust and faith is well placed.

The idea for The Pookie, Ray Ray and Laquita book came from an ongoing feud between author Ajali Shabazz and me. The reason for the feud? We just can’t seem to come to a consensus on is—toilet paper. Specifically, the way in which toilet paper should be hung, under, or over (the way that ALL people of breeding, good taste, culture, and common sense hangs it).

Guess which side of the debate I’m on.

One day a couple years ago, we once again locked horns, and so I’d had enough. I immediately went to history and spelled out to her exactly when and why toilet paper started being hung over, and the dire consequences of hanging it any other way. The result is my reply to her.

(The entire thing is parody of course, but after reading it again recently I realized that hey, I’ll bet I can do that with Black history and why the world is in the condition it’s in now). 

And there you have it. So, enjoy reading the letter that started it all. Enjoy!

THE HISTORY OF HANGING TOILET PAPER

As I said, I know already what study you are referring to, and it has been thoroughly debunked by the scientific community at large as well as exposing as a fraud and charlatan its author, Toshie Nehuruamho. 

Nehuruamho, the author of the so called "study" was proven to have falsified much of his data and actually paid several of his sources (in addition to taking payoff's himself). The disgraced Nehuruamho was ostracized from the scientific community and before he could be brought before the G.S.T. (the Global Scientific Tribunal) and charged with crimes against nature and humanity, Nehuruamho fled into voluntary exile. 

That was sometime in 1983. 

According to historian, Dr. Jameson S. Silvestri, in his seminal work: Confessions of a Paper Tiger: The Rise, Lies and Fall of Toshie Nehuruamho, an unauthorized biography, he quotes Nehuruamho as having said:

“My once peers believed I did what I did in some misguided attempt to gain wealth, or to have my name exalted. It was neither. I did not seek money or fame. My goal was to turn the thinking of the world to hanging the toilet paper in this new way. Though I knew in my heart it was an abomination against the natural world, I felt that if only I could convince the population, I could in turn possibly nudge mankind toward our next step in the evolution of our species. I knew how dangerous this abhorrent idea was, but in my youth, I was an idealist, and anything seemed possible in those days… even changing the way the world functioned through the switching of how we hung our toilet paper. All of that said. To this very moment I believe I was right in what I thought and perhaps one day my progeny shall prove it so.” (p. 337)

Nehuruamho surfaced once near Siberia in 2001 and has not been seen again since. According to Dr. Silvestri, he married, but eventually was abandoned by his wife a few short years later, (unable to deal with the shame of being married to the person who is known throughout the world as the man who attempted to collapse civilization), but not before they had 2 children a son and a daughter. It is widely believed (but not yet confirmed), that Nehuruamho transitioned in 2014 and was buried in an unmarked grave someplace in Siberia (having been denied burial in any sacred or consecrated ground). 

It is said his daughter continues her father's work and has sought to vindicate his name within not only the scientific community, but in the world at large, but still has not been able to prove any of her father's theories. His son eventually changed his name, unable to deal with the shame of being the son of the man who fraudulently attempted to plunge the world into chaos. Eventually Nehuruamho’s son retreated to Tibet, became a monk and is believed to be presently living a life of religious fulfillment.

References:

Brooks, F. R. (2018). Toilet Paper: An Exhaustive History (2nd ed.). Full Truth Publishing.                                                            

Candell, J. R., & Winston, M. J. (2021). Toilet Paper: The Proven Method. The World Global Toilet Paper Compendium , 107(9), 14–18. 

Peabody, P. L. (2020). Toilet Paper the Scientific Method, Practices and History (4th ed., Vol. 12, Ser. TP History). The Ministry of Sciences Cooperative.

Silvestri, J. S. (1998). Confessions of a Paper Tiger: The Rise, Lies and Fall of Toshie Nehuruamho, an unauthorized biography (2nd ed., Vol. 1). Betterman Press.

There is an Afrikan proverb that says: “When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do you no harm." I have often had the discussion with people who feel “We should not be so deeply scrutinizing our own people and concentrating on the oppressor.” However, I submit that in any situation, when you have factions running interference for someone, it becomes a matter of having to deal with the blockers before one is able to address the actual problem. Look at any bodyguard situation, or even a football team. The ideal scenario is to get to the quarterback after the snap. The problem is, you have to get past those blocking for him before you can stop him from throwing the pass, handing off the ball or running his play. Should the coach say, “Don’t worry about those blockers, just concentrate on the quarterback.” 

Well… you can’t get to the quarterback until you do something about his protection on the line.

When it comes to political leaders, most top tier  “Black” organizations, and Black hustlers within our community, we can see some of the BEST examples of “controlled opposition” in existence (To read about controlled opposition you can check it out on my blog at www.iyapoyapa.com, or read the reprint of the post in the October 2023 edition of the Reading and Writing in the DARK newsletter) The purpose of controlled opposition is to make it APPEAR that the opposition is working against the establishment and that they are being effective. However, nothing is happening, and no ground is being gained. Their goal is to provide Black people with things that make us feel good or give us the impression that something is happening and moving forward when we aren’t gaining any ground at all—and it could be argued that our cause is actually moving backward.

Holidays, accomplishments, verdicts in our favor. What is the problem with our people finding things to celebrate?

Because it calms us down.

As James Baldwin so astutely put it decades ago, and it is still as relevant now, "To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious, is to be in a rage almost all the time." So, that rage must go somewhere. In the past it took the form of the Watts riots, The Rodney King verdict riots, the BLM riots and so on. That is one of the many things that white people fear about our people—for as baseless as it is. As Martin Luthor King rightly observed, “A riot is the voice of the unheard.” That is why the white establishment needed pressure release valves for our people, to prevent the inevitable explosions that would come from centuries of oppression, exploitation, terror, and mistreatment without redress or remedy. 

There are many ways to calm our people down, so to speak. There are negro whisperers who presume to speak for Black people, but have no right, like Candace Owens and Coleman Hughes—both of whom consistently speak out in denial that America is a racist country, and add insult to injury by insisting that Descendants of Enslaved Africans in America are not entitled to reparations. The mere fact they have been elevated within this construct of a SoWS, should tell even the casual onlooker everything they need to know.

Equally as pacifying are things like the Hidden Colors series of educational, Black empowerment videos, as well as a museum that bares its moniker. They are the brainchild of businessman Tariq Nasheed, and for many Black people the Hidden Colors series was one of their entry points into Black consciousness. Many of our people see these as good things, and necessary for Black empowerment, education, and pride. And I must confess, in full disclosure, the media served as one of my entry points into Black consciousness. So, I’m not here to say there is something bad about things that uplift, educate, and give consciousness to our people. That said—white people have the same things. They have full on channels and media apparatus (like the history channel), dedicated round the clock to talking about THEIR “glorious past”. They have museums in every state. They have massive structures like Mount Rushmore, Stone Mountain in Georgia (the confederate Mount Rushmore), the Washington Monument and the list goes on. All built as testaments to the SoWS! It could even be argued that Washington, DC is just one HUGE museum. Ok, so what’s the difference between them and what our people are doing? And what does it have to do with keeping our people calmed down and docile?

WE ARE STILL HAVING WAR WAGED UPON US—THEY AREN’T! 

So, they can afford to “big up” themselves and put their energies into such things. Haiti did not build ONE statue DURING the revolution. Nor, in America, were there streets named after Malcom X or Martin Luthor King Jr while they lived—let alone a federal holiday in his honor—while they were fighting. There has even long been talk about putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. No such “honors” were discussed while she was conducting the Underground Railroad. Something that she would no doubt despise. The point remains that, just as Nancy Pelosi and other white U.S. “leadership” in government, knelt in Kente cloth, the reason they are willing to do these disingenuous, symbolic gestures is to placate and pacify Black people. They are willing to do it, and to allow a degree of opposition in the form of “rallies”, and esteem builders like museums, videos and showing us representation by giving us Black faces in high places (as long as they are acting in service to the SoWS while in those high places). They know that ultimately it is not ONLY ineffective, but that they actually serve the purpose of acting as a release valve of sorts. I agree with Neely Fuller when he says that our people should be doing a lot less celebrating, if at all, because we are still at war.

Yes, Black Americans created Hip Hop. We also created jazz, the banjo, the rollercoaster, the gas mask, slam dunking and a plethora of other things. The question isn’t even, what did we create as much as it is, what didn’t we create?! We should already know we are some of the, if not the most creative and inventive people on the planet. When we tout our accomplishments as a people, ultimately all it amounts to is bragging rights. But does it result in our liberation?! The question isn’t, who created Hip Hop as much as it is, “Who now controls and profits the most from Hip Hop?” 

I would submit that, just as with affirmative action and countless inventions of Black people, it is white people and the System of White Supremacy that always benefits the most materially, monetarily, and structurally in terms of hierarchy. What good does it do for us to finally be able to stand on the top of the mountain and shout that our people created Hip Hop, while there are still chains on our ankles?! Even things that appear to benefit us, like rallies for reparations, that seem to challenge the establishment, actually work in the favor of the colonizer.

How does a rally for reparations serve the purposes of the System of White Supremacy? (SoWS)

That’s simple. Much venom is directed toward those who are considered “tethers” or “coons”. Why? Because the end goal of a so-called tether or coon is to help uphold the SoWS and to side with it (and that is a fair assessment). The question becomes, what is the ultimate goal of FBA, (or ADOS for that matter)? The goal is equality and full integration into the American corporation, with all the rights and privileges thereof. But both factions have, as their main focus, reparations. (Which are owed! There is no disputing that. And that reparations should only be paid by the offending country and to the members of the diaspora of the particular country in which their ancestors were enslaved. Therefore, only Descendants of Enslaved Afrikans in America should receive reparations from America. Period. Only Descendants of Enslaved Afrikans in Brazil should receive reparations from Brazil. Same for the U.K. and so on. That is my position at least). My question becomes (and I have followed this discussion very closely for over a decade), what exactly do our people want reparations for?! 

Is it so that we can take the money and use it to completely free ourselves from the United States? Or is it so that our people can at long last, close the gap and have the wealth that it takes to live as Americans? To be able to finally have our part of the American pie—the American Dream? I have been listening for years and based upon the insistence of FBA and ADOS that they are American, to the point of claiming little to no connection to the continent of Afrika pretty much answers that question.

My point?

Black conservatives and republicans, those who we would call “coons” and “bootlicks” have as a goal the exact same thing. The only difference between them and FBA and ADOS are their philosophies about, and methodology for how to get there. But make no mistake—their end goals are exactly the same, and at the end of the day, would result in the same outcome. The perpetuation of the System of White Supremacy through our willing participation with it, just as long as we don’t feel we are crushed underneath the boot of it.

So, what’s the problem? Is it the system? Or is it our position within it?

What’s the problem? Black people who want to be part of a capitalist, imperialist system?

Or is it just the way they have chosen to get there that is the problem?

These are the questions we have to come to grips with and eventually answer, because if we don’t become brutally honest with ourselves, and get to the hard work of true liberation, then things can and will only become profoundly worse for our people. This essay isn’t a call to our people to take to the streets and riot. Nor is it to say we should not take pride in what is rightly ours. What I am getting at is that we are a people at war. Not because we have chosen it, but because it is being waged upon us and there is no way for us to avoid it unfortunately. As such, our focus needs to widen so that we can see the bigger picture. As of this writing, European, Western and Middle East nations are three steps from nuclear war, the global economic system is two steps from collapse, and the United States is one step from becoming a full on tyrannical, authoritarian, fascist country. 

And we’re celebrating that we created Hip Hop, as we fight among ourselves.

Comedian Katt Williams, who I personally find to be challenging, (See my Blog Post: What Makes the Katt Williams Interview Problematic Wed. Jan 31, 2024 and the February 2024 issue of the Reading and Writing in the DARK Newsletter), but then, who ISN’T? Including myself), has said many times that the year 2024 was going to be the year when all lies would be revealed. 

Corporations, governments, industries, and individuals seem hell bent on turning the man into a prophet. One of the most interesting features of these exposures and implosions is the fact that the majority (if not all), of these entities are exposing themselves!

I have been saying for years, though I readily admit that what I’m about to write is not a new thought, nor am I even one of the first people to say it, that some people have become so profoundly blinded by their own greed (whether for money, power, or something else), that they lose all control of themselves and objectivity. They become so focused on what it is they want or are trying to keep or maintain that in the end, how they keep or maintain it is no longer part of the equation for them (if it ever was). Lying, stealing, cheating, dishonesty, chicanery and the like become basically “the price of doing business” to them.  It appears that with many, once someone has gotten what it was that they were always grasping for, then eventually they become addicted to it.

In terms of addiction, we look at the meth addict, or the sex addict, alcoholic or even smoker, and aside from how we may personally feel about their particular vice, on some level, we can understand it. When a person is caught within the web of an addiction the consequences of it are made manifest. Whether those consequences are the decimation of their family, the loss of personal integrity, financial problems, deterioration and/or loss of material possessions or what have you.

But what about addictions that may not be as easy to detect?

My wife and I have watched many episodes of the television show Hoarders. 

I would submit that individuals like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and their ilk, are all hoarders and caught up in an addiction. The same is true for many politicians.

Here I feel it is important to define terms.

What is a “hoarder”?

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Hoarding disorder is an ongoing difficulty throwing away or parting with possessions because you believe that you need to save them. You may experience distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. You gradually keep or gather a huge number of items, regardless of their actual value.

Hoarding often creates extremely cramped living conditions with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Countertops, sinks, stoves, desks, stairways and all other surfaces are usually piled with stuff. You may not be able to use some areas for their intended purpose. For example, you may not be able to cook in the kitchen. When there's no more room inside your home, the clutter may spread to the garage, vehicles, yard, and other storage areas.

Hoarding ranges from mild to severe. In some cases, hoarding may not have much impact on your life, while in other cases it seriously affects your daily functioning.

People with hoarding disorder may not see it as a problem, so getting them to take part in treatment can be challenging. But intensive treatment can help you understand how your beliefs and behaviors can be changed so that you can live a safer, more enjoyable life.

As we watch the hoarder live in filth and clutter, with vermin and roaches, would anyone in their right mind ask their advice about ANYTHING, let alone look at them with admiration?!

It appears, by this definition that hoarding, or the mentality of it, is the problem more than the actual psychology behind it. I don’t fully agree with the author(s) of the article who focus on the consequences of hoarding in relationship to the availability of physical space. If that’s the case, the question becomes, if one of these hoarders were given, say, twenty mansion sized houses, on two hundred acres of property on and in which to keep their things, would that mean they were no longer a hoarder?

Of course not. They’d still be a hoarder because they would still have the mentality of a hoarder.

I propose that hoarding is indeed a psychological dysfunction. However, it has little to nothing to do with physical space as much as it does a form of greed or need to be comforted by the possession of material items, or the feeling of a need to possess things and/or control something.

The reason we don’t recognize the hoards or psychological dysfunction of the Jeff Bezos’ or Elon Musk’s as well as other billionaires and multi-millionaires is because their hoards take the form of luxury yachts, private planes, walk in closets that look like department stores, and opulent mansions in several locations domestically and abroad, garages filled with various. Admittedly, there are legitimate collectors of assorted items who would not fall into the category of being hoarders, but at times, the line can be razor thin.

To the eye of the average person, all that opulence isn’t perceived as a hoard. However, let’s examine the mentality for a moment. Many families have two cars—three at the most. Typically, it is for practical purposes, since in today’s world both people will need transportation to and from work and to take care of children if they have them, and so on. But what about someone who is alone, or even married, but has several cars? We’re talking about a person of means who, if they had zero cars, they’d have full and ready access to any mode of transportation they need, without any hassle or constraints. Why or why, then, do they have several mansions, with no less than five automobiles at each location? 

Oh, but that’s not a hoard. 

The properties and items these wealthy people have is new and kept in good repair. It isn’t an eye sore, broken down, useless and smelly.

Ok, let’s take away from Michael Forbes, all his maintenance people, landscapers, hired servants, repair people etc. Then take everything he physically owns and put it into one of his mansions.

What is it now?

It is a hoard that is no longer able to be hidden behind opulence.

The mentality of hoarding isn’t what concerns me as much as it is the mentality of those who are ready to criticize those who are hoarders on the bottom rungs of society but are unable to see it as they are blinded by the opulence of wealthy hoarders who are able to hide their addiction. One of the most devastating things about these rich hoarders is that part of their hoard consists also of human beings. This is one of the reasons they seek power and control of everything. They are not satisfied with all the things they own; all the money they have in the bank and their ability to do virtually anything they want at any time they want to do it. They want to mold societies and control people.

To turn people into something they own.

Now they are revealing themselves as the empty, inferiority complex ridden, vapid, hedonistic, self-centered, cynical people they are. 

It is their money and hoards that they use to hide behind, but in every area, the cracks are beginning to show. As these individuals reveal themselves in a way that there is no longer any doubt about who they truly are. I am finding it important that we see clearly, them and their disfunctions. In doing so, it may help us take an honest look at ourselves to see that perhaps it is problematic that we don’t criticize the one and ten percenters, even as we attack and demean a person who is homeless and lacking the power to directly affect our lives one way or another. 

At the same time, we have little or no interest in pushing back against the wealthy or powerful for their tyranny and megalomania. Is it possible that the reasons we behave the way we do is because somewhere, deep down inside, as we look at the limos, clothes, jets, mansions and even in some cases, the spouses of the rich and powerful, we secretly aspire to BE them and thus, are reluctant to critique them?

They are not people to look up to just because their hoards may look appealing. The mentality is the same as those living in filth who don’t have the means and space to disguise it.

The best things in life are free. Cliché but true.

And as soon as we stop looking up to and worshiping these hoarders, the better off we’ll be and able to see clearly the things that actually are important, like Yah, family, friends and our community.