Massa, We Sick?*: The Other-Directed Personality

By Gimbu Kali Presented by Omni-University

"...Despite the fact that a law enforcement officer "took a knee" to the neck of unarmed Black America-- We still believe in" a Dream that is deeply rooted in the American Dream…"[2] "Massa, WE Sick?" is a continuation of "Historical Amnesia, Falsified Consciousness, and the Illusion of Inclusion, Part Two", also written by Gimbu Kali. The intention of these H3O Art of Life Blogs is to contribute to our understanding of ourselves and the world around us by examining the historical and current psycho-sociological condition which, under the prevailing circumstances, bears- not only watching- but remediation. Much of the confusion from which we suffer comes from the fact that we have been programmed and encouraged to develop an external locus of control, rather than an internal locus of control. In his brilliant essay, "Dwt -:A Tool for Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery", Dr. Uhuru Hotep clearly defines the difference between two opposing psychological orientations: "People and communities that have internal centers of control believe that, through their own persistent effort, they can rearrange or change their life conditions without outside approval or assistance. Because they believe deeply that they are the “captains of their fate” and the “masters of their destiny” , they feel empowered, optimistic, creative, productive, energetic, and positive. Because of this deep faith in themselves, their people, and hard work, they are willing to take calculated risks to fulfill their dreams. Such people are successful and such communities are autonomous, wholesome places to live and raise children." "On the other hand, people and communities that have an external center of control believe, at their core, that they cannot arrange their lives and construct their futures without the active approval of and assistance and guidance from external human agencies. Those with an external locus of control look for powerful others to think, legitimize and provide for them. They are victims of a psychology of dependence often to the extent that they are willing to place their lives and the lives of their children in the hands of others who they believe will treat them fairly. Because they believe that others are better equipped to make decisions about their fate than they themselves, they are considered child-like and foolish, worthy of exploitation and abuse by their oppressors. Such people and communities languish in a “dependency state, ”depressed, demoralized, and disenfranchised." Amos Wilson refers to the people about whom Hotep writes as "Other Directed Afrikan personalities." In "Blueprint for Black Power" he states: "For the "Other Directed'' person, social control lies outside, rather than inside the individual. "Other directed" persons have few internal restraints upon their behavior, and so are guided primarily by what is fashionable, what is popular, what others are doing. His consciousness, constructed as it is by the other, essentially the reactionary product of his domination by the other, is a future wherein the other in some way is supreme. For him there is no world without white people in it, and controlling it." The "other- directed Afrikan personality " is a personality designed for powerlessness, gullibility, exploitation, and to futilely seek merger and identification with those who exploit it; fashioned to seek the approval and love of those who spitefully hate it, above all else in life. The "other -directed Afrikan personality" is a vacuous personality, an empty shell, a bottomless pit, an Afrikan container devoid of Afrikan content and, therefore, suffering a chronic sense of emptiness, an insatiable craving for satisfaction. The vacuum created in this personality comes from its being emptied of its African core by its European enslavers. The niggerized version of the original, interjected into its personality by its European creators, is designed not to be satisfied, he is designed to simply consume..." (He is essentially designed to be in a constant and continuous state of suspended animation, ready to be used however the white man needs to use him/her at any given point in time, This is the sad and unfortunate state of American born Africans . There is a human maxim that says, "All human behavior is modified by consequences". This statement is true no matter to what historical time period you refer on earth, this statement is true, no matter what geographical location you refer to on earth, and this statement is true no matter what group of people you refer to on planet earth. The flip side of that is, "If there are no consequences, there is no need to modify the behavior". The ability of the oppressor- class to convince the oppressed that their interests are the same is the one of the keys to the power of the former to control the latter.. Until we, Black people, learn to see reality through our own eyes, we will forever remain susceptible to Historical Amnesia, the Falsification of our African Consciousness, and the Illusion of Inclusion.. ________________

Editor's Note: * The title for this essay is a spin on a anecdote about those captives who put the well-being of their captors before their own to the extent that, if the "slave owner" sneezed, the "slave's" automatic response was said to be ," Massa, WE, Sick?". Unfortunately, it is WE about whom this question must be raised.

Dr. Gloria Latimore-Peace,

Founder, The Omni U Virtual University

Creator, The H3O Art of Life Blog,

Host and Producer, The H3O Art of Life Show.

BlogMusic "Wake Up Everybody" Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. BlogNote [1] Dr. Gloria Latimore Peace in,"Historical Amnesia, Falsified Consciousness, and the Illusion of Inclusion, Part Two", written by Gimbu Kali.

Please View: [Ancestor] Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Revolutionary MLK" Recommended Reading: [Ancestor] Dr. Amos N. Wilson, The Falsification of Afrikan Consciousness.

[Ancestor] Dr. Amos N. Wilson, Afrikan-Centered Consciousness Vs. The New World Order: Garveyism in the Age of Globalism. Dr. Hotep Uhuru, Dwt: A Tool for Breaking the Chains of Psychosocial Slavery. Dr. Wade W. Nobles, Seeking the Sakhu: Foundational Writings For An African Psychology