First, there was the end of affirmative action for all the supposedly “undeserving” Black students, with an insulting study about how Black students were incompetent in MD/PhD programs. Then, there was a remark about “Black jobs,” and how it was important to persecute migrants on behalf of Black people. Now, people are making it harder for Black women to get most jobs. Despite the collapsed roof and subsequent fire at the Nottoway Plantation, there has been an undercurrent of demanding that Black people go back to the whip, trying to reclaim the empire’s origins.
Within people’s excitement about technology, there is a tendency forget that computers only do what people program into them, nothing more. As I grew up in Austin, Texas during the rise of the techie during the 1990s, I know that many of the tech gurus are entitled suburbanites raised in segregation, with “a few Black friends.” Because of this upbringing, such programmers have no capacity to recognize the humanity in the majority of the planet outside their comfort zone. Now, these programmers are gleefully programming algorithms designed to take away opportunities from Black people.
Moreover, certain job applications are now asking for videos of potential applicants, ostensibly to screen for quality. However, most people know that despite false claims of victimhood, the most viral and viewed videos are those taken from Black content creators, while the creators themselves rarely receive adequate compensation. People are aware that there is racial bias on the job market, but employers are seeking ways to eliminate socioeconomic mobility for those they deem as “lesser.” Covertly, requiring videos on job applications is another way to screen out Black applicants without ever having to reject someone in an interview, or even take the time to get to know someone.
The rise in mass shootings could likely be linked to the increasing disbelief in the easy lies told by propagandists to justify violence. People are being told horrific stories about migrants, so now everyone is under attack by newly deputized law enforcement officers who are being told that they have the right to detain anyone they classify as a “threat.” Any public space is seen as viable for harassment, regardless of people actively avoiding those who are desperate to start a fight. The purpose of this behavior is clear: no, Black people will never be allowed to rest or relax as long as the dominant narrative has anything to say about it.
Finally, the Black community has a long history of making something out of nothing, largely because we have not been given enough to be considered equal. Back in the day, it was possible to ascend one’s social class because there was more of a communal understanding–with complications, just like all communities–based on segregation. Displacement, environmental degradation, financial deprivation and medical debt have essentially wiped out a lot of the more prosperous Black communities. The romance of a community revival based on “living on less” is a fantasy based on past experiences, and with the deprivation of so many younger generations, there will not be the opportunities to build anything, leaving us at the mercy of the dominant narrative which hates us.
Some people are pretending to be surprised at the rise in hatred towards Black people since January 2025. Most Black people recognize such behavior as the true feelings of the empire, merely suppressed until the time when those feelings could be recognized. There is no misunderstanding why so many Black people are now looking to go anywhere but the United States. Unfortunately, based on rapidly decreasing job opportunities, so many employers are doing their best to make sure that potential Black slaves are kept close at hand.
Chasing A Dying Empire 