The Hate U Give Little Infants Fails Everyone

    

For the uninitiated, T.H.U.G  L.I.F.E  is the acronym.

Coined by the virtuoso rapper Tupac Shakur,and made famous by his first rap group and their only studio album so aptly named in the early 90’s, the phrase was in reference to the plight of the young African- American struggling to find his place in society. Considered too controversial at the time, the album itself went on to become one of the most realistic and hard-hitting social commentaries rap genre has produced to date. Of course Tupac didn’t end his role as society’s mirror there, as can be attested by his subsequent releases to date.

With the majority of the black men then being systematically dis-empowered or in prison or dead from gang violence,women were often left alone take care of the family.  Cases of pregnant women hooked on hard drugs, mothers neglecting their infants, girls with special needs being sexually violated,teen mothers selling their bodies in front of their kids for food were thus a common affair;the women sometimes not knowing how else to cope with the harsh reality of raising kids on meager social welfare cheques.

The absurdity of the whole situation was that such infants born and raised in conditions bereft of unconditional love, which incidentally determines a person’s healthy self-image or lack thereof ,were expected to grow up as ‘normal’ human beings and fit in the social mould without any form of intervention.

Living in neighbourhoods where murders, violence at homes, police brutality, prostitution and other vices were normalised, their perception of the world was skewed towards injustice, since from their window panes, they could see that they had been handed the short end of the stick, with the other half wallowing in opulence. Subtle to brazen rebellion would ensue as the youth grew cold and disconnected. Their proclivity for restitution as far as they could express it also grew boundless, and was more often than not,dumb!Society thus created a monster which has no regard for the sacredness of human life,which in itself was payback time for its own neglect.

The track ‘How Long Will They Mourn Me’ (Edited) freezes the desperation of the time:

''..It’s kinda hard being optimistic when your homies lying dead on the pavement twisted..I’m trying hard to make amends but I’m losing all  my friends. Damn!They should have shot me when I was born,Now I’m trapped in this storm’’

However,those that made it despite going through all that pain,Tupac would refer to them as Thugs-The Roses That Grew From The Concrete.I think most of us can relate.

Put into Context

More than twenty years later, Thug Life still holds true today, that is if the ‘I can’t breathe’ protests seen across US cities is anything to go by.

Worse still,it has been replicated  all over the world but now cuts across race,culture and  is more pronounced in religion in the form of radicalisation.The callous disregard for human life witnessed in Kenya,Syria,Iraq and most recently in Paris and Bamako only underscores our communities’ abdication of their responsibilities towards the highly impressionable youth.

The female,normally the most closely-guarded, has not been spared either as can be observed by the increasing number of young women voluntarily engaging in criminal activities and in some cases actually being the masterminds.Others end up in the flesh trade either as sex workers, strippers and sex slaves for the extremists as their esteem takes a knock. You'll agree that every little girl’s fantasy is to have her chaste rewarded with a colourful wedding while getting married to her knight in shining armour when she comes of age. The turnaround comes when she loses hope in the promise, normally violated by the same knights, be they dads, boyfriends, relatives or others in positions of trust.

Closer home

The recent gunning down of the three young men in Umoja Estate, Nairobi ,who had attempted to rob a police constable after a series of muggins late that night, brought to light the plight of the urban youth who is laden with big dreams but scarce opportunities, a big heart but scarce resources, high drive and energy with no direction.

The media, predictably, found it necessary to relegate their lives to a statistic by not indicating even their names probably as way of saying  good riddance.By chance,however,I came across the pseudonym of one of the slain ‘gangsters’, Jos Lee Mgazah,on social media,whose friends could identify from photos of the lifeless bodies going viral at the time.A casual glance on the young man’s page indicates that though happy-go-lucky,he  had experienced  a series of tragedies already in his young life having recently lost a dear girl-friend(who probably suffered a similar fate).

The name Gaza,associated with the incarcerated Jamaican reggae artist Vybz Cartel,evokes terror amongst Eastlands residents,especially those who have had the misfortune of meeting these young ‘devils’ who rob in broad-daylight and kill at the slightest provocation. By identifying with it,young Jos must have resigned to fate and did what he had to do to get back at the judgmental society which considered his existence a liability anyway. Having died in the company of his buddies, you can be certain that they’ll get a burial befitting a fallen soldier this week from their band of brothers and sisters. 

I would be unfair to the young man and his family if I speculate on his upbringing since I didn’t know him personally.But the case of Jos appears to be representative of the young Kenyan male already feeling as a statistic in waiting.Sadly,society celebrates their transition,as the gallant security officer is rewarded,and rightfully so,for  ‘maintaining security and order’.The reality,however,is that before the officer returns his firearm for forensic ballistics(if any),another crop of disoriented young thugs will have risen.They don’t die,they multiply-to use one of Tupac’s analogies. This vicious cycle is the same witnessed in religious extremism, racial supremacist and xenophobic brainwashing and indoctrination.

Jos and his ilk are mostly from single parent households with the parent mostly struggling to make ends meet. Adolescence  is normally rough as they finally realise that they are at the near bottom of the social pyramid.They begin to notice injustice and inequality all around them .The haves and have-nots.The richer getting richer.Them struggling to find a decent enough meal,or earrings for the girlfriend,or tickets to a concert,while the rich splash their money everywhere.

Their parent or guardian now seeing them as a burden wants them out of the house without saying as much.To some,this is where The Lucifer Effect (immortalised on  film by The Experiment,2010)kicks in-referring to a research conducted by psychologist Richard Zimbardo on trying to understand why good people turn evil-as the young man is left with no choice but to face the world alone.In some cases,the young man is now a dad and has three mouths to feed.Jobs are scarce,even for the educated,and mentors few and far between.

Though rare, one cannot entirely rule out the case of the ‘Bad Seed’.In his Bestseller ‘The Soul’s Code-In Search Of Character and Calling’,James Hillman of the ‘Growing down’ philosophy uses Adolf Hitler’s character as one of the case studies to show some of the contributing factors to the evil nature of human beings.Of particular interest was the resentment he had with his oppressive father growing up, and secondly,group mores- where as a teen,the group now became a fall back reaction when he was under threat.That's probably why leading the German army came naturally.Other than the infamous industrial killing of Jews ,the bad seed in him could be manifested in other subtle ways,for instance,by Anality -his fetish for being soiled by his women partners while love-making.(Those with unusual sadistic sexual tendencies might need to re-evaluate themselves).

Another case study of the bad seed was that of the 9 year old Mary Bell who strangled two little boys with no remorse or awareness that she had murdered. 

True,there are a few people that are born 'bad'.But in most cases,people are made bad.

Intervention

In the cradle of mankind ,tradition dictated that people undergo various rights of passage as a way of introducing them to new responsibilities. Mentorship was and still is considered a primary,cardinal role of their elders.Though some people had entirely relegated culture as retrogressive and adopted their new lifestyle either as ‘The enlightened’ or ‘Righteous’,culture  is gaining traction especially after the recent purposeful intervention by the elders of various communities.

It is apparent that children raised under strong cultural foundations tend to have a strong identity and a healthy self-image due to the group dynamics when they identify themselves within the distinct age-sets.Going back to our roots will therefore ensure that our cultural values,that put the community before self, serve as an anchor for today’s youth.

Hillman explains that the task of the older person is to not be selfishly concerned but to grow down into the world to help the younger ones find their places-you become more social, political and responsible. Here’s where most men miss the mark as they foolishly join society in pointing fingers at their children for ‘failure’. Remember that as a father, you cannot afford to compare yourself with your children, however 'disappointing' they might be. If they fail, you’ve failed. And if they succeed, let it not be because they endeavoured to prove you wrong,since the euphoria won’t last,and the end result will be the feeling of emptiness. 

So, before they can find other mentors, be the head-mentor. Billionaire Warren Buffet advises that if you give your children unconditional love, you are 90% home-That is exactly what he got from his dad.If your child can always count on you as their number one cheerleader, the world will forever be a playing ground for them. Think about that! Men!

Youth facing various psychological battles like depression and other forms of mental illnesses as a result of inability to deal with their past should be put on a watch-list by family,friends and colleagues,or else we’ll all pay for it one way or another.Research has proven that anyone who has managed to put their past behind them can reach their full potential never before imagined.Psychiatrist Victor Frankel (Man’s Search for Meaning)would ask his patients “Why don’t you commit suicide?’’,in order to try and weave a pattern of what they held as dear(be it loved ones,a dream,or an achievement)and use it as a beacon of hope towards recovery while shocking them back to reality.Perhaps we should borrow a leaf from his work.

Rehabilitation of the affected as well as their siblings and close friends cannot be gainsaid.Having undergone trauma,they become very susceptible to various forms of psychological disorders that tend to trigger the Lucifer effect or latent bad seed in them.Formal rehab(That of 12 Steps,Serenity prayer)might be encouraged if only to free them of the weight of the world on their shoulders and leave it all to a Higher being as they understand Him. Religious leaders,hence,should focus on the probable paradise down here as with the promised one with equal zeal.Pain,suffering and fear is of the devil,not God.

A multi-faceted approach, therefore, should be undertaken to restore the hope of a better tomorrow for the younger; and from infancy to adulthood, replace the hate with Unconditional love.Tupac figures this in 'Unconditional love' as:

    ''..the stuff that does not wear off,it doesn't fade through all the crazy days..whether                                              you're wrong or you're right..''

It is noteworthy that the old have been lamenting for long now of how their grandchildren are agonising them with their early exit. We should put an end to that. We should all cringe and have our conscience gnaw at our brains every time we  bury younger people who die from unnatural causes;until we put this under control.

Let us take a moment also to remember their mothers, especially those who did their best to nurture these children but life caught them on the blind side. Lucky Dube’s Johnny might be a good listen at this point.