Educated into Dumbness!

Educated into Dumbness!

As I survey the economic and political landscape of this nation and how it inevitably impacts blacks in this country, I am forced to come to grips with the fact that although we are becoming more educated in some realms, we are actually slipping into a deep intellectual and spiritually comatose state, in which we will become even more vulnerable to the evil machinations of our oppressors.

The Fallacious Adage

There is an old adage that is often quoted within the confines of many classrooms and college auditoriums. How many times have you heard, “There is no stupid question?” The truth is that there are stupid questions. No, it is not the question that seems irrational or misplaced that I would readily and emphatically deem to be stupid. The question that I speak of here is that question that is raised without critical thought having been applied to the dilemma. When the question is asked before ever taking the time to work through the labyrinthine corridors of the natural process of reason, then the question is not only stupid, it is a form of intellectual lethargy.

We have been conditioned to ask before we think. We seek to have others answer our questions before we have endeavored to answer them ourselves. Why is this stupid? It demands very little of ourselves and it places too much trust in the hands of someone that does not have a true vested interest in what we will become based on the information provided, or that vested interest is best served by disseminating erroneous information or concepts into the psyche of those being impacted by that information.

Educated into Dumbness

The concept of being educated into dumbness is actually a paradigm that has been extracted from one of the core philosophies or the late Dr. Amos Wilson. Dr. Wilson passionately made the point that the cultural differences and historical polarities between Europeans and Blacks dictate that they cannot equally benefit from the same educational curriculum. What this means is that a black student that is expose to the exact same program as a white student, who is equally successful in completing the course will not benefit from the course in the same manner as the white student.

There are many influences that impact this phenomenon; however, the void created by the absence of critical thought leaves the black student at a disadvantage because the intellectual stimuli that he or she is exposed to is not representative of their culture, background or general reality. Without critical thought and exposure to those things that are culturally relative, we will continue to be consumed by a system that is designed to perpetuate our demise.

Critical Thought Produces Exponential Power

As we press inexorably toward greater heights as a people, we must break away from the natural proclivity to have others answer questions that we ourselves have the power and intellect to answer on our own. There must be a high level of digression from business as usual. We must become engrossed in our own affairs and the seeking our own solutions. Critical thought drives creativity. Critical thought will generate the momentum necessary to create the paradigmatic shifts that are paramount to us rising as a people. Yes, there are stupid questions when you are the living answer. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D.