Besides being politically naive, being prime targets for misinformation, and psychobabble, vainglorious and self-absorbed, everything is just peaches and cream in our communities; am I right? You have suspended reality – if you say you are a queen, then you are a queen, it doesn’t matter what others may think or feel; there are no unpleasant, untidy, fat, uncouth or disgusting people anymore, no obnoxious attitudes, no right or wrong; everyone is simply beautiful with long cascading imported hair, colorful nails, hyper-expensive bags, elevator shoes, scented hookah, tequila – Patron of course, luxurious cars, Mercedes, Land Rover or Beamer. Note to my friends, and loyal readers, (in case you have been out of touch, been on a long vacation, or just off the grid), let me introduce you to the new reality, life on the new alternate planet called Lost Ma Damn Mind. Hey, as long as they show up to Church, pay their tithes, and criticize us hopeless sinners, everything’s just cool, they do what they want to do, when they want to, and with whom they want; the insufferable jerks on the new planet are unfettered by other people’s rules and expectations, because they are queens, kings, or whatever titles they appropriate for their lofty lifestyles.
We who are aware of the distinct privilege of coaching others possessing a thirst for knowledge, are further rewarded when the recipients keep an open mind and a reverence for lifelong learning, but a growing generational shift to the new planet has been in the making since Google conspired with the unruly and undisciplined minds of today, to create the “We know everything Tribe” on planet Lost Ma Damn Mind, where the prevailing views are expressed this way:
“Look at us, with Google for brains and AI for show, we know everything, keep your experience and wisdom to yourself, subdue your tendency to offer advice and counsel to us, we do not want to be traumatized by your so-called wisdom. Who is better than us, can’t you see we know everything? We make money, we have lots of stuff, including our iPhones, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), we really do not need the aggravation from you or others who express so-called concern for our welfare, we can take care of ourselves. If you feel the urge to instruct or offer advice to others, offer it to your family, or get a dog, or cat with whom to share your advice.”
I can only hope that the above monologue I shared with you illuminated the psyche of our present socio-cultural reality; I have become acutely aware, that there has been a seismic shift in attitudes and behavior toward life and its meaning, and that shift is forcing me to reassess my activities and relationships in a critical way. In order to avoid being judgmental and bitter about the fact that life is wasted on the young, I must realistically admit that it is being wasted on the old as well. This systemic failure in our Black value system and family structure rests on the shoulders of some of us baby-boomers who figured that “giving our children what we didn’t have,” was a winning parental strategy. What that ensured is a new generation on this new planet, who are a bunch of sniveling, narcissistic and selfish individuals, who function most times with an outsized sense of entitlement, and with scant regard for anyone else.
Here’s the bad news, those same parents who wanted to live vicariously through their children are now doing so; afflicted with their children’s social dysfunction of Social Mediatitis, the compulsion to selfie themselves and almost everyone in sight, coupled with their imprudent relationships with Facebook, and Instagram have created new threats to family harmony and normalized relationships. This condition of willful ignorance, and a foolish attempt at generational relevance puts them regrettably on the same planet as their children.
The competition with their children in selfies, and social media posts is a slippery slope, which leads to dysfunction in one form or another. The increasingly disruptive nature of social media has brought much sadness to families whose personal lives have been shredded to bits, with family members whose reputations have been destroyed, while others have ruined their job prospects for the future. The social and economic cost of “social media syndrome” is often unrecoverable and irreparable, much like a catastrophic disease it impacts family and friends with equal ferocity.
