Socioeconomics, Sociopathic Swag, and Our Sanity

I haven't written here in over a year. I wasn't sure what direction to go in or whether my words had any measurable impact on the physical world. When I first began this blog, it was dedicated to examining the role that aesthetics plays in black cultural identities. It has never been enough for me to merely accept something 'as is' without questioning why it is the way it is.
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Today, writer, poet, mental health advocate, and friend Bassey Ikpi inaugurated No Shame Day. It is a day dedicated to spreading awareness and support for those who suffer with mental illness in the Black community. It almost goes without saying that talking about mental illness among our families and friends is taboo. Though it is important to talk about mental health care and to share our stories, it is equally important to me as a cultural critic to evaluate our behaviors and consider the root causes from a macro level.

The cultural emphasis on swag(ger) is sociopathic. I hate it. Many of the celebrities and people who believe themselves to be celebrities actually fit two or more of the criteria for psychopathy on Robert Hare's psychopathic checklist. Our cultural predisposition to "coolness" has been hi-jacked, manufactured, and sold back to us on steroids. Muhammad Ali had swagger. Malcolm X had swagger. President Obama has swagger. They each spoke truth to power and stood in the face of adversity with a smile. That's swagger. Buying a pair of expensive shoes does not mean you have swagger. Just as we can judge a tree by its fruit, we can see that much of what we see generated in popular media about swagger is a corporate ploy. If you think I'm exaggerating, check this.

Swagger is not a redeeming characteristic for a criminal. Swagger doesn't make you more educated, wealthy, or wise. Swagger does not raise children into successful and productive adults. So why is this every advertiser's wet dream? Its because socio-economics paired with depression and a historical narrative centered on slavery and poverty are a recipe for conspicuous consumption as a means of medicating. We are addicted to the purchase of things in order to perpetuate a fantasy that distracts us from the responsibilities in our realities. According to the State of the African-American Consumer, black people will have a spending power of 1.1 Trillion dollars by 2015. That's 1.1 Trillion dollars that is spent mostly on consumer products mainly related to entertainment and beauty instead of on education, health care, and other critical areas of life. We are buying more and more products that we do not create that reinforce foreign philosophies that are destructive to young people. Teenagers are being bombarded more than ever by media that feeds their insecurities about their not yet developed minds and bodies. The messages are frightening. The goal is to highlight every insecurity a person could face and match it with a product. Your hair is too short? Here's a $500 lace-front weave. Skin too pale? Here's a tanning bed. Skin too dark? Here's some bleaching cream. Want to be in a music video? Inject your behind with Fix-a-Flat.

Our pain is real. No product will fully mend our bruised egos and help those who suffer from depression and other mood disorders. Life isn't about what you wear or purchase. Its about who you are when you are naked and alone. Its about character. Its about who you are beyond your salary or your social associations. We can't afford to mask our battles with racism, fear, loss, depression, addiction, anxiety, and other illnesses with things. True empowerment comes from the bravery of honesty and seeking help. Let's not be so in love with the appearances of things that we neglect who we are at our core. There is no shame in being our truest selves. Indeed, we must be in order to fulfill our highest potential. Our sanity depends on it.