Mental Slavery is by far the worse type of slavery that exists.  Why? Well, when you are mentally enslaved you do not know that you are mentally enslaved, but your actions show that you do have this problem.  Even though many black people, in general, have this problem, I will concentrate on Haiti.  Oh...Haiti? Yes, Haiti!  We have this problem and it is terrible.  We think we are smart, we think we are tough, yet the conditions of our homeland prove that we are terribly weak. Sure, we were the first independent black republic, but can you really see that right now?  After a while, you have to ask well what else? What else makes us so special? Why are we not doing great things so that our descendents can say our ancestors did this and that?  The truth is, we are mentally enslaved. In many people, it is as deep as a third degree burn and it hurts Haiti just as much as the burn would hurt an individual.  We obtained our independence 200 years ago because our ancestors knew they were enslaved. Physical slavery was straight forward, it said that you were inferior to me and that you deserved to live like an animal.  Mental enslavement is more sly, more internal than external.  How can the mentally enslaved people fight the enslavement if they do not know that they are enslaved? This is one reason why Haiti has been in so much trouble.  Physical slavery was expelled, but mental slavery was never taken care of.

What are some examples of the actions of mentally enslaved Haitians? Haitian men who came from Haiti at an older age tended to veer towards white women. Did they do this for love? We would hope so, but I believe many cases hardly had to do anything with love. You see, some black men may feel so bad about themselves that they marry white women to "increase their value" to themselves. Now, there are Haitian women who bleach their skin in order to look like the grimelles that the Haitian men chase after.  If we do not like our won color, we will not like ourselves and certain parts of our culture. If we do not like certain harmless parts of our culture, then we will not like certain people in our culture that like those harmless things in our culture. If that occurs then we will be divided and therefore the country will be in mayhem. That is what we have today in our beloved Haiti.  Some of us want to be light skinned Francophonies while others want to be black Africans. So you have a class of people who look down at the other people and the truth is, everybody who comes from Haiti will be looked down upon because we haven't got our act together since our physical freedom 200 years ago.  We give all our respect and love to foreigners while we disrespect each other. We cry and beg for the Americans, Dominicans and Jamaicans to accept us. Well, how would they accept us if we can not accept ourselves. Some of them are no better than us. Dominicans marry white to get lighter while Jamaicans bleach their skin too. However, Dominicans have been able to unite and so have Jamaicans. The Jamaicans have their gang violence in Kingston, but when they come here to the U.S. they work together and do things right!  I'm not saying they are perfect, but we can learn a thing or two from them without kissing their butts of course. 

How do we get rid of this self-hatred is something we need to talk about.  How do we educate our young to love themselves when they see the images on tv that may counter what we are teaching them? Self-love is what we need, but how do we get it?  Some of us will blame Whites until we are blue in the face.  I don't believe this is the solution. We know where we got it from, we need to know how we can get rid of it! How can we gain respect from others if we do not respect ourselves?

Ayiti cherie, when will the people who created you realize that they are the problems of Haiti. When will they realize that foreigners do not have full power over you unless we allow them. United we Stand divided we fail, L'Union Fait La Force...do any of these phrases mean anything to us anymore?  Haitian men against Haitian women, Protestants and Catholics against Vodouists, Protestants against Catholics, Government against people, parties against Government, Government and Parties against People, Elite against Poor, middle class non-existent, Everyone against Children, Everyone against A Better Haiti. This is not a country. We all have separated ourselves into feuding tribes.  We need to get rid of this Mental Slavery and we need to Unite. We need to live better. In fact, we need to live. What I mentioned above is not living.

LDPC

OK Chemin...a lot of questions...others have asked those same questions.

what are your answers?

kreyolbro@aol.com

Great chemin, compliment mon cher, well done. We need to be real, to love and be proud of ourselves. I am running to workwill come back to you later. Keep it up!

Daniel Ulysse

Chemin and Ulysse;     we habe been lamenting about this situation as far back as the Negritude Poets if not before.  We have had the same answers.

Nothing has changed, nothing will change for we have been changed forever.  A black woman with sub-saharan african features will never be considered the standard of beauty by even most blacks.  "Mulatrisme" is running rampant. Most blacks would love to have some mixture in them.  The standard of beauty for the black world has already shifted to favor the Afro-Latin type. AsK any blacks from anywhere in the world, (or ask most Haitians under hypnotism for that matter....LOL...LOL..LOL) they will tell you Dominicans are better looking than Haitians.

That is where black america is heading, this is where Haiti and the Caribbean are heading, and that is where black Africa is heading.

So lament all you want but you will soon realize it is pointless.  The West (white man) has won, blacks did not put up much of a fight.  The war right now is between the blacks to see who the white man likes best, which island gets more tourists, who has more mixed people, which group is lighter  LOL...LOL etc.

So enjoy that little culture we still have "racine, vaudou, kreyolfest etc.) but realize this is a Euro-American world.  We are allowed to play if we behave. (watch Haiti and Aristide) .   When Haiti steps in line, they will allow it to breathe and live again.  There wont be any more revolutions, military or cultural.  Haiti has nothing to offer, even its hard working cheap labor is being ignored at this time.

My solution; grab all the opportunities this white world affords us, become successful and wealthy, own businesses, create wealth and keep it.  More importantly, keep that Haitian identity. Then we can book Madison Square Garden for Kreyolfest, or we can parade down Fith Avenue, we can be Haiti's tourists, we can influence decisions toward Haiti etc. 

I also use to lament, but now i put in a Bookman Eksperyans CD (thanks to that Euro technology) and I am transported to another world of beautiful black spirituality and sensuality (no J LO look alikes or wannabes in that world) just Haitians of all hues and features dancing to a sensuous beat.  I think that is my new religion.

THE BIG QUESTION IS, HOW DO YOU FREE YOURSELF FROM FROM MENTAL SLAVERY WHEN YOUR WHOLE BEING, YOUR NAME, YOUR RELIGION, YOUR LANGUAGE, YOUR EDUCATION, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR TECHNOLOGY, YOUR SCIENCE, THAT FAKE HAIR ON YOUR WOMEN's HEAD, THAT SOUND SYSTEM AT KREYOLFEST, THAT KEYBOARD AT YOUR FINGERTIPS ARE ALL GIFTS FROM ANOTHER RACE.

kreyolbro@aol.com

I hate to say it, but I agree with Kreyole bro.  Im not trying to instigate any fight on here but I think the question that Chemin is poseing is tired, worn out, lost it's juice.

I am very tired of the same old lament: Haiti is the first black state...but...but...look at us now(cry~ me~ a~ river).

First off, to consider Haiti the first black state, we have to use the European definition of state, but we can over look this to give Haiti that glory.  Im not saying this untrue, but Haiti is so much more then that.  The word black is a European word, cant we name our selves, oh yeah we did. Haitians.  But we come to thye U.S. and reinherit that word from our African-American brethren and repeat Haiti is the first black state over and over to apease them or show them up, right after they lagh about how tight our jeans our.  Maybe im in my own world but I dont here to many people in Haiti saying that.  If we are the first who is the second, what exactly is a "black state" as oposed to an African state.  Is Jamaica a balck state?  I never hear them say that or any one else for that matter.  You hear it over and over on this site, were the first black state but what now? First: AYITI Is not a dog that needs to continue perfroming tricks, all we need is to eat 2 or 3 meals a day, learn, play soccer, play dominoes, danse compa, epi dats it!  And if you knew all the things Haiti has done, you be reeeeely surprized.  Haiti's wings are spread so wide. From Afro-------------to--------------Latin, I just hate to see it type casted.  Im always confused by "black",  I look for it on the world map but cant find it, It's a hollow definition, you take it apart and there's realy nothing there.

Another thing thats funny to me is that when I lived in Miami, Haitians were to "black" for "black people" but Puerto-Ricans were just fine, in many cases, they look more like Puert-Ricans anyway.  If you sort through the confusion and the labels given by Europeans in there quest to define "man" you'l see that were all basicaly the same people.

If you want more info on the mechanics of our opression, check out Kreyole_bro's post right above me, It's the truth, suspended in an elegant web of sarcasm.

                    Ps. Kreyole_bro, you say thats where were heading, I think weve been there for a while already, and Boukman Eksperianse is the best friggen band in the universe!

The world is getting smaller and smaller. A white peson in the US will always have to rely on the Street lights that Garret MOrgan built. It has improved his standard of living and he may forget the person who created, but he will never forget the benefits. I think that the key to our mental bondage is almost like a boat. You can go wherever you want to go and do whatever you want to do, but always keep yourself anchored to your roots. There is nothing wrong with marrying white or being Catholic. It not anyone's business if that's what someone chooses to, but it should be mission to remain grounded to our roots. Sing the little French and Creole songs to your babies, tell the the stories of wicked stepmothers and little girls, let them listen to music. And if they want to see Haiti, don't talk them out of it. Right now, many of us are teaching our children how to hate everything in our culture. We come in all beautiful colors, shapes, sizes and hair types, but we are all beautiful. We practice all types of religions, but we are all HAitian. Why tell someone that if you are light skinned, you are evil. Why tell someone if you are dark-skinned, you are ugly. We have to break the barriers. We are teaching our generations to hate.

To come out of a certain mindset is like behaviorally conditioning someone. You have to break their habits, their paradigms.

Patatipatata, the subject about Haiti being screwed up is also a tired worn out subject. If you think about it though, if a subject has a reason to be spoken about then it is never worn out. Meaning, if whatever the subject is about, still exists, then it should be talked about!  If the abolitionists in what became the U.S., just said to themselves that the subject of freeing slaves was getting really tired and worn out, how would things be today? A subject like this should be spoken about every time. Some of you act as if nothing is wrong that everybody is ok. Well you go tell some of your black sisters that...those bathing in bleach cream that destroys their skin. 

Kreyolbro, I really don't understand your position on this.  It seems that your post is showing some kind of I give up and lets accept vibe.  Well you and patati patata can go that route.  I agree with one thing you said, that we should enjoy our culture and we should make money. Those things are important.  We need to show the next generations to come that you can make a great deal of money and still be a dark skinned Haitian who likes dark skinned Haitians. The light skinned Haitians, i'm sure would like to know that they are being loved by a man that loves who they are completely, not simply for their skin color.  This is more than a skin color issue too! Are you not forgetting that some Haitians just do not like the things that make us Haitian? It doesn't matter to me who makes this technology or clothing. We are capable of making these things ourselves. There is nothing that says using the technology of a group of people makes you have to be like those people. How many of us speak fluent Japanese or Chinese? How many of us use chopsticks in front of one of our appliances constructed by the Chinese? Everybody contributes to this world Kreyolbro, this is not an American Euro world, they rely on Asian countries too. What we need to do is make our importance seen.