Kevin Samuels: The Good and the Bad

Mr Kevin Samuels! If you have not heard of him you must be living under a rock. I first heard of him last year after a video clip went viral where he told a woman that "she was average at best". My first impression of him was that he is extremely rude. Months later, I saw that he had a youtube channel and I decided to watch a few of his videos. His main audience tends to be African-Americans, though people worldwide and of different races do watch him too. I am going to discuss what I like and dislike about his videos.

A lot of women (predominantly black American) that call into his show say that they want a high value man (HVM). My understanding of  this is a man that is very wealthy. One thing Kevin always does is ask women what they're height, weight and dress size is. I noticed that many of these women that call in to the show tend to be overweight (e.g. a woman who is about 5'5 weighing 200lbs+). He gets onto them about this and stresses the importance of losing weight and becoming fit if they want to attract a HVM and I completely agree with him on this. He says HVM want fit, fine and feminine women. Let's be honest, men are visual creatures. I have never seen a very wealthy man with a fat/obese wife or girlfriend, they always go for slimmer women. According to the US department of health , 4 out of 5 African American women are overweight or obese. This is a health epidemic. Black people in both USA and UK  are more likely to be overweight/obese and are more likely to develop high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes than any other race. These are all illnesses developed due to lifestyle and diet. Some people are too lazy to take care of their health and want to blame other factors. People need to learn to take responsibility for their own bodies and make better decisions in regards to their health. That's why I support Kevin Samuels pushing health and fitness (especially because I'm into fitness myself) .

Another thing Kevin Samuels talks about is the importance of marriage, especially when having children, which I also agree with. If you look at wealthy communities the foundation of it is a strong family unit. Wealthy men get married because they know the importance of creating legacy and generational wealth. I remember having a discussion with an Asian work colleague. He said that strong family units are fundamental in his community, and that is how they pass on wealth. He said he notices that in the black community there are people who have many children with different people and he doesn't understand it because you cannot create generational wealth that way. I told him I completely agree. A few years ago Obama said that over 70% of African Americans are born outside of wedlock and he called out the black community on this, some of them got mad at him. The whole "baby mother/father" culture has become too normalised. Broken families lead to higher rates of poverty, crime, lower educational attainment plus much more. Many studies have been done on this. Kevin always asks mothers that call into the show whether they married the father of their child/ren, which most of them reply "no". He always asks them why they had a child with a man who did not marry them. He also holds men accountable for not being able to discipline themselves sexually and not being able to provide. He really pushes the traditional nuclear family which I agree with.

I do like that Kevin Samuels holds people accountable for their decisions and actions (he does this to both men and women).  I find that many grown adults make bad choices that lead to negative consequences but they will blame everyone else but themselves. They struggle with taking accountability for their own actions. I noticed that when Kevin questions people about their choices they come up with excuses. He also talks about having realistic expectations when looking for a partner. People  call in and say that they want a high standard man/woman meanwhile they themselves aren't of a high standard or don't bring anything to the table. However these high standard men/women they want would also have their own requirements of what they want in a partner. The question is would they meet those requirements?

There are views that Kevin Samuels has that I do find problematic. I do not like the rating system he uses. He asks women  “what would you rate yourself (facially) out of 10 but you can’t use 7”. Who is he to decide how attractive a woman is to others? Beauty is subjective and is influenced by media and culture, there is no universal beauty standard. There is so much pressure placed on woman to look a certain way, that’s why the majority of woman have insecurities.

Another view of his I disagree with is that he says women need to be married by their early to mid 20's and he speaks negatively about women who choose a career and/or are single over the age of 25 .  Women that are in their late twenties onwards are classed as being in the "Danger Zone".  I believe that a woman's worth and value should not be based on her relationship status, further our existence should not revolve around men (this should be a choice). Women should have autonomy to make their own decisions about their life and do what's best for them. He criticizes women that have professional careers, their own businesses or a masters/PHD. He says women can't have it all (career and family) but there are plenty of women that do. You can still be a feminine women with a career. As a career woman myself, when I do marry and have children, I am willing to take  a step back in my career to raise my children while they are young and do most of the domestic work while my husband provides financially. I can always go back to my career after, many women do this. Also I think Kevin's delivery can be too harsh at times, but I understand this is what gets him views. Though I do not agree with Kevin on everything he says, he does speak the truth at times and I do learn key points, plus his videos are very entertaining!

Has Christianity brainwashed black people?

I was born into a Christian family and spent my whole life in the Church. I was taught that the Bible was the Word of God and if I disobeyed it I would go to hell and if I followed it I will go to heaven. To be honest I initially didn't question it. However as I did get older,  I started to think critically and researched a lot more.

The images of Jesus I saw growing up was a white man that looked like the above. I had believed as a child that Jesus was white. My mum has a similar image in her bedroom. The Jesus image that we see is based on Cesare Borgia , a 15th century Italian politician and cardinal. This image is very damaging to the psyche of Black people as it makes you believe that a white man is your God and saviour. This has brainwashed many African/black people globally. Unfortunately, all over Africa you will see this image of white Jesus, and there are many black people who see white people as superior to them. Some Africans believe that white people will save them from poverty, this is very ironic since it was the Europeans that caused Africa to be underdeveloped in the first place. My mum told me of a saying in Ghana that says "if you see a white man, you have seen God". This is really sad and is a narrative that needs to change.

The oldest form of Christianity is found in Egypt and Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Coptic church has existed since the 4th Century and Ethiopia was one of the first Christian nations in the world. The image on the right shows Jesus, Mary and others as black. In the majority of cultures across the world people worship God's that look like them. I think it is important to see yourself in the God you worship. The Ethiopian bible contains 80+ books whilst the modern bible that we have only contains 66 Books. The question is why does the modern bible have less books? what happened to the other books? why were there taken out? what was their agenda behind this? 

The "missing" books of the bible are called the Apocrypha. You are able to find some of these books online, these include, the Book of Judas, The book of Enoch, the Maccabees, The Gospel of Thomas etc. Further to the research I had done, I found that the missing books cover the missing parts of the bible. For example what happened to Jesus during the ages of 12-30? what happened to Adam and Even when their were exiled? these are covered in these texts. 

When Europeans brought Christianity to other parts of Africa they had used it as a tool to control Africans. The Europeans wanted others to follow their way of life, and wanted to "civilise" Africans by forcing their lifestyle and religion on them. They convinced Africans that their own spiritual belief systems were evil and demonic (which unfortunately many Africans still believe till this day).  They gave many Africans "Christian names" to basically replace their native names.

Christianity was used to justify slavery against Africans during the trans-atlantic slave trade. In the bible (Genesis 9:20-27) there is a story of Noah, where he drank wine, became drunk and was naked. His son Ham (the father of Canaan) saw him naked and told his two brothers Shem and Japeth. They then covered their dad but kept their faces turned away so they didn't see him naked. When Noah woke up he cursed Ham and his son "“Cursed be Canaan!, The lowest of slaves, will he be to his brothers.”. There was this belief that as a result of the curse Ham's skin became black, and that all black people descended from Canaan and therefore were destined to be slaves.

Also during slavery, there were Africans who committed suicide as a form of resistance. To combat this slave masters used to tell enslaved Africans that committing suicide was a sin and they would go to hell for that. They also used the following bible verse to control Africans -Ephesians 6:5-8:

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

However slave masters will purposely leave out the next verse "9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

That is a reason why enslaved Africans were not allowed to read. While I was in Ghana last December I visited cape coast castle which was a slave castle. The tour guide informed us that the very first church in Ghana was built on a slave dungeon.

Christianity was used to make Africans docile. Historically, Africans have always been warriors and fighters, such as the Zulu's, the Dahomey, the Massai etc. They fought their enemies. Europeans knew they couldn't physically control Africans as they would always fight back, so they controlled them mentally and used Christianity to do this. They convinced Africans that they should be forgiving and always "turn the other cheek" so  that they don't attack their white oppressors. They also brainwashed Africans to accept  and endure suffering on earth so that they will be rewarded in heaven. We only get one life, so why should some people suffer while those preaching this message are being rewarded on earth? The remnants of this brainwashing still exists today and keeps many black people in the position they are in today.

There are some black people who believe that if all they do is fast, pray and give offering, all of their problems would be solved instead of taking action to fix their problems. The bible clearly states that "Faith without WORKS is dead"  (James 2:26). Being a Christian doesn't mean you shouldn't use logic, common sense and critical thinking. God gave all of us a brain for a reason. I'm sure many of you would have come across the over religious Christian who you try to explain a practical concept to but they just end up unnecessarily over spiritualising it, instead of using simple logic.

I do not believe Christianity itself is bad, I believe the way it has been used by some has been very detrimental to many Africans and their descendants. On the flip side Christianity has also helped people overcome difficult situations and create positive outcomes in their life. I think it is important that Christians read and study the bible for themselves, not just believe something because someone told them about it. Always do your own research. Christianity should be used in the right way to make your situation better and not worse.

Do we have a negative black culture?

A few months ago I was in a clubhouse room which had the above title and a lot of interesting points were made. I also watched the above YouTube video by SaRa Garvey which also talks about the same topic. First off, I will need to clarify that black people are not monolithic and we have various different cultures across the globe. The culture of the Maasai people of Kenya will be different from a black Brazilian, which is also different from a black American. In this post I will be specifically talking about mainstream black culture in the Western world, so when I reference "black culture" this is what I mean.

A lot of negative behaviour is pushed to the forefront when it comes to black culture. These negative degenerate behaviours have become normalised. One example is music. We have rap/drill songs where black men promote criminal behaviour such as the murder of other black men,  drug dealing and gang life. The use of derogatory terms such as n**** is normalised. These are glamourised and can have a negative influence on younger impressionable children. Unfortunately, there have been young black men who have been murdered over drill/rap songs. When there are black musicians that make positive, or conscious content their music does not get pushed to the forefront by the Record labels. These labels are quick to put money into negative "black" music and make these mainstream instead. However, if a rapper were to use derogatory terms against people of other races, or other communities, the record labels will quickly shut it down. The question is why is it acceptable to make negative music in relation to black people but not other communities?. I believe there is an agenda, but it is sad that there are black rappers who willingly partake in the destruction of their own communities. There needs to be a change.

There is also the hyper-sexualisation of black female bodies. We are so used to seeing black women with large butts shaking their ass/twerking  in music videos while being practically naked. Music with overly sexual lyrics has also become normalised. In order for female artists to become a huge success it seems that they have to be hypersexualised, whereas women that aren't like this find it very difficult to make it far in the music industry. Most mainstream female rappers are oversexualised. One of the most successful rap songs last year was W.A.P. (Wet ass pussy) by Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion. Unfortunately we live in a society where sex sells. It would even make sense if there was a balance with positive music but there isn't. There is also the promotion of the BBL body type where women with exaggerated assets are promoted in the media. Black women are more than their bodies and this image should not be used to represent us to the world,  it is disrespectful and reduces our value to just our physical bodies.

Hyper-consumerism and materialism is a big issue. I am not against black people buying luxury brands. What I do not like is how much black people in the media constantly promote these brands (usually for free) to show off how rich they are. Look at the "Versace" song by Migos, promoting the brand, while Versace never paid them a penny for doing so. Any increase in sales Versace received, Versace benefitted from. Many rappers reference European brands in their songs but I rarely see them promote black owned brands. The majority of the money in the black community goes straight into other communities. I personally feel there is an unhealthy obsession with European designer brands, the Rolex's, the Bentley's, the LVs', the Birkins by Hermes, meanwhile black people are economically at the bottom across the board (globally).  It is as if some black people attach themselves to European symbols of wealth in order to feel validated and important. There needs to be a shift in how we view wealth. Generational wealth should be the goal, not making Bernard Arnault (the owner of LVMH) and his descendants richer, they own numerous designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Dior, Fendi, Moet, Hennessy plus many more. If you look at their executive committee there is not a single black person in sight. In order for the black race to progress we need economic advancement and this happens by practicing group economics just like other communities do.

Another area I will address is the promotion of broken families, namely the"baby mama and baby daddy" culture which is becoming more and more normalised and is more common in black communities than other communities. When you have unprotected sex with someone, you are choosing who the potential mother/father of your child is so you need to choose wisely. I understand there are times when the relationship doesn't work out, it happens. But I am referring to  the many instances when GROWN adults choose to have unprotected sex with someone they know would not be a good mother/father, someone they can't see themselves having  a future with or someone they don't know properly. The sad thing is that the child will be the one to suffer from the poor decisions their parents made.  What I dislike are those that have numerous children by numerous people (i.e. Nick Cannon, Future etc) creating more broken families. This behaviour is very detrimental. Children need both their mothers AND fathers. Mother's should not be raising children on their own and playing the role of both parents, it is not their job. I am a big advocate for strong black nuclear families. Cultures where nuclear families are normalised are more successful such as the Jewish and Indian communities. The family structure is the foundation of any community,  if you want to destroy a community you destroy the family structure (and you can see the consequences of this in certain black communities). Many wealthy people are married and have children because they know the importance of legacy and passing down wealth to their children. Creating broken families does not create wealth, it's more likely to promote generational poverty.

We need to stop justifying and promoting degenerate behaviour as it is not conducive to the advancement of the black community. We need to hold those that do this accountable for their actions. There are many black people who have strong family units, who have professional careers such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, investment bankers etc, those who own businesses, those who own multiple properties, those who help their community and those who practice group economics. Representation is extremely important and these are the type of black people we need to see pushed to the forefront, this is the kind of black representation we  need. I am sick of seeing the worst in black culture representing us. This narrative needs to change, the young generation of black people need to see positive black role models they can aspire to, we need to create generational excellence, not generational degeneracy. 

Do black people have a victim mentality?

When I was young, my mother told me that I needed to work twice as hard because I'm black. This is a sentiment which most black people have heard growing up, particularly black people growing up in predominantly white countries. I didn't understand it fully at the time as I was very young. Regardless, I worked hard in school and was academically on top.

I didn't feel like I was held back by my race, as I was outperforming most of my white peers in school and my teachers (who were mostly white) were positive towards me. They always reminded me that I could be anything I wanted to be. I didn't really understand racism or that I could be held back by the colour of my skin. I do understand that my experience at school is not indicative of that of other black people. I've heard stories from black people who experienced racism from their teachers, who had told them that they wouldn't amount to anything in life. Further, some who had high ambitions were told by their teachers that they should aim low.  Statistics also show that black students are excluded from schools at higher rates (in the UK). 

Lately, I have been listening to right wing/conservative black people (I'm more left-wing myself) to hear their commentary on racism and issues within the black community. I noticed that many of them deny that white supremacy/institutional racism is an issue, and they also say that black people have a "victim mentality", which keeps them in the position that they are in. 

I do not agree with them that racism is not an issue, we can not deny that there are ethnic disparities such as the black maternity death rate, stop and search figures, and ethnicity pay gaps. There are policies and institutions in place which have disadvantaged black people globally. We should be able to acknowledge these facts and realities. However, I do not think that we should base our whole identity on this. Having a victim mentality and defeatist attitude can be damaging to your psyche.

Do I believe that black people have a victim mentality? My answer is that some do and some don't. Black people today do not have it as hard as their ancestors did. Our ancestors went through chattel slavery, colonisation, genocide and wars, etc. They fought their oppressors so that we can have the freedoms and privileges that they didn't have. I have come across some black people who have the "victim mentality" that believe every single bad thing in their life is because of "the system/the white man". What I've noticed about some of these types of people is that they continue making poor life choices, which makes their situation worse, and they seem to lack accountability for their own actions. You get some left-wing people who highlight inequality in society, which I agree that they should. However, some can be extreme and act like black people are so oppressed that they have no chance to make it in life. One thing I do respect about black conservatives is that they do not allow their blackness to stop them from achieving in life. 

I think that mindset is a big factor. I am a black female, therefore, I am considered "doubly oppressed" and at the bottom of society's hierarchy. Do I view myself in this way? No, I don't. There were many black women in history who went through horrific circumstances and overcame them. They are victors and they paved the way for people like me. It would be a disservice if I do not utilise the opportunities that I have because of them.  I remember reading articles last year about black women in America being the most educated group and the fastest-growing entrepreneurs. These women see themselves as victors, not victims. 

We have to recognise that there are inequalities in society and that racism will always exist. Whilst living in these societies, we need to learn to circumnavigate "the system" and focus more on advancing ourselves and making decisions that will improve our lives. I feel that black communities need to have high racial esteem, we need to believe that we are good enough, that we are NOT inferior and that we are capable of doing what we put our minds to. We should not view ourselves through the eyes of racist people. Yes, there are black victims, but we shouldn't base our whole identity on victimhood.