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Diary of a Black Man! “A Pay-Check”
*DISCLAIMER* The views stated in this article are strictly fictional and are written for entertainment purposes only. Black men are mythical creatures that only inhabit the imagination of the author, and possibly outer-space. Views expressed in this article are to be taken as literal as Santa Clause, The Tooth Fairy and Yogi Bear. The author is not responsible for any illogical attempts to identify with blackness with reality. Reader discretion is advised.
In this episode a “Hypothetical Black Man” works a job in a world where black people are hypothetically damaged and exploited citizens. After years of working for the hand that bleeds him, the hypothetical black man reaches a breaking point and decides to tell “The Man” how he feels. Read his hypothetical letter below and ponder what work life might feel like if there were such thing as black life forms.
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A Testament of Concern from a Hypothetical Black Guy
Thesis statement: As a Black Man I FEEL that I lack the drive to be a proficient employee here because I FEEL that passion is a requirement of proficiency and I FEEL that I do not possess the passion necessary to be an ideal contributor to the work culture of this organization. I FEEL that I do not possess the passion to be proficient in the work that I do here for the following reasons:
1. Moral Conflict:
This agency is part of a larger social institution (America) which I believe owns a legacy and culture that is exploitative toward *some communities. Within this culture *communities such as my own, are at the receiving end of exploitation and as a result, struggle against cycles of negative repercussions. that it previously initiated. Though moderately addressed I FEEL that this directly relates to this agency because, though maybe unintentional (or naïve) this agency perpetuates this overarching American social culture and contributes to a pattern that accumulates physical and mental harm for *some people. In relation to this belief; through my work here, I become a contributor to this exploitative culture and a stakeholder/beneficiary of this societal problem. Internally this creates a sense of ongoing conflict and unease that directly opposes my ability to love, appreciate and take pride in the work that I do here. As I am sure you can understand, it is hard for me to have passion about work that I believe is not supportive of and/or is counterproductive to the well-being of myself and the people I identify with.
2. Compromised Faith in this Environment & Culture:
I do not feel that the culture here is welcoming for people of my *background, *reality & *ideals. I believe that in order to be well received in the culture of this agency it would require that I suppress my views voice and ideals; all of which are very close to the core of my being. As it stands I feel like I have compromised my voice and ideals for a very long time and I feel that has only led to a sense of cumulative stress and discomfort. Regarding my passion for this work; were I to feel like this environment contained the necessary elements to suggest compatibility for people from my background, I believe that I would be able to store a healthy degree of faith in the agency and passion for my work. Unfortunately I do not have faith that I see an environment where 1; the community is willing to be introspective enough to acknowledge the complexities of it’s relationship to this overarching exploitative culture and 2; I do not have faith that I see an organizational structure that contains the boldness nor capacity needed to accommodate the solutions that resolve the disharmony *we experience.
3. Summary of points 1 and 2:
The above 2 points summarize what I think inhibits my capacity to develop an adequate passion for the work I do here; which in turn restricts my performance capacity. It is extremely difficult for me to work here while holding the belief that my skills contribute toward supporting a culture that is essentially unwelcoming and or harmful to the community I most closely identify with.
This message is not a resignation but is a statement of my highest concern with my employment here. I am writing this because I believe that working without addressing these lingering feelings is not sustainable for both my mental vitality and my employment here. I also believe that perchance solutions can be found, I have to be honest about my feelings and that this testament is the professional and morally correct thing to do. Upon request I can provide more context about why I have arrived at the above conclusions and hopefully provide clarity that can lead to some degree of resolution.
Sincerely,
A Hypothetical Black
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Thanks for reading this segment of Diary of a Black Man!
Please revisit Bosnaturals.com for other great articles
and more of my fantastical black folklore.