When is Lying Permissible? (The Loss of Intellectual Integrity)

Disclaimer:This post is going to be the result of many different conversations, readings, and discussions that I have had over the course of the last year or so, and will reflect my discontent with the status of some of the current theories and legends that pervade our community under the auspices of being "truth." Viewer discretion is advised.

Okay, so my mouth gets me in a lot of trouble when it comes to debate and discussions. Part of it is that I tend not to argue unless I feel strongly about a point. The other part of it is, I usually come from a different angle, and because I am usually the dissenter amongst those with whom I debate, it seems as though I am argumentative...when in actuality, I just really don't agree with their point of view. (Shutting me up is hard to do...ask anyone who knows me. LOL)

Anyway, lately, I have had more than a few discussions about Urban Legends in the Black community and whether or not they are real or fake. The primary one has been Willie Lynch, and whether or not this speech, or even this person, ever existed. Here is the premise of the speech:

Willie Lynch was said to be a slave owner in the Caribbean who was said to have made a trip to Virginia to give a speech. In the speech, he supposedly outlines ways to separate slaves such that they would not have unity, and therefore, would be easier to control. The speech suggests pitting light/dark skin slaves against each other, old/young slaves against each other, etc. Using this method, masters could control slaves for centuries. (To read the speech in its entirety, just Google "Willie Lynch".) As a side note, he is credited with lending his name to the word "lynching," which once described hanging by noose.

Now you may be wondering what does this have to do with lying and intellectual integrity? Glad you asked...

I start by saying that I truly believe that this speech is a fake. Of course, that has been the controversial point of this speech since its surfacing in the 1990s, and the resurgence of it in the late 2000s. Many scholars from institutions such as the Freedmen's Institute, Spelman College, etc. have analyzed this document and ripped it to shreds on authenticity, truthfulness, and usefulness. Furthermore, on a personal level, it comes off to me as an attempt to enlighten Black people into a consciousness about the devices that divide us daily, but doing so in an adversely false way in an effort to goad Black people into changing their ways by giving us a historical person and reference to which we can attach this theory.

But my bigger problem is this...have we really come to the point where falsifying documents and history is acceptable if it encourages positive change? Is there a point where lying is a justified means to an end?

I feel as though the author of this speech has done a disservice to Black people, even if his/her intentions were the noblest. To be honest with you, the theory itself has some strong merit. We, as Blacks, tend to let some of the smallest things divide us and keep us from being a unified people. Skin color, financial success, education(and the lack thereof), etc. have all been used to functionally keep Blacks from pulling together as one and progressing more than we already have. We see evidence of this on a daily basis. But I think that this method of enlightenment plays on the ignorance that we are already trying to dispel, even though it may have been done under the premise of positivity. (Incidentally, I also think that this is the case with the notion that sagging pants is from the prison culture, that the "Black People Don't Read" letter is a hoax, and many other urban legends in Black culture.)

Black people are much more intelligent than that, in my opinion. Those who are educated (or semi-educated and anywhere in between) have a duty to use the education and intellectual capacity that they possess to elevate our people and our communities with integrity. Intentionally duping those who could benefit from the educated elite by generating inaccurate historical documents and facts, to me, does little more than perpetuate the hoodwinking of our own people. I think that people like the "author" of this speech don't give enough credit to the mental competence that almost all of us possess, regardless of if we actually use it.

My plea for us as Blacks is to do the following:

1. For those of us who are in a position to use our intelligence and education for uplifting our communities, that we do so with honor and integrity, using facts and theory appropriately to educate those who may not have the exposure/opportunity to experience the blessings of education as we have.
2. For those of us who are working towards increasing our intellectual power, please begin to read deeper than what is actually printed as truth. Cross-reference works/essays/authors/theories and try to understand the entire factual environment that surround each of these for yourself, so that you can make your own informed decisions about the truthfulness of these documents before you share them with others.

The history of Black people is colorful and rich...one that was born out of prosperity in Africa, pain in America, and spiritual growth through the course of our development. This history is one that should not be diluted, nor should it be tampered with, but rather should be shared with the masses in a way that promotes pride in ourselves and our struggles. This cannot be done effectively, however, if in the course of the intellectual distribution of this history, facts are skewed and intentionally altered in an effort to elicit an intended result. We owe more to our history and to those who shaped our history, and to ourselves than to interrupt that integrity through the means described above.