Are You “Pookie”?

December 21st, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

(to get all references watch New Jack City)

Seriously, do you remember Pookie?  “Prom Queen?  You ain’t nothing but a Prom Fiend.”   You know, New Jack City Pookie.

Is this the image in the mind of policy makers when they think about the minority community?  Are we all “Pookies” and “Prom Fiends” that need the federal government to provide us with hope?  For just a moment, I want to take a look back at the life of “Pookie”.

Pookie was an addict, a straight up funky, junkie.  The absolute example of buying what you want and begging for what you need.  Until one man reached out to him; watched him during the shakes, encouraged him during the weak moments, and refused to let him fail.  A single man lifted a weary and broken soul. 

 It took the government to destroy it.  Good intentions, yes.  Bad outcome, always.  After Pookie cleaned himself up and got his life on track, government gave him a job.  They sent him back to the very same streets that trapped him in the first place.

Was this in Pookie’s best interest?  No, even though in government eyes,  it was in the best interest of the community.  A man that decides to go back and help his community is one thing, forcing- by guilt or “moral obligation”- is completely different.  Pookie could’ve developed his own personal way of giving back, instead Government to the rescue.

Governments’ good intentions were wrong, Pookie self-destructed and died, and to top it off the bad guy got away.  That is, until a single man with bad intentions did what the Government could not.

Are you O.K. with being compared to “Pookie”?  I’m not the trivial type,  I use mass associations all the time but POOKIE.  I’d use Nino before I used POOKIE.  Pookie is what dealers call fiends when they are too unimportant to remember their names.  I can only see this one of two ways; either it’s an insult and the black elite think that Pookieitis is rampant amongst us or as middle class black Americans we are not on Governments radar.

I don’t buy into Pookieitis.  I believe most black Americans-poor, rich and in between- are really capitalist at heart.  Given the chance, they would prefer working to build wealth over government hand outs.  If Pookieitis were to exist the remedy would be capitalist training, the basic understanding if you want to be rich, you have to learn to live poor.  Sacrifice.

I believe its more about middle class minorities grouping themselves amongst those that need the most help.  Government doesn’t see it that way.  You are not an example they can hold up for the suffering in Urban Communities.  They can’t point to you as a prime motivation for why wealth redistribution is necessary.  You are not dependent on Government for your home, food, car, clothes, health insurance, or anything else.  You are privileged.   

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.  It doesn’t matter how hard or how long you worked and sacrificed to maintain your lifestyle, the only thing that matters is you have it and somebody else doesn’t.  So when I say “Pookie” is an insult, I mean its insulting you would voluntarily demean your work ethic and urge to excel by cheering for policy meant to reduce you back to “Pookie”.