The word “slave” brings up a myriad of emotions for some in America. Slave sounds demeaning and inept. It is arguably the lowest form of human existence. The groans, moans, and withered breathing as a slave worked from sun up to sun down; as in the words of my father, “from can’t see to can’t see.” A slave has no rights, seemingly zero fight, and often sees no light at the end of the tunnel. The brutality of slavery is what hurts the most.

Just ask the children of Israel in the book of Exodus. God told Moses how he had heard the “groans of the people of Israel.” God had promised to give them the land of Canaan. God reaffirmed His covenant with them and promised to free them from their oppression. God promised to rescue them from their slavery in Egypt and claim them as “my own people.” There was only one problem: Exodus 6:9 says, “Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.”

If you’re reading this right, you see that the mentality of slaves who have been brutally treated yields a sense of arrogance and rebellion toward God. What is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. If you’ve ever seen a dog get hit by a car and tried to help him, you understand what I’m saying. A hit dog doesn’t care if you’re capable of rescuing him from harm, he will turn around and bite your hand.

In the recent events and aftermath of George Floyd’s death, America has seen a reaction all too often. However, this story has a few different elements. For one, George and Officer Derek Chauvin worked together as security guards at a local establishment. The main element is that George’s death was caught on video with what looks like a diabolical attempt to kill a defenseless man. Regardless of the elements, the reactions of anger, rioting, and looting are the same.

Black Americans often live under the mirage of slavery as if Massa has a whip in one hand and a chain in another. Any resemblance of a white authoritarian taking the life of an unarmed black man sends chills down the spines of millions of black Americans. I call it Post Traumatic Slave Disorder. Typically, post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that occurs in people “who have suffered through traumatic experiences.” In the wake of these riots in 2020, none of these agitators, looters, or rioters have ever experienced slavery, sharecropping, Jim Crow, or segregation. White liberals and their loyal black liberal compadres are taking to the streets in unholy protests.

Try telling the average black male that his rage and anger are misplaced and at best you’ll be met with emotional verbal attacks and senseless rhetoric that explains away the meaning behind the mayhem. Due to post traumatic slave disorder, no rationale will stop them from getting their revenge. They cannot hear for hearing, just as they cannot see for seeing. Moses ended up striking a rock in anger due to his people’s lack of cooperation. Please Lord, help me to maintain my mental sanity through this racial vanity in America.