Tragic events, an unhappy ending and the downfall of the main character is what Central State University student Malik Perkins depicts of the black man and woman today. Check out his account about the tragedy of these individuals in his piece ‘The Eulogy.’

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Typically, we view death as a tragedy. However, it is hard to find sympathy for people who died from their own foolish behavior. These two individuals knew right from wrong. They understood the challenges they needed to overcome. They had control of their own destiny, but they decided to tarnish their legacy for things lacking in substance. They failed to realize that the world would continue to exist without them. These two decided to ignore the issues that were literally destroying them, and ultimately have no one to blame for their deaths but themselves.

Frankly, I am not saddened by the deaths of these two individuals. They chose to poison their minds and under-utilize their potential. They were so easily tricked into believing that morals were no longer needed. They became obsessed with wanting to be viewed as victims when they should have desired to be advocates for change. Their sense of ambition was replaced with self-hatred. Their valor was substituted with perversity. These two individuals chose to be deprived of self-knowledge—which often leads towards self-destruction. You simply cannot love something that you do not know, and over time, their actions showed that they clearly forgot who they were.

How can anyone be surprised that the African American Man is no more? He accounted for roughly 70% of incarcerated men in the United States. He was not perceived to be a family man, nor was he perceived to be an intellectual. The African American Man chose to be simple. He frowned upon those who valued education and those who sought positive relationships. He recited song lyrics of violence even though he was one of violence’s favorite victims. He viewed sex as a sport, and did not value things such as love and family. In essence, the African American Man made it easy for us. The rest of the world no longer has to compete with great minds such as George Washington Carver or Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. Even an African American President of the United States could not motivate him to change his ways. African American Men became so efficient at slaying each other that all the rest of the world had to do was watch. Even though countless numbers of young black males were slain in concrete jungles, he found a way to turn that into entertainment. The African American Man was lacking in leadership and morality. It was only a matter of time until he died by his own hand.

The death of the African American Woman should not be a surprise to us either. She allowed herself to become a symbol of promiscuity. The video vixen became more prominent than the educated African American Woman. The psychotic reality star was more respected than the African American Woman with ambition. Shortly before her death, it was a common sight to see her dancing provocatively on YouTube or engaging in brawls on World Star. Just like with the African American Man, we no longer have to worry about great minds such as Dr. Mae Jemison or Alice Walker. She eliminated herself for us.

Read the entire piece by Perkins at Young Intellects.