In black and white issues things are often not as they seem, and with slavery few blacks can be cerebral — just fake feelings and hypocrisy! Bill Cosby was in our living rooms and peeps say he is a victim of slavery, as master’s example means he could not keep his penis in his pants. Kanye West started a conversation on slave mentality which angered Spike Lee and Will.I.Am. Why? All slavery is hard and some blacks like salacious detail of rapes and torture as parsons who describe hell-fire; so were they there?

The Mau Mau and Holocaust are emotive as some victims are alive, but to get worked up about slave kin centuries dead? If Africa wrote its history of slavery we might bawl buckets. What are they hiding?

Kanye told TMZ media: “When you hear about slavery for 400 years…for 400 years? That sounds like a choice.” He added, “You was there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all? It’s like we we’re mentally imprisoned.”

He tweeted: “My point is for us to have stayed in that position even though numbers were on our side means that we were mentally enslaved.” He got stick for this, as a rapper, millionaire, art school graduate should only talk music? Blacks silence blacks? They blame bad things blacks do on slavery so what about the good stuff blacks do?

If you are in a space for an overly long time, you chose! Slave women aborted; no slave baby for me — heroic! Was it death or 400 years of slavery? How could a horde of blacks allow a few whites to pen them for 400 years? Who had machine guns? Slaves fell in love and women stayed for the kid’s sake — they chose! Tainos jump off cliffs en masse to avoid slavery; are blacks inferior? Garvey preached, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery,” so is it Stockholm Syndrome whites have just discovered? Some say shame on you, Kanye, you don’t know history! But we say you don’t know psychiatry!

Kanye starts a good conversation. Jamaica is a branded black nation, ruled by blacks; Nobel Laureates, Rhodes scholars; self-government for near a century; bauxite, crops; next to the richest market ever; yet, poor living on white charity — shame! What might Kanye mean by “choice?” Did our ancestors, caught and ready for export, have choice in West Africa’s seaside forts? The sellers were Africans with capital and power; had no law or record,s but got wealth — all people speak capitalism. The buyers were ship captains seeking fortunes. Africa was the go-to place for investment; deals among black, white, Arab; open and legal. So did slaves have choice in Africa? Many races chose suicide or act so a captor used lethal force — death with honour. The middle passage was treacherous and seamen — all poor whites — did it for money. Did blacks have choice on-board — mutiny, jump overboard, death before dishonour? Crew died of disease, malnutrition, “man overboard”, but the black human cargo was precious. Dead crew was passé as more dead meant bigger share for the living! Profit was good yet no African entered the sea trade. Why? So ships filled with restrained Africans left for the New World.

Jamaica greeted sick Africans and British crew after months at sea. Sellers were represented by dealers who knew the local market. They held auctions and got papers notarised for British investors. The buyers were commercial cane farmers. Many ran farms for absentee owners and could be fired, flogged or jailed. Sound like newly minted capitalism! A farmer’s goal was not torture or race, but healthy, young workers. Blacks today cite colour prejudice, etc, but farmers were here to flee religious persecution or make a fortune, and they used every legal, low-life trick to get ahead — as we do today.

Slaves had issues too. In Haiti, slaves chose death — revolted, burnt every God Almighty thing to ashes; blood and guts and won life! Jamaicans chose to live in slavery, had a few skirmishes, and were gifted freedom and Independence. In Africa, captives were spoils — no records, no law! The captain bought them then manifested and insured them as per UK business law. In Jamaica, they were inspected, counted, valued, recorded, subject to laws, and there were rogue farmers just as now. The captain left with sugar, rum and warrants to be settled by City banks. Audits were done; Lloyd’s paid death benefits to widows of seamen. Captains got paid and paid crew; very few went back as the voyage was traumatic and sometimes deadly.

In Africa, Jamaica, England businessmen did well Blacks could escape, die trying, or commit suicide. Japanese had seppuku (ritual disembowelment) with honour; Europe had chivalry — bravely faced death for a cause; what was the Negro code of honour? Our 92 per cent never used people power, even to get freedom, so what is our legacy?

Is “slave mentality” absence of cohones (cowards), love of leisure above work (hedonist), or beg mercy and live? Kanye has a point relevant to us. Our forefathers chose slavery so live with that or prove you have heroic blood by building Jamaica. Stay conscious!

Franklin Johnston, D Phil (Oxon), is a strategist and project manager; Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK); and teaches logistics and supply chain management at the Mona School of Business and Management, The University of the West Indies. Send comments to the Observer or franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.