we were like crabs in a barrel, that none would allow the other to climb over, but on any such attempt all would continue to pull back into the barrel the one crab that would make the effort to climb out.”
― Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey
Have you ever been ostracized from your community? Was it because of something that was out of your control? Or, better yet, was it because of your harmless ambition for something precious or greater? This is why Crabs In A Barrel is so important to me. I have been a victim of such ridiculous notions. And it’s not too much of a stretch to say that it has been happening all my life.
Before I get into the story, allow me to explain the mentality to you. To put it plainly, the crab mentality is a way of thinking that boils down to this classic quote: “If I can’t have it, either can you.” When relating it to the black community, people will attack the self-confidence of another who achieves success beyond the others.
Why? For numerous reasons, actually. However, I always noticed that it was out of envy, resentment, spite, conspiracy, or competitive feeling for “halting” their progress. Either way, I had to deal with people – adults and kids, alike – devolving and discarding my accomplishments. And it’s because of this that I have always been hesitant about sharing my good news.
Even more despicable was the fact that I’m light-skinned. That means everything regarding my success could easily be linked to my skin tone. And unfairly so, too. “You’re light skin so everything is easy for you,” was their go-to and it was almost always followed up with a swift punch from my brother. My brother, being my biggest and loudest supporter, had always seen the work I put into all of my endeavors. he is the first to say that I deserve the praise for all my accomplishments and is the first to do so. I will always be thankful to my Lord and Savior for that man.
Alas, it still doesn’t negate the fact that it still happens and not everything is blessed to have my level of support. So, I took a special interest in writing stories about this particular vile way of thinking. This is one of a few short stories that I figured would strike a chord within the lot. However, this is the only one I chose for my Short Story Project; I’m saving the other ones for later.
This particular story was written after I was told that I’m not “black enough” because I have never been in jail or on the street. That statement gave me such pause because of the sheer audacity of it all. I’m not black because I’ve never been behind bars? I’m not black because I actively avoid doing crimes. I was officially livid. Moreover, I was beyond annoyance and I wanted to showcase that in the story.
I was determined to make my point clear. That this type of mentality is unacceptable and extremely dangerous if you do it to the wrong person on a wrong day. It’s not that I wish death on anybody but I do know that everybody has their breaking point including me. So, I made sure that I put all of my frustration into this story. And I do mean all of it.
Writing, itself, was beyond crazy for me. It lacks my traditional flair for science fiction. You know? The telepathy, magic, and such. However, I did put a heavy dose of psychology into it.
As usual, I explored both sides of the topic and made sure that I was as brutally honest as I could be. That also means the story will have a murder. however, as I continued to write, I began to circle the story around the death. And, honestly, I made the murder appear as flat as possible so I work the history of the murder as oppose to the murder, itself. Think of it as a backward noir, if you will. I think that’s the term, right? And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.
You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.
You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.
