How I found it:
I have been searching for a new show to binge and happened upon this hilarious and intriguing trailer on Netflix. The very first line is: “Anything that doesn’t help black people needs to be burned the f*ck down, NOW,” followed by the text, “Killer Mike is tearing down the system”. Honestly, I was hooked from that point on. This was a show I wanted to see, a show that I needed to see. I am a cisgendered, white, protestant, heterosexual female, born into incredible privilege. I completely acknowledge my place in this society and that I take up space and harm people when I am not completely aware of how my identities act upon others. This is why I had some uncertainties about even writing this article. I mean, who am I to tell you all whether or not a person of color is doing a good job discussing the issues they find their community facing? My voice here is simply to enlighten to broader audiences the inspiration, thought-provoking and educational merit that this show carries.
Episodes: (NO Spoilers)
1. Living Black- Killer Mike attempts to live for 3 days only “buying black”, meaning keeping his money within the black economy.
2. F*ck School- Killer Mike tries to create a new kind of curriculum to teach people vocational skills rather than waste their time on information they will never use in the real world.
3. White Gang Privilege- Killer Mike tries to help gangs like the Crips to monetize their brand in the same way that white biker gangs have been doing for years.
4. New Jesus- Killer Mike creates his own religion as a counter to the traditional idea of a “white jesus”–he even finds a new Messiah named Sleep.
5. Outside the Box- Killer Mike attempts to use music to break down barriers in the most diverse rap group he can build.
6. Kill your Master- The final episode is a culmination of all the Killer Mike has built and learned along the way as he creates his own sovereign nation.
I would have to say that 1, 3, and 4 were my favorites. They gave me the most to think about and were all very funny, which is one of the things I most appreciate about Killer Mike: he is honest and he is talking about really serious issues but he does it with the perfect amount of humor and spice. I never knew how difficult it was to only “buy black”, nor did I ever consider that gangs are capable of turning themselves into a brand, and I would absolutely love to join Killer Mike’s church. Its focus on sleep is everything I need right now.
Reason to Watch it/ How to Watch it:
There have been some critiques about the length and the incomplete feel that you have at the end, but I think that is the best part. That dissatisfaction with how each episode leaves you is exactly what motivates you to take real action, just like Killer Mike. Not only did it make me think, it made me talk about issues I would have never touched on. That’s why I watched it with my best friend Cecilia. We finished the whole thing over the course of a weekend, pausing constantly to debrief, question, and research before continuing on. I advise that you also watch with someone else, or at least be in discussion with others because this show can be a difficult pill to swallow, especially for those of us in positions of privilege. To take away all that this show is offering we must be willing to hear every word.
As future teachers, Cecilia and I were blown away by the episode on schools. The main idea that Killer Mike was focusing on was that we allow our children to hold these lofty dreams yet never teach them how to achieve those dreams. Then when they are grown ups they have no skills, no job, and no future. Our education as future teachers has been pushing the idea of teaching broader concepts and ideas rather than providing our students with a tangible future. To us that is a horrible crime against all of our futures. To push our students to fly but never give them wings to do so. We tell our students that they can reach the highest places in society yet never inform them of, or try to remove, the barriers of oppression and racism that keep them from achieving. Instead we blame the lack of achievement on the students themselves. We claim that we live in a nation where people can just pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they work hard enough. We ignore that many are never given boots, or that society cuts off their arms and legs keeping them from moving anywhere. It is a circular struggle for us teachers. If we only nurture hope and dreams within our students they will never have the skills to achieve them. If we equip our students with the skills to achieve those dreams in this world then they might never get there because such skills are not considered “within standards” or academically essencial. And if we follow the rules and give our students the pre-prescribed education which will allow them to meet standards and pass tests, not only will they never hope for something better, they will never be able to achieve anything. I have no real answers yet but this is something I struggle with everyday while building my personal pedagogy.
The episode on religion really hit Cecilia and me hard. Both of us were raised in traditional religions and have since left those institutions to find our own spirituality because we felt underserved and abandoned by the doctrine of our youth. Although Killer Mike focuses on how Christianity oppresses the black community, the religion is oppressing so many other communities. I just watched this video on the growth of Latinos converting to Islam. At one point they discuss how harmful it is that the Catholic church has taken little to no stance on the Trump administration’s policies on immigration even though the vast majority of Latinos are Catholics. Which is a perfect example of how big religions pull people in, even force people in but then forget about those people as soon as they have their money and devotion. The religion that Killer Mike forms isn’t one that sits on high, judging the rest of the world. They go out into the world and help others, even in small ways. And it isn’t built upon the words and ideas of one elite group; The Book of Sleep (their Bible) is written by all members about their own personal experiences and paths to the religion. It is religion as religion should be, a community built on a central idea yet able to grow out from the idea depending on each individual and their needs and experiences. A community that brings something to our society rather than one that cuts up society and puts all of us at war with each other.
The final episode was the most inspirational. Cecilia and I often dream of leaving the world behind and hiding away in the woods or on a remote island. Killer Mike takes that same desire and makes it something more. He leaves our society to form his own, one which is intentionally built to be more inclusive, intelligent, and meaningful. And most importantly Killer Mike’s society is one which is more than willing to acknowledge its failures, have discussions about them, and actively work to make changes. This is something our society never does, never to completion anyway. That is the whole point of this TV show, to acknowledge our failures, discuss them, and then change.
I believe this is exactly what we need at the start of 2019. Complete honesty, no holds barred, just one man trying to fix anything with enough determination to turn the world on its head. The rest of us are just sitting on our computers ignoring issues in our world and that is why they keep growing and keep getting worse. Rather than yelling at us from a podium or lecturing us in a book, Killer Mike takes the best route to our attentions. He meets us where we are, binge watching Netflix, and he uses the attention holding power of a short and rough TV show to educate, inspire, and burn the f*cking system down. Watch it and see for yourself.