Faith, Fear, and Excellence: God, the Devil vs Man
Black Americans find the Devil in Jews, Hollywood and the System
I've been thinking a lot about the American Black Excellence figures like Kanye West, Katt Williams, and Terrence Howard. One thing they all have in common is paranoia; they seem scared of something. For Kanye, it's the Jews. For Katt, it's the satanic Hollywood. For Howard, it's the scientific establishment. Another commonality is their strong belief in God—the Christian god specifically.
God, as understood in Western and Eastern traditions, is an omnipotent being. While the definition of God is vague and loopy, believing in God can shield one from the uncertainty of ignorance. The utility of believing in God becomes synonymous with not knowing. What makes the model of the Christian god particularly interesting is its imaginary opposite: the Devil. The Devil is an unexplainable idea that fills the gaps left by the idea of God. If God can shield you from ignorance, the Devil can shield you from fear. Since God is considered more powerful than the Devil, there is comfort in believing that the most powerful entity imaginable favors you.
These men are among the best at what they do. Their belief in God has shielded them from asking why it is them, and not millions of their fans, chosen to be the most excellent at their craft among the 8 billion other humans alive. The answer, of course, is God. Not to say they don't fail—they do—but it's clear they've gained much more from their successes than they've lost from their failures. They believe, "While life is not a straight line, it is tilted towards making me even more excellent," and this belief is rooted in God. However, the thing about excellence is that it is an illusion. It does not exist; it is always a bit more than what you currently have. This is simple to read but complex to internalize. A mind that believes in God is unlikely to comprehend the elusive nature of excellence. Perhaps the word "perfect" clarifies this a bit more, but there are so many clichés about "perfect" that may make my point seem like shallow self-help. Christians call it greed and believe it is one of the seven sins their god won't forgive.
So what happens when these excellent men meet their limits? Like all of us, these men too will eventually have to face their imperfections. Imperfections will present themselves in ways that contradict their idea of omnipotence. At this point, they start to wonder if they underestimated the power of the Devil. While God is obviously more powerful, the Devil is clearly not weak either. As more imperfections present themselves, they believe the Devil to be more powerful. Eventually, the Devil becomes too powerful to ignore. Unlike God, who favors you, the Devil is destined to destroy you and is quick to announce himself. That's when they'll start seeing him in the Jews, Hollywood, and the Establishment.