Tag Captain Black’s Commentary

I was a Naval Reservist Sept. 11th, 2001. This fact alone speaks to my commitment to civic duty despite agreeing with few foreign policy decisions of late.
I wasn’t surprised by the attack per se because those in security circles had long felt Islamist ideologues would eventually mount another high profile attack against a symbolic American target. America’s Mid East alliances and first Iraqi invasion virtually assured payback here at home.
We still have a dangerously under defended homeland in my opinion with its largest protective force, the public, as de-mobilized today as then.
United 93’s passengers are a text book example of what mobilized citizens may have to do in critical situations. It’s obviously far more risky than simply pressing 9-1-1 on your cell phone.
As a former local Red Cross Disaster Action Team ( DAT ) member I know first hand the services a trained citizenry can provide during emergencies.
Eternal kudos to the two Times Square vendors this year who foiled a car bomb attempt by practicing something which once was a popular concept: civil defense.
” Civil Defense ” is an old school, Cold war Era method where the population was given basic training in how to respond to enemy attacks. Skeptics ( correctly ) questioned the long term effectiveness of ducking beneath furniture or backyard bomb shelters during nuclear attack but alot of valuable information was spread among millions and used when natural disasters and other major events struck.
Fast forward to the 21st century and President Carter’s lingering Emergency Management doctrine ( embodied in FEMA and his statewide emergency management agency system ) provides dispassionate experts ordering clueless civilians around with comic and sadly, tragic consequences. A relative handful of trained professionals verses a mass of uninformed people does not make a homeland more secure!!!
We need to train Americans in basic civil defense doctrine beyond even the current Community Emergency Response Team model organized in various cities for search and rescue.
The ” first responders ” to an attack will be Joe and Jane American caught in the middle of something erupting around them. What they see and do in those chaotic moments with materially contribute to identifying perpetrators and more immediately, saving lives on scene.
The same holds true for area law enforcement and related personnel. Training these two groups are vital for providing real homeland security.
I practice Civil Defense for one reason: it preaches the great truth that there are no spectators in homeland security. It shows you don’t have to be a police officer; fire fighter; EMT; service member or federal agent to help keep America safe.
You do need a commitment to be prepared and willing to risk your safety on behalf of others. It sounds corny but that is  what civil defense boils down to.
” Let’s go shopping! ” was essentially the homeland security battle cry last Administration, urging us to venture out in defiance of unseen assailants.
Comparatively, a renewed Civil Defense culture seems the better option.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info .
 

The death of optimism seems more the result of a thousand cuts than one decisive blow! My crusade is to still promote being upbeat despite how downcast life experiences disproportionately become.
As mobile triage, I either stem the flow of motivation from aforementioned cuts or am busily walking wounded, succumbing to a stubborn refusal to succumb.
” Positive pessimism ” just popped in my head, a recurrent admission that rosy glasses aren’t needed to keep on keeping on while all around you is, stated undiplomatically, crap.
My real life superhero ( RLSH ) effort is a daily attempt expressing this notion to others as much as regular self-innoculation. Recession; family loss; shoving inert minds and associations out of ones personal orbit and more are pieces I maneuver ( as do you I suspect ) on this game board recently labeled positive pessimism while typing.
Whether our arc of life aims down hill or is on the upswing in a manner beyond immediate comprehension, as advocates of heroism the lions share of our effort has to be spent moving toward better days that even telescopic vision would be hard pressed to currently see.
Like many I wrestle with disgust; despair and more with a tenacity that would do Hulk Hogan proud. The villains in this real life plot are those manipulating prices; butchering opportunities and gleefully counting lives made miserable.
Whether we can ever contest them personally remains undetermined.
Our duty is to champion each other by first dragging champions from inside ourselves. Every past good deed and kind word was dress rehearsal for today’s bottomless bleakness. You’ve noticed that pessimism is carried along like uncomfortable luggage. I don’t deny its depressing presence, I’ve simply chosen to soldier on regardless- just like you!
Positive pessimism avoids the self-hypnosis of declaring the awful somehow appealing and reinterpreting bad things as magically good. Once called PMA or positive mental attitude, this method isn’t the one I’m currently promoting. As always, choose what works best for you.
I embrace current unpleasantness and carry it toward future joy. This is a work done by automatic pilot and delibate intention because when we, the heroism advocates, give up- who’s left?
Positive pessimism is the second stanza of my Hope D.O.A. theme because I strongly suggest we place despair in a chokehold and drag it along as we motivate others and ourselves. In this way, present pessimism and their origin eventually gives way to positivity needed to survive long odds.
That’s my theory for what it’s worth. Keep dreaming and making them real!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting crime presentation and SELFdevelopment. http://www.captblack.info
 

One person’s hero is another ones terrorist or extremist. Examples abound: Robert E. Lee supporters are countered by fans of Ulysses Grant regarding the American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States depending upon perspective.
Proponents of Malcolm X and even Dr. King are met with accusations that these men were agents of foreign powers or actively promoted civil unrest. Taking this topic to the real life superhero ( RLSH ) territory I regularly tread and parallels are obvious.
The first real world costumed crime fighter who harms a suspect will be simultaneously hailed and reviled! Imagine if Batman’s bone breaking exploits were real? He’d have the entire alphabet soup of law enforcement hot on his heels. Vigilante-flavored heroism is fun to read and watch but doesn’t play well in real life. Not hating on Batman y’all, just making a point. Whenever an activist with a fancy name and/or outfit can’t differentiate between fantasy and a life fantastic, he/she will find police and psychiatric officials waiting to do it for him. That’s why creative concerned citizens needs to be so careful about exercising creativity.
I use the RLSH example because to some an Al Sharpton is a hero as is a Glenn Beck to others.
Each engenders intense positive and negative reactions which must be taken into account, along with their contemporaries. Like RLSH, perceptions of national spokespersons run the spectrum from sublime to ridiculous. The general populace either revere or revile a veritable Who’s Who of big names and causes. Our job as heroism advocates is to recognize truly admirable people and moments regardless of pedigree. Being open to the best within us opens new doors for much needed mutual respect and personal growth.
Heroism is open to interpretation. Somebody out there actually finds the Ku Klux Klan heroic as do others impressed by the Black Panthers, old school and brand new. As a child of the 1970s and 80s I got to sample tons of factual and fictional heroic examples.
Watergate’s Deep Throat ( later revealed as FBI executive Mark Felt ) was a hero whose whistle blowing deposed a president who went too far with his powers. Service members from any era who threw themselves on grenades to save peers were heroes in my young eyes as were Vietnam protesters who risked imprisonment for standing up for their convictions.
Muhammad Ali, already a personal hero, was made even more so by his stance on the draft. He inspired me to resolve to do the same if a future conflict ran afoul of my morality. I wouldn’t run or hide. I’d simply face the government and fight whatever came my way. Heroism is rarely about doing what’s simple or consequence- free.
My heroes are of all colors; in both political parties; across every ideology and hail from every imaginable profession. I’ve sought the heroic my entire life and can’t think of better subject matter.
What makes someone stand up when everyone else is bowing down? Why don’t long odds intimidate some people? High achievers are living mirrors reflecting what awaits us when we finally escape the ordinary.
Toss in politics and heroism gets ugly as agenda-driven value judgments enter the picture. If it serves someone’s agenda to praise a given person his/her image will dominate the airwaves. The opposite holds true as well. That’s why heroism needs to be rigorously apolitical because anyone can be a hero instead of select members of certain ideologies.
The politics of heroism are messy and demand removal from any interests that don’t celebrate the highest human potential. Sadly, celebrating the highest human potential isn’t what politics often seems to promote these days.
A new politics of heroism is long overdue.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist who promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info .
 

When hope dies, everything is downhill from there.
I know about what I call ” Hope DOA ” from lengthy personal experience.  As a dreamer there are years when negative feedback often is the only external feedback some dreams get. My real life superhero (RLSH ) role in these scenarios isn’t handing out rose colored glasses. Far from it!
My role as a creative concerned citizen is offering as many tools; tips and ( when needed ) taunts to get someone fired up enough to become his/her own champion!
Combating Hope DOA isn’t about marketing how great I am. Beating this challenge revolves around how great the other person is- especially when all evidence screams to the contrary. The distance between who you want to be and your present condition can be decades long. I try to add a little momentum to someone’s self-development process. The Superhero Solution* ( *RLSH.org article by the same title ) tells us individuals are greater than low expectations and popular opinions about what is possible.
Promoting the Superhero Solution places each of us above Hope DOA. The liberated person seen in our minds eye awaits actual experience to finally become real. Staying consistent hastens the process but still doesn’t guarantee ease.
Hope D.O.A. is the tombstone our thoughts either build or demolish. I just try to help you push yours further off your mind. By the way, I’m far from an endless fountain of bubbly hope and joy. I just keep on dreaming forward until my dreams ( EVENTUALLY! ) come true.
Hope D.O.A. is one of the worst real life supervillains out there.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting crime prevention and self-development via the Superhero Solution and other methods. http://www.captblack.info

I’m a life long body weighter ( body weight exerciser ) who’s added weight work to my regimen. It seemed that there was potential inside crying out for even more development and lifting was the sure route. When you look at it that way what else could I do?
You can’t imagine the ” Is THAT me!?! ” reaction when looking at myself while in a bodybuilder pose after four months training with free weights!!! It’s an eye popper guaranteed to keep you lifting! Added motivation comes from the hope that real life superhero ( RLSH ) Movement members should look reasonably well in our outfits and body building makes even more sense! lol.
Physique inspirations include pulp fiction’s Doc Savage and Jim Brown; Carl Weathers; Michael Jai White and others.
My baseline physique was already good but extra bulk and definition are bonuses that lifters have known for generations.
As a mesomorph I have a naturally muscular build but the difference after adding some iron to your self-development diet is literally like night and day. Even on a Recession reduced calorie diet results still clearly show.
Weight lifting can be for strength ( obviously ) or body building for those seeking to change proportions. I wrestled with adding weights to my daily physical self-development because the whole narcissistic bodybuilder stereotype was a big turn off. I’m into wellness, i.e. the sum total of regular mind-body and spirit work.
I’d been around some bodybuilders in my 20s who were stuck on themselves enough to make me stick to bodyweight exercises, that and I was shy for a long time.
The same quiet inner voice that lead me to write; do public speaking; finally become a member of the real life superhero movement as Capt. Black and many other self expressions, told me to start body building. So here I write you, with amateur bodybuilder now on my resume.
Whether I’ll ever compete or be featured somewhere remains to be seen. I do know I’m exploring this avenue and am upgrading practices to get more out of myself.
There is so much within us to exploit to degrees that seem impossible. As times get tighter we need to become more creative in how we life and what we do.
One way I did so was transitioning from body weighter to body builder! RLSH like SuperHero and RazorHawk, among others, weight lift and know well the joy I describe.
*** Current pictures show body weight exercise results. New body building ones on the way!***
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

By Captain Black
As a community policing advocate I occupy the No Mans Land ‘tween liberals yearning to pull every Black community combatant to their heaving bosoms while also standing athwart conservatives who reflexively assume EVERY traffic stop or officer-involved use of force involving Black subjects is justified.
I’m not a law enforcement groupie nor a cop hater. Being Black, male and a concerned citizen means falling outside time worn, narrow roles in pubic safety.
Prevention works in my view so long as you aren’t saying those who are Black and shoot/addict and otherwise negatively impact victims mostly resembling them get a pass because of assumed lower African-American social status. Building a viable Black infrastructure has to include deprogramming thug culture-abused youth alongside Black enablers of selective enforcement who act as if Rodney King’s tormenters deserve the NAACP’s Spingarn medal.
Our long discussed infrastructure has to offer a counter culture that makes popular anti-social trends like ” Stop Snitching ” and encouraging fratricide as unpopular as joining the Ku lux Klan. Our music; plays and neighborhood culture have to punish the destructive behavior that stacks causalities up like fire wood.
This reenergized internal hierarchy would also tackle what could be called the Stockholm Syndrome among Black conservatives strangely silent about big government excesses involving Black people and law enforcement. Conservative ire toward law enforcement excess shouldn’t be confined to Waco; Ruby Ridge and the New Black Panther case last presidential election.
It’s almost like a gag order exists where political excommunication is the penalty for falling on the “wrong” side of police brutality allegations for Black coservatives.
A looming Cotton Curtain exists between police and Black America, brothers particularly. These disparate elements usually converse under the worst set of circumstances: traffic stops; field interviews and arrest. Neither side wants to make the first move to initiate non-adversarial communication.
My proposed Brothers & Badges dialogue with Black men and police was greeted by my hometown’s former city manager as heresy. You’d think I was trying to host convicted child molesters at a local elementary school. Talking to Black male tax payers minus authoritarian overtones seems to terrify politicians and police executives. How’s that for a “post-racial” country? lol.
Here’s a hoot from Capt. Black’s Real Life Adventures. The scene was a police precinct. The occasion concerned a fugitive. An announcement of the suspect’s location was greeted by a skeptically asked ” Do you have a beef with him? ” from the White male officer taking the report. Just what a brother needs to stoke the flames of civic duty. What’s sadder still is buddy didn’t even realize how he’d butchered a real community policing moment with someone from the ‘hood actually trying to make his job easier.
I put that episode right up there with a Crime Stoppers program director I know who cheats Black tipsters out of rewards. Arrogance like this enforce every stereotype we have about law enforcement.
Conversely I work with brothers to replace scowls with waves as patrol cars cruise by. A simple enough act that alone won’t usher Detente but lessens mutual suspicion. Relationship building reduces confrontations-at least in theory.
My friends and I promote internal management of situations to reduce law enforcement intervention. Where a serious crime has occurred, our promotion turns toward encouraging those reluctant and/or hostile to nonetheless call 911 on behalf of an inner city that can’t afford to let serious crime go unaddressed.
Self-policing Black America means telling community liberals and conservatives that business as usual should end. Somewhere between enabling what blogger ally Constructive Feedback calls ” street pirates ” and enabling racial profiling stand an alternative where we hold serious Black criminals and law enforcement accountable.
Otherwise the crime spree on both sides of the law continues.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development http://www.capblack.info

Ever suffer ” superhero withdrawal ” symptoms- the intense desire to return to real life superhero ( RLSH ) activities after down time?
I have and it’s not fun. Other activist communities document similar phenomena. It’s hard to regularly exert tremendous energy and not need a break at some point.
That said, ordinary life holds little appeal for those who’ve escaped its confines. While some happily hang up codes names and costumes, most always return this lifestyle because it’s uniquely fulfilling.
We all need time off. Saving our part of the world one penny and deed at a time can be draining and even discouraging. Taking off the mantle only to resume it after rest and relaxation makes sense. Otherwise burn out happens and that accomplishes nothing good and creates more problems while solving none.
When the symptoms hit ask yourself if you’re really ready to get back into the game?
While fulfilling and fun it can also be draining and in some cases overwhelming. This lifestyle involves much more than just dressing up and being nice to strangers. Beneath its surface are tensions that have to be considered.
Being a RLSH isn’t a job. Often it’s a part time vocation done by very inspirational people who take idealism into new and different directions.
I’ve read of RLSH who said they almost collapsed in the beginning because going out patrolling occupied every waking moment. Once you finally let this personal genie out of the bottle, it’s sometimes hard to manage. Real life superheroes who are parents; have spouses/significant others and conventional careers juggle those daily demands with their magnificent obsession.
The balancing act can get messy, especially when secret identities and extra expenses are tossed into the mix. Whether this is a covert second life or an expansion of your present one, being a RLSH can be quite alot to handle. The more you put into it leads to the realization there is more to be done. Pacing yourself is key to meeting whatever goals you’ve established.
” Superhero ” withdrawal is another way of saying make sure you’re ready to return to this lifestyle. Normal life is hectic enough without being a crusader too!
Don’t worry, the causes you support will still be here waiting for you.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info.

By Captain Black
If you think crusading out in the open against corruption is all sweetness and light, have I got a rhetorical bucket of cold water for you!
It invites any number of attempts to discredit; dismiss and/or disconnect you ( from the economy where you live ). I caution all would-be crusaders to think hard about weathering the storm when home sweet home ceases being so.
We can be full of the strength of our convictions. Our eyes firmy fixed on the prize. Neither good intention stops the opposition from slandering and even starving those labeled rabble rousers. America recognizes freedom of speech but also punishes speakers running afoul of someone’s status quo.
There is a crying need for people o speak truth to power.
Actual real life super villains often don’t have gimmicks like costumes or code names to warn the public. Lurking behind respectable masks like chamber of commerce; community leader or the titles doctor; officer; mayor; father; mother, etc. is a rogues gallery to make fiction’s top worst green with envy. Once you cross the line and become a known dissident get ready for the hatin’ to begin.
I eat hatred like candy.
Negative feedback means my job is being done and done well. The trick is possessing an invulnarable identity, i.e a sense of self no amount of criticism nor dirty tricks can penetrate. Anything less and even the most idealistic will cave in. There’s an ugly side to activism that most folks see when viewing old black and white footage of civil rights marchers being beaten by police and mobs.
Lesser known abuse impacting activists are rumor campaigns and pressure to end employment; deny new jobs; clients and even due process when law enforcement is part of the insidious act.
America and Earth desperately need many, many more crusaders. It’s only fair to be up front about crusading’s downsides as well.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info

I believe in the real life superhero ( RLSH ) Movement. It’s the most progressive community I know.
I also believe our soaring ideals can’t magically outdistance long standing prejudices in society. That said, we’ve done a great job with inclusion, better than mainstream institutions.
Can costumes and a larger-than-life approach cure discrimination? Time will tell.
Unlike elsewhere, I’ve yet to encounter a fire breathing racist who openly hates Black people ( among others ) and wishes I’d take my non-existent cape back to my side of the tracks. Since I’m not psychic I can’t say whether this bias exists among other members. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a handful, since crime fighting in Western countries often has racial connotations.
We’re a very idealistic group but at days end we still reside in the real world and racism is part of that reality. Add homophobia, anti-Semetism and other evils to the list.
I’ve met actual supervillains who richly deserved to wear the ” Captain Nazi ” uniform of the DC character by the same name. Growing up in Georgia afforded numerous opportunities to encounter ” respectable ” racists; low budget klan types and folks blissfully unaware their provincial worldview would be labeled Apartheid by modern standards.
Fortunately I don’t presume all White people sink this low but am aware how hard wired this mindset is throughout their community. To its credit, real life superheroes are a lifestyle anyone can adopt because it’s based on behaviors ( code names; costumes; conduct ) that transcend color; language; religion, etc.
There are a few Black RLSH who’ve made it to media attention: Direction Man; Liberator X; Lord Chain; Spark of the Capital City Super Squad; California’s Danger Man and myself. I know there are others and hope they soon make themselves known. Some may wonder if Black folks even do this type of activism given our relative scarcity in RLSH ranks?
Colorful names aren’t a problem for our community. Entertainers and regular folks have nick names, along with many possessing an e-mail address.
Colorful outfits aren’t a stretch for a group known as trendsetters in fashion.
Combining these two cultural items to adopt alter egoes who fight crime and/or do good deeds seems a bit much for most Black folks. Truthfully, it’s a stretch for people in any ethnic group to go the RLSH route.
As a Black RLSH I had far more than my fair share of hate ( literal and cyber ); media exclusion for championed causes and other slights that come with the territory.
Thankfully this hasn’t been the case with 99% of RLSH sites and individuals thus far encountered.
While promoting a life fantastic I’m firmly rooted in the realities of American life, some of which ( like racism ) aren’t much to wave a flag over.
RLSH and race may never be an issue if we’re as true to our ideals as most clearly appear.
However, if some are true to baser aspects of life this issue will raise its pointy head here as it has elsewhere.
Then we’ll see how” heroic ” real life superheroes are. I’m willing to bet on the Movement because of the open mindedness and decency I see so much of here.
I can’t say that about other groups I know.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

By Captain Black
I like stretching the real life superhero ( RLSH ) concept to include figures who don’t wear costumes or identify with comic books per se.
Malcolm X career had numerous real life superhero ( RLSH ) overtones:
* He changed his name, like many creative activists who present themselves to the public with new names.
* He fought injustice at great personal risk. Attacks and eventual assassination illustrate dangers crusaders face in the so-called real world. Anyone who thinks do gooding doesn’t have serious consequences should study his example long and hard.
* He advocated people embracing a larger vision of themselves through self-education and activism. RLSH often describe their persona as fuller expressions of personal potential. Constant skill development is another wide spread practice among Movement members.
Individuals can either live lives of quiet desperation or dare to become bigger than fear and doubt dictate.
Malcolm X exemplified transformation. Real life superheroes also promote transformation as central to improving society. Absent the power of change we become prisoners of a stifling status quo.
Like us his message challenged conventional wisdom. Like us he had more than a few detractors. Like us he believed in his calling and followed it to the end.
Crime fighters in our ranks should note the very real peril invited by actively opposing evil. Actual costumed adventurers will inevitably make enemies, some of whom may retaliate.
Just food for thought as RLSH determine their role in the Movement.
Malcolm X shows us the risks and rewards of uncompromised courage. In fictional terms he was Batman without the mask. Without a secret identity to hide behind he presented himself to deadly opponents every time he left his home.
How many activists, RLSH or otherwise, would do the same?
Malcolm X was a real life superhero who showed this Movement and humanity what is expected of those who stand up without flinching.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info