Micah 7:10 says: Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. What I’m about to say isn’t necessarily a rant but merely an observation. I went to one of my favorite soul food restaurants the other day to order two dinners for my wife and me. It was Taco Tuesday there, so it was crowded because they normally close at 8:00 p.m. but were open until 11:00 p.m. that night. The DJ had the music jamming with a blend of old school and new school joints, and the atmosphere was lively. They even had two flat-screen televisions showing the White Sox game while I waited for my food. However, I did notice something odd—there were only women seated throughout the restaurant on Taco Tuesday. Outside of the DJ and the security guard, I was the only man there at first, and then another man came inside to order takeout like me. But there were no men congregating with the women present in the restaurant. So, the question of the day is: Where were the men?

The so-called Black man has been public enemy number one for decades, and collectively, the so-called Black woman has been weaponized against him. Women like Oprah Winfrey and Gail King have bashed the Black man for years with their talk shows and biased documentaries, and movies like The Color Purple and For Colored Girls have done irreparable damage to his image. Moreover, the so-called Black woman has fought against the patriarchy and helped destroy the family unit by choosing welfare assistance over their men and divorce and child support court over keeping the family together. Men, in turn, have simply checked out and left women to their own devices.

Jeremiah 31:22 says: How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man. The modern-day Black woman has become strong and independent and doesn’t necessarily need a man. They have multiple degrees and are earning a good wage—city, state and county employees can earn anywhere from $50,000 to over $100,000, depending on what city or state you live in, and many of them were fortunate enough to land one of these high-paying, governmental jobs. The problem with this is women are hypergamous by nature, so the only man who’s desirable in their eyes is the so-called high value man who makes much more money than they’re capable of making themselves. A mere working man just isn’t good enough for the average Black woman nowadays. Many of them are combative and have multiple children by multiple men but still feel like they deserve a high value man.

Black women, especially the younger ones, love men who make the fast buck—drug dealers, scammers, and rappers are more desired than honest, hardworking men. Men who don’t have six pack abs, a six-figure bank account, a six-inch member, or are at least six feet in height need not apply. They may call their standards elevation, but I call them unrealistic expectations. They’ve moved the goal post so far that men have all but given up on trying to meet those standards. Conversely, Black men must accept Black women as they are, flaws and all, while trying to meet an impossible list of standards that change constantly. You even got some women saying that a man must pay for her time like the man’s time isn’t valuable.

Based on what I witnessed a few days ago, Black men are no longer willing to approach Black women because they’ve realized that it isn’t beneficial and, in many cases, detrimental to them. They’re also not willing to accept bad behavior or disrespect from women and don’t view this as a challenge, and men have essentially woken up and realized their worth. Men also value their peace more than pleasing a woman, and this is the main reason why men don’t pursue women anymore. All praise, honor, and glory go to Yahawah Bahasham Yahawashi.