A Quantum Review of Blackness

By W. F. Twyman, Jr.

What is the mirror that is coming back to you? — noted therapist

[Introduction: Blackness as we experience it today is an illusion. This statement is pretty bold for a Saturday morning in San Diego, so I offer all of the caveats and cautions up front. I am not talking about Charlottesville, Virginia in 1790, Wilmington, North Carolina in 1898, Tulsa, Oklahoma (or Jackson Ward, Richmond, Virginia) in 1921, Prince Edward County, Virginia in 1956 or even New Orleans, Louisiana in 1959. 48 Ways Racial Life is Better (Compared to 1959) Nor am I not mindful that some continue to live in racial prejudice and others thrive in racial tribalism. Case in point — someone I know was sharing her excitement about a singer/actress. Another older black woman asked if the singer/actress was a person of color. The younger black woman said, no, I don’t think so, to which the older black woman replied, well, I’m not interested. The younger woman observed one reality and the older woman observed a different reality. Two black women of different generations observed different racial realities. I know these self-evident truths. In fact, my curiosity led me to dig deeper below the surface of self-evident truths about Blackness.

If there are around 1.2 billion Black people in the world, surely there must be 1.2 billion stories, experiences, perspectives and, yes, unique individual genomes as the building blocks of life. Why do so many assume coherence in the idea of Blackness today? Even one of my dearest old friends is caught up in the illusion of an unexamined life. See Afro-Pessimism as a school of thought.

In this essay, I suggest Blackness today is an illusion, a construct created by choice and free will. The closed-minded will not read this essay which proves my point.]

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I turn for inspiration to quantum computing. I use as my text New Quantum Chip Proved the Universe Is Not Real. Blackness is a seamless web of interactions between individuals. Similar to the interactions of particles in quantum analysis, individuals create Blackness today in my experience. Think of individuals as particles that exist in a state of probability. The real world of Blackness is not objectively real. Blackness comes forth in a universe of conscious observers. It is the observation of reality itself that creates Blackness in the year 2025 in San Diego and throughout our state, country and the world. See my experience with my race consciousness switch turned on. The Burbank Happening and Other Signs of Intelligent Life Race is not a fixed destiny but an emergent condition of possibilities, open mindedness, observers, relationships and consciousness.

Let me explain this idea derived from quantum computing.

In the world of quantum computing, each individual particle can influence another particle. The relationships between particles are not limited by space and time. Every day experience of reality is a construct derived from the interaction. As a result, nothing is predestined or preordained since how particles might interact is a matter of innumerable possibilities. It requires open mindedness to perceive this different conception of physical reality. Reality doesn’t define the observer. It is the observer that defines reality which runs counter to our understanding of classical physics. Relationships generate consciousness which appears as an emergent condition. Emergent Properties of the Human Condition

“We all know that digital computers changed virtually every aspect of our life.” Now, think of Blackness Is Oppression and Nothing Else Matters as our racial computer for Blackness. The idea that Blackness meant one thing and one thing only is analogous to the digital computer. Manipulation of binary digits (0s and 1s) Digital computers will go the way of the dinosaur, the Dodo Bird and the horse harness but stay with me for a bit. As with the widespread adoption of digital computers in our lives, the sweeping blanket of dogma and slogan words about Blackness changed virtually every aspect of Black life. We know it and we see it.

The digital computer will be supplanted by the quantum computer. The rise of quantum computers will be a bigger and more historic thing. One commentator remarked the quantum computer will be bigger than fire. I am open to that interpretation. Quantum analysis will accelerate questions of “the nature of reality.” “What is the universe made of? How do the laws of physics govern it? And the most profound question of all, does reality exist as we perceive it?”

By the same token, an intensified quantum focus on the individual will raise profound questions about human dignity, creative expression and the individual. What is Blackness made of? How do the laws of physics govern it? And the most profound question of all, does Blackness exist as we perceive it?

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“As a Black Male, I am called a Sellout for NOT acting ghetto.” — commentator

What does it mean to write “As a Black Male?” The commentator must have some image in his mind. He must be operating on a cognitive script. It is curious to me that anyone would present themselves as a stand in for around 600 million people. There is an element of narcissism to speak as a mouthpiece for hundreds of millions of people. Does the commentator represent Black Males in Bermuda, Iceland, Lagos, St. James Parish in Jamaica or London, England? What about Tibet or India? When I started to question shibboleths about Blackness, it occurred to me that I was adding to the problem to ever write “As a Black Male” anything. Who Are My People?

Even though I agree with the commentator on the merits of his position, he remains in the digital computer age of Blackness and not the upcoming quantum computer age of Blackness. His use of binary language presupposes one is a Black Man or one is not a Black Man.

I am not aware of any other writer who has proposed Blackness as quantum computing, so I want to trace out the patterns between two distinct realms of existence, quantum mechanics of particles and quantum computing of Blackness, as clearly as I can. Many readers are aware that quantum anything is a murky business. I do the best I can as a layperson essayist.

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“Let’s start with the basics. Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that deals with the behavior of particles at the smallest scales, atoms and subatomic particles. At these scales, the rules of classical physics, the ones that describe the motions of planets, cars or even a thrown baseball no longer apply. Instead, particles seem to exist in multiple states at once, a phenomenon known as super position. They can also affect each other instantaneously over vast distances, a phenomenon called entanglement. These strange behaviors have long puzzled scientists and challenged our understanding of what it means for something to exist.”

Too often, those schooled in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion dogma and Pedagogy of the Oppressed slogan words compute Blackness like a digital computer. “A digital computer is an electronic device that processes data by manipulating discrete values, typically represented as binary digits (0s and 1s), to perform calculations and logical operations.” Scholars, writers and intellectuals process data by manipulating discrete binary tokens to perform calculations and logical operations about Blackness. For example, Blacks are Oppressed. Whites are Oppressors. There are Racists. There are Anti-Racists. There is White Privilege. There is no Black Privilege. Blackness emerges from a digital computer using these binary tools. One is Black. One is Not Black (Acting White).

This happened to my daughter when she was a teenager. Someone said she wasn’t black. She told them she didn’t have to act ghetto to be black. Was proud of her. — commentator

She's Right. I'm mixed and I grew up watching "The Cosby show" & "the fresh prince". The parents were a Dr., lawyer and a judge. Those are perfect examples. We were taught that Blacks are more than capable of acting right and becoming educated professionals. Wtf has happened to society. It's f——— disgusting. — commentator

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Quantum computing of Blackness is more sophisticated. Quantum computing recognizes that individuals (particles) “seem to exist in multiple states at once, a phenomenon known as super position.” One can be Black and a traditional Christian. One can be Black and engage the larger world. One can be Black and love Johann Sebastian Bach. One can be Black and see oneself in creatives and non-conformers. One can be Black and choose to resign from Blackness altogether.

These are the blessings of quantum computing blackness. There is no one way to be black in the world. There are 1.2 billion ways to be black in the world. Only quantum computing can understand data about 1.2 billion souls.

Is Blackness a mere construct of our minds?

There is this idea deep within quantum mechanics that reality is observer dependent. What does this mean? And I quote from the quantum chip link above:

This stems from the famous double slit experiment. When particles like electrons are shot to a barrier with two slits, they behave like waves creating a interference pattern on a screen behind the barrier. But here is the strange part. If you place a detector at the slit, observe which slit each participant passes through, the interference disappears. The participles start behaving like particles again, as though the very act of observation determines their behavior. This has led to the unsettling conclusion that particles don’t have definite properties until they are observed. Instead, they exist in a state of probability, a mathematical description of all the possible states they could be in. It is as if reality itself doesn’t solidify until a conscious observer looks at it. (bold lettering added)

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Let’s return to my observed interaction of two black American women. Let’s assume I am the observer of the individual interaction. There was nothing “Black” about the reality I witnessed, nothing at all until the younger woman excitedly proclaimed her love for an actress/singer. In the younger woman, I detected zero race awareness of consciousness in the moment. There was no race reality. It was only when the older woman set down a litmus test for Blackness (POC) did I observe Blackness in the reality. It was my observation of the interaction and moment that generated a reality of Blackness.

There was no race reality of Blackness until I observed the two individuals (particles) with my race consciousness switch turned on. Contrast my quantum computing of Blackness in the moment to the digital computing of Afro-pessimism: a critical framework that analyzes the enduring effects of racism and historical processes of enslavement, arguing that Blackness is structurally linked to "slaveness" and a state of "social death," outside of traditional notions of humanity and civil society. I did not observe a slave. I did not witness a Jim Crow sign. I was not suffocating from social death. I observed two individuals interact which generated a reality of Blackness.

Sadly, the younger black woman learned about closed-mindedness in Black American culture and consciousness. One cannot blame macro frameworks, racism, enslavement, or social death for entanglement with a closed-minded individual. The reality of Blackness itself did not solidify until I as a conscious observer looked at the interacting individuals. Do you agree or disagree? Am I on to something or not?

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Here’s another example. I am drawn to a mature black female podcaster by the name of Lady Boule. Lady Boule is of a certain type. She exemplifies tribalism and closed-mindedness. Most of the world is suspect to Lady Boule. Hispanic Immigrants, Black Immigrants from the Islands, Black Immigrants from Africa, Black Free Thinkers, Black Men Married to White Women, Whites — you are all on her naughty list. She doesn’t have time for you. She only cares about Foundational Black Americans, those Foundational Black Americans who think a certain way. She is the opposite of me. What do they say, opposites attract? I am going to drop one of her recent videos which nicely paints Lady Boule in the Zone: Black Women Will Be On Vacation April 5th

Notice how Lady Boule has mastered the fine art of digital computing of Blackness. First, she takes ownership of an unambiguous black woman as the face of the April 5 protest. Either the image of a black woman must be good or black! Lady Boule feels its bad and so must all other black people in the land. A master class in binary thinking. Suppose the woman in the image supports the protest? Suppose it was her idea to be pictured as the face of the protest? Why does Lady Boule assume the dark-skinned black woman is a hapless chess tool of non-Black protestors? Could be but maybe not?

Why is Lady Boule the spokeswomen for 600 million black women world-wide?

I love the clarity of digital computing of Blackness on display. Check out the humorous Tik Tok video at 9:00 to 9:30. Once again, a young black woman portrayed as a hapless sheep. The protest is bad, not good. The ancestors behind the curtain have said so.

As I witnessed the Tik Tok video, I observed a reality of Blackness. The interaction between the young woman in bed with her own ideas and the closed mindedness of ancestors. Quantum computing as a way of understanding Blackness comes in handy. Nothing is organic. Blackness as reality is observer dependent. Lady Boule wants viewers to observe her preferred reality of Blackness.

Doesn’t work for me but the Afro wearing ladies on her video are attractive. Bring back the Afro, I say!

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Let’s continue with the parallels between quantum computing for physical reality and the reality of Blackness. “The simulation suggested that particles only exhibit classical physical properties when observed by an external physical system. In other words, the universe as we experience it, solid, physical and governed by deterministic laws, may be nothing more than a construct that emerges when we observe it.”

I am reminded of a favored reader who liked one of my essays. The essay was as banal as one might imagine. I was writing about my wife and I having dinner together at Liberty Station in San Diego. Happy Birthday Lonely Substack! As I dined and gossiped with my wife, I had to force myself to size up Blackness. It was an effort:

“As an individual, my life is not particularly racial. I was assigned race at birth but, quite frankly, my daily existence is a human existence. For example, my wife and I enjoyed dinner at Stone Brewery last night. We were as comfortable and content as could be. It occurred to me to switch on my race consciousness. My race consciousness switch is normally off. I strained to notice race. Out of 500 people, maybe 5 were other blacks. Race was non-existent. We did not need people who looked like us to enjoy dinner last night and gossip about the things husbands and wives gossip about.”

Under my quantum computing model, Blackness did not exist in the moment. I was not a conscious observer of blackness. If Blackness requires observed reality between two individuals (particles), there was no construct of Blackness that emerged over dinner. There was simply nothing to observe. Could it be that Blackness is fleeting and subject to evaporation if we compute Blackness using quantum analysis?

There are other instances when Blackness is in the air and will be picked up by quantum computing. For example, I attended a recent dinner when someone arrived wearing Kinte cloth, the cloth of the Ashanti slave trader. I was pulled into a consciousness of Blackness upon sight. Query whether a third-party observer would have observed a reality of Blackness in the moment. At the end of the same evening, I turned on a pleasant AI jazz you tube channel that I found calming. Someone rejected the video, AI Retro Rewind, because the video contained too many beautiful white women. Under quantum computing, was a reality of Blackness observed by me or any conscious third party?

Conclusion: Have I made my point? My intuition tells me, and self-anthropology tells me, that Blackness may be nothing more than a construct that emerges when we observe it. That Blackness is kept aloft not by structural racism or the lingering effects of American slavery or Jim Crow segregation marginalization of black people today. The urge to segregate seems to be coming from within more than from without.

Quantum computing attunes us to the nuance and complexity of Blackness. Blackness may exist in a state of probability today. Is Blackness reality dependent? Does quantum computing from the vantage point of each individual soul out of 1.2 billion humans enable a precision never before possible in understanding Blackness? Does the reality of Blackness itself never solidify until a conscious observer looks at it? Would I feel differently if I had the personality of a hyper conscious black Man marinated in black consciousness, collectivism and Black solidarity? Do we find the observed reality of 1.2 billion versions of Blackness terrifying and incomprehensible?

If the digital computer is doomed to obsolesce, maybe the digital computer of Blackness is so fated as well. Have you ever noticed that some black people are always quick with the caveat “That is just my opinion.” They lack the words for a philosophical and spiritual truth. There is no one way to understand 1.2 billion people. There is only quantum understanding of Blackness.

I’m a black girl from Atlanta, however I was raised in a 2 parent household w professional parents, and when I was 7 we moved to the middle class(majority white)suburbs. About 7 years ago, I got accepted to FAMU. I was so excited to go to an HBCU and be with more people like me. About one semester in, I dropped out because I couldn’t handle the bullying (even got jumped twice) due to the fact of how i am. I was “white” bc of the way I spoke, I loved books, meditating, I am very quiet but kind, I enjoy science, anime and nature and didn’t do substances/alcohol and my parents visited me frequently. I even got accused by two girls of theft to get me kicked out of the dorms. It was an extremely upsetting experience all due to the fact of how I was raised and how I am.—-commentator

Good evening!