excellent question
Sister River,
I would like to address your question, it is a very good question!
My response is neither pro or con, but rather circumstantial.
What I mean by that is support can come in many ways; and loving someone does not mean allowing them to harm or abuse you. As Iyanla Vanzant so poignantly wrote: "If you are in a relationship that causes you imbalance and anguish, get out. If you are in a relationship that does not support you or lowers your energy, leave it alone.... Our relationships should be sustaining, energizing and growth-supporting. When they are not, our growth is stunted, our energy is depleted and our personality is distorted..." Acts of Faith (Sept 5)
There are men amongst our race family with severe emotional and behavioral problems, and regardless of the source of that dysfunction it is unfair to ask anyone to sacrifice themselves in support of these men. As Dr. Jewel Pookrum powerfully points out, our circumstances and realities are the result of our consciousness. While the consciousness of our race has been directly affected because we chose to forget many of the intellectual laws and gifts that we divinely taught others, this does not make an arguement for female martyrs.
With other members of the race family, men who completely reject their Black females I offer no support and would leave them in their mental state of isolation until their minds chose to awaken to a more inclusive reality. In this particular thought I refer to Taye Diggs and his accusations that Black womben were the cause of his failed television show. The reality that he has demonstrated through interviews and other comments is that he deeply rejects Black womben on many levels (and yes this is a form of self-rejection). Is it our duty to continue to support this man's career in any shape, form or fashion? I don't believe so, not when the proceeds of his success only serve to further wound and attack the very womb from which he came from.
There are so many very good men amongst us, that seem to go unsupported in favor of those more troubled. It's almost as if, the children and men who demonstrate the most competence, determination and loyalty are left to fend for themselves while the defiant and rebellious are given warm hands to hold them time and time again.
I am in favor of supporting all members of the race family, but to the degree that they are accepting of that support and grateful of that nurturing.
As Brother Keita so wisely wrote, the first law of the universe is Self-Preservation, therefore no one comes before your own self, one's individual welfare must come first, self - sacrifice is most likely a form of tricknology (unless someone cares to prove otherwise).
Before I close my remarks, I would like to add that most of us, men and womben alike have moments in our lives where we are not at our best, where we may have fallen down. Does that mean that we ought to put ourselves at risk to rescue another? Probably not.
There are members of our race family that have extraordinary Gifts of Divinity, and can awaken, heal or save nations. However, for those of us on the path of Rediscovery, it is most sensible to offer our support at a distance that does not threaten our own personal growth and well being.