American's have got to be the most hypocritical nation of people since Asians started getting those operations to make their legs longer. They are the same group of folks who, hundreds of years ago, made their Geisha girls wrap wet cloths around their feet to the point of purposeful disfigurement, just to appear dainty & petite. When they took off their shoes, their feet looked like the grossest sushi rolls made of flesh & bone. Now, all of the sudden, they're breaking their legs & stretching them, for the sake of 1, maybe 1 1/2 inches of extra height. Yeah, American's are no different.
For the sake of argument, the entire country rallied around itself to celebrate the first colored man to be elected Commander In Chief earlier this year. I'm surprised Hot97 & Power106 don't play old negro spirituals in between Gucci Mane & Orange Juice Da Man, of whatever the hell his mom call's him. So, once the novelty of a Black dude calling the shots wore off, the hate rains like $1 bills at an Atlanta strip club. Americans, as a whole, were even mad that Barry received the Nobel Peace Prize. Wtf? Some went as far as to say he should have declined it. Yeah, that would have given ammunition to more right wing conservatives than O. J. Simpson's book release. Bill O'Reilly would've probably dedicated an entire show to how President Barack Obama, THE representative of the U. S. A., turned down such a prestigious accolade just to show how little he cares for our country. Sounds about right; O'Reilly's a Douche Nozzle Grand Wizard.
I think he deserved it, but not for the obvious reasons. In fact, here's a list of awards that President Obama gets, care of Reading & Writing Is For Dumb People. You heard me right, we hand out awards. Hopefully next year, I'll get Mike Epps to stand around & read over my shoulder while I'm typing...
The "Braver than me" award: When he made his speech at the inauguration, all I kept thinking about was J. F. K.'s assaination. & I was thousands of miles away, at home. For him to walk out, after all the racism that surfaced upon his election, without full body armor & a federal agent toting a gun bigger than Mini-me says a lot about the size of his balls [||]. To this day, I argue the point that he probably did have a vest on under that fancy ass suit, though. I know cats who wear vests to take out the trash.
The "I take care of my kids"
award: President Obama showed the world that Black American males do have the ability to love their mate & children simultaneously, & in one setting. All of us don't go scurrying into the woods to forage for more nuts (no pun intended). Actually, this award goes to all the Black guys I know that sacrifice it all for the betterment of their clan. It's not easy, but it's worth it. Thanks to Barack, there's now other places negroes can be observed outside of music videos & episodes of 'Cops'.
The "Reading & writing ain't for dumb people" award: Barry O. is as articulate, & in cases of the southern representatives of office, more so than plenty of people in the government. No matter how candid the recording, I've heard him pronounce all the letters of the words he uses, especially 'g' & 'r'. I think I heard him say "ain't" once, but they may have been just been Joe Biden in the background.
The "Keeping it real" award: Even though we like to put presidents higher on the social hierarchy, it's good that not only does President Obama play basketball, but he still walks like a brutha. I've seen some old photos of him, while still a resident of Hawaii rocking the 'fro, where he was chilling back, smoking Newports. Eff what people think, that dude still smokes Newports. & to the company's, ummm, credit, I've never met anybody other than niggas that smoke Newports. There's some viral video of him & Michelle dancing, & again, Black folks sure can cut a rug. It wasn't like he was doing the "Stanky Leg" or any other atrocious ghetto-tastic routine, but he was getting his groove on. I'll bet my Blackberry that, when he does the "Cupid Shuffle", he's in front of the crowd.
On behalf of Reading & Writing Is For Dumb People, we'd like you, President Barack Obama, to accept these awards. & since only 30 or so people read this, don't worry about a backlash upon your acceptance. You're welcome.
In all seriousness, I voted for Barack, & I'm not disappointed that I did. What I think people fail to realize is that, even the leader of the free world is a human being. Multiply that by the mantra, "You can't please everybody", & divide that by his responsibility to govern over millions of people, & how much can we, as a nation, possibly expect from him. His decisions may not always reflect my personal interest, but it's not like he's MY president. He's our president, & there's more to that position than starting wars & funding schools. He probably has the hardest job in America (next to bouncers at Black strip clubs), & even when it seems like he's lying, or not making good on a promise, I truly believe dude's trying to do the best he can.
The more his constituents go in on him, the more the outside world views America as a fragmented country. Conincidentally, Obama's the reason that America's not globally public enemy #1 any longer. All I'm saying is, not only has he not been in office less than a year, but let's give him a chance. Rome wasn't built in a day.
Showing posts with label Aframs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aframs. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
How I Could Just Kill A Man
We've all heard Derrion Albert's tragic story. Not tragic because he was a relative or personal friend, but tragic because we had the privilege of witnessing his beating. A beating that led to his death.
Things like this occur regularly, throughout inner-city war zones all across the glorious U.S.A., on any given day. However, reading about them in the newspaper or online doesn't force us to attach a human life to the victim. Having the luxury of viral video gives the poor kid a personality, a presence, a life, so to speak. These are the images that build legends, more so than eyewitness accounts & empty anchor person rhetoric.
I try to imagine what he was thinking; put myself in his unfortunate shoes during the last several heartbreaking minutes of his life. I would like to think that, somewhere in the earlier part of the violence, he blacked-out & wasn't aware of the horror he was experiencing. Knowing the resilience of the human brain, he was probably cognizant of his predicament, if only in a haze, but knowing the fortitude of the human mind, the whole episode was most likely funneled into some dark, solitary place, in case he survived the attack.
I saw on some news outlet, where the relatives of the accused were denying their respective family member's involvement, even going so far as to call Derrion a "gang member" & saying insensitive things like "it was just a gang fight, they're all gang bangers" & "my son was defending himself". How do you say that to the mother who must not only avoid the media, and the video being forced down society's collective throat, but also has to bury her son? Even if that were God's truth, it still doesn't justify the lack of compassion that we, as humans, have for one another.
Not that this incident has a monopoly over societal ills; parents are killing their own children (& vice versa), fathers are raping their daughters, the list is a bottomless barrel of inequity with no foreseeable future other than annihilation. & regardless to whatever, it's not a race issue as much a people issue. Impoverished people, to be exact. The detrimental cycle of poverty breeds a different kind of creature. "The Cosby Show" was merely a fun house mirror, designed to distort the wicked actuality of our genuine reflections. So contrast to that fantasy, when despair is all you know, there's basically no chance at creating anything else. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but within that rule is Murphy's Law (anything that can happen, probably will), & the mathematics just don't work in most "exceptions" favors. They wind up as statistics or innocent victims to the reality they're forced to digest routinely.
Any possible solution goes beyond tax reforms & job markets. There's no political advisors or government officials with the ability to change the hearts of man. Even if the most unfortunate, misguided soul was taken from his natural environment & thrust into the richest, most beneficial environment with every imaginable bell & whistle life has to offer, that wouldn't necessarily change generation upon generation of programmed misinformation, struggle, & survival of the fittest ethos. & truth be told, the real skills one need to "live" in today's society aren't taught in school. That's why so many youth's become disenchanted with education by 10th grade. Their education comes from the street. The same street where their ignorance was conceived, waving good bye to them as they leave, & subsequently, saying "Hello" to them when they return home.
& I'll tell you this; these rappers aren't helping matters one bit. Even the one's with a voice are usually to wrapped up in their own personal battles to lend a hand. It all begins at home, as we should already know, but think about the conditions of said homes in a lot of instances. So, what we can do, individually, is reach out to those tangible, be it boy or girl. Help those still within arm's distance. Now is not the time to be innocent bystanders, but willing participants in whatever avenues need to be traversed. Again, it all begins at home...
Broken homes, drug abuse, desensitization, racism, classism, depression, alcoholism, violence in general are all fueled by a harsh poverty that many may never escape. Those that succumb rarely make it through to the finish line. I'm not here to preach, but, wow. Something's gotta give.
*RIP to all those whose untimely, unnecessary deaths remind us about this turbulent life we live daily*
Things like this occur regularly, throughout inner-city war zones all across the glorious U.S.A., on any given day. However, reading about them in the newspaper or online doesn't force us to attach a human life to the victim. Having the luxury of viral video gives the poor kid a personality, a presence, a life, so to speak. These are the images that build legends, more so than eyewitness accounts & empty anchor person rhetoric.
I try to imagine what he was thinking; put myself in his unfortunate shoes during the last several heartbreaking minutes of his life. I would like to think that, somewhere in the earlier part of the violence, he blacked-out & wasn't aware of the horror he was experiencing. Knowing the resilience of the human brain, he was probably cognizant of his predicament, if only in a haze, but knowing the fortitude of the human mind, the whole episode was most likely funneled into some dark, solitary place, in case he survived the attack.
I saw on some news outlet, where the relatives of the accused were denying their respective family member's involvement, even going so far as to call Derrion a "gang member" & saying insensitive things like "it was just a gang fight, they're all gang bangers" & "my son was defending himself". How do you say that to the mother who must not only avoid the media, and the video being forced down society's collective throat, but also has to bury her son? Even if that were God's truth, it still doesn't justify the lack of compassion that we, as humans, have for one another.
Not that this incident has a monopoly over societal ills; parents are killing their own children (& vice versa), fathers are raping their daughters, the list is a bottomless barrel of inequity with no foreseeable future other than annihilation. & regardless to whatever, it's not a race issue as much a people issue. Impoverished people, to be exact. The detrimental cycle of poverty breeds a different kind of creature. "The Cosby Show" was merely a fun house mirror, designed to distort the wicked actuality of our genuine reflections. So contrast to that fantasy, when despair is all you know, there's basically no chance at creating anything else. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but within that rule is Murphy's Law (anything that can happen, probably will), & the mathematics just don't work in most "exceptions" favors. They wind up as statistics or innocent victims to the reality they're forced to digest routinely.
Any possible solution goes beyond tax reforms & job markets. There's no political advisors or government officials with the ability to change the hearts of man. Even if the most unfortunate, misguided soul was taken from his natural environment & thrust into the richest, most beneficial environment with every imaginable bell & whistle life has to offer, that wouldn't necessarily change generation upon generation of programmed misinformation, struggle, & survival of the fittest ethos. & truth be told, the real skills one need to "live" in today's society aren't taught in school. That's why so many youth's become disenchanted with education by 10th grade. Their education comes from the street. The same street where their ignorance was conceived, waving good bye to them as they leave, & subsequently, saying "Hello" to them when they return home.
& I'll tell you this; these rappers aren't helping matters one bit. Even the one's with a voice are usually to wrapped up in their own personal battles to lend a hand. It all begins at home, as we should already know, but think about the conditions of said homes in a lot of instances. So, what we can do, individually, is reach out to those tangible, be it boy or girl. Help those still within arm's distance. Now is not the time to be innocent bystanders, but willing participants in whatever avenues need to be traversed. Again, it all begins at home...
Broken homes, drug abuse, desensitization, racism, classism, depression, alcoholism, violence in general are all fueled by a harsh poverty that many may never escape. Those that succumb rarely make it through to the finish line. I'm not here to preach, but, wow. Something's gotta give.
*RIP to all those whose untimely, unnecessary deaths remind us about this turbulent life we live daily*
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Married With Children FTW!
It's not hard to turn on the telly & find an exhausting amount of shows that degrade, embarrass & minimize the Black experience. It's almost so commonplace to see "us" being ridiculed, that outrage has been replaced with an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality. Indeed, Blacks have been laughing to keep from crying since days of The Middle Passage.
I can't say I don't enjoy a fair amount of what would be considered "Black TV". Any blue-blooded American of African descent enjoys the occasional chuckle at our own expense. That said, when we do get a chance to break from the normalcy of semi-racist television viewing, I allow it to totally engulf me. More specifically, I'm referring to The Bundy's. That's what we call it 'round here at Grands Manor. In short; Best. Show. Ever.
Married With Children (April 1987-June 1997) is a rare glimpse at the average lower-middle class White family that, as Black folk, we don't get to see too much. Anyone who disagrees doesn't have the common sense God gave the Hermit Crab. That's the one that lives in it's shell & walks sideways. It's not very often that a low-income, barely able to eat, cant-afford-to-feed-the-dog family graces our TV's that isn't Black. Right, wrong or indifferent, it's comedy in it's most raucous form. I believe that aspect itself had a lot to do with the shows success. Blacks could relate, even on levels that many Whites couldn't. No racism.
Kelly was a slut, 5 minutes from having an abortion on every episode, & she wasn't Black. That gave "us" a sense of empowerment, almost as much as Al having the crummiest job in the world, no matter how hard he tried to better himself. Peg was the lazy, sex-depraved housewife, who's favorite show was "Oprah" & who's main goal in life was to out-snack & out-sleep everyone. Sucking gas out of the neighbor's car, stealing food from parties, all these sub par living standards that America's small screen portrayed as it's impression of being Black in the USA, except these folks were White, & I apologize if it offends, but that is hilarious. Their plight was as familiar to "us" as an episode of "Good Times" or "South Central" (am I the only one who remembers that show on Fox?).
While shows like "The Cosby Show" planted dignity in colored children nationwide, that just wasn't a family life most inner-city kids could relate to. But Tang (or ketchup, mustard, mayo, sugar, butter, syrup) sandwiches & no food, that's something that the people who probably couldn't afford to watch better "quality" shows could relate to.
Most programs with an all white cast (shout out to Griff!) catch flak for their lack of minorities. Not Married With Children! Al, Peggy, Kelly, Bud & Buck were minorities in every sense of the term. Who knew a television show about the life a poor, impoverished family could be made without any Black main characters?
That's my most favorite show of all time, for numerous reasons, & it deserves to stay in syndication until the sun burns out.
Can I get an amen?
I can't say I don't enjoy a fair amount of what would be considered "Black TV". Any blue-blooded American of African descent enjoys the occasional chuckle at our own expense. That said, when we do get a chance to break from the normalcy of semi-racist television viewing, I allow it to totally engulf me. More specifically, I'm referring to The Bundy's. That's what we call it 'round here at Grands Manor. In short; Best. Show. Ever.
Married With Children (April 1987-June 1997) is a rare glimpse at the average lower-middle class White family that, as Black folk, we don't get to see too much. Anyone who disagrees doesn't have the common sense God gave the Hermit Crab. That's the one that lives in it's shell & walks sideways. It's not very often that a low-income, barely able to eat, cant-afford-to-feed-the-dog family graces our TV's that isn't Black. Right, wrong or indifferent, it's comedy in it's most raucous form. I believe that aspect itself had a lot to do with the shows success. Blacks could relate, even on levels that many Whites couldn't. No racism.
Kelly was a slut, 5 minutes from having an abortion on every episode, & she wasn't Black. That gave "us" a sense of empowerment, almost as much as Al having the crummiest job in the world, no matter how hard he tried to better himself. Peg was the lazy, sex-depraved housewife, who's favorite show was "Oprah" & who's main goal in life was to out-snack & out-sleep everyone. Sucking gas out of the neighbor's car, stealing food from parties, all these sub par living standards that America's small screen portrayed as it's impression of being Black in the USA, except these folks were White, & I apologize if it offends, but that is hilarious. Their plight was as familiar to "us" as an episode of "Good Times" or "South Central" (am I the only one who remembers that show on Fox?).
While shows like "The Cosby Show" planted dignity in colored children nationwide, that just wasn't a family life most inner-city kids could relate to. But Tang (or ketchup, mustard, mayo, sugar, butter, syrup) sandwiches & no food, that's something that the people who probably couldn't afford to watch better "quality" shows could relate to.
Most programs with an all white cast (shout out to Griff!) catch flak for their lack of minorities. Not Married With Children! Al, Peggy, Kelly, Bud & Buck were minorities in every sense of the term. Who knew a television show about the life a poor, impoverished family could be made without any Black main characters?
That's my most favorite show of all time, for numerous reasons, & it deserves to stay in syndication until the sun burns out.
Can I get an amen?
Friday, August 21, 2009
& the moral of the story is...
*Kills a horse. Beats it with a stick*
So, Plaxico Buress is going on vacation for two years. We all (should) know the story by now; big-time football star carries unregistered firearm into a club. Said gun discharges in club & wounds him in the leg. He's taken to the hospital, then to jail for the incident. After lengthy trial, Buress is sentenced to 20 months for numerous charges. I guess the judge isn't one of those-"oh, he shot himself, so I guess he's learned his lesson"-types.
Donte Stallworth killed a pedestrian, while driving drunk, & was sentenced to 30 days, but anyway.....
Now, Plax is scheduled to start serving his time immediately, as if he's a flight risk. He probably can't run as fast as he could before, but nonetheless, the judge is taking no chances with a guy who got paid to run faster than most men. Blacks stay losing.
No racism, but high-profiles White folk get away with so much. Hell, even low-profile Caucasians stay on the lenient side of the law. I could go in on the (lack of a) justice system, or the on-going battle for respect & equality, but I'm tired of beating that dead horse.
*Throws stick down & walks away*
Plaxico had a target on his back from birth, being an American of African descent. He beat quite a few odds by not being murdered in his front yard &/or not ending up a part of the prison system's revolving door policy. The fact that he made it out of the hood, & into the limelight without a negative push makes his a story of success against all odds. So.....why the fuck did he walk into a club with a gun?
It couldn't have been for protection. Dude can probably knock fire from the average sized man's ass [||]. Maybe not a Kimbo Slice, but definitely a Taye Diggs or Tyrese. It shouldn't have been to prove a point, because being young, rich & Black is a point proven in & of itself. So the question still stands, to which the only answer I can find is that he is a dumb ass.
As Black men, we need to step our game(s) up. In fact, it's not a game, so we need to step our living up. We have too many eyes on us, from the government, to our children & wives, down to the criminals, haters, & crabs that aim to pull us back to the bottom of the barrel. As long as every other step is the wrong one, we will stay losing. The good guys are over-shadowed by the bad ones, & we know this to be fact. Thats why Gucci Mane sells waaay more albums than Mos Def. That being the obvious case, we must try twice as hard to be the best men we can be.
I don't believe in role-models, but I believe in positive examples. Barack Obama has enough on his own plate, so I can't expect him to shoulder a community's burden worth of exceptional leadership. I should be able to get some help from some neighbors, rappers, thespians & athletes as well, because when my child(ren) leave my supervision, they're under yours.
No judgment, I'm just saying. We, Black men, are capable of the greatest feats. It's time we show America, if no one else, that they brought us here for a reason.
Fuck fighting the power; it's time to BE the power.
So, Plaxico Buress is going on vacation for two years. We all (should) know the story by now; big-time football star carries unregistered firearm into a club. Said gun discharges in club & wounds him in the leg. He's taken to the hospital, then to jail for the incident. After lengthy trial, Buress is sentenced to 20 months for numerous charges. I guess the judge isn't one of those-"oh, he shot himself, so I guess he's learned his lesson"-types.
Donte Stallworth killed a pedestrian, while driving drunk, & was sentenced to 30 days, but anyway.....
Now, Plax is scheduled to start serving his time immediately, as if he's a flight risk. He probably can't run as fast as he could before, but nonetheless, the judge is taking no chances with a guy who got paid to run faster than most men. Blacks stay losing.
No racism, but high-profiles White folk get away with so much. Hell, even low-profile Caucasians stay on the lenient side of the law. I could go in on the (lack of a) justice system, or the on-going battle for respect & equality, but I'm tired of beating that dead horse.
*Throws stick down & walks away*
Plaxico had a target on his back from birth, being an American of African descent. He beat quite a few odds by not being murdered in his front yard &/or not ending up a part of the prison system's revolving door policy. The fact that he made it out of the hood, & into the limelight without a negative push makes his a story of success against all odds. So.....why the fuck did he walk into a club with a gun?
It couldn't have been for protection. Dude can probably knock fire from the average sized man's ass [||]. Maybe not a Kimbo Slice, but definitely a Taye Diggs or Tyrese. It shouldn't have been to prove a point, because being young, rich & Black is a point proven in & of itself. So the question still stands, to which the only answer I can find is that he is a dumb ass.
As Black men, we need to step our game(s) up. In fact, it's not a game, so we need to step our living up. We have too many eyes on us, from the government, to our children & wives, down to the criminals, haters, & crabs that aim to pull us back to the bottom of the barrel. As long as every other step is the wrong one, we will stay losing. The good guys are over-shadowed by the bad ones, & we know this to be fact. Thats why Gucci Mane sells waaay more albums than Mos Def. That being the obvious case, we must try twice as hard to be the best men we can be.
I don't believe in role-models, but I believe in positive examples. Barack Obama has enough on his own plate, so I can't expect him to shoulder a community's burden worth of exceptional leadership. I should be able to get some help from some neighbors, rappers, thespians & athletes as well, because when my child(ren) leave my supervision, they're under yours.
No judgment, I'm just saying. We, Black men, are capable of the greatest feats. It's time we show America, if no one else, that they brought us here for a reason.
Fuck fighting the power; it's time to BE the power.
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