I had the opportunity to get behind the scenes look at my local college radio station. I noticed they played the same songs each week, but in a different order each day. They would rotate a new song or two in the regular playlist from time to time. As a result, the listener gets pummeled with the same message over and over and over, which desensitizes them. As a result,some people seek out the life depicted in the songs, and some don't. This same effect could be seen with Rock and Roll. For a while "sex, drugs, and rock & roll" was the mantra for the genre, and may still be. Some people succumb to it, and some don't. People use music as an escape, and as a result, they are listening to the radio and wishing they were in that life (just like watching TV sitcoms did for a lot of people). It gets perceived as how life should be, and so it's imitated. Since Blacks make up a small percentage of the population, a larger section of that group will appear to succumb to it more often than others. Other ethnicities will display a broader selection of people who have bowed to certain ideals presented to them because there are more of them to draw from. I feel that is why it looks like American Blacks in general are doing far worse than other ethnicities in this country. Thanks to the media, we have seen the American Dream being shoveled into our faces through various outlets, and as a result, people are bragging about getting: money, sex (in various ways and methods), drugs,material possessions... you get the point. People desire these things, and will stop at nothing to get them. So before we accuse hip hop of doing this to a select group of people, we must recognize that America has been doing this to the WHOLE. WORLD., for quite some time, and this is just a cog in the machine, so to speak. The poorest of the poor come to North America in search for some of these things. They flock here because in some way, shape or form, media has told them that America is the place to be if you want to be somebody, meanwhile America's poor (and not so poor) people are seeking this out as well. The American Dream does not help Blacks at all because the same media that touted riches for everybody who entered, is the same media that systematically and continuously crapped on that particular ethnicity for so many years, in various ways and told them to shut up about it at the same time. Could you blame them for screaming for the American Dream, since it seems like everyone has it and they don't, especially when statistics are routinely made in order to drive the message home ? We have kids and adults from poor to upper middle class backgrounds that want to be "bad bitches", and want to be associated with BIG MONEY, and if they can't get there, they can at least look the part. As a result, you have people all across the board, regardless of race facing foreclosures, people going to college expecting to make BIG dollars straight away after they just put themselves so far into debt they have to live with their parents, we have for profit colleges, people with ATV's, Boats, RV's, cars, and stuff like that they can't pay for, broke folks with six hundred dollar cell phones, and really high cable bills. People are reading Better Homes and Gardens, entering the Publishers Clearing House (if that still exists),and scratching lottery tickets in hopes to "make it big" right now because if "so and so can do it, then I can too, because that's the American Dream, right?"
People like to point to hip hop and say, "Look at what those people are saying with their music, that's destructive! :o ". but it's just a cog in the whole machine. The whole culture it represents is destructive, and no matter how it is spun, that is NORTH AMERICAN culture. Who decided that was American culture? You can't lay baited mouse traps in a room with mice, then turn around to pontificate why those particular mice got snared up, then collect data about it while shaming the mice for "being so self destructive". People must recognize the what, when, where, why, which, and how a situation got to where it is at the moment before they make accusations regardless if it is about self degrading music, or whether issue you may feel strongly about. Once the issue or issues are turned over and looked at from as many angles as possible, then and only then will a solution be found and things will be able to change.
From my standpoint, the image of the snake eating its tail comes to mind. I feel that hip hop is not the culprit here, it's this gangster ass pyramid scheme of a culture that belongs to North America.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Is Hip Hop Destroying Black America? - Sure, let's go over that one more time.
I had the opportunity to get behind the scenes look at my local college radio station. I noticed they played the same songs each week, but in a different order each day. They would rotate a new song or two in the regular playlist from time to time. As a result, the listener gets pummeled with the same message over and over and over, which desensitizes them. As a result,some people seek out the life depicted in the songs, and some don't. This same effect could be seen with Rock and Roll. For a while "sex, drugs, and rock & roll" was the mantra for the genre, and may still be. Some people succumb to it, and some don't. People use music as an escape, and as a result, they are listening to the radio and wishing they were in that life (just like watching TV sitcoms did for a lot of people). It gets perceived as how life should be, and so it's imitated. Since Blacks make up a small percentage of the population, a larger section of that group will appear to succumb to it more often than others. Other ethnicities will display a broader selection of people who have bowed to certain ideals presented to them because there are more of them to draw from. I feel that is why it looks like American Blacks in general are doing far worse than other ethnicities in this country. Thanks to the media, we have seen the American Dream being shoveled into our faces through various outlets, and as a result, people are bragging about getting: money, sex (in various ways and methods), drugs,material possessions... you get the point. People desire these things, and will stop at nothing to get them. So before we accuse hip hop of doing this to a select group of people, we must recognize that America has been doing this to the WHOLE. WORLD., for quite some time, and this is just a cog in the machine, so to speak. The poorest of the poor come to North America in search for some of these things. They flock here because in some way, shape or form, media has told them that America is the place to be if you want to be somebody, meanwhile America's poor (and not so poor) people are seeking this out as well. The American Dream does not help Blacks at all because the same media that touted riches for everybody who entered, is the same media that systematically and continuously crapped on that particular ethnicity for so many years, in various ways and told them to shut up about it at the same time. Could you blame them for screaming for the American Dream, since it seems like everyone has it and they don't, especially when statistics are routinely made in order to drive the message home ? We have kids and adults from poor to upper middle class backgrounds that want to be "bad bitches", and want to be associated with BIG MONEY, and if they can't get there, they can at least look the part. As a result, you have people all across the board, regardless of race facing foreclosures, people going to college expecting to make BIG dollars straight away after they just put themselves so far into debt they have to live with their parents, we have for profit colleges, people with ATV's, Boats, RV's, cars, and stuff like that they can't pay for, broke folks with six hundred dollar cell phones, and really high cable bills. People are reading Better Homes and Gardens, entering the Publishers Clearing House (if that still exists),and scratching lottery tickets in hopes to "make it big" right now because if "so and so can do it, then I can too, because that's the American Dream, right?"
People like to point to hip hop and say, "Look at what those people are saying with their music, that's destructive! :o ". but it's just a cog in the whole machine. The whole culture it represents is destructive, and no matter how it is spun, that is NORTH AMERICAN culture. Who decided that was American culture? You can't lay baited mouse traps in a room with mice, then turn around to pontificate why those particular mice got snared up, then collect data about it while shaming the mice for "being so self destructive". People must recognize the what, when, where, why, which, and how a situation got to where it is at the moment before they make accusations regardless if it is about self degrading music, or whether issue you may feel strongly about. Once the issue or issues are turned over and looked at from as many angles as possible, then and only then will a solution be found and things will be able to change.
From my standpoint, the image of the snake eating its tail comes to mind. I feel that hip hop is not the culprit here, it's this gangster ass pyramid scheme of a culture that belongs to North America.
People like to point to hip hop and say, "Look at what those people are saying with their music, that's destructive! :o ". but it's just a cog in the whole machine. The whole culture it represents is destructive, and no matter how it is spun, that is NORTH AMERICAN culture. Who decided that was American culture? You can't lay baited mouse traps in a room with mice, then turn around to pontificate why those particular mice got snared up, then collect data about it while shaming the mice for "being so self destructive". People must recognize the what, when, where, why, which, and how a situation got to where it is at the moment before they make accusations regardless if it is about self degrading music, or whether issue you may feel strongly about. Once the issue or issues are turned over and looked at from as many angles as possible, then and only then will a solution be found and things will be able to change.
From my standpoint, the image of the snake eating its tail comes to mind. I feel that hip hop is not the culprit here, it's this gangster ass pyramid scheme of a culture that belongs to North America.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
N!gger- The Workplace Edition < REEEEMMMIIIIIIX (insert loud annoying mixtape DJ voice followed by an air horn)
A federal case involving that infamous word has surfaced. It's not what you think though. A woman's boss went on an n-word laced verbal tirade regarding workplace attire. Eventually it lead to her taping her boss's comments after her complaints about his unprofessional behavior, and the whole thing went federal, resulting in the woman being rewarded $30,000 in punitive damages, and $250,000 in compensatory damages.
Here's the twist: All parties involved were Black.
All I can say is Get The Fuck Outta Here. I thought more than enough folks knew not to speak like that in the workplace regardless if it's between Black people or other races? Her boss should have been ashamed of himself. Partially to his defense, the article indicates that he is a Black person of Puerto Rican descent, but he's old enough to know better.
Part of me feels the whole thing is ridiculous because it is common knowledge to keep that kind of language out of the work place. It makes for a potentially toxic and or racist environment for not just the parties involved, but every employee would be affected. It is the bosses job to show his employees what professionalism looks like, and how he expects his employees to behave among themselves and their clients.
And to add insult to injury, this mess went FEDERAL. All he had to do is apologize and he didn't until she was awarded all of that money. I give this guy credit for how he turned himself around, but berating folks is not the business. All I can say is that I hope he starts offering a course on what kind of language and behavior is appropriate in the workplace, and the judge was correct.
All in all, there are a few things to take away from this situation:
1.If you must use the word, use discretion.
2.When at work, stay classy and keep the streets in the street.
3.When in doubt, keep the word out of your mouth regardless of what color you are (I lean more towards this one, in case you haven't seen my other blog entry pertaining to the word in question.).
That is all.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
“South Side” Woman Writes Martin Luther King Inspired Letter To White Republicans- Someone Please Call 9-11 (In My Wyclef Jean voice)
Something told me that sooner or later all of the fools would flock to the internet to take their stabs at Blacks after the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. I just wondered how long it would actually take. I began to imagine how many so called "well rounded" White people have decided to replay that infamous Boondocks episode where MLK came out of his coma so they could wait with baited breath to hear him cuss out Black people just like they dreamed of doing but never dared to out of fear. Now they have the luxury to watch it again and again, and say things like, "See? I was right." while showing it off to their frat brothers and like minded progressive friends who have missed the point yet again. By then, I was angry before, but I had started to get mad, so I consciously tried to erase that image out of my head so I could continue working towards something positive.
After reading and listening to Joe Walsh spit his predictable bullshit, and revisiting my anger, I was pleasantly surprised to see this letter written by Kathy Henry.
Oh. My. God. Oh Lawd Jesus it's a fire!
All I can say is that I don't think I could have said it better myself. From the looks of it, there are no comments yet, so I could imagine what would happen next. Heads will explode when they read this letter. Shrapnel will be everywhere. People will be stammering in their speech, and left feeling flabbergasted, and they will be left looking red in the face. Now I have never heard of this woman, and I don't know what she does, but she was very on point with it. I salute her. In fact, I'm going to drink a bit of wine and celebrate what she said because she straight up ROASTED them.
And if that doesn't take the cake, Joe Walsh's ignant ass had the NERVE to owe $117,437 in child support. <<This mutha fucka here..... was talking big shit on Black families not having fathers, and he can't even pay child support?! I don't know about you guys, but I don't know anybody who ever owed that much money in back child support in their entire lives up to this point. Looks like somebody's projecting a bit. And this fool made a lot of money (and probably still does). Check the 7:25 mark on this video. He almost lost his mind when Martin Bashir put him on blast, lol!
I just had to throw that out there.
As for the woman who fired shots at White Republicans, more power to you. Not only did you touch White republicans, you touched everybody who wants to throw Blacks under the bus whenever they see fit. I'm looking at Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reiley, Howard Stern (and don't give me that 'he's Jewish so he doesn't count' crap,) Bobby Jindal and anybody else who loves to share those sentiments, especially if they are Brown, Yellow, or Black.
Kathy Henry, I raise my glass to thee.
After reading and listening to Joe Walsh spit his predictable bullshit, and revisiting my anger, I was pleasantly surprised to see this letter written by Kathy Henry.
Oh. My. God. Oh Lawd Jesus it's a fire!
All I can say is that I don't think I could have said it better myself. From the looks of it, there are no comments yet, so I could imagine what would happen next. Heads will explode when they read this letter. Shrapnel will be everywhere. People will be stammering in their speech, and left feeling flabbergasted, and they will be left looking red in the face. Now I have never heard of this woman, and I don't know what she does, but she was very on point with it. I salute her. In fact, I'm going to drink a bit of wine and celebrate what she said because she straight up ROASTED them.
And if that doesn't take the cake, Joe Walsh's ignant ass had the NERVE to owe $117,437 in child support. <<This mutha fucka here..... was talking big shit on Black families not having fathers, and he can't even pay child support?! I don't know about you guys, but I don't know anybody who ever owed that much money in back child support in their entire lives up to this point. Looks like somebody's projecting a bit. And this fool made a lot of money (and probably still does). Check the 7:25 mark on this video. He almost lost his mind when Martin Bashir put him on blast, lol!
I just had to throw that out there.
As for the woman who fired shots at White Republicans, more power to you. Not only did you touch White republicans, you touched everybody who wants to throw Blacks under the bus whenever they see fit. I'm looking at Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reiley, Howard Stern (and don't give me that 'he's Jewish so he doesn't count' crap,) Bobby Jindal and anybody else who loves to share those sentiments, especially if they are Brown, Yellow, or Black.
Kathy Henry, I raise my glass to thee.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
I Can't Call It.....
August 25 marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.
This is a grand time for folks to get a chance to point at Black people and say things like, "Look, they still can't get it together! It's been fifty years and they are worse than before, lol."<< Get the Fuck Outta Here With That!
Now that I've got that out of the way. Here's how I really feel about it.
There have been so many blatant in your face gratuitous 'fuck yous' given to Black people over the years it's been ridiculous. It's not just White people giving them, but it's every immigrant who dares to move to the US has engaged in such sports (Bobby Jindal, cough) . We have a Black man who was elected for president twice, considering it was hell for a certain cross section of people to vote due to all of the obstacles presented in 2012, due to wait times, and changing the poll locations in the first place. Aside from that, Obama is not doing his job, and the same people who were mad about him being president the first time are still mad, while conveniently ignoring the fact that Congress had no interest in cooperating with the president. I won't go into too much detail because I already covered the president's treatment in a previous blog, so I won't waste your time, but as you can see in all of my blogs, race relations are at an all time low.
Honestly, I am really glad race relations have gone completely downhill right now. This way, all of the crap that people were desperately and not so desperately trying so hard to hide can no longer be hidden and we can call them on their bullshit. Unfortunately sometimes their behavior looks like it's bringing us back into the 50s again (read as right where we left off before MLK Jr left this world). Maybe it goes to show you that you really can't drag the ignorant kicking and screaming into a so called bright future. They will resist, and make sure it doesn't happen (read as you can't make a bunch of people like you regardless of how well you dress, how poised you are, or how beautiful you appear so stop trying).<< Boy were they correct on that one, but I digress.
As a result, I've been thinking a lot about what The States are going to look like in the future. I also think about what American history is going to look like. Things are looking really really bleak right now, so I have no idea what to expect, however as a result, I have had many dreams related to this and what may come out of it:
I can definitely see The States breaking away and forming their own countries later down the road. That may not necessarily be a bad thing. I honestly don't think this country could continue to be run by a group of people in a small district on one side of the country like it has been. I believe strongly that once the states secede, things will be easier for the citizens of said countries because they can govern themselves and have more say in what's going on where they live. Big government is bad, it has been said and seen time and time again and it is also seen to the same effect in overcrowded schools. A teacher can't effectively teach 27 children, the classrooms have to be smaller in order to create a better experience. On a brighter note, I can also see that Black people are killing it with technology right now. We have all of these online radio stations, blogs YouTube channels, and it's wonderful! We have access to BandCamp and SoundCoud so we can put out meaningful music without being subject to a greedy record label whose only interest is to pimp so called "urban" images as a means to exploit 'what's hot' right now. This technological movement among Black people has me wondering, "What will go down in history? Is it possible that our future generations will read about the pioneers who made a way when the future was looking rather dim? Will the blogs be used as an archive to represent the latter part of Black history, with all of their sources tied in a neat (or not so neat) package? Will our rants, raves, critiques, photos and events be looked at in several African -American Studies classes in the future? How will our presence shape the North American continent? How will we be viewed all across the world?
I think people overseas will eventually see what Black people have created and they will flock to those places like people in The States currently flock to various places in the Eastern Hemisphere. The North American continent will have it's own version of Black Rome (Detroit), people will study the Motown Era of Black music, and what caused the empire of Detroit to fall. Chicago will be visited for it's variation of blues, 1520 Sedgewick Ave in The Bronx will be the Hip Hop Motherland where all cultures interested in the music would flock just to get a taste of where it all began. People will visit various places where early hip hop took place, they will dissect and be interested in what factors in said area influenced the rappers from that particular region, their style and what regional sounds influenced their production. Watts and Compton will be the go to areas for California, people will want to know where and how Afro punk fits into Black culture as well, and will be enthusiastic about searching for its history. They will examine our fashion, regional vernacular, and influences in other genres of hip hop and other art forms created by us, and people will search high and low to come up with obscure pieces of work done by early African Americans. Honestly, I think Blacks will be seen in a great light. It may even be possible that others will see what's going on over here right now and American Whites will end up being the ones who get treated like crap based on their history, and how they warped so many minds to think otherwise. Maybe they'll have to watch their Ps and Qs and be required to bend over backwards to prove they can spend time in a foreign country without attempting to destroy every other culture in some random way that had been witnessed throughout American history.
Sometimes I wonder. Each generation says something to the effect of "I don't know what's wrong with kids today", or "This world is gone very bad. What happened?" I can't tell if it's gotten worse, or if it's just our turn to see the same stuff. The only difference is that our media scope is far greater than that of our grandparents. Hopefully we can use it to our fullest so others can read our stories and learn from them. As of right now, I get very discouraged, but it was fun to dream about what greatness Blacks hold in their future.
I just hope I get to be alive and well enough to see and experience it, and maybe be a part of it.
This is a grand time for folks to get a chance to point at Black people and say things like, "Look, they still can't get it together! It's been fifty years and they are worse than before, lol."<< Get the Fuck Outta Here With That!
Now that I've got that out of the way. Here's how I really feel about it.
There have been so many blatant in your face gratuitous 'fuck yous' given to Black people over the years it's been ridiculous. It's not just White people giving them, but it's every immigrant who dares to move to the US has engaged in such sports (Bobby Jindal, cough) . We have a Black man who was elected for president twice, considering it was hell for a certain cross section of people to vote due to all of the obstacles presented in 2012, due to wait times, and changing the poll locations in the first place. Aside from that, Obama is not doing his job, and the same people who were mad about him being president the first time are still mad, while conveniently ignoring the fact that Congress had no interest in cooperating with the president. I won't go into too much detail because I already covered the president's treatment in a previous blog, so I won't waste your time, but as you can see in all of my blogs, race relations are at an all time low.
Honestly, I am really glad race relations have gone completely downhill right now. This way, all of the crap that people were desperately and not so desperately trying so hard to hide can no longer be hidden and we can call them on their bullshit. Unfortunately sometimes their behavior looks like it's bringing us back into the 50s again (read as right where we left off before MLK Jr left this world). Maybe it goes to show you that you really can't drag the ignorant kicking and screaming into a so called bright future. They will resist, and make sure it doesn't happen (read as you can't make a bunch of people like you regardless of how well you dress, how poised you are, or how beautiful you appear so stop trying).<< Boy were they correct on that one, but I digress.
As a result, I've been thinking a lot about what The States are going to look like in the future. I also think about what American history is going to look like. Things are looking really really bleak right now, so I have no idea what to expect, however as a result, I have had many dreams related to this and what may come out of it:
I can definitely see The States breaking away and forming their own countries later down the road. That may not necessarily be a bad thing. I honestly don't think this country could continue to be run by a group of people in a small district on one side of the country like it has been. I believe strongly that once the states secede, things will be easier for the citizens of said countries because they can govern themselves and have more say in what's going on where they live. Big government is bad, it has been said and seen time and time again and it is also seen to the same effect in overcrowded schools. A teacher can't effectively teach 27 children, the classrooms have to be smaller in order to create a better experience. On a brighter note, I can also see that Black people are killing it with technology right now. We have all of these online radio stations, blogs YouTube channels, and it's wonderful! We have access to BandCamp and SoundCoud so we can put out meaningful music without being subject to a greedy record label whose only interest is to pimp so called "urban" images as a means to exploit 'what's hot' right now. This technological movement among Black people has me wondering, "What will go down in history? Is it possible that our future generations will read about the pioneers who made a way when the future was looking rather dim? Will the blogs be used as an archive to represent the latter part of Black history, with all of their sources tied in a neat (or not so neat) package? Will our rants, raves, critiques, photos and events be looked at in several African -American Studies classes in the future? How will our presence shape the North American continent? How will we be viewed all across the world?
I think people overseas will eventually see what Black people have created and they will flock to those places like people in The States currently flock to various places in the Eastern Hemisphere. The North American continent will have it's own version of Black Rome (Detroit), people will study the Motown Era of Black music, and what caused the empire of Detroit to fall. Chicago will be visited for it's variation of blues, 1520 Sedgewick Ave in The Bronx will be the Hip Hop Motherland where all cultures interested in the music would flock just to get a taste of where it all began. People will visit various places where early hip hop took place, they will dissect and be interested in what factors in said area influenced the rappers from that particular region, their style and what regional sounds influenced their production. Watts and Compton will be the go to areas for California, people will want to know where and how Afro punk fits into Black culture as well, and will be enthusiastic about searching for its history. They will examine our fashion, regional vernacular, and influences in other genres of hip hop and other art forms created by us, and people will search high and low to come up with obscure pieces of work done by early African Americans. Honestly, I think Blacks will be seen in a great light. It may even be possible that others will see what's going on over here right now and American Whites will end up being the ones who get treated like crap based on their history, and how they warped so many minds to think otherwise. Maybe they'll have to watch their Ps and Qs and be required to bend over backwards to prove they can spend time in a foreign country without attempting to destroy every other culture in some random way that had been witnessed throughout American history.
Sometimes I wonder. Each generation says something to the effect of "I don't know what's wrong with kids today", or "This world is gone very bad. What happened?" I can't tell if it's gotten worse, or if it's just our turn to see the same stuff. The only difference is that our media scope is far greater than that of our grandparents. Hopefully we can use it to our fullest so others can read our stories and learn from them. As of right now, I get very discouraged, but it was fun to dream about what greatness Blacks hold in their future.
I just hope I get to be alive and well enough to see and experience it, and maybe be a part of it.
Racial Inequality Is Because Minorities Are Too Proud of Their Heritage- According to Bobby Jindal
The Governor of Louisiana blamed racial inequality because minorities won't assimilate. Okay, Bobby I see you. Yet another person trying to tell Black and Brown people to assimilate into the main stream culture, while pointing at Martin Luther King to set an example, except this one has a brown face, so I guess it's okay, right? For those who didn't see this coming, or those who don't know exactly what I'm about to talk about, lets take a closer look at why his comment and others like it (regardless of the color of the person that says this kind of stuff) sounds like the same paternalistic patronizing tripe that North America continues to feed to it's citizens and those abroad:
1. The historically bad treatment of Blacks in North America
For those who haven't looked into American History, one can plainly see that Blacks were treated very very poorly, especially after the slaves were set free (read as let go). During these times, Blacks tried their hardest to assimilate and create new lives for themselves. They created schools, churches, stores and various other businesses. During the 1920s, A lot of Blacks were doing pretty well for themselves, until somebody somewhere decided otherwise. Granted there were some who were struggling, but it's what to expect when you analyse any cross sections of a population regardless of where and who is being examined. Some folks were trying to go along to get along, and that didn't go so well. Enter Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr here.
Since folks want to have the benefit of propping up Martin Luther King Jr and his most famous speech when ever they see fit, why don't they take a step back and look at what happened with him. As mentioned in my other blogs, he was shot. This was an educated Black man who 'spoke very well' (whatever that means) and dressed respectable. He never wore a hoodie, or any so called "non respectable" clothing. He was eloquent, clean shaven and quite handsome if I do say so myself. He dressed like everyone during his day, and so did a lot of people all across the country. He was still killed. Dare I say that he was killed for not assimilating?
Rosa Parks was a beautiful woman who carried herself well, and spoke as such. Both Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa attended church regularly. Rosa was not shot, but she had been arrested for not conforming, like Martin Luther King Jr. Dare I say that she was arrested for not assimilating?
Countless Black people were either arrested or out right killed. For Example, Emmitt Till was killed for whistling at a White woman. Dare I say he was killed for not assimilating? Medgar Evers was killed as well. Was it because he wouldn't assimilate either?
2. Today
We have Black millionaires who have gone above and beyond in proving they can make it. Oprah Winfrey is a great example of that, but why did she experience bad treatment in Zurich while shopping? Why did the clerk lie about what happened? Paul Mooney has expressed his feelings on proper treatment as well, and so has Michael Eric Dyson on catching a cab in New York City while wearing his suit and tie. Henry Louis Gates, a professor at Cambridge University(for crying out loud) was arrested because someone in his neighborhood thought he was trying to break into his own home. These people are classified as highly educated, and have assimilated. Why did these things happen to them?
There was a case mentioned previously in my blog regarding a man who was mistaken for a burglar by his neighbor, causing him to get shot by the police. He had assimilated, according to the so called standards set by Bobby Jindal. Why was he shot ?
Let's move on to the "melting pot" idea.
Take a look at each of these cases mentioned above. Honestly, I don't think there ever was such an ideology that was practiced in this country. The Black people mentioned above were completely assimilated, and bad things happened to them. People will argue and say, "That was a long time ago. Quit bringing up the past.", in reference to most of those posts. The comments on the most recent incidents would play out like the following, "They were overreacting and crying racism. I'm so sick and tired of hearing Black people cry and whine about this stuff. They are always the victim, and need to stop the victim or poor me mentality and Get over it already." To them I say, "Explain this incident then. This article mentions that a server in a South Carolina restaurant named Wild Wings Cafe denied service to a party of twenty five Black people because one White patron felt uncomfortable.
Now I'm sure there are people saying ? What? Really? These people chose to keep one patron happy vs asking the uncomfortable person to leave so the bigger party could provide more money for the establishment is a "dead giveaway" (in my Charles Ramsey voice). Who in their right mind would do such a thing? It is just bad business plain and simple. However the interesting thing about it is that I am not surprised. Restaurants have the tendency to have the most racist folks running them sometimes. Were these people assimilated? I mean, they chose to eat at a homogeneous American restaurant right? They like the same food as the uncomfortable patron, so I guess that counts for something according to Mr Jindal. These tactics were popular for a long time, especially in the south, but they still happen all over the country in one way or another. Why? The same can be applied to Oprah's situation where the clerk said Oprah was a liar. Who in their right mind would miss out on obtaining such an astronomical commission? Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't.
Since he wants to worry about people being too attached to their heritage, maybe he should start with the gun toting turbo Christian right wing people who secretly and not so secretly wish the south would rise again. Maybe he should talk to those who don kilts, play bagpipes or engage in Renaissance fairs because some aspects of it may be part of their heritage. Maybe he should go after those who wear or keep early European artifacts due to their family tree being traced back to the war involving (insert European group here) in the year 600 AD. After all, that's waaaay before slavery in the Americas started, so maybe they should get over it and stop trying to be something they clearly aren't. Surely, they would have decided to call themselves American by now, I mean, why don't they stop parading around in archaic European garb and join the twenty first century. Maybe they ought to stop pretending to be Irish on St. Patrick's day, or getting shamrock tattoos on their person. Maybe he should talk to those who are hell bent on being cowboys, and embracing so called "redneck" culture. Maybe they should stop naming their kids Seamus, Sean, Riley, or any other ethnic name because they are American, right? I guess that's why Mr Jindal changed his first name to "Bobby". That's saying something because this guy comes from India, a country that was occupied by the British for so long that the effects are still there after they left. That being said, it seems that when it comes to being Black or Brown in this country, everybody wants 'those people' to erase their heritage and as long as they are White, they are free to explore their heritage to their hearts content.
Some 'melting pot,' huh? << Get The Fuck Outta Here With That Bullshit.
1. The historically bad treatment of Blacks in North America
For those who haven't looked into American History, one can plainly see that Blacks were treated very very poorly, especially after the slaves were set free (read as let go). During these times, Blacks tried their hardest to assimilate and create new lives for themselves. They created schools, churches, stores and various other businesses. During the 1920s, A lot of Blacks were doing pretty well for themselves, until somebody somewhere decided otherwise. Granted there were some who were struggling, but it's what to expect when you analyse any cross sections of a population regardless of where and who is being examined. Some folks were trying to go along to get along, and that didn't go so well. Enter Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr here.
Since folks want to have the benefit of propping up Martin Luther King Jr and his most famous speech when ever they see fit, why don't they take a step back and look at what happened with him. As mentioned in my other blogs, he was shot. This was an educated Black man who 'spoke very well' (whatever that means) and dressed respectable. He never wore a hoodie, or any so called "non respectable" clothing. He was eloquent, clean shaven and quite handsome if I do say so myself. He dressed like everyone during his day, and so did a lot of people all across the country. He was still killed. Dare I say that he was killed for not assimilating?
Rosa Parks was a beautiful woman who carried herself well, and spoke as such. Both Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa attended church regularly. Rosa was not shot, but she had been arrested for not conforming, like Martin Luther King Jr. Dare I say that she was arrested for not assimilating?
Countless Black people were either arrested or out right killed. For Example, Emmitt Till was killed for whistling at a White woman. Dare I say he was killed for not assimilating? Medgar Evers was killed as well. Was it because he wouldn't assimilate either?
2. Today
We have Black millionaires who have gone above and beyond in proving they can make it. Oprah Winfrey is a great example of that, but why did she experience bad treatment in Zurich while shopping? Why did the clerk lie about what happened? Paul Mooney has expressed his feelings on proper treatment as well, and so has Michael Eric Dyson on catching a cab in New York City while wearing his suit and tie. Henry Louis Gates, a professor at Cambridge University(for crying out loud) was arrested because someone in his neighborhood thought he was trying to break into his own home. These people are classified as highly educated, and have assimilated. Why did these things happen to them?
There was a case mentioned previously in my blog regarding a man who was mistaken for a burglar by his neighbor, causing him to get shot by the police. He had assimilated, according to the so called standards set by Bobby Jindal. Why was he shot ?
Let's move on to the "melting pot" idea.
Take a look at each of these cases mentioned above. Honestly, I don't think there ever was such an ideology that was practiced in this country. The Black people mentioned above were completely assimilated, and bad things happened to them. People will argue and say, "That was a long time ago. Quit bringing up the past.", in reference to most of those posts. The comments on the most recent incidents would play out like the following, "They were overreacting and crying racism. I'm so sick and tired of hearing Black people cry and whine about this stuff. They are always the victim, and need to stop the victim or poor me mentality and Get over it already." To them I say, "Explain this incident then. This article mentions that a server in a South Carolina restaurant named Wild Wings Cafe denied service to a party of twenty five Black people because one White patron felt uncomfortable.
Now I'm sure there are people saying ? What? Really? These people chose to keep one patron happy vs asking the uncomfortable person to leave so the bigger party could provide more money for the establishment is a "dead giveaway" (in my Charles Ramsey voice). Who in their right mind would do such a thing? It is just bad business plain and simple. However the interesting thing about it is that I am not surprised. Restaurants have the tendency to have the most racist folks running them sometimes. Were these people assimilated? I mean, they chose to eat at a homogeneous American restaurant right? They like the same food as the uncomfortable patron, so I guess that counts for something according to Mr Jindal. These tactics were popular for a long time, especially in the south, but they still happen all over the country in one way or another. Why? The same can be applied to Oprah's situation where the clerk said Oprah was a liar. Who in their right mind would miss out on obtaining such an astronomical commission? Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't.
Since he wants to worry about people being too attached to their heritage, maybe he should start with the gun toting turbo Christian right wing people who secretly and not so secretly wish the south would rise again. Maybe he should talk to those who don kilts, play bagpipes or engage in Renaissance fairs because some aspects of it may be part of their heritage. Maybe he should go after those who wear or keep early European artifacts due to their family tree being traced back to the war involving (insert European group here) in the year 600 AD. After all, that's waaaay before slavery in the Americas started, so maybe they should get over it and stop trying to be something they clearly aren't. Surely, they would have decided to call themselves American by now, I mean, why don't they stop parading around in archaic European garb and join the twenty first century. Maybe they ought to stop pretending to be Irish on St. Patrick's day, or getting shamrock tattoos on their person. Maybe he should talk to those who are hell bent on being cowboys, and embracing so called "redneck" culture. Maybe they should stop naming their kids Seamus, Sean, Riley, or any other ethnic name because they are American, right? I guess that's why Mr Jindal changed his first name to "Bobby". That's saying something because this guy comes from India, a country that was occupied by the British for so long that the effects are still there after they left. That being said, it seems that when it comes to being Black or Brown in this country, everybody wants 'those people' to erase their heritage and as long as they are White, they are free to explore their heritage to their hearts content.
Some 'melting pot,' huh? << Get The Fuck Outta Here With That Bullshit.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Poverty Higher Among Blacks Because of All That Chicken and BBQ << Ah, Colorado...
That's right. Vickie Marble (R), a state Senator in Colorado actually said that. Here's the audio, and the article . Vickie Marble needs to GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT BULLSHIT!!!
Notice that in the audio, her statement is drawn out, and carefully thought out, so she can't say that she misspoke or she made a mistake.
But in all seriousness, this is very telling of Colorado and how some folks think out there. I wasn't all that surprised because the local KKK chapter still makes sure to recruit people especially when it becomes a pressing matter. Now before you say that Colorado doesn't do that anymore in 2012 there has been a rise in membership, and more hate groups popping up in the state. Anyway, back to Vickie Marble's ol' punk ass.
According to her, all of the White people must be flying down south to get some of that fried chicken and bbq and then coming back to Colorado to get fat or something. Black people from down south must be rolling in that sweet fried chicken and barbeque restaurant moolah they're making, right? The last time I checked Colorado had a small Black population, mostly seen in Denver, so that chicken and barbeque has to come from somewhere, and somebody's eating it. This thinking begs the question, Why are White people all across the country getting so fat? I guess using her logic, I can flip it around and say that all of these White people really love them some Mc Donalds, Burger King, and insert any other fast food or chain restaurant here. I mean, they must love them some instant microwave anything. It seems to be the meat of what they purchase, especially twinkies. They really lost their minds when Hostess was going under. I thought all hell was going to break lose and people were going to commit suicide after finding out that Twinkies were about to disappear. People were selling them on E-bay, making DIY Twinkie kits and all kinds of foolishness and nobody said, "Gawd Damn...White people are acting like straight up pigs over twinkies.", or saying things like , "See, this is why America is so damn fat right now. Maybe if these lard assess would get out of their giant SUVs, turn off the TV, stop stuffing their giant barnyard animal faces with instant and fast crap and actually pay attention to what's really going on, then maybe this country could start making progress." But nope, I guess it's all Obama's fault.
So they sit in front of their TVs, whine about not being able to purchase a big ass soda in New York, blame Obama about everything (cough, hurricane Katrina, cough), circle jerk about how it was so wonderful when Bush number two was in office, and spend money on the latest facebook game. They can miss me with that mess.
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