Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless.
Stop Screaming Racism
I saw this ad a few days ago and had a good laugh at how corny it was. I didn’t think about how it could be perceived as racist or think that Mary J Blige was a sellout for appearing in a $2Million commercial; but everywhere I turned there were black people up in arms about what I thought was a delightfully terrible musical arrangement about the new menu at Burger King.
I wouldn’t be upset with people if the commercial was an effrontery to common sense and dignity. I would be quick to speak up if Burger King had Mary wearing a burlap sack and singing about how we could finally afford to eat with our white counterparts, but they’re not. In the wake of the Trayvon Martin case, it seems like everyone wants to make a splash and get a few thousand page views by screaming racism. This, however is not racist. We as a people sit back and allow Mc Donald’s to slap us in the face with ad after ad of not so trendy/ill-conceived 30-second piles of slang-filled remedial hooked on phonics reject pieces about snack raps, sweet teas, cheeseburgers and fruit smoothies, but it’s all good. Why? Because they run commercials that say they’re 365 Black on stations/shows that cater to black audiences? I’ve never seen a 365 Black Mc Donald’s commercial while watching the US Open or CNBC, only when I decide to be like my peers and see what new shenanigans Derwin and the crew are up to on The Game. This commercial has been called “buffoonish” and people have questioned Mary’s judgement, but when a young black man decides that he’s going to rap about drugs, whores, gun violence, sexual promiscuity and all-around depravity…for a check, we wait to see how much money he makes, how many white friends he accumulates, how many clothing lines he launches and whether or not Oprah likes him. If he checks out, he is no longer to be seen in our community as an ex-drug dealer who let a few Jewish men push him out into the spotlight and sang the praises of debauchery…he’s now a role model for our young black men and to be seen as an entrepreneur? I call shenanigans.
Are we really upset about this commercial or are we just looking for anything to lash out against because the Trayvon Martin case has made us question our own humanity and status in this nation we call America? Yes, we wear t-shirts and march for peace, understanding, equality and tolerance. Yes we’ve gotten tons of news coverage and many of our black leaders have taken up the cause, but when you really look at the field, you see that nothing has changed. Zimmerman isn’t locked up, Trayvon cannot be brought back and our shirts are covered in the sweat of hard work and anguish but are far from being washed in the waters of triumph.
The difference between a revolt and a revolution is the law. The Jewish Zealots, Nat Turner, John Brown, the students in Tenement Sqaure and countless others have all led amazing revolts that garnered tons of media attention and burned a place into the permanent histories of humanity, but their tenacity did not brighten their circumstances. We can march, fight, sing, pray, cry out or sit in silent fortitude all we want, but nothing will change until the zeitgeist of this time becomes the law of the land. If you really want to change something, call your Congressman( or woman), call your Senators, call your State Representative or call your City Council members, but don’t kill Mary for trying to get a check during these hard times.
Q:You think American was post-racial at any time? Search: National Black Foot Soldier, United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, and God Damn White America and shatter that illusion once and for all. But i'm guessing you're one of the anti-white people that identify with these racist, prejudiced groups.
Anonymous
I never bought into the illusion that America is post-racial. I believe that racism is learned and not inherited, but as long as we have people who are ready and willing to indoctrinate and deteriorate young minds with images of hate, we must speak on it. I’m not saying that all racism stems from white people either. I know that there are just as many black , brown, red and yellow people spewing hate as there are white people. I know that Elijah Farrakhan’s ideas of Black superiority were just as racist as the ideologies espoused by the Klan. I’m simply posting history. You can’t argue right or wrong, all you can do is accept it, try to keep your mind open and work on carving out a future that you can proudly look back on.
All I want is one check with two commas
If the dinosaurs had a space program, they’d still be here.
Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.
The Social Responsibility Of Entertainers
I was flipping through the channels the other day and I came across an interesting segment on BET’s 106 & Park. Now, first and foremost let me just I am not a fan of BET in any way, shape or form. People who know me can tell you that I have a great deal of disdain for the channel but I digress… The hosts of 106 & Park were discussing the controversy surrounding Rihanna’s new music video “Man Down.” Set in the Caribbean, the video which is more of a short story follows a woman (Rihanna) that has been brutally raped by a man and seeks revenge on her assailant by shooting and ultimately killing him. Since the videos premiere, Rihanna has been severely criticized by various organizations in addition to the BET community about her apparent “endorsement” of murder. (Mind you the depiction of murder was NOT the purpose of her video or the song for that matter.)
Violence against women is at epidemic proportions in the United States. Sexual assault, harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence have become a “normal” part of women’s daily lives. Young women in particular are more likely to be assaulted and less likely to get help. The statistics are quite alarming:
-According to a 2004 National Crime Victimization Survey, almost two-thirds of all rapes are committed by someone the victim knows a relative, an acquaintance, or even a friend. This study also claims that every two and half minutes, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States, and that one in six women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape. (Mind you rape is one of the most underreported crimes.) Furthermore, eighty percent of rape victims are under the age of thirty and forty four percent are under the age of eighteen.*
I realize some of you might be asking yourselves how do these vicious acts of violence towards women take place during this day and age? Well, to answer your questions we have are living in what many feminists call “rape culture.” We live in a society that basically condones rape. Yes, rape is in fact illegal but, our social and political environment covertly “allows” rape. We are bombarded by images whether it’s from TV, film or other forms of media that perpetuate the objectification of women, violence against women among other things.*
I feel that entertainers like Rihanna possess a unique ability to discuss difficult social issues that plague our society because they wield a great deal of power and influence, especially over young people. I’m not saying that it is their sole responsibility to shed light on issues of rape or domestic violence. We should all be held accountable for injustice within our society because we all have the ability to speak up and speak out! However, I do believe that by not challenging their audience to discuss these issues entertainers are just perpetuating the status quo… I frankly commend Rihanna on her new song and video and instead of banning the video and condemning her we should be discussing how we can put an end to violence against women.
*Statistics and other information were taken from Jessica Valenti’s “Full Frontal Feminism” and Ginia Bellafante’s “Is Feminism Dead?” Time Magazine, June 29, 1998.
My rant aside here is the link to her video. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEhy-RXkNo0&feature=player_embedded
-Kristina
SUICIDE DON’T DO IT.
I HAVE HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE KILLING THEMSELVES 3 TIMES TODAY SO HERE IS MY POINT OF VIEW.
I personally had made moves towards killing myself many years ago not because of sexuality but it all leads to the same place and feelings of hopelessness. And what I would say to your friend is that. Killing yourself will stop the TEMPORARY pain that you feel BUT it will also PERMANENTLY stop everything else that goes on with you. There is no turning back from death you can’t fix that you can’t move on you can’t grow from it. Will you teach your family a lesson maybe but at what cost? And you won’t be around to reap the benefits of that lesson. There is no guarantee that your family will ever accept you for being a homosexual but the real question is do you accept yourself. Do you love yourself enough as you are to be strong and move pass this, to grow from it, to allow it to make you stronger? And think of the people that do love and accept you the way you are friends, family, coworkers, and school mates. What are you saying to them by killing yourself, that their acceptance, love, & support are not enough for me? Is that fair to those who do accept you? NO it isn’t. So my advice to anyone who is considering suicide to look at you for a very long time & think is it worth it? Then when you realize that it isn’t because it is not worth it. You cut the people out of your life that would make you feel otherwise family or not and you grab tight to those who love you as you are and you begin to heal. The pain will still be there but it will lessen as you go and those people who don’t accept you will either come around or stay out of your life. But DON’T rob people of your presence that truly want you around.
MUCH LUV
*Soku
Thinking Historically
“Historians must see change over time.” That is, historians start with the premise that things change and that one of their responsibilities is to tell us about how things have changed over time. One of the things they do is remind us that there is a gulf between us and the figures/events of the past! 21st Century America is a very different place from 18th century America, and we need to remember that this is true.
“Historians must interpret the past in context.” When a historian reads a document, like a letter written by George Washington, the historian must keep a close eye on the context in which the letter was written and read. What were the philosophies, practices, cultural artifacts of the day? Thus, as Fea writes: “The words of the founders, for example must always be interpreted for the perspective of the eighteenth-century world in which they were uttered or written” (p. xxiv).
“Historians are always interested in causality.” History isn’t just about the “facts,” as if why something occurred didn’t matter. I’m a historian of the Nonjurors. This small group of high church Anglicans separated themselves from the main body and developed some interesting liturgical ideas. Now, why they came into existence is quite important in understanding why they did what they did liturgically. The why question matters!
“Historians are concerned with contingency.” Good historians understand that things don’t happen in a vacuum. One event is connected to other prior events. History is a contingent reality. Religious events are often influenced by political and social matters. We need to recognize this if we’re to understand the usefulness of a historical example.
“Historians realize that life is complex.” History, like life, is messy. It’s difficult to simplify the story, so we must be comfortable with complexity. And no story is more complex than the one that deals with the question of whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation. It all depends on what you mean by nation, Christian, and America – and even the word “founded.” (Fea, pp. xxiv-xxv).
“History, like life, is messy. It’s difficult to simplify the story, so we must be comfortable with complexity.”
Source: azspot
Q:can you give me your opinion on this artist named SEVUR
He sounds ok but cannabis rap is so overdone as of late. I get that Snoop does it, Dre’s albums are all weed-centric and Wiz gained notoriety for talking about his love of the illegal herb, but now everyone wants to talk about it. Why not revisit the classic hip-hop elements of story telling/social awareness and flourish while refining your craft/defining your individual brand instead of trying to stand out in this already over-saturated world of THC-filled rhyme spitters?
Once Again, Sharpton Gets It Wrong
Earlier this week I posted a video clip from MSNBC’s “Black Agenda” special on Sunday afternoon. In the video Rev Al Sharpton and Dr Cornel West shelled out almost apoplectic verbal lambastes of each other and their opposing ideas on Obama’s presidency thus far. I decided to re-follow both Rev Sharpton and Dr West on Twitter in the wake of this video to see what drama and politically-intertwined subtweets would ensue.
Rev Sharpton took to his Twitter account and posted a link written by The Root.com entitled Why Sharpton Was Right in which they wrote for two pages about how Obama spent up his political reserves passing Healthcare reform and dealing with the financial crisis at hand. We were told to accept that Medicare will not help anyone under 30 although we all pay into the system, forget about the jobs bill that Obama promised and feel bad because his approval rating in the Black community has slipped to a new low of 85%. Somehow all of those things magically made Rev Sharpton the man in the right on Obama and his reign of net-neutrality and inefficiency.
I simply cannot agree with this. The man I voted for in 2008 was a man of valor, heart, and backbone. The financial collapse that he walked into was what he signed up for. Futhermore, if history has taught us anything it’s that Presidents who weather financial crisis and wars have HIGHER approval ratings than those who don’t. Gallup polls show Obama’s approval rating at 47%. By comparison, during his presidency, FDR boasted an 84% approval rating. Therefore, turmoil is not an death sentence for your approval rating, ineffectively handling key situations is.
The Rev.’s point was that Obama is doing the best that he can given the situation in which he now finds himself. Although I feel for his lack of political power at the moment, that does not absolve him of the ramifications of his own decisions. Against all senses of logic, Obama decided to expend all of his political reserves on his tunnel-visioned political spearhead campaign to pass a healthcare bill that we still don’t completely understand more than a year later. He had no problem cutting education, but Planned Parenthood almost caused a government shutdown? Even now, we are awaiting a budget that will more than likely usher in an era of societal dead weight loss unseen since the worst days of the depression. While trying to guide a nation through the worst recession since the stock market crashed in 1929, you cannot ignore poverty. Obama’s last State Of The Union address was the first time since 1948 that a President has not addressed poverty in this nation. I’m sorry, but I cannot allow myself to sit back and idly support Obama simply because we share enhanced supplies of melonin.
Our silence is not helping him make vital decisions. The rocks will not cry out for us and our complacency is the fabric of our failure. If you want to blindly support our President…by all means go for it, but I want to see the man I elected. So in the meantime, please take away this “mascot of the Wall Street oligarchs and political plutocrats” and give me the change I thought I signed up for.
I would rather hang with the admittedly ignorant than anyone who refuses to acknowledge truth
The One Before “The One”
This issue caught my eye, believe it or not, in the bathroom when I opened up an issue of Cosmo magazine. I typically don’t read the articles until I get bored. I’m ashamed to say that I buy magazines for the pictures and the random sex tips etc. (don’t judge me lol). So, as I flip frivolously through the pages, not paying the random articles any type of attention, I see a woman on the page staring ever so angrily at a man and a woman at the alter. The title said it all.
The One Before “The One”
The one before “the one” is the woman who gets involved with a “dog” and grooms him into the perfect gentleman. The woman who takes the cheating asshole who loves attention, can’t stand relationships, is afraid of commitment - the whole nine and transforms him into a real man who opens doors and pops up with dinner already cooked as soon as you walk in the door, blah blah etc. I can’t stress enough how many times I’ve been this girl. My ex-boyfriend is now with the girl of his dreams, but when I met him, I had to endure all of his nonsense and all of the hurt and pain that he caused me because I was inlove and I thought that he was the one. I remedied his wrongs and made them right, not once, or twice - but time after time, holding on to the hope that he’d repay the favor with gratitude or SOMETHING.
Here’s the thing: I don’t miss him or want him back, but if I had to bare his cross to absolve him of his sins, why is it acceptable that he goes onto the next girl a reformed man and treats her like the queen that I made him realize that she truly is, when really I’m the one who should have reaped the benefits of my own work. The work that I put into making the relationship last for as long as it did and for making him into the gentleman that I should have met him as.
Besides becoming older, more mature, and taking part in this journey that we call “life”, let’s really think about this. All of the experiences that you’ve gone through, since birth, all have some type of role in the play that you lead everyday. I’ve had some rough relationships, so naturally I have trust issues at times, but don’t we all? If you don’t have some type of trust issue, you’ve never been hurt - or you’re just naive. People always say to “proceed with caution” when it comes to new relationships, but you cannot control the feelings that you catch for someone. Then when the feelings are there and you’re sure it’s mutual, an anvil drops on your head like in the road runner cartoons. It’s quite daunting when you find out that the person you love does not love you, or that he’s still in love with the girl before you, or whatever the issue may be. I can’t say that all of my wounds are healed but one thing that I know is that wounds heal, but scars don’t always fade.
Are women who fall into this category women who subject themselves to men who they feel are a challenge? The bad boy? The one who will give her all of the ups and downs of a rollercoaster only to know that when the ride is over, he hops off and goes onto the next ride, leaving you with an upset stomach and a headache; and what I find to be even more upsetting is that all of this time that you spend on making him “the man”, you completely lose yourself in the midst of everything. You’re daily life becomes impacted on the questions “what kind of bullshit is he going to pull today?”. So, you’re left sitting there, ripping apart the foundation only to enforce it to uphold a better building and voila! once the building is built, it acts like you had no part in placing back together each moral, brick by brick, wire by wire and so on.
This issue has been on my mind lately. It makes me delve into my own psyche. It makes me wonder what I really want from a relationship, and furthermore a partner. Someone who listens to the same music as I? Someone who can make me laugh? Someone who will bring me flowers and a louie bag just because he feels like it? Here’s one thing that I know for sure - I do not under any circumstances believe in fairytales because that’s exactly what they are - tales, and if you did not notice, fairies aren’t even real. So do you really expect me to believe that I’m going to stumble upon a genie that’ll grant me three wishes, or suddenly fall asleep for a billion years and wake up more beautiful than when I’d go to sleep from some dude who decides that he’s just going to kiss me? What dude kisses a billion year old body?! Hold on, who sleeps for a billions years?! Oh, how about this one: I suddenly have a fairy god-mother coincidentally on the same exact night that the Prince comes in town to find a wife. This fairy god-mother dresses me up in the finest of cloths, gives me a PUMPKIN carriage, and a night long dance with the Prince. Oh, and notice ME in the crowd of women that are all salivating at the thought of him even making eye contact with them? That the Prince and I are going to dance the night away and just as my magic is wearing off, my foot falls out of a distinctive glass slipper? PAUSE. I danced the entire night and my shoe didn’t fall off…so why would it fall off JUST as it’s time for me to leave??! And here’s what’s even more ridiculous! He picks up my shoe and identifies me with that one shoe as if my foot is the ONLY foot in the ENTIRE town who could fit into that shoe. So, you mean to tell me that I’m the only one who’s foot can fit into the shoe? C’mon. Let’s retract this even more! Where in the world was my fairy godmother when my three evil stepsisters and evil step-mom were being complete and total bitches to me? Or when they made me clean up the entire palace only for them to mess it up moments later? Shoot, my best friends were mice! Fairy godmother, you sure popped up at the right time, because if you were there the whole time, I could just wish myself into the life that I wanted and not ever gone through the strife and torment which ensued my daily life. Ugh. Disney and it’s faults. All in all, the picture that I’m trying to paint is that nothing is perfect but with some elbow-grease and a little bit of hope (more than little bit), a healthy relationship is more than achievable. However, in this case, the dude kind of leaves you hanging in the closet like mom’s yearly Christmas sweater because Daddy bought you a new toy car.
Even though I don’t necessarily think that I’m actually in this predicament (I hope not) as of right now, but you can’t help but to wonder “what if?”. Life’s mysteries often go unsolved, but with faith, I truly believe that there is always an answer.
