Can Bill Cosby Just Go Away? Please!

Why does Bill Cosby get to decide what the measure of blackness is? Seriously, why is this guy's opinion forced upon me?

I had a very heated discussion with a conservative friend the other day about the responsibilities of rappers to the Black community. My friend thought it reprehensible that Jay-Z isn't building schools in Brooklyn or giving significant amounts of money to charity after "making money off those poor Black folks in Marcy projects." Word?

Don't get me wrong I think it would be a beautiful thing if Black people would actually grab the reins and take hold of our destiny as a collective. However, why is the burden always placed on rappers? Why are rappers always held up as a plague on the community for sharing stories of their lives? During the discussion my friend bemoaned Black young men who won't get civil service jobs but will instead hustle because they want fast money. Sigh, really that's the only reason brothers hustle?

I am bewildered by people who have these attitudes. Do they not know that Reagan basically eviscerated all programs that served the inner city in the 80's? Are they unaware that Clinton's welfare reform essentially purged welfare roles of mothers trying to feed their kids? Perhaps they don't understand that Guliani's Stop and Frisk program ensured that Black boys couldn't grow up to be bus drivers because piling on misdemeanors eventually creates a felony record.

I'm all for personal responsibility, but we must acknowledge that the game is fixed.

I was reading a blog and someone mentioned how much money Mr. Cosby gives to Spelman. Aren't there any community colleges or community based college prep programs in West Philly where he is from? I'm sorry where is the school Bill built again?

See, people like my friend and Bill they complain about Black folks. They say we don't raise our children right; we give them silly names, but they never look pass the stats at what's really happening. Jay-Z doesn't control what the corporate-owned radio stations play. Maybe that's why people like me who own the CD's love him and people who have only heard the club bangers hate him. There are jewels there if you listen. There is regret for how fame and fortune were attained. I have issues with his liberal use of the word bitch but I don't like everything about Quentin Tarantino either.

I wonder if Bill Cosby will suggest Barak Obama change his daughters' names given his disparaging parents that name their children Jamal or Sharonda.

Aah Black conservatives...hypocrites wrapped in denial.

I'm not watching him on CNN or MSNBC or wherever he'll be spouting his bullshit. Please email me though and let me know what he says. Maybe a few cabs will drive by him when he leaves the hotel to go to the studio and he'll have an epiphany before he goes on air.

One can hope.

Peace & Blessings

Don't Believe the Hype

Oh media you may fool them but you don't fool me. Try this scenario....Record executive "Hey Kanye, man can you do me a favor? This Taylor Swift is really not blowing up like we want her to. You think maybe at the MTV awards you can pull something outrageous and get her some attention. Thanks man. Hey is it still the same account number? Okay uh Word Up! Peace."

C'mon. While marginally popular for dating, getting dumped and writing pretty good songs about getting dumped by a Jonas brother; who really cared about Taylor Swift prior to last Sunday. Yeah I know, I'm supposed to be outraged, but I know the media. I know how it manipulates all of us. It distracts us so we don't pay attention to what we should. For example, did anyone hear that last month was one of the most deadly in Afghanistan? Of course you didn't. The media would rather you get all worked up about whether or not teabaggers are racist and (Gasp*) Jimmy Carter thinks they are.

Whatever.

You know what? We still don't have universal healthcare and Cuba does. As a matter of fact, their infant mortality rate is better than ours. (I'm tired I'll post the substantiation links later).

Hey, but you go on and be mad at Kanye and download some Taylor Swift. It's all your own idea.

Nobody can put anything over on you.

Where the hell is Dave Chappelle when you need him?!

Hmmm...

I'm going to be hella busy in the next few weeks so I'll only post my random thoughts. Unless I become inspired (as I was tonight) and instead of the three lines I intended to write an entire post emerges.

Hopefully my random thoughts give you pause. Maybe you'll be inspired to look at the world around you in a completely different way. If you're on the wrong side of history now, perhaps you'll get on the right side by the time you're finished reading.

According to census data the population of Amerikka will become increasingly brown over the next twenty years. If you are a member of the demographic that's about to become the minority wouldn't it behoove you to behave better towards our nation's first African American president?

What exactly is the difference between this POTUS asking children to write down what they could do to help the president and JFK saying Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country? Why the hell wasn't this the response from the White House?! Oh that's right, we're democrats. We don't respond to ignorance we ignore it because that worked so well for Bill Clinton in the Whitewater investigation and Al Gore and John Kerry in the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns.

Some parent on the news said that President Obama should not be positioning himself as a role model; only parents should be role models for their children. To which my sister pointed out "Why then when an athlete gets in trouble he should be ashamed because he's a role model?" I suspect that in the minds of the majority, as athletes Black men serve less as role models and more as validation of stereotypes. But I digress.

Rachel Maddow (my current fav) played a snippet of Reagan's 1988 speech to school children. Watch as the beloved Gipper responds to a young lady's question about what he's done to promote diversity by saying he has instituted programs to help Negro schools of higher education.

I'm a rock in an ocean....oh fuck it.

I admire Barak Obama. I admire him because he has carried the mantle of being first with a grace NONE of his detractors could muster. However, after witnessing the latest ridiculous episode; I hope he rethinks post racial. Malcolm said, "If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches there's no progress. If you pull it all the way out, that's not progress. The progress is healing the wound the blow made. And they won't even admit the knife is there.”

I will offer this caution as the majority becomes the minority--there are many good examples of how to nobly gain and sustain equal protection under the law, fair hiring practices, etc. Conversely, there is a wealth of examples from the current majority in vicious, inhumane disrespect and ignorance.

Chickens welcome to your roost.

Fight the power!

Note: MS Word spellcheck marked O-B-A-M-A as a misspelling. Guess what suggested spelling it offered?

I am a rock in an ocean of chaos.

Do You Even Know What Socialism Means?

One of my favorite bloggers notes that racism is always chasing him and while he tries to dodge sometimes he has to stop so he can report on racism's latest affront. While I do feel racism shadows me, stupid walks up and slaps me in the face.

I'm chilling having an adult beverage with an acquaintance when the discussion turns to the healthcare debate. Besides the fact that I was enjoying my cocktail and its affects, I've made the decision not to engage in discussions of politics, religion or Michael Vick with just anybody. So it’s my fault I should have known better. I said something pretty innocuous like "jeez there would be bread lines right now if it weren't for social security, unemployment insurance, welfare etc. Why don't people understand that?" Becky says "Yeah but socialism, whew boy I don't know."

Sigh...I'm a rock in an ocean of chaos. I'm a rock in an ocean of chaos.

I asked Becky "What do you mean socialism?" "Well I mean why should I get the same level of care as a poor person? I work." I'm a rock in an ocean of chaos.

I proceeded to explain (with only a slight edge in my voice--just a slight one I swear) that having healthcare for all would actually RAISE the level of care so that poor people would get the same level of care as the rich. Then I asked what exactly is wrong with everyone getting Donald Trump, Cadillac healthcare. Why should great care be limited to people with money? What kind of Christian nation is this if everyone is more concerned with having more or better than the next guy? (Wait that’s a component of that racism thing too isn't it?)

If the next guy gets swine flu and gets on the subway, BART, or SEPTA, you're going to get swine flu too! Why not make sure the next guy can go for check ups so he doesn't make all of us sick? That's not just Christian that's logic--something rarely employed by the Beckys of the world.

I am a ROCK in an ocean of chaos.

What's unfortunate about this episode is I know she didn't see my point. I'm just some wacky, hippy, liberal.

Becky and her ilk make me want to scream. You can tell them the truth about something. You can hit them with logic. But its all for naught because stupid comforts them and Christianity is just a club they belong to.

I am a rock in an ocean of chaos.

Peace & Blessings

Roxanne's Revenge Indeed

My heart is so full of pride right now I can barely write. How about a hand for my girl Dr. Roxanne Shante (nee Lolita Gooden).



Hers is not a new story if you know anything about the recording industry. However the outcome of her story is unique in its triumph and inspiration.

Read the link above for the full story, but in a nutshell Ms. Gooden's contract with Warner Bros. had a clause that stated in lieu of royalties Warner Bros. would pay her education costs--for life. After lackluster sales of her second and third albums Ms. Gooden decided to pursue a PhD. Well, as labels do Warner Bros. denied Ms. Gooden her just do. Thanks to a dean who believed in her and good attorneys Ms. Gooden's is now Dr. Roxanne Shante--I mean Dr. Lolita Gooden.

I hope Prince sends her a bottle of champagne.

Fight the Power....

Can It Be That It Was All So Simple Then?

The 90's feel more like a two hundred years ago than a mere twenty.

In the 90's hip hop made you wanna shake your booty and pick up a book.

In the 90's Black Gen Xers began fulfilling the promise made by those that marched for us.


One promise fulfilled was the portrayal Black folks in film as multi-dimensional beings. I have the utmost respect for Bill Robinson, Hattie McDaniel and Ethel Waters. It’s heartbreaking to see talent such as theirs reduced to "yasssm" on screen. In the 90's filmmakers introduced audiences to multi-faceted characters thereby ushering in the second golden era of Black Cinema.

During the previous decade the highest paid movie star not only made money for various studios; he put Black folks on screen and behind the camera. In the previous decade our most prolific Black director not only opened our minds, he opened doors for younger Black directors. In the aughts, there seems to be no interest in reaching back and bringing others along.

Now the top earning actor in Hollywood (who happens to be Black) isn't even interested in pushing for a Black love interest in his films so I guess I shouldn't expect him to help green light the next Love Jones or Eve's Bayou? And while Tyler Perry has a very inspiring personal story and writes/directs very entertaining films; his is not the only perspective. Does he go to festivals? Has he not seen anyone else's work that's worthy of wide distribution?

The irony is Hollywood, like the music industry, continues to bemoan audience disinterest yet doesn't have enough awareness to examine what made them successful in years past. The head of Lionsgate knows the demographic for Diary of a Mad Black Woman. More importantly he knows $50MM domestic gross is pretty good on a $5.5MM production budget. Studio heads stick with a proven formula (see Judd Apatow) which is why it’s important for those with power and influence to promote talented newcomers. It's important. It's their responsibility. It's fulfilling a promise.

I don't expect studios to crank out Daughters of the Dust every quarter. I do however expect at least one Love and Basketball or Malcolm X for every Madea Goes to Jail.

Fight the power...

Judging Books By Their Covers

Right, so it's usually a bad idea to judge a book by its cover or a movie by its first five minutes, but guess what your favorite impulsive, cynic did? You got it walked out maybe two minutes into this. If you know me you'll just chuckle, shake your head and wonder exactly what it is I want from the world.


Hold tight I'm going to share.

Adam Sandler is not a must see actor for me but I gained respect for his abilities after pretty good performances in Spanglish and Big Daddy. Judd Apatow, however, has written/produced the same movie over and over again from "The 40 Year Old Virgin" to "Knocked Up" to "Pineapple Express".

Don't get me wrong, I get why you don't change a money making formula, but seriously I've got better stuff going on in my imagination than this crap. Furthermore, I always get pissed off when white writers/directors attribute their words, thoughts and feelings to Black characters. Now you may say that's the essence of acting and in some instances you would be correct--not this one. Writers craft dialogue to be spoken by characters that good actors convincingly convey. However, bad writers craft dialogue that pulls the curtain back on their own insecurities and prejudices. Had anybody even considered whether white men could or couldn't jump before that movie? Right.

I'm not going to talk about a movie entitled "Funny People" and the glaring absence of any Black comedians or mention of Richard Pryor. What I do want to discuss is the first five minutes of the movie in which RZA and Seth Rogen are having a conversation about what's funny. Seth Rogen says that his ambition is to be like Seinfeld. RZA states that he'll never be that funny. "Seinfeld is funny...and Kramer, Kramer gets a pass from me cuz Kramer is my nigger."

Word Judd Apatow?

RZA at some point you'll do an interview and explain why you didn't push back on that line. Mr. Apatow, there is videotape of Michael Richards rant and there's no room for interpretation. Michael Richards is on a time out. PERIOD.

Larry David is having a Seinfeld reunion of sorts on Curb Your Enthusiasm. The brass at HBO knows a PR disaster in the making and has wisely hidden Mr. Richards during all the promos.

If I were Michael Richards' friend I might feel sorry for him and wish I could revive his career too. But I'm not his friend and have no sympathy for him. There was venom in those words. He wasn't kidding and it wasn't part of his act. That said, Mr. Apatow keep your bullshit prejudices to yourself.

I look forward to Spike Lee's next movie "Mel Gibson--What a Great Guy".

Peace & Blessings

Fight the Power...

Redemption

YESSSSS!

Hypocrisy and Irony

One of my guilty TV pleasures is the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I often visit fan sites where viewers comment on the show as well as the real lives of the Housewives. What's struck me about this season is all the noise about Kandi Burress' fiancé having six children by four different women. I'm not going to comment on whether he's an irresponsible guy or a good match for her because that's not my call. What intrigues me are the folks that are screaming long and loud about the situation. Are these folks the same people who don't want sex education in schools? Are they Right to Life supporters?

Without adequate sex education how is a young man, most likely from a single-parent, female headed home, learn how to put a condom on? It's not rocket science, but it’s not easy for someone just getting to know their body. Additionally, how does a teenage boy find out that birth control methods of urban legend don't work? Furthermore, given the role of religion in African American households especially, how does this same young man approach his mother to tell her he's supporting his girlfriend in getting an abortion?

Roe v. Wade, while the law of the land, has been codified and limited to virtual non-existence in 38 of the 50 states. Beyond that, what teenage girl can handle facing angry protesters when approaching her local clinic for information let alone an abortion? Right to Life advocates not only fight against abortion and birth control--these same zealots usually serve as the morality police--disparaging young men and women for being teenage, single parents.

If young people were taught how to prevent the unwanted consequences of their actions perhaps we'd lessen the incidences of men and women having multiple children with multiple partners. Granted there are some irresponsible mofos in the world but I just don't think you can paint everyone with the same brush.

My mother says life lessons come from the oddest places sometimes.

What I learned from the Real Housewives of ATL... judge not lest ye be judged.

Peace & Blessings

Are 15 Minutes of Fame Worth Your Dignity?

When I was little I desperately wanted to be on the show Fame. As an adult I treasure my privacy and want nothing to do with a spotlight of any sort except here spouting my views on politics, politics of the media and the crappy music corporate radio forces us to listen to.

Did Katy Abram (pictured left) think about what she'd be giving up for the 15 minutes of fame she'd gain by making inane statements at Arlen Specter's town hall?

She said:
"I don’t believe this is just about health care. It’s not about TARP, it’s not about Left and Right. This is about the systematic dismantling of this country. "


And this:
"I am only 35-years-old, I have never been interested in politics. You have awakened a sleeping giant. We are tired of this! This is why everybody in this room is so ticked off. I don’t want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country. My question for you is what are you going to do to restore this country back to what our founders created according to the Constitution?"


Mrs. Abram was on Hardball today to discuss her statements. Substitute host Lawrence O'Donnell asked Mrs. Abram if she thought Medicare should be repealed given her statement that "this country should return to what the founders created according to the constitution" Medicare being Socialism and all. She floundered for a long time before he mercifully posed the question anecdotally. He asked whether she'd encourage her parents to refuse Medicare coverage when they reached 65. Mrs. Abram giggled nervously, replying that she didn't discuss politics with her parents. Fair enough I don't discuss politics with my parents either.


He then asked why she hadn't felt compelled to become politically active after 9/11 or when the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began. Mrs. Abram said that the last war she'd paid attention to was the Gulf War and it seemed to her we were always at war with someone so she hadn't really paid attention. [Sigh]


So let me get this straight, you are a mother and it didn't seem important to pay attention to your country getting into two wars. The most horrific event in modern history occurs and you don't think you should pay attention to how the government will respond and protect us going forward? On September 11th 2001 I thought insurgents were going to kick in my front door! You have children Mrs. Abram and you weren't paying attention?


During the Hardball interview Mrs. Abram also said that she "guessed" she trusted the government more back then-- subsequent to 9/11. [Sigh] I'm not going to go into torture, abuses of power, warrantless wiretapping, Mission Accomplished, heckuva job Brownie and the rest of the nonsense from the previous administration. I will say that having been on the set of commercials, movies and music videos I know how exciting and enticing that world is. However you should not trade in your dignity for bright lights. Mrs. Abram whatever your reasons for going on Hardball today I hope you watch the videotape and realize how much catching up to need to do.


I hope Mrs. Abram broadens her reading material and the places in which she consumes news.


If she and people like her don't--we are all in a lot of trouble.

Do Not Piss Her Off

Before the South Carolina primary I seriously wanted Hillary Clinton for president. She's tough, smart and a brilliant attorney. Most of all she takes no shit. As a chick who takes no shit I appreciate her.

Before anyone goes on a jag about her forgiving Bubba keep in mind you have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. After watching this display can't you hear her saying "You better get an intern to suck your d*ck." Actually if that's how it went down that would be awesome.

We all know by now that the question was misstated by the translator. The student was asking for President Obama's opinion not President Clinton. However the Hillary apologists are blaming her reaction on the heat and a sore elbow.

Hmmm...so if Hillary were 44 would we already be at war with Iran? It's pretty hot there too.

Just sayin...

Oh when you read that link try to keep your head from exploding as Tina Brown claims Obama "stole her exceptionalism" and played the Ace of being African American to her Queen of Clubs.

What does that even mean?

UPDATE: Okay so the student really did want Bill Clinton's opinion, but that's no excuse for behaving like you have no home training.

Am I Being Punked?

An armed man can attend a town hall meeting with the POTUS, yet an angry old man mouths off to a cop and ends up cooling his heels in lock up. Oh and let us not forget that the cop who arrested said angry old man and falsified the police report actually got the opportunity to have a beer with the POTUS. *sigh* Am I being punked?

I do understand how a concealed weapon permit works. I am aware that technically this guy wasn't breaking the law but that doesn't assuage my anger.

What really are these folks at the town hall meetings protesting against? Medicare has been around since the 60's and Social Security since the 30's and the government seems to be doing an okay job running those. The VA offers probably the best healthcare in the world. Why would the government be unable to administer a system for the rest of us? If the uninsured continue to use emergency rooms at public hospitals your taxes will go up anyway. Additionally, when all those fat hillbillies in Kentucky and Mississippi have to go on Medicare for their insulin your taxes will go up as well. By disqualifying people with pre-existing conditions like asthma and acid reflux aren't the insurance companies "rationing" care?

I'll be here all day to respond to anymore irrational fear....jackasses.

I think the answers to my questions really lie in the following comments found here:

"Not only am I against nationalized health care because it represents an inexorable path towards socialism, but also because the expanding ranks of bureaucrats will be filled with inept blacks, who simply lack the administrative and cognitive skills to process the mounds of paperwork resulting from such an imposing bureaucracy. Anyone who has spent a few years in the Army can tell you how the administrative, personnel and financial systems are screwed up. And the reason--incompetent blacks. This link demonstrates the incredibly frightening extent in which blacks are overrepresented in the federal work force. "

and this:

"This, in addition to America's history and character as a country of liberty in comparison with statist Europe, is the major reason why America must not, and I believe will not, opt for national health. First, it's often been pointed out that unlike in Europe, which (even today) has greater white homogeneity, in America the vastly greater use of health care by misbehaving, violent, fast-food eating, obese, sickly blacks and Hispanics will very quickly bankrupt the system, with whites paying for it. But the comments here bring out a further reason why America's particular type of racial diversity makes any kind of socialized or quasi-sociaized medicine suicidal. We have a combined black and Hispanic population of 70 million, with a combined average IQ of 88. (I'm roughly averaging the 85 black IQ with the 90 HIspanic IQ.) And these sub-competent and often anti-white people will largely be running the huge government bureacracy."


I hope you visit the site so you can read what the rest of the intellectual giants who post there have to say.

I want my country back!!!!!

Oh wait this isn't really my country.

Peace & Blessings

Stop Children What's That Sound...

What's more interesting than the accusations leveled against Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is ESPN management issuing a "do not report" memo to its outlets and reporters. Hmmm...

I'm not going to write a lot about this because the details are very sketchy. No criminal charges have been filed and if/until they are it’s just an accusation. I will say this though, Mr. Goodell EVERYBODY is watching.

With Matt Jones being positioned as a sympathetic figure poised for redemption if just given an opportunity and Michael Vick painted as Satan--I hope Roger Goodell realizes the PR nightmare that will ensue if a criminal investigation is opened and he does not act swiftly.

Black athletes cannot refuse to play because of contract obligations. However black gloved fists raised in protest after a game would go a long way in voicing the frustration of players and fans with some of the decisions made in the three years since he took over as Commissioner. (After an 88 yard touchdown catch and run I want some celebration dammit!)

There's something in the air. A simmer seems about to boil. Crosby Stills and Nash sang there's something happening here.

Let's hope that something isn't set off by something as trivial as the game of football.

The Greatest Country On Earth?

When I was in junior high (Philippa Schuyler Middle School for the Gifted and Talented holla) I refused to stand for the pledge of allegiance at graduation rehearsal. The faculty advisor gave me and my fellow nationalists a stern lecture. He called us ungrateful for not respecting the flag of the greatest country on earth. Really?

The "greatest country on Earth” has a higher infant mortality rate than South Korea. Health care costs in this country are higher than in any other industrialized nation. That doesn't sound great to me.

What is even more unfathomable is Americans allowing the GOP, Glenn Beck and Fox to con them into believing that this country shouldn't have a public health care option. I grant that the details are confusing but to reject it out of hand is madness.

Much of the cost to implement a national public option could certainly be offset by ending the war in Iraq and repealing the Bush tax cuts. Estimates from various sources put the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at $1 trillion. If we end the war in Iraq those funds could be reallocated to cover healthcare.

The GOP fought against Social Security in 1937 and Medicare in 1964. So let us not be fooled by the same Chicken Littles who would have denied us two of the greatest benefits afforded American people. Furthermore, the argument that Medicare doesn't work and is a nightmare of paperwork is bunk. Medicare isn't perfect but a lot of the problems with Medicare are due to the GOP meddling with it since the Reagan era.

Senator Tom Coburn (R) Oklahoma said this morning on Morning Joe that moms wouldn't have to sit in emergency rooms if they would enroll in the SCHIP program. Is he kidding? Suddenly the GOP is for SCHIP. Bush vetoed the expansion of SCHIP. The Republicans fought tooth and nail against it.

Finally, the most heinous of arguments (IMHO) against healthcare is not wanting to pay for others’ health issues. Besides being the absolute antithesis to what a s0-called Christian nation should stand for it’s not a well thought out argument. Taxpayers foot the healthcare bills of our elected officials. Therefore, we paid for John McCain’s cancer treatments. John McCain owns seven homes and his wife is an heiress worth millions of dollars—why are you okay paying for his healthcare?

I don’t like arguing with my conservative friends. However it would benefit all of us if they thought beyond what they hear on Fox and talk radio.

Republicans have consistently said that you cannot trust Democrats on national security. I would counter that Republicans cannot be trusted with national well-being.

The greatest country on earth would and should care equally for the weakest among us.

May You Finally Find Peace...

This image hung on my bedroom wall throughout junior high and high school. By the time I reached high school I discovered hip hop and thought I was too sophisticated for Michael Jackson. His songs were too happy. They made me want to dance. Also, X-Clan and Public Enemy were helping me discover my "Blackness”. It wasn't until last Thursday that I realized that Michael Jackson's music was the soundtrack to my childhood. He built a musical bridge between my parents, grandparents and I. When I heard of his death I went to YouTube and watched his historic Motown 25 performance again and again. I could hear my grandmother's voice when she called my mom to say "Let those babies stay up to watch their people on TV."

At the BET Awards last weekend Jamie Foxx said "Michael Jackson was ours and we shared him with everyone else." On a visceral level I know exactly what he means. Michael Jackson was the best of us. He embodied the creativity, talent, conflict, duality that lives in us all. And like many of us he struggled with how to present a public face when battling inner pain.

Inexplicably, the song I played over and over upon hearing of MJ's death was Donny Hathaway's Someday We'll All Be Free. Perhaps because I've always thought Michael Jackson was a prisoner of his fame and now there's no need for masks, bodyguards, or gates...he's free.

You Can Take Your Apology And....

I was listening to one of my favorite radio progressives and she was gushing about how wonderful it is that the US Senate apologized for slavery...for real?

It's the 21st century people! I don't want a stinking apology. I want people to stop asking if they can touch my hair! I want people to stop assuming that I can't get sunburn! I want my neighbors to stop asking if I know where to get drugs! I want my roommate not to be shocked that my friends have Doctorates and Masters Degrees.

I want the NYPD to ask questions before shooting.

We don't need an apology. We need a level playing field. Why are property taxes in Oakland so high yet the school system is so tragic? Why isn't Woody Allen treated like Michael Jackson? Why didn't Hillary supporters get behind Cynthia McKinney? Why can't Hollywood make movies like Love Jones, Boomerang and The Best Man again?

I want the goalpost not to be moved every time people of color make some gains.

My point is while an apology is wonderful, it’s the subtle psychological racism that people of color face everyday that needs to be addressed.

UPDATE: An apology with a disclaimer is no apology at all.

Father's Day

Since his famous Responsibility speech during the election, I've been just a little annoyed with now President Obama. Granted absentee fathers are a huge problem in the Black community, but is the issue less prevalent in other communities?

If it were there would be no Lifetime TV. [Just sayin]

This president ran on the idea of America as "post-racial" so he could avoid being criticized for not addressing issues in the Black community. However when he finally decided that it was time to address the Black community he chose this topic.

All due respect President Obama, where were you when the cops were acquitted in the Sean Bell case? What do you think of the Oscar Grant case here in California? What about the young man in Texas that was accosted by police in his own driveway?

I'm a politics junkie so I get it. I understand that the fallout would be much too great if you were to address this issue. However, if you can't acknowledge that we still have a way to go on the road to "post-racial" please don't preach to us on a subject that's not uniquely ours. Just ask Bristol Palin.

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

Black vs. African-American

This discussion has popped up a lot lately; I suspect it has something to do with the misguided idea that the American experience will be different from top to bottom with the election of a Black man. This article http://black vs. african american in particular was cause for dismay. I wonder if the author sees the irony of writing about a lack of connection to Africa, on a website entitled The Root.com. What does she think she's rooted to? [Sigh]

I like Black. I think there's something powerful in taking what was a derogatory term and making it a rebellious statement of us as a people i.e. Black Power, Black and Proud, Black Panther.

But, it is Africa that binds us, not the shared experience of slavery. It is the origin of the innate qualities we share. Slavery didn't make us a people able to survive in the harshest conditions. Slavery didn't create revolutionaries, thinkers, artists and mc's. Nor did slavery create such strong, intelligent, beautiful women.

Slavery tested what God blessed us with, as Africans.

Beating A Dead Horse

Okay, okay I don't intend to use this forum to talk about things that have been discussed ad nauseam in other venues. However I want to pose this question to those who are reading my random thoughts...Did you know Serena Williams won the Australian Open? This win gives Serena an undeniable place in history but for some reason the only sporting news we can get is that of the bong hit seen around the world. Venus and Serena have changed women's tennis forever, but Anna Kournikova still has more Sports Illustrated covers than either of them. Strange no? Why haven't we seen Venus or Serena in a Canon commercial? Isn't that the tennis equivalent of "I'm going to Disneyworld" at the Superbowl? Okay I'm offering more questions than answers but that's the reason I share my random thoughts. There are folks in my world who are much smarter than I am who only offer indulgent smiles when I ask these questions. This time I'd like an answer. Are ESPN and Sports Illustrated mad at the sisters because they wouldn't go along with the narrative they tried to create around them? Are TPTB in sports pissed that they couldn't ghetto-ize them as they mourned the death of their sister?

So a bong hit turns the national discussion to why marijuana should be legal--uh huh whatever. I want to know why sponsors aren't tripping over themselves to sign the most talented female athletes of our time.
Just sayin...

I Think MSNBC, FOX and CNN Think I'm Stupid

So anybody else feel like the MSM thinks your stupid? Anybody else get this weird, itchy feeling as you flip from station to station searching for a different narrative? Some insight? Something vaguely resembling truth? Don't get me wrong the MSM every once in a while has amazing moments like the night the '08 election Rachel Maddow said [paraphrasing] how amazing it was to have the White House which was built by slaves inhabited by an African American family. Those moments are few. The reaction of her fellow panelists ensure that they are.

Over the last two weeks you've been told that Rob Blagovetch is a crook and Tom Daschle didn't pay his taxes. Am I the only one wondering why every single anchorperson/pundit/contributor tells me the story with the same quotes, stats, gestures and inflections? I mean I used to love you Keith Olberman but now every time you're on my screen I can only think of this http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/countdown-with-keith-olbermann/805561/.

It is with these frustrated questions I watched this video http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02062009/watch.html.

A round table discussion with real journalists discussing exactly what you've been talking about at work, online, over dinner without ridiculous asides i.e. leg tingles, yelling and holograms.

The video is pretty long, but you've wondered where THE WORKERS' perspective on the "Economic Crisis" has been skip to around 17:00. The panel talks about the protests that are happening around the world and how American media has ignored it.

Lastly, Greenwald and Rosen allude to an unholy alliance between Washington and the Media to keep us only superficially informed and to keep money and power securely in the hands of a select few. Hmmm...what does that sound like?