New Faces Needed

"Goodbye America...you are not the country that I love and I finally realized that no matter how much I sacrifice, I can't make you that country unless you want it" ~~Cindy Sheehan writing in Daily Kos~~

Gee Cindy, when exactly did you discover that?

But thanks for your sacrifice; you lost your son, and I am quite sure that very few of the talking heads and right wing crack pots who bashed you on a daily basis could make that claim. It was easy for them to pick on you while you were on center stage, because you had the nerve to speak truth to power, and very few people in America have the guts to do that.

Still, you had to have felt betrayed when not even those in the Democratic party would take a real stance against this insane war. Hey, it can be lonely when you stand up for your principles and your beliefs. This is, after all, America, where everyone is busy pursuing happiness.

"I have endured a lot of smear and hatred since Casey was killed.." You sure have Ms. Sheehan, but consider the source: Slimy, gutless, greedy fear pimps, who prey on the ignorance and faux patriotism of a particular segment of our population. But don't feel bad, you did all that you could do. Now it's time for you to head back to Cali and try and get your life together.

So the anti war movement needs a new face, and I am thinking of a couple of people who could take Ms. Sheehans place right now. How about Paris Hilton? She is certainly prettier than Cindy Sheehan, and I am sure that given her popularity, Americans would pay attention to her. And she is on about the same intellectual level as the President and many of those on the right, so she would certainly be able to go toe to toe with them in debating the issue. I mean think about it. Between her stints in rehab, and her club hopping; girlfriend could make a statement like: "This war is terrible, let's get out of Iraq. How can those poor people shop with all the killing going on?"

If Paris doesn't work for you, how about Dr. Jack Kevorkian? Hey, home boy will be free soon after serving eight years for second degree murder. Now, of course, as it turns out, most people agree with old Dr. Jack, and actually think that assisted suicides is not such a bad thing after all. So who better to lead the anti war movement than a guy known for assisting suicides? Hey, most politicians seem to think that if you vote against this war you are committing a form of political suicide, so why not the face of suicide, Dr. Jack, to lead the movement? The movement is dying anyway, so we might as well put Dr. Jack out there to put it out of it's misery without any real pain. "Hi, I am Dr. Jack Kevorkian, and I am against the war in Iraq, and as someone who will assist you in committing suicide, please feel free to join me in this movement. I promise you that your death will be painless."

Summertime.

Now that Memorial day has almost come and gone, I think we can all agree that summer has officially started.

I know I am from Jamaica, but I am not a big summer fan. I never understood why people all retire to places like Florida and Arizona. To me, there is nothing like watching the seasons change, and the joy and anticipation that comes with every spring. Besides, I guarantee you that if there is a hell, it feels like Florida in August. So keep your humidity and bugs, I will stick to my East Coast weather thank you very much.

So anyway, now that Summer is officially here, I want to make some Summer time predictions:

*Gas prices will be closer to $4.00 a gallon than $3.00 a gallon.

*At least one hundred people will be shot to death here in Philly. And 85% of them will be black.

*There will be at least two major hurricanes to hit America's mainland.

*One hundred more soldiers will die in Iraq.

*I will go to at least one so called block buster flick and it will suck.

*There will be one popular song that will make me move something every time I hear it.

*Speaking of songs, the Philly summer anthem, Summer Time by Will Smith, will be in heavy rotation on every Philly radio station.

*FOX NEWS NETWORK will push a story about scary black folks or Muslims that will scare the hell out of middle America.

*I will see tattoos on someones breasts or legs who should have not been doing anything to draw attention to their body.

*Speaking of bodies; I will see some of my fellow human beings wearing some outfits in public, that will make me scratch my head and say: "What the hell were they thinking? And, is there a mirror or significant other in their home?

*Liars like Jay Tea over at Wizbang, and other conservatives bloggers, will continue to support this president and his fool hardy war right through the summer.

*Every weekend Philly will look like chocolate city for real because all the white folks will be at the Jersey shore.

*On the weekend of the Greek picnic, only black owned businesses will be open.

*And finally,Clarence Thomas will get a "coonie."

The Whip

"Evry time I hear the crack of a whip, My blood runs cold I remember on the slave ship, how they brutalize the very souls." ~Bob Marley~

Remember that old Eddie Murphy joke? The one where he talks about modern day brothers and how they would react to slavery: " Brothers act like they couldn't have been slaves back 200 years ago. It's like the mother f*****s liked that shit. 'I wish I was a slave, I would f**k somebody up! Shit, tell ME to bale some mother f*****g cotton!' Yo nigger, bale this cotton!'I would say, suck my dick massa!' No doubt most of us brothers feel this way, and now that there are laws and and the white majorities shame to protect us, we are feeling particularly cocky these days. But that wasn't the case back then, because as Eddie said: "The first nigger who tried that shit. Somebody said 'nigger bale this cotton' and he said 'f**k you massa' CRACK![the sound of a whip] The other mother f****r said, 'all right, we'll bale the shit all right. Just keep the f*****g shit away from me.'

So it's not like those brothers back then wanted to pick cotton and do all the shit that massa forced them to do. They had that whip to contend with. If you got out of line; CRACK! And I guarantee you that whip was no joke. They had all types of whips, and mother f*****s who knew how to use them. Hell, they had whips made of steel for crying out loud! I can't even imagine how much that sh** must have hurt. Trust me, if it didn't, lots of those brothers back then would have said; "f**k you massa" and rolled.

But truth be told, we are still dealing with the whip. Of course now a days the whip takes different forms, but it's still there and it's still painful. These days the pain is more psychological than physical, but it's still painful, and America still uses the whip to keep our asses in line. Whether it's the IRS whip (Just ask Wesley Snipes, or Ronald Isley), the whip of drug addiction and dependency, the justice whip (we the jury find the defendant...), the credit whip, or the whip of poverty. Just like the whip they used to put an ass whupping on my ancestors, all these whips are still hurting us. And no one is immune from the whip. Colin Powell felt the whip. That's why his ass went to the U.N. and declared that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, even though he really didn't believe that shit. "I don't know Mr. President, maybe we should get more confirmation from the C.I.A. before we declare tha...Ahhh Colin, you still want to keep that position as Secretary of State don't you? CRACK ! Yeah maybe you are right Mr. President, I will get right on it. " The CBC is feeling the whip, that's why their sorry asses won't give up their insane quest to conduct one of the Democratic debates on FOX NEWS. "I don't know Mr. Murdoch, we are getting some pressure from liberal groups not to go on your network....Ahhh Bennie, what about all that money we gave you? CRACK! OK Mr. Murdoch, we will try to encourage some other CBC members to endorse the debates." You think the typical President of one of America's HBCU's doesn't feel the whip every time he goes begging to some accreditation board for his school? What about the black business person who wants a serious line of credit to expand his business. Do you think he doesn't feel the whip?

There is a whip floating over my ass too. It's my 9-5 employer as well as my clients from my private practice. Because the moment that I f**k up, they will fire my ass, and I will be seriously wanting for cash to pay my bills. Oh, and did I mention my bills? CRACK! Oh yeah, those bills have to be paid, and in order to pay them I need to have cash. So call me a hypocrite if you will, but I see and feel that whip from time to time my damn self. ("Mr. field, this is American Express, we haven't received a payment from you in over 15 days, we just wanted to know when we can expect a payment?" CRACK!)

This is how it is in America, and this is why it is so hard to find true black leaders and strong moral characters. Everybody is getting whipped, and everybody is afraid to feel the pain that goes along with it. It could not have worked out better for America if a bunch of old white men had met in a back room and said: "OK this is how we are going to keep niggers down from now on. Of course we can't whip them anymore. But let's develop a subjective credit system, let's build a country that is dedicated to the pursuit of happiness, and wrap happiness around consumerism. They will always be chasing this false dream that we create, and we will always keep it just within their reach by showing them others who have achieved it. Along the way, they will be getting whipped on a daily basis, and they won't even realize it." "Brilliant!"

Now if we can just get these black folks to cooperate.

Brother can you spare some advice?

There is this homeless man (At least I think he is homeless) who is always hanging out in front of the Dunkin Donuts by my job. Every morning on my way in for coffee, I break him off. I swear I should just get dudes Social Security number and claim him on my taxes. But its all good, dude is like my muse. Honestly, it seems like on days that I don't see him or break him off, things don't go quite as well for me.

So anyway, he always has a panhandling cup out, and no matter what time of the morning you get there, it seems my man is always there first. Everyone just drops some change in his cup and moves on, most people don't even look at him. You just drop the sh** in his cup by habit.

But not me, dude and I have this relationship of sorts. We always exchange a few words, talk about the news of the day, my job, and whatever else is on his mind. And I respect my man and his opinions. When he compliments me on what I am wearing "That's a nice suit my man" I feel good about what I have on. But on days that he doesn't say anything, I actually worry about my hook up. Last summer dude even went as far as to tell me that he didn't like a particular suit I was wearing. I haven't worn it since.

I always wonder about all the homeless people in Philly, and how they even got that way. I know most of them suffer from drug or mental problems, and some of them just fell on hard times. But this cat doesn't seem to have a drug problem, and he sure as hell doesn't seem to have any mental problems. I am thinking he just fell on some hard times. Maybe a bad marriage, or some woman broke his heart. Just looking at him he could be any ones pop or grandfather. I am guessing he is in his late fifties, and he has this distinguished look about him that says: I didn't always live this way.

One day I am going to seriously engage him in some conversation just to find out more about him. But every day I am so rushed, so caught up in my day to day life, that it's almost impossible to engage my man in a conversation for any period of time. Today I saw him again, I mentioned the crime wave and the murders in the city, and as usual he had a witty come back. "Hey, let them kill each other, it's just the laws of the jungle at work baby". Out of the mouth of bums. But you know what; maybe he has a point. Maybe it is just the laws of nature. Just like in the animal kingdom; there is a certain dog eat dog only the fittest will survive order of things. The animals kill each other and nobody cares. Why should we? They don't care about each other or themselves, so why should we care about them?

But I can't think like my cynical homeless friend. After all, he can't help it, look at the type of hand that fate dealt him. I have to have more faith in my people, and feel more sadness for my young brothers who are taking each others lives on a daily basis. Still, my man seems to have a way of seeing things that others can't. (I haven't worn it since) I just hope that he isn't right about this one.

Tomorrow I am going to have to ask my man his name.

The 12% Rule

I have a true confession to make: When it comes to movies I implement the 12% rule. Oh please don't act like you don't know what the 12% rule is. I bet the white people reading this know exactly what it is.

 

OK, for those of you who really don't know, I will tell you. See, it's like this: the 12% rule says you don't go to any event or function where black folks make up more than 12% of the people in the crowd.

For instance, if you go to a restaurant, and say 50% of the people there are black, you roll. If you go to a club and over 12% of the people there are black, you roll. If you go to a mall and over 12% of the people there are black, you roll. Get the picture? You always want to go to events where the status quo of the nation's general population is maintained.

 

So back to my movie issue: I love my people, I really do, and I never ever practice the 12% rule. Except, of course, when it comes to movies. Black people can we talk? Why the f^%* do you all talk so loud during movies? Seriously! If I drop 30$ to see a movie (I am adding the concessions in the mix.) I want to watch that bad boy in peace. I really don't want to hear your kids crying; your cell pones ringing; and exactly what you will be cooking for dinner when you get home.

 

I mean let's keep it 100% with each other. I read a book by Ralph Wiley back in the day called "Why Black People Tend To Shout", and the premise of the book was that we black folks shout because we are so frustrated, confused, and have so much pent up shit that we just can't help ourselves. Trust me, there are times in the middle of my day when I just want to throw down my brief case, stand on top of the "LOVE statue" in Center City, Philadelphia, and scream my damn head off. But if I am dropping some dollars to watch a movie, I just want to watch it in peace. I really don't need to hear people talking over the actors in the movie. That shit is not cool.

 

But I swear there is some deeper stuff going on here with you Negroes. I think it has to do with other pathologies and insecurities that we deal with as a people. (Maybe one of the brilliant posters here can explain it to me.) Like why in the middle of rush hour must we (black folks) have our car windows down and blast our shit out of our rides for the person in the next county to hear it? Or, why must we yell "SHANIKA" across three city blocks to our girlfriend when we see her? Hey that's why you have a cell phone, so that you can call Shanika instead of yelling at her across five city blocks. And speaking of cell phones; while riding on the train after a hard days work, I really don't need to hear every word of your conversation about how your day went at work. I mean really, can the shit just wait five minutes until you get off the train? (This one is not only for black folks. You white folks are horrible with this one as well.)

 

But black folks, I swear you all kill me with this need to be seen and heard sometimes. Honestly, the shit is not healthy. We need to do a deeper study of this phenomenon.
 

That kind of pathology hurts us in other ways as well. When we drop serious dollars on tricking out our rides so that we can ride around and be seen instead of investing into our homes, it's a problem. When we spend more money on our own clothes than proper food for our children, it's a problem. When we teach our kids that it's alright to act up in class and be the class clown instead of hitting their books, it's a problem.  And when we are so busy yelling and trying to be seen that we miss shit that we could be learning from, it's a problem.

 

So see folks, it's not just about me, Field, being pissed off because I have to implement the 12% rule around my own people at the movies. It's about us doing better overall as a race as well. It's about getting our priorities together, not trying to impress others, and learning that's it's not about whether we are seen or heard by other people. Rather, we should try to focus on loving ourselves for who we are without trying so hard to let everyone know that one of the 12% is in the room.

Imagine a world with no race or racism.

This is what Francis Holland has been theorizing for a few days now on the web, and a question he has posed to me via comments on this site, and through e-mail. I have been holding off about addressing this interesting and thought provoking post from my fellow AfroSpear blogger, Mr. Holland, but I have given it some thought, and I think I am ready to give it my two cents.


First, let me give you the gist of what Francis is saying: The essence of his argument is that we as human beings should not categorize each other based on our race. He argues there is no difference between black and white since we are all from the human race, which should make us one.




As a result, he says race does not exist and the word race is a false construct which tends to distort the entire debate on matters of race in this country. He gives the analogy that "all cats whether spotted or not, are from the same-'cat'" family, and thus the same should hold true for humans. Francis eloquently reasons that we should use the words "skin color" instead of race, and when referring to a racist or racism we should refer to that condition as "SCAA, or (skin color aroused antagonism)"-I think that's his own words. ( The guy should be a college professor at some Ivy League college)


Fascinating stuff indeed. But I have to disagree with Francis, if not in theory, then certainly in principal. Let's look at one description of race: "A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically physical characteristics. ~The Free Online Dictionary~ The key word for me in that description is distinguished. Because even though we may all be from one human family, we can still be easily distinguished by our characteristics, and physical features. Given what has transpired between black folks and those in the majority in this country, I do not think that we can just simplistically dismiss the dynamic of our distinguishing features and characteristics in this debate. To simply say; we are now just one tribe of humans and our differences in terms of how we look, might work when we all get to heaven, (if there is such a place) but it ain't gonna work down here. I am a student of history, and I have seen what happens to races of people when they buy into this pie in the sky Utopian way of thinking. (Think native Americans in this country) So I choose to take a more realistic look at racism and its place in our society. Also, what about the thinking of those on the other side. Especially those with f****d up pathologies when it comes to race. I think it was Jean Paul Sartre that seemed to be saying in his book, "Black Orpheus", that "Racism is the social evil of human psychology, borne of fear of the human condition, a form of bad faith." How do we deal with those that are still viewing us as a separate group of people when we are embracing the philosophy that we are all one? For instance, to stay with Sartre a little bit. In a brilliant thesis by D.A. Masolo, he further sums up Sartre's reasoning in "Black Orpheus" like this: "If the Jew did not exist for the anti Semite, he would have invented him". Racists, he theorized that Sartre seemed to be saying; "find escape in the hatred of the Negro."



Francis says that the word race, "is a badge and mark of inferiority", I don't believe that. I think that although our race is a badge, and it is one that has caused us great hardship and struggles-at least in this country, it is a badge we should wear with pride and a consciousness that comes from our life experiences. I agree with Sartre, when he says; "we are defined not only by who and what we are, but what others think we are." But we should not let others "subjective image" of us define us in a negative way. So that badge of race that we wear was not necessarily put there by us, it was put there by others to label us more easily. But we must now accept that for what it is and move on. Not by simply saying; let's do away with the words race and racism, but by becoming so empowered and strong as a race that how others view us will become irrelevant.


So thank you Francis for raising this issue, it certainly raises some interesting points. I also understand that when it comes to race and racism I am probably more cynical than most people.
For instance, I am probably one of the few people that takes issue with one my heroes from the past, Franz Fanon no less, when he talks about one of the paradoxes that racism creates. Fanon says that racism affects both friends and foes alike. He says that some will say: "I dislike you, but it is not because you are black, others will say, I like you despite the fact that you are black. Either way, both remain fixated on race as an important factor which clouds the lens they view from." For the most part I agree with that, except I part company with Fanon when he implies that the first example in his paradox is a friend. No, that individual, just like the second one, is a foe. Because were he a friend, he would not have considered race in the first place. "..but it is not because you are black". I guess this is where Francis wants all of us to be, where we don't consider race at all.


Sorry, I think I will have to be like one of those bad guys in the movies. You know the ones you always see in the stare down scenes. Both brandishing weapons, both refusing to budge. One telling the other; "drop your weapon", while the other says; "no you drop yours first." Maybe if white folks drop their weapons first I will consider it. But until then, for better or for worse, I think I am sticking this black thing out.

An Open Challenge To Angela McGlowan

I swear just can't leave Angela (McGlowan) alone. But she makes it so easy for me. Anyway, I am browsing through the net, and I stumble across an interview girlfriend gave to Townhall.com by way of a Q&A with Lisa Pasquale. (I swear conservatives just love this sister.

So anyway, girlfriend is doing the whole woe is me bit, and crying a river about how liberals on the left are attacking her. She talks about her Daddy from Mississippi, and she evokes the memories of Emmett Hill, Dr. King, and Fredrick Douglas. She goes after the usual suspects: Sharpton, Jackson, and Bond; which is proof positive of just how out of touch she is with her own race. She even recites the same old saying about "giving a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for life or some such bull shit like that. Geeez! Talk about pathetic. Angela, if you teach a man to fish and there is no fish in the f*****g lake, he still ain't gonna eat!

 

But I am used to this type of speak from black conservatives, so her little Q& A didn't really interest me, until I read this:

 

"Many conservative women authors, including Ann Coulter, Monica Crowley and Michelle Malkin, are routinely attacked and dismissed by the Left for their “TV-friendly” looks. As a former Miss District of Columbia and conservative author, what has been the response to your book from the Left?

Liberals seem to have the same reaction to any minority that has the courage to stand up for what is right. As a black female conservative, liberals have gone to the extreme to attempt to destroy my reputation, character, and credibility. I have been an on-air conservative pundit since 1999, speaking against liberal policies. It was not until recently, and after the release of Bamboozled, that the most awful and disgusting campaigns have been lodged against me. From Media Matters to pornographic chat rooms, liberals have tried to use every means to discount and destroy my efforts to educate Americans on the lies of liberal agenda. My name and picture have been placed on websites connected to House Negro, Field Negro, the Lawn Jockey, and Mammy. Worst of all, they have placed the image of my book and published wedding photos of my recent marriage on porn sites and porn chat rooms. "

 

Yes Angela, I would be that "Field Negro" web site you refer to, and I do not have to do anything to destroy your reputation, character, or credibility. You seem to have done a pretty good job of that all by your lonesome. Just like the other lightweight conservative frauds who the white- right movement have propped up as their Negro of the moment, your arguments lack intellectual honesty or logic. Still, you like to say that those of us from the far left (by the way, I consider myself an independent) are afraid to debate you on the issues. Well Angela, consider this an open challenge to you: I, the Field Negro, will debate you at any time and any place, on the benefits and merits of conservative social and economic policies, and whether it's a good or bad thing for black folks here in A-merry-ca.

There, you have an answer to your challenge. Now if you can't take me up on it, and if you were just blowing smoke for your conservative buddies, may I suggest that from here on out you take your "TV-friendly" looking ass, *me rolling my eyes* and just shut the f**k up!

Do as I say not as I do.

"Hypocrisy is the compliment vice pays to virtue" ~La Rochefoucauld~

With this post I would like to talk about some serious hypocrites occupying center stage in America these days. The other night I caught a glimpse of the republican presidential debates (so male and so white) and while watching these frauds, I couldn't' help but think about what a bunch of hypocrites the Republicans are.

Let's take a look shall we. We will start with the poster boy for flip flopping, Mr. Mitt Romney. Now here is a guy who is now opposed to a woman's right to choose, yet at one point not too long ago, he was all for it. He also opposes Gay unions; yet, at one point in his career, he was all for that as well. Not to mention the second amendment thing, he was all for gun control before he decided to run for President and became a life long member of the NRA. Hypocrite!

But my good Mormon friend is not alone. Up there on the stage with his republican colleagues, was the former mayor of New York, Rudy Gauliani, who has some interesting skeletons in his closet his own damn self. Now to be fair to Rudy, I have not really seen or heard him openly point fingers at Bill Clinton. But those whose votes he is eagerly pursuing certainly have. Poor Bill still can't live down Monica; and let's make no mistake, Bill loves the ladies, but apparently so does Rudy. Talk about f****d up personal life. Here is a guy who married his second cousin and had the wedding annulled. Then he has an open affair while he is Mayor of New York, dumps his wife for his mistress, and holds a press conference to announce it for crying out loud! And of course there is John McCain, who was for the state of South Carolina displaying the confederate flag before he was against it. And was against drilling for oil in the ANWAR before he was for it. All of these men personify the new American hypocritical spirit. Oh yes, America the beautiful, a country whose founding fathers epitomized hypocrisy, (Think Thomas Jefferson and all those slaves) was built on the backs of slaves, and the massacre of millions of natives who were here first.

Hypocrisy rules the day in our religion, our personal lives, and our foreign policy as a country. For instance, we invade a country and overthrow its leader, because he stifled individual freedoms and liberties. Yet, our own leader suspends our individual freedoms and circumvents our Constitution because he felt like it. Talk about hubris. We chastise countries for not treating all their citizens equally, yet we have a history of treating our own citizens differently based on their race and their class in our own country. (Think Katrina. "George Bush doesn't care about black people" I know Kanye it sure doesn't look like it). I think of that hypocrite Bill Bennett (a Republican of course) who was preaching virtues to us, while he was dropping thousands of dollars on the crap table. Not to mention, that chicken hawk, Paul Wolfowitz, (one of the people responsible for our country being at war) who hooked his little, ahem, friend up with a serious pay raise just because she is his, ahem, friend. I won't even get into our favorite Attorney General, gonzo, who in my humble opinion, is one of the poster boys for hypocrisy in Washington. But then, he wouldn't have gotten to his position (the frat boy's right hand man and one of his chief confidants) if he wasn't.

But I will give the republicans credit, they sure know how to play the game, and while they are doing it, they have an entire country fooled. To the average Joe in America, the Republican party is the party of virtues, moral consistency, and family values. Boy are they wrong.

Hypocrite: A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings~~Merrian Webster~

Hypocrite: The Republican Party.

Sorry Jerry!

Hi Jerry welcome to your new home. I know this isn't quite what you expected but sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men if you know what I mean.

There must be a mistake....ahh what's your name?

Just call me Reds.

Yeah well "Reds" this isn't quite what I expected, I mean where are all the Angels, the streets of gold, and the pearly gates?

Sorry Jerry that's in the other place.

This isn't fair, after all the good works I did while I was alive, this is the reward I get?

What good works?

Well, like all the people I brought to Christ. Heck I had a congregation of 24,000 members at one time. I, along with my moral majority, was responsible for the rise of the Southern christian conservative movement,and the election of republican presidents like Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush.

Yeah, well that's exactly why you are here.

But my God man....

Ahh don't use that name down here.

Sorry, but I am looking around and recognizing people down here like Lee Harvey Oswald, Ted Bundy, and Al Capone, and I have to wonder; how did I end up in the same place as these ungodly souls?

Yeah well didn't you say after 911 that "God continues to lift the curtain and give America what she deserves"? I mean you basically blamed Gays and the ACLU for the attacks on America. Not to mention you said that "If you're not a born again Christian, you're a failure as a human being." You also said that the "ACLU is to Christians what the American Nazi party is to Jews." Then you supported the apartheid government of South Africa and said that minority rule is a good thing there. Now if all that doesn't qualify you for a permanent home down here I don't know what does.

Yes but I fought for christian values and returning America to her true christian roots all of my life.

Yes and you also supported the segregation of America's citizens for a large part of your life, and went as far to speak at segregationist rallies. You started racially segregated schools to avoid public school desegregation for crying out loud!

Yes but that was a long time ago. I stopped supported those ideas before I came down here.
Speaking of down here,is it always going to be this hot?

Yes I am afraid so Jerry, in fact, it's going to get a lot hotter.

Lookism

(Lookism) I swear I did not know that was an established term until after I almost finished writing this post. I was actually thinking of something to describe what I was thinking after I read the last few comments from my previous post, and the word looks-ism came into my mind. I googled it, and there before my very eyes, was the word Lookism featured in Wikipedia no less.

So anyway, I am reading a comment from "rikyrah" one of the great and insightful commenters who I am so glad contributes to this site, and the response to her comments from "ravenravings", another commenter who fits in the above category. (why these two people do not have their own blogs by now is beyond me) "rikyrah", while explaining the tragic death of a young man, mentioned his good looks and seemed to imply that because of his good looks "handsome young man" his death was even more tragic. This apparent misstatement was immediately noticed and checked by the next commenter, "ravenravings." I thought the response was interesting and incredibly insightful, so much so, that the word (looks-ism) popped into my head, and there it remains.

Now to be fair to "rikyrah", no one knows (at least I don't) what the young man she was referring to looks like. And beauty, as they say, is in the eyes of the beholder. (Insert your field and Lark Voorhies jokes here) Or at least that is what society would have us believe. So rikyrah's young man might not have fit other people's definition of what's beautiful. Still, it would appear, that in her eyes, because he was "handsome," that made his death even more tragic.

But is this rikyrahs' apparent problem or our societies? I dare say its the latter. rikyrah seemed to be basically reflecting in her comments,(damn I hate speaking for people) the thought process of most people in our society, and as many people are prone to do, she used that description to drive home a point about a particular tragedy. People tend to use these types of descriptions to explain how smart a victim was, or how pretty, or what a beautiful smile he or she had etc. As black folks this phenomenon becomes particularly problematic. Stop me if you haven't heard this one before: "She was really dark skinned BUT she was cute. He or she has really GOOD hair, he or she looks like an African, or he is really cute, cause he looks almost white.... and I could go on, but I will spare you.

So who is this beholder? Well when it's the entire society at large, how successful one becomes or how far they reach in the pursuit of their goals often depends on how they look. Studies have been done to show that "attractive" people have a greater likelihood of success than those society views as non attractive. As black people we are still struggling with what is the ideal standard of beauty for us. Living in America, we are slaves to the big advertising companies, and a media that projects an image to us of what beauty should be. Most of the time... no scratch that; all of the time, that image has to have European features as the dominant look to pass as beauty. And before we blame it all on America, as a child who grew up in 96% black Jamaica, I can tell you that the European rule applied there for years as well. So it would seem that many black folks have bought into this beauty myth, whether it's from the media projecting to us, or our own self hating issues and pathologies.

I don't think it was conscious, but somewhere along the line we bought into the European American perception of beauty. And I could live with this, if there was not certain forms of lookism associated with this that is manifesting itself in our society. When we think someone is smarter, or more worthy of our praise and attention (think Natalee Holloway) than that person deserves, then lookism is raising its ugly head. (No pun intended)

"Oh field you are such a hypocrite, this from someones who has spent the last few years of his life hunting Lark Voorhies. A woman who would seem to fit into this American perception of beauty herself."

Mmmmm,OK so maybe I need some checking too, -been living in America too long. Maybe I have sold out too much when it comes to my taste in beauty. Although to be fair, I not only find Lark Voorhies attractive, but I think Nia Long, Dawn Robinson, and Alek Wek are all attractive as well-although Alek could use a few pounds- Besides, my love for Lark goes way beyond beauty. I think she was such a great actress in*** "Head Of The Class,*** and......OK OK that's bull shit! I think she is hot! Hey, I didn't say I was perfect. But at least I am aware of it, and I am fully aware of the the whole lookism bias thing going on.

Hopefully one day in this great country of ours, people will be judged by the content of their character, and not the texture of their hair.

{Correction, that was **Saved By The Bell not Head Of The Class**

Thank you savingmokhsa :) I should have known better. }

Biggie And The White Boy

I am out of printing paper at home. I need lots and lots of printing paper for my side hustle what can I tell you. I run out at least once a month. I am heading to my whip in the parking lot of the Office Depot after stocking up, and there is some serious ass Biggie Smalls on someones car radio. )))))))a nigga never been as broke as me, I like that When I had two pair of Lees, besides that...((((((( I recognize the tune "Sky Is The Limit", damn that shit sounds good. So I look around as the music and the car gets closer, and I'll be damn if it isn't a white boy. The
young head is looking at me and head nodding, and for a brief moment we make eye contact while he waits for my acknowledgment of his bumping ass sound system. (He must have seen me rocking my head to that shit) But I can't acknowledge, I know the album he is playing, and I know some of the lyrics, and I am thinking; "what the f**k is he doing listening to this shit?"

But how stupid am I? Long after he is gone, along with the sound of biggie and the bumping ass base line, I am thinking about why I couldn't acknowledge my melanin challenged friend. I am stupid, because Biggie's albums have sold millions, and like other hit making rappers, most of his sales are made to white kids and not black kids from the inner city. And the truth is, I have heard white kids bumping rap from their cars before, and yes the "N" word was prominent in those lyrics too. I don't know, call it a post Imus consciousness, but the shit actually made me feel uncomfortable.

Still, I am not going to join the rap pile on crew. Truth be told, I love rap music, I have written about it on this blog before, long before Imus and his NHH comments. But lately I haven't been feeling most of the stuff coming from the ranks of the hip hop artist out here. ("Nas" might be right, maybe hip hop is dead).....well I take that back. When I hear Baby Huey from the "Lue" telling my ass to "pop lock and drop it" my old ass is up and locking. Yes I love that song so sue me. But I digress. So even though I can't pile on the rap artist, I have a dilemma. I keep asking myself if it's because I don't like the music coming from the artists these days? Is it the Imus thing? Or have I just become more sensitive and aware of the responsibility certain artists have to their community?

This is tough for me, because I pretty much believe that artist should be free to sing, write and perform whatever they want. If you don't like it, then turn it off. So I am not feeling this call for a ban on the "N" word. It just smacks of censorship to me. Do I wish that hip hop artists wouldn't go there? Of course I do. Hey, I don't want to feel uncomfortable when some young white kid gets a pass to say "nigger" to my face just because it's in a song. Or some ignorant ass old white man thinks he is being cute by trying to imitate shit from our culture.

So what do we do? Honestly, I am more of a beats than a lyrics guy myself.- Although I appreciate a nice flow as much as the next guy. I try to know as much about the producers behind these dudes as I do the rappers themselves. So if there is a bumping beat and the rapper sings "Mary Had A Little Lamp" I would probably still be feeling that shit. In my world, the lyrics that demean, and the "N" word is not necessary for a hit. But I am starting to suspect that some of these same white suburban kids that eat this stuff up now, would not be heading to the record stores after they get their allowance money if the lyrics were to change. I guarantee you, they probably wouldn't touch the cleaned up CD's with a ten foot pole. And that's the problem. We are depending on these kids to stop buying these CD's which would cause the record companies and the artists to change their marketing strategies or lose money. Well in my humble opinion, this will never happen.

When that kid was looking at me in the Office Depot parking lot he was saying; see I am one of you, I can bump this shit, because I know what's up. We are kindred spirits you and I. You the big bald headed black man, and me the young white kid in the sports car.

Well we are not kindred spirits, and if we did have something in common, it wasn't this. Yeah I love and respect "Big" for his contribution to the game, (Hell his mother is from the "Rock" for crying out loud!) just like you do. But don't get it twisted that is where our commonality ends. And not "Big", not "Pac", Not "U Roy", or any other rapper, will be able to bring us together over a f*****g song.

"Baby Daddy Drama"

People who are regular readers of this blog, know that I am pretty much a libertarian when it comes to social matters, and people's behavior in their bedrooms. As long as everyone involved is a consenting adult, I really could care less what you do in the privacy of your own home. Want to sleep with women, cool with me. Want to sleep with men, cool with me. Want to sleep with your pet rabbit or your German Shepard; I really don't give a f**k.

But having said that, I want to draw the line on certain forms of bedroom behavior and I am going to tell you why: Today I was having lunch with a colleague who happens to be a prosecutor in our local child support office here. And during lunch he was telling me about a plaintiff who was reading him the riot act in court, all because she didn't think the city was doing enough to get child support from her babies father. She was dropping the "F" bomb, and carrying on so much that she almost had to be arrested her damn self for disrupting the courtroom. So of course I asked the question that those of us in this business always ask each other. An unfortunate little inside joke that we all share among ourselves. "How many cases did the defendant have?" "Take a guess field." He was laughing, but not really, it was more like a; I have to laugh to keep from crying kind of laugh. "Ahhh three." "Try five. Yep, her baby daddy had five damn cases. All active, and he was not paying on any of them, and she was mad at me."

So back to that line I want to draw. And some of you are going to be mad at me for this; but I have to keep it 100% with you. As I said earlier, I have no problem with the private behavior of adults as long as it's consensual. That is, at least, until your damn behavior starts affecting me. See it's like this: When you go around having babies for mother f*****s who are not taking care of the children they already have, then it's a problem. When you meet a man who has three, four, or five kids with say three different women, and he is spending more time with you than with his damn kids; well then we have a problem. Because guess what; someone is going to have to take care of your children, because more often or not you are not going to have the means to do it by your lonesome. Unfortunately you are going to end up in court one day, begging some poor District Attorney to help you get the child support money that your baby daddy owes you.

And before we make this a gender battle, let me say right now for the record: As a man I am ashamed of some of these trifling ass brothers out here having multiple children with different women and not handling their responsibilities as fathers. But...(you knew that was coming) my question to the ladies is this: Do you have to give up the unprotected booty to these brothers? I mean seriously, if the mother f*****r is not taking care of the children he has with some other poor woman, what makes you think he is going to take care of yours? I mean what makes you any different than the last woman he tricked? Hey, I understand that sh** happens, and yes you are going to meet brothers who already have children with other women. After all, this is the real world we are talking about, and real sh**happens. But watch how he treats his children, even if he does not get along with their mother. If he is paying his child support to that other woman, or she does not have him in court because he is taking care of business, well then more than likely when the sh** hits the fan, please believe that he will pay you child support, or take care of your children as well.

So I draw the line with behavior that brings us (society) children who are not properly cared for. Sisters get your freak on all you want, but please be careful who you get your freak on with. If you think you can take care of your children all by yourself, and can provide for them both emotionally and financially, well then by all means have a hundred of those little crumb snatchers. But when things don't work out because you decided to hook up with some sweet talking loser. Please do not curse out your local District Attorney because you can't get your child support money. The poor schmuck is just doing his job. Just like your "baby daddy" should have been doing after he impregnated you.

"Oh Come All Ye Black Folk"

I would like to thank my sister for bringing this article to my attention.

The first time I learned about Tufts University I was a little kid who had no idea how prestigious the school was among academics. All I knew was that one of my favorite aunts was married to a guy who lectured there. Now that I am an adult, I am quite aware of Tufts, it's academic reputation, and it's stature among educators in this country.

Still, when I heard about the campus conservatives publishing a satirical jab at black folks in their newspaper, "The Primary Source", I was not surprised. The parody had words that said all black people are '"boisterous," and born in the ghetto.' One line said: "Oh Jesus we need you now to fill our racial quotas". But nothing about race surprises me anymore. Especially on college campuses. Oh yes, it seems that these days the more educated and younger the person is, the more insensitive he or she will tend to be on matters of race. So things are a little tough at Tufts right now, (damn I loved saying that) and black students have actually filed institutional charges alleging that the carol parody constituted "harassment and created a "hostile environment". The school has about 8,500 students of which about 7% is black. And everyone of those black students seem to be offended. So the school administration who prides itself on the free flow of debate and encouraging an open discourse on campus, is a bit embarrassed. "We write to express our outrage...no one should have to endure verbal attacks based on race" So says President Lawrence Bacow, who must feel like he is caught between a rock and a hard place right about now.

Well President Bacow, let me throw my two cents in this debate and try to help you out a bit.
Do not take any action against the campus conservatives! Let me repeat that: Do not take any action against them! To the black students on campus, my advise to you is this: Hit your books, focus on graduating, and forget about those white conservatives on campus who want your black asses gone. Nothing you do is going to change how they feel about you. (They are white republican conservatives for crying out loud!) In fact, you should be glad that they are publishing this type of ignorant shit, because at least you know where they stand. When are black folks going to learn? This is the reality you live in, just because folks hide their true feeling about your ass on a daily basis does not mean that racism and ignorance does not exist. Even at a fine institution like Tufts University. I feel for that black sophomore who said; "I think they crossed the line." Because I just bet that when she headed on up to Tufts with her 1,300 SAT score and straight A's from high school, she thought she would never have to confront racism again. Well as my man Borat would say": "Not!" This is America young lady, and in a way, you are getting a lesson in reality 101 right there on your campus. This is what one of your fellow sophomores of the white persuasion said: "I honestly don't believe that it was intended to be racist. Of course I could see why they (Black people) would be offended". See, he understands, and I bet lots of other white people do too.

So suck it up, move on and try to get your degree. When you do, enter the work force with a renewed sense of passion, and try and do everything in your power to help to uplift your family and your race.

Musings From My Barber's Chair.

It's Friday evening and I am in my barber's chair. I am listening to the barber shop chatter, enjoying the nice cool feel of shaving cream on my dome, and as is usually the case; my thoughts turn to a few things:

Like right now I am thinking about an excellent piece that was forwarded to me by Mario Ruiz over at the Hufington Post, about an article written by John Ridley. John found out first hand that the Republican "big tent" ain't so big after all.

And while thinking about John's article, my thoughts run to those ten white men who were on that stage last night, and how out of touched the Republican party seems to be with the rest of the country. Not for how they looked (although that gave me cause for pause)but for what they said.

I am thinking that the idiot who has been posting here lately with the web site satirising African American criminals, is probably some loser holed up in his mother's basement who can't get a date, and probably has a picture of his fist in his wallet.

I am thinking of Jared Roebuck over at Lies Before Breakfast and how he did the Afro Spear proud by getting some ink in the Washington Post.

I am thinking about that old Eddie Murphy joke (although there is nothing funny about this situation) when I hear that Barack Obama has to have secret service protection already. They won't talk about it, but apparently Obama has been receiving lots and lots of threats promising harm to him and his family. Now I am sure most of it is coming from the likes of my trailer park friends, but all it takes is one; so you can't be too careful.

I am thinking gas is over $3 a gallon again right in time for the summer. I wonder what excuse the oil companies will give for raising prices this time.

I am thinking about all the shit still happening in Darfur, and places like the Congo, and how black folks in this country are apathetic about their plight. Millions of people who look just like they do are being killed or driven into refugee camps. I mean do you really think that if kids were dying by the thousands in Australia and Norway white folks wouldn't move mountains to save them? The sad irony is, that some of the strongest people out here advocating for the poor people of Darfur are white, and most black folks are just sitting on their asses like it's all happening in a f*****g movie.

I am thinking about that madam down in D.C. with the little black book. How much do you want to bet that 80% of the people in her book, are God fearing conservative republicans.

I am thinking about my brother in law who is still f****d up after doing a tour in Iraq. The VA isn't really helping by keeping him hopped up on pills and sticking all kinds of pain killers in his face without even asking. And these mother f*****s over at the VA are getting bonuses while the troops are given the most shitty treatment one can imagine after they return home.

I am wondering; why is Karl Rove's crooked ass not in jail? And why haven't we heard anything more from Dick Cheney's so called friend who he shot in the face?

I am thinking George Tenet should just go away. You sat on your ass while the frat boy and his minions plotted this war. And now you want to talk about how misguided they were after you sign a 4 million dollar book deal? Well too late for over 3,200 poor young Americans. So please go f**k yourself!

I am looking at my dome and it looks pretty good. Thank you Mr. Barber, I will catch you next time.

Keep em coming!

It's a beautiful day here in "Killadelphia", (I love the Easy Coast in May) it's over the hump day, and there wasn't even a homicide in my fair city last night. So for awhile today, the field was feeling pretty good.

Then I get home, check my e-mail, and besides the fact that there was nothing from Lark, one of my trailer park fans sends me this. Now I don't know if it's because I am one of the few "angry black men" out here on the www talking shit every day. Or maybe it's the fact that I tend to call America on her bull shit whenever I see it, but I sure have allot of fans in the trailer parks-if you know what I mean.

Anyway, from time to time these fans send me e-mails and correspondence to let me know exactly how they feel about my black ass; not to mention the people who agree with my positions. But make no mistake folks, there are lots of web sites like the one I am linking here, and lots of people with some serious issues when it comes to race in America. Now some people might say that about me, but I have issues because of these other ignoramuses that I have to share this great country with. "But field they only send you nasty e-mails and treat you that way because you are a racist" No, I don't think so, in this case that chicken came before my egg. I am no racist, (I don't have that type of power. Now if I were in my native country of Jamaica f*****g with some white folks, then I could be considered a racist) but I will call a racist on his bull shit to the quickness. And trust me, there is plenty of calling to be done out here.

So since I know that they love reading my site, I would like to encourage my trailer park friends, and my friends with their sheets in the attic, to keep sending me e-mails and the hate mail. Frankly, it's nice to know that I am not wrong about you, and that you are going as strong as ever. I love being able to say: "I told you so".

In the end, this was a tough post for me, because I really struggled with whether to link this site (or sites) and send them traffic. But I think it's the right thing to do, because I like keeping it 100% with people who come to the fields, and it's important that you know what you are dealing with out here. So think of it as a little PSA from the field. My little way of keeping you informed and aware, in the home of the brave and the land of the free ;)