Maybe the "times they are a changin".

Well, it seems like black folks aren't the only ones who are being profiled these days. If you are an aging rock legend it might help to always keep ID on you.

Now I am no Bob Dylan fan, other than "Blowin in the Wind", and The Times They Are a Changing", I couldn't tell you two of his songs. --And apparently he has had a few---. But I sure as hell know what he looks like, and if I saw him on the street and he told me that his name was Bob Dylan, then yeah, I would pretty much take his word for it.

I know Jersey can be like another planet sometimes, but do you mean to tell me that cops in Jersey shore towns don't know what Bob Dylan looks like? Wow!

And apparently Cambridge, Massachusetts isn't the only place with nosy neighbors. They are in Long Branch, New Jersey as well. Bob was checking out some shore digs (Are you sure that's all you were looking for Bob? Aren't you on tour with Willie Nelson?) and Ms. Kravtiz number two called the po po on him. "Sir, do you have any ID on you? Ahh, no officer, but I could sing a bar or two of Blowin in the Wind for you.... Now, to be fair, the poor officer was only 22 years old, so she can probably be excused for not recognizing the aging troubadour. Kids!

Still, this looks like a case of reverse profiling to me. Dylan was in the Latin part of town, and they say he "didn't fit in". Hey, I am trying to be consistent here. If I am going to get pissed when nosey neighbors profile a black man, why not call out nosey neighbors when they profile aging rockers? It just ain't right. And on the 40th anniversary of Woodstock to boot. Is nothing sacred in A-merry-ca anymore?

See field , this is how you act when the police approach you. Not like you black people and make national headlines out of the whole deal. The man took the police to his tour bus and showed proper ID. That's all. No "do you know who I am?" "Why are you profiling the black man?"None of that crap! This is how you act civil in A-merry-ca. You Negroes can be so angry all the time.

Of course, as it is with damn near everything these days, the loonies are calling this another example of a vast left wing plot. Yep, the wingnuts are saying that the main stream media intentionally buried this story right after the Gates incident because it was a case of the white man being profiled. I think that's a stretch, but I am sure the troops are buying it.

What a country. Can you imagine if Jimi Hendrix was still alive?

"I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing...."

Okay, true confessions: That E-Trade commercial with the two little guys in the pic is my absolute favorite. Maybe it appeals to my softer hope for A-merry-ca side. I think that's what all these advertisers are trying to do; appeal to our softer more inclusive side. Well damn it, I think it might have worked with me.

But not so fast; as with everything else in A-merry-ca, there just might be an agenda. I think those slick advertisers are just trying to appeal to my softer more inclusive side to get to my pocket book.

The following comes from AP writer,Todd Lewan:

"Ever see an inner-city schoolyard filled with white, Asian and black teens shooting hoops? Or middle-aged white and Latino men swigging beer and watching the Super Bowl on their black neighbor's couch? Or Asians and Latinos dancing the night away in a hip-hop club?
All it takes is a television.

Yes, that mesmerizing mass purveyor of aspiration, desire and self-awareness regularly airs commercials these days that show Americans of different races and ethnicities interacting in integrated schools, country clubs, workplaces and homes, bonded by their love of the products they consume.

Think about one of Pepsi's newest spots, "Refresh Anthem," which debuted during the Super Bowl. The ad, which features Bob Dylan and hip-hop producer will.i.am, is a collage of images from the '60s and today that celebrate generations past and present.
Whites and blacks are shown returning from war, surfing, skateboarding, dancing and waving American flags at political rallies, while a boyish Dylan and a present-day will.i.am take turns singing the Dylan classic, "Forever Young," each in his signature style.

Or, take the latest hit spot from E TRADE, which stars the E TRADE Baby, a 9-month-old white boy, and his newest buddy - a black infant who, from his own highchair, agrees with the wisdom of online investing even in a down economy. Ads like these are part of a subtle, yet increasingly visible strategy that marketers refer to as "visual diversity" - commercials that enable advertisers to connect with wider audiences while conveying a message that corporate America is not just "in touch," racially speaking, but inclusive.

It wasn't always like this. For much of the past century, 'minorities were either invisible in mainstream media, or handed negative roles that generally had them in a subservient position,' says Jerome Williams, a professor of advertising and African-American studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

'Today, you're starting to see a juxtaposition of blacks and whites together, doing the things people do ... Now, advertisers are not in a position of pushing social justice. But to the extent that they can put whites and blacks together in situations, I think that's a good thing.'"

More here.

It's nice to see that corporations are in touch, but will they give a brotha a job? I mean working on the field's heart strings is one thing, but would they put the field on their pay roll or *hire (thanks e-zmun, it was late) the field's firm to to do some legal work?

Hey, give me a job, put some money in my pocket, and then I might even buy my new white friend a drink.