Anger in the house.

"So whenever that house Negro identified himself, he always identified himself in the same sense that his master identified himself. When his master said, "We have good food," the house Negro would say, "Yes, we have plenty of good food." "We" have plenty of good food. When the master said that "we have a fine home here," the house Negro said, "Yes, we have a fine home here." When the master would be sick, the house Negro identified himself so much with his master he'd say, "What's the matter boss, we sick?" His master's pain was his pain. And it hurt him more for his master to be sick than for him to be sick himself. When the house started burning down, that type of Negro would fight harder to put the master's house out than the master himself would." ~Malcolm X~

I was thinking of this portion of Malcolm X's famous speech (from where the name of this blog comes)  while reading an article sent to me by a friend today. (h/t Greg)

The article was written by a republican brother bemoaning the fact that republicans are not showing black republicans any love.

The more I read the more sorry I felt for the brother. Imagine viewing your entire self- worth and self-esteem through the lens of how others view you.

To be fair, there are brothers (and sisters) like this on the dumbocratic side as well. Their entire life is built around the politics of their party. Nothing comes before the party. Not community, not family, nothing. It's all about the party staying in power and getting whatever rewards those in power decide to throw their way.

But back to Raynard Jackson, because his rant is the most pathetic of all.

"I am fond of saying that many times Republicans try to do the right thing, but do it the wrong way. 

Branch Rickey, former president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, scoured the Negro Leagues in 1943 to find the best and brightest baseball players who he could sign to integrate baseball.  He wasn’t just looking for raw talent; he was also looking for the “right” person(s).

 

Jackie Robinson was not the only good ball player in the league back then; for sure he was definitely one of the elite.  But he also had the other skillsets that would allow him to endure the racist taunts he was about to encounter as the first Black to play professional baseball with white folks.

 

Rickey chose Robinson not only because of his skill, but also because of his personality which would allow him to keep his composure under the strain of hostility he was about to face.  Rickey constantly validated Robinson specifically and constantly discussed publically the need for diversity within baseball and ultimately America.

 

Where are the Branch Rickey’s of the Republican Party today?  There are none.  The last one was former N.F.L. quarterback and former congressman Jack Kemp who died in 2009.

 

I was plucked out of obscurity by the Bush family in St. Louis when I was fresh out of college from Oral Roberts University.  They had no prior relationship with me, but they, like Rickey, scoured Missouri politics to find the best person(s) with the right political background; but also with the right temperament to proudly represent the Bush family’s name as the then vice president was about to launch his presidential campaign in 1988.  According to them, “they had been following my career and noticing my work in the Republican Party in Missouri.” 

 

My work got me noticed, but my relationships got me opportunity.  I didn’t have to run to be a delegate to our party’s national convention, I was told I would be a delegate; and thus it was so.

 

My point is very simple, I grew up in a Republican Party when relationships mattered and the party took care of their own.  This is no longer the case.

 

Republicans today spend more time rewarding their enemies versus rewarding their friends. 

 

Why would Rand Paul have lunch with Al Sharpton last November in the Senate dining room?  By doing it in the Senate dining room, he meant for the media and other members of the U.S. Senate to see them together; thus validating Sharpton as someone to be sought out for private counsel.  I wonder why there is no account of Paul making a similar validation of a Black Republican with relevant party credentials.

 

Why would Jeb Bush meet with members of the Black Lives Matter group when he has never met with any relevant Black Republicans?  Are you kidding me?  When you have no Blacks in your inner circle you tend to make foolish decisions like this.

 

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is the most recent example of validating Black Democrats and ignoring Black Republicans.  She was in town last week to speak before the National Press Club.  I thought the section of her speech about her accomplishments as governor was very good; but the speech was horrible when she began to talk about race relations and the Black community.  I also found it to be very offensive." [Source]

 

My lord this Negro is sad. What does he think they owe him? Yes the Bushes hand picked him to be their Negro of the moment, but surely he understand that he ---and others like him---are not going to get a seat at that table.   

 

"I didn’t have to run to be a delegate to our party’s national convention, I was told I would be a delegate; and thus it was so."

 

Translated: I never had to work. I always had a place in the house.

 

The problem is, my misguided friend, your place in the house is just a room. You will never have a say in how the house should be run. Maybe it's time you tried to own your own. 

 

 

 

 

House Negroes with authority.

Do you remember when I told you that the house Negro with authority is just as dangerous as "Mr. Charlie"?




Well recently an example of that played itself out in Washington.




"Last week Washington, D.C., police were called to investigate a suspected burglary. The police stopped a black man in a wealthy neighborhood who was minding his business and began questioning him. He told police that he had no idea why he was being stopped but believed that he was being singled out. Police told the man to sit on the ground. Jody Westby, who happened to be working from home this day, saw the police harassing a man she knew, so she told her housekeeper to record the incident and walked outside to confront the police.


Westby, an attorney and CEO of Global Cyber Risk LLC, told police that the man was a friend of many people in the area. She asked police for the address that gave the call for the burglary. When the police responded, she informed them that they weren't on the right street or in the right neighborhood. She then helped the man sitting on the ground to his feet and told police, "Please leave our neighborhood." 

As police began to leave, Westby shouted toward them, 'Just because he's black doesn't mean he's here to rob a house. He works for us. He's been in this neighborhood for 30 years."' [Source]




Lord have mercy! It took Missy coming to that poor brother's rescue for him not to be thrown in jail, or worse, shot.


I keep telling y'all; take Dave Chapelle's advice and get you some white friends. It might save your life one day.




If you are a young black man you might really need to have a white road dog to run with. Remember, you are 21 times more likely to be shot to death by the police than everyone else, so this makes sense.




Personally, as a young man, I always had at least one white wingman in my circle of friends. And there were times when I looked like that one black dude in the commercials surrounded by white folks. The thing is, though, as I got older I had to stop. White dudes are just too wild for me. They party way too hard. But I digress. (Different post for a different time.)




Anyway, when you pick your white friends be careful, because not all white people have love for the Negro.




Take for instance this guy.


"A Chicago-area man was charged Saturday with stabbing a 79-year-old woman four times in the back and neck at a grocery store Friday because of her race, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.


The man, Pol Danilov, 26, was charged with attempted murder and committing a hate crime. He reportedly told police that he attacked the woman in Homewood, Ill., with a steak knife because she was black and an “easy target,” Cook County prosecutors said on Saturday, the Sun-Times writes. [Source]

The knife, with a five-inch blade, also punctured a lung of the victim, who is expected to make a full recovery, the paper writes."




Yep, it might not be a good idea to invite someone like Pol over to the family barbecue.




Poor Saul messed up; now that he has a police record he will no longer have his law enforcement career to fall back on.




*Second pic from Jezebel.com

This is getting ugly....

Oh lord! This intra- racial fighting is getting ugly. Now my man Cornel is calling out half of Rev. Inc. and declaring him to be a "house negro of the Barack Obama plantation." (Isn't it amazing how far just one diss can go? O, next time send that man an invitation to your party.)

"Public intellectual Cornel West tore into many of this week’s speeches surrounding the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech, accusing everyone from President Obama to Rev. Al Sharpton of “sanitizing” Dr. King’s vision.

“Brother Martin himself, I think, would’ve been turning over in his grave,” West said of the event. “[King would have wanted] people to talk about Wall Street criminality, he wants people to talk about war crimes, or drones dropping bombs on innocent people,” he asserted.

“Instead,” he lamented, “we saw the coronation of the bonafide house negro of the Barack Obama plantation, our dear brother Al Sharpton.” West went further declaring that Sharpton’s decline was “supported by [MSNBC analyst] Michael Dyson and others who’ve prostituted themselves in a very ugly and vicious way.”

West and Tavis Smiley both lamented that black leadership has become “so sold-out” so as not to have the courage to be a “bull in the china shop,” break rank, and talk about “racism, poverty, and militarism” at an otherwise “bought-out” event." [Source]

Now I understand some of frustration that Brother West is feeling. We do need to be talking more about things such as "racism, poverty, and militarism". But  what country does Cornel West believe that he is living in? Negroes getting upset because Barack Obama didn't get into the White House and go all Huey P. Newton are as crazy as the republicans who foam at the mouth over the sound of his name. Just what the hell did you expect?

Let me repeat this again: Barack Obama is a politician, and he happens to be a damn good one. Politicians know how to raise money, run the government, and push all the right buttons to make Americans feel like their country is the greatest in the history of the world. That's it. The fact that this president happens to be black should be celebrated for its imagery and what it can mean for the future aspirations of young black boys watching him, but that's about it.
It's not going to change how business is done in this country and who gets the spoils.

If you Negroes want things to change, stop depending on poli-trick-sters like Barack Obama and start grass roots efforts to change things in your own neighborhoods. Start organizing locally to try and better the lives of people around you. Change is not going to come from Washington; it's going to come from your homes.  

Again, I am not sure what some of you Negroes were expecting, but I have news for you; it's not going to get any better for your agenda when Barack Obama leaves and when the next presidents come after him. Americans don't want to talk about things like "racism" and "poverty", and when they do, it makes them very uncomfortable. Look what happened when this president tried to address the elephant in the room. "If I had a son he would look like Trayvon".

Anyway, Barack Obama does need to have real folks in his ears-- besides his wife Michelle--- from time to time. It's just that when Negroes like Tavis and Cornel do the criticizing, it comes off more like sour grapes than constructive criticism and speaking truth to power.

  

 

It's the 21st Century, but the house Negro is still here.

Happy Birthday Malcolm X.

"...If you're afraid of black nationalism, you're afraid of revolution. And if you love revolution, you love black nationalism.

To understand this, you have to go back to what [the] young brother here referred to as the house Negro and the field Negro -- back during slavery. There was two kinds of slaves. There was the house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negroes - they lived in the house with master, they dressed pretty good, they ate good 'cause they ate his food -- what he left. They lived in the attic or the basement, but still they lived near the master; and they loved their master more than the master loved himself. They would give their life to save the master's house quicker than the master would. The house Negro, if the master said, "We got a good house here," the house Negro would say, "Yeah, we got a good house here." Whenever the master said "we," he said "we." That's how you can tell a house Negro.

If the master's house caught on fire, the house Negro would fight harder to put the blaze out than the master would. If the master got sick, the house Negro would say, "What's the matter, boss, we sick?" We sick! He identified himself with his master more than his master identified with himself. And if you came to the house Negro and said, "Let's run away, let's escape, let's separate," the house Negro would look at you and say, "Man, you crazy. What you mean, separate? Where is there a better house than this? Where can I wear better clothes than this? Where can I eat better food than this?" That was that house Negro. In those days he was called a "house nigger." And that's what we call him today, because we've still got some house niggers running around here.

This modern house Negro loves his master. He wants to live near him. He'll pay three times as much as the house is worth just to live near his master, and then brag about "I'm the only Negro out here." "I'm the only one on my job." "I'm the only one in this school." You're nothing but a house Negro. And if someone comes to you right now and says, "Let's separate," you say the same thing that the house Negro said on the plantation. "What you mean, separate? From America? This good white man? Where you going to get a better job than you get here?" I mean, this is what you say. "I ain't left nothing in Africa," that's what you say. Why, you left your mind in Africa.

On that same plantation, there was the field Negro. The field Negro -- those were the masses. There were always more Negroes in the field than there was Negroes in the house. The Negro in the field caught hell. He ate leftovers. In the house they ate high up on the hog. The Negro in the field didn't get nothing but what was left of the insides of the hog. They call 'em "chitt'lings" nowadays. In those days they called them what they were: guts. That's what you were -- a gut-eater. And some of you all still gut-eaters.

*The field Negro was beaten from morning to night. He lived in a shack, in a hut; He wore old, castoff clothes. He hated his master. I say he hated his master. He was intelligent. That house Negro loved his master. But that field Negro -- remember, they were in the majority, and they hated the master. When the house caught on fire, he didn't try and put it out; that field Negro prayed for a wind, for a breeze. When the master got sick, the field Negro prayed that he'd die. If someone come [sic] to the field Negro and said, "Let's separate, let's run," he didn't say "Where we going?" He'd say, "Any place is better than here." You've got field Negroes in America today. I'm a field Negro. The masses are the field Negroes. When they see this man's house on fire, you don't hear these little Negroes talking about "our government is in trouble." They say, "The government is in trouble." Imagine a Negro: "Our government"! I even heard one say "our astronauts." They won't even let him near the plant -- and "our astronauts"! "Our Navy" -- that's a Negro that's out of his mind. That's a Negro that's out of his mind.

Just as the slavemaster of that day used Tom, the house Negro, to keep the field Negroes in check, the same old slavemaster today has Negroes who are nothing but modern Uncle Toms, 20th century Uncle Toms, to keep you and me in check, keep us under control, keep us passive and peaceful and nonviolent. That's Tom making you nonviolent. It's like when you go to the dentist, and the man's going to take your tooth. You're going to fight him when he starts pulling. So he squirts some stuff in your jaw called novocaine, to make you think they're not doing anything to you. So you sit there and 'cause you've got all of that novocaine in your jaw, you suffer peacefully. Blood running all down your jaw, and you don't know what's happening. 'Cause someone has taught you to suffer -- peacefully." [Listen] 

"We sick"? Yes, "we sick". Because, sadly, there are still a lot of house Negroes running around today.

"Tribal Intellectualism"?

I have been reading a lot of posts about the whole Field Negro House Negro dynamic of late, and I must say that most of them have been quite good. (Well, most of them. Some of them; not so much)I have weighed in on the subject before, but unfortunately my position on the subject is still a little misunderstood.

Recently I stumbled on another well written thought provoking article on the subject from my good friend, fellow yawdie, and co-founder of the Afrospear, Asabagna. He wrote it over two years ago over on the Afrospear blog, ( a must stop for all you blog surfers) and I am embarrassed to say that I just discovered it. I found "Asa's" article interesting because he touches on the House Negro Field Negro dynamic, as well as the North American black versus other blacks in the diaspora dichotomy that often exists among certain [so]called black folks.

Here is an excerpt:

Lately I have been doing a lot more reading of both books and blogs, than blogging myself. It’s like I’m going through an intellectual and spiritual growth spurt and I’ve been enjoying the time, reading and reflecting on what I’m taking in. At the same time, I have taken a self-imposed moratorium on watching or reading anything that is primarily about the U.S. presidential race… if I can help it! Even here in Canada, although we are going through a federal election ourselves, we get inundated with overwhelming election fodder from south of our border (see here). The coverage has gone from being ridiculous to lunacy… and it’s all become very “Jerry Springer-esque”!...

I read an interesting article by Jose Vilson entitled “The House Negro”, which along with some other stuff I’ve been reading, inspired this post. He asks what do we perceive and therefore define a “house negro” to be? I find this interesting because it’s certainly not clear to me if there is a universal definition or agreement within the Black community of what is a ”house negro”. Plus I am of the opinion that today, this whole idea of branding someone as a “house negro”, is primarily an African-American phenomenon that is used as a form of punishment… a “groupthink” control mechanism utilized mainly by (so-called) Black progressives to censure (so-called) Black conservatives. I call it: tribal intellectualism. I find that it is used primarily to discredit the beliefs, opinions and arguments, not by offering opposing arguments or engaging in a constructive debate, but by this very pointed personal attack. So instead of focusing on the debating the issues, you discredit them by calling into question their loyalty to the Black community. The term is also used to label particular African-Americans who have achieved a certain amount of financial and/or social success, as well as those who may have chosen to live, work, marry, speak, travel and engage in a lifestyle that is not considered “Black” or “Black-enough”…. whatever those concepts may represent to the name-caller… and therefore are seen as turning their backs on the Black community. They may also be referred to as an “Uncle Tom/Aunt Jemima”, “sell-out” or “acting white”.

One of the blogs I read frequently is The Field Negro and on the right margin he has a spot for the “House Negro Of The Day”. There are a variety of personalities… male, female, conservatives, liberals, democrats, republicans, politicians, sports figures, celebrities, and even some white folk, upon whom he has bestowed the designation. He explains why they receive the moniker for that moment and it’s usually for some behaviours, opinions or statements made, which he feels has a negative impact on the Black community. Most times I agree with him and I must also add that more often than not his choices and reasons cracks me up. The fundamental question though is what’s the perception The Field Negro wants his readers to have of the person whom he has labeled as a “house negro”… and more importantly what is the perception “we”… the reading audience… now have of that person… regardless whether we agree that they are a “house negro” or not?

An interesting twist I found regarding this issue was in a discussion I was following among Regular Brotha, Brotherpeacemaker, and The Black Sentinel. The discussion is a snapshot of a continual debate within the Black community between those who believe that some of our behaviours and/or choices is what is primarily holding us back, as opposed to those who believe it is primarily the actions of white society. The Black Sentinel surmised that those like Regular Brotha (like myself) who hold to the former position, are suffering from a psychological disorder: The Stockholm Syndrome! In effect, as she quotes: “The captives begin to identify with their captors. At least at first this is a defensive mechanism, based on the (often unconscious) idea that the captor will not hurt the captive if he is cooperative and even positively supportive. The captive seeks to win the favor of the captor in an almost childlike way.” Is this a blueprint for the classic House Negro!? Although this discussion spanned across 3 blogs… across a number of days, I will share one post of each of the participants which I found rather insightful: “Blacks Display Stockholm Syndrome” by The Black Sentinel; “Sentinel, I don’t want no trouble” by Regular Brotha; and “Wasting Keystrokes” by Brotherpeacemaker.

One of the issues which is often overlooked is that the Black community in North America is neither homogeneous in their beliefs, experiences, economic and/or social position… nor country of origin. There are many immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, South and Central America who may be “black” in skin tone, but have different (and a variety of) values, opinions, desires, motives and methods to achieve success, than those who are born on North American soil, especially in the USA. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled: “Black in a New Light” which argues that Barack Obama and his presidential candidacy has “sparked a debate about identity in the African-American community”. One of the sources the article quotes is a 2007 Pew Research survey which found that almost 40% of Blacks said the values of poor and middle-class Blacks have diverged so much that they can no longer be thought of as a single race. If we accept that all this is true, even a significant portion of it, what does it mean today to be “Black” and from this premise, who do we now define as a “house negro”?

The reason I say that this labeling someone “a house negro” is “primarily an African-American phenomenon” , is because growing up and living in Jamaica and Canada, visiting some African countries, as well as having discussions with my Canadian, Caribbean and African friends, we never use this term to refer to other Black people who have a particular belief or lifestyle. However, when I was living in Jamaica, we would refer to those in the middle or upper economic classes… those considered “establishment” Jamaicans… as “baldheads”… as opposed to “dreads”. This came from the idea that Rastafarians, who wore “dread”-locks were anti-establishment, non-conformists, cultural and political revolutionaries… while those who cut their hair… “baldheads”… did so to conform with the (neo)colonial standard of an acceptable Black person...." [Article]

Read the comments that follow the article as well, because they were also, for the most part, well thought out and insightful.

Finally, I would like to finish this post with some commentary:

Many of you are under the impression that I am as ignorant as the people I trash regularly for their racist ways on this blog. I am not. I am a racism chaser by default. It just so happens that the people who more often or not fall victims to racial bigotry are people of color.

Please don't ever think that I will check my humanity or sense of human dignity at the door because of someones race; their nationality; their sexual preference; or their religion. That's what bigots do. Field Negroes are not bigots. They are bigger than bigotry. The people who put them in fields know that, that's why they don't ever want them near the house.

The Slave Catcher.

I love blogging for quite a few reasons. It allows me to vent and share my personal views with like minded people, and even people who disagree with me. It allows me to meet and interact with all types of new and interesting people who I would not have otherwise had the pleasure of ever knowing or hearing from. And most of all, it allows me to stay on top of things thanks to the people who read my site, comment, and exchange their ideas and their thoughts with me and with each other.

Well tonight I was especially proud of my field family, because they hipped me to something (or someone) I might not have heard about were it not for them.

Here is the deal: Today at a McCain Palin rally, it appears that a gentleman of color, stood up and begged Mr. Morton to go after his O ness. Please please please he begged, "don't let them get away with this",or something to that effect. Here is the You Tube link. (Please read this post before you go to the link, because after you watch it you will be sick to your stomach, and you won't be able to come back to the site.) Now you all know that I have my regular house and field Negroes, and I like to honor the lawn jockeys among us from time to time, but, believe it or not, I don't like to just label fellow Negroes without knowing a little about them or their history.

But this latest brotha....this sick, self hating, demented brotha, really has me wondering. He has taken this shit to a whole other level. This is beyond house Negro behavior, this shit is slave catching, plain and simple. You see a house Negro simply stayed in the house with massa, and he liked the house and everything in it. He would do everything to stay in the house, and would protect the house at all cost because he had a stake in it. It was where he lived, and it was where he found comfort. He would never speak against massa like the field Negroes, because he didn't want to risk losing all of that. But, even worse than the house Negro, was the slave catcher. This was the Negro who searched hardest to find us when we ran away. It was the slave catcher who the master would give the whip to tear into us when we stepped out of line. It was the slave catcher who ran right behind the blood hounds and in front of the master, when he thought one of us was hiding in the woods. It was the slave catcher who always did the master's most barbarous and sadistic deeds that even the master would not do. The slave catcher hated us even more than the master did. Who knows why? Maybe some sick demented shit in his past, maybe some psychological sickness that prevented him from wanting to be a part of something he has no control over. Or, a sick desire to be accepted by only those who didn't look like he does. Only the slave catcher and his shrink knows for sure.

This brotha (I wish I knew his name), is a slave catcher. Not a house Negro, not a Tom, not an Oreo; none of that. That would be too simplistic and trivial. No, this shit was much deeper than that. This brotha was wallowing in self hatred. The more those kla....I mean republicans cheered around him, the wetter his pants got. And when Mr. Morton hugged him, I actually thought I saw the guy close his eyes as if he had just experienced one incredible orgasm. I don't know, maybe he did. (Gee I guess it's true what they say about you black guys, they didn't have anything like this at the Hanoi Hilton....let me stop) And did you see the look on the faces of those people? It's as if that one black guy had given them their penance for all of their vile racist thoughts and actions.

"Thank you slave catcher, thank you. If you are one of them and you hate them, why can't we?"

If someone gets this brothas *name could you please pass it on to me? I have a bet with Mrs. Field that he is a struggling actor and just wanted to get his 15 minutes by any means necessary. Honestly, if it's just a hustle, and Mr. Morton's camp paid the guy, I would respect him more. At least he would have gotten paid for selling out like some of the other race pimps in modern day A-merry-ca. But somehow I doubt it. The slave catcher doesn't need pay. Just catching those runaway slaves is payment enough.

[*Thanks to the folks who comment here (Thanks "J") I have this clowns name. James Harris huh? Now if I can just get a nice pic. ]

Fieldisms

"Field I think I would really like your blog if I understood what you were saying half the time. Like what the hell is WSZ?"

~~White colleague to the field~~

Okay, I understand that when it comes to writing, I am lazy, dyslexic, and selfish. And unless you are a regular to the fields, some of the words that I use can seem downright perplexing.

So in order to make my blog more readable to certain folks who visit the site, I have prepared a little list of fieldisms for you.

Let's start with WSZ-That would be a "white safety zone". I use this to refer to parts of Killadelphia that our city fathers really really want to keep crime free. This would be areas such as Center City, where all of our tourist tend to go. Another example of a WSZ would be Chestnut Hill, where there are some very expensive homes, and where some very important people live. Important meaning rich and white of course.

The frat boy-That would be our president. Because life seems to be one big party to him. While the world and our country goes to hell in a hand basket; all he does is grin and talk as if he is wasted all the time.

Mr. Morton-John McCain because he is always salty.

A-merry-ca-Is what I call this beautiful country we live in. I spell it that way because the pursuit of happiness and being happy is so important to us.

field Negro-Once again white folks, being a field Negro is not a bad thing to most critical thinking black people. Now of course some of us don't like that name; they would be known as house Negroes.

Patio Negro-A Negro who can't make up his mind if he is a house Negro or a field Negro. A Negro that can move between two worlds.

dumbocrat- A dumbocrat belongs to the party with the donkey in A-merry-ca's two party system.

rethuglican-A rethuglican belongs to that other political party; the one with the elephant.

The "O" man-That would be Barry Obama. This guy has achieved rock start status in A-merry-ca and is also *this* close to being the first black president of these divided states. "O" man just seems so rock star, and so popular culture. You know, kind of like K-Fed, or J-Lo.

Obamaholics-Just tune in to this site on any given day and you will see signs of these rabid devoted "O" man lovers. They have been injected with some kind of secret potion which has given them this laser like focus in getting the "O" man elected president. I know one thing, if he does win, he owes his presidency to them.

O-Aid-That's the secret potion that they give to the Obamaholics.

Mrs. Field-That would be the President and CEO of Field Inc.

Cousin-Black folks I know you already know this, but just hang with me while I explain it to my white friends. My cousin is every other black person in A-merry-ca. So if I say I went to a store full of my cousins....

12% rule-This is a little complicated. But I explained it in a post here.

Fam.-Again cousins, I know you know this one, but let me just explain it to the white folks. Fam. is short for family. And I usually use it to refer to one of my cousins that I like.

The bad perm lady has been retired-In the past I used it to refer to Condi Rice, (My current FNOTD) but after the Don Imus comments about the young ladies from Rutgers, I vowed never to refer to Secretary Rice that way again.

Fuzzy eyeball-This is an evil look or a hard stare.

That's just some of the fieldisms that I like to use. You will find that the regulars to the fields also bring their own unique words and expressions here as well. Pistolvania, and republi-klans comes to mind) I really can't help you with those. But I will say that they are usually pretty good.

**I want to thank James Collier over at Acting White blog for that illustration of the field. My man has some skills.

"Made In Texas" Sold By Fox News

"George W. Bush and his allies are in charge at the moment,even if they are not in control. But they represent a receding wave, not the wave of the future. The renaissance of Southern conservatism in American politics at the turn of the twenty-first century is an aberration. Protestant fundamentalists are a shrinking minority among Americans; and whites in Texas, although they dominate the electorate , are already a minority in a state where they are outnumbered by Latinos and blacks.

Trigger -happy, free- spending, Bible-thumping Southern conservatism of the kind symbolized by George W. Bush is doomed in the long run. The only question is how much damage it will do before its unregretted demise."

~Michael Lind~

While reading that quote from Michael Lind, which I found in his excellent book, "Made In Texas", I realized why I despise THE FAKE NEWS NETWORK and everything they stand for so much. It's because I can see that they have made a calculated effort to prey on the fears of Southern white Protestants and red state conservatives all over the country. And with their constant news coverage of the Muslim and Negro bogeymen, and their chicken littleesque screams of a coming World War III, their play on white Southern fears is clearly working. After all, what better way to put the fear of God into a good Southern white family that give them constant coverage of those Negroes committing crimes in the inner cities, or Muslim bogeymen getting ready to strap on bombs and head to the "Mall Of America".

So I watch as their hosts act as cheerleaders for the Bush administration, and their news remain constantly clouded by an extreme right wing bias. I am amazed when I listen or read other people who tell me that I should ignore Fox, because they are insignificant. "It's just entertainment" they say, "they are not important in the larger scheme of things". Well I say nothing could be farther from the truth. Fox News is dangerous, as is this administration that we currently find ourselves living under. And when working in unison they are more dangerous than a Joe Frazier combination. Together they have succeeded in pulling a ruse on all of us. Bush enacts the policies, and Fox sells it under the guise of giving us news. As the Guinness guys would say; BRILLIANT!

It has been a heck of a partnership, but like Mr. Lind says, it's coming to an end and starting to unravel. The FAKE NEWS NETWORK is starting to lose ratings points, and the frat boy's administration is in free fall. Looks like the American people are finally starting to see them for the lie rs that they are. I don't even blog about all their bull shit anymore, because, quite frankly, it's just too much. It's like shooting fish in a barrel with these guys.

"The failure of the nation to Americanize the South has made it possible for the South, under leaders like George W. Bush, to attempt to Southernize the United States.... Southern Conservatism has always hurt the South. Now thanks to the South's influence in Washington, Southern conservatism is hurting the United States and the world" ~Lind~

Mr Lind could have added that Fox is helping to promote that Southern influence, not only in Washington, but like the frat boy, in the entire country as well.

So listen up CBC, it's not too late.Tell the FAKE NEWS NETWORK that you cannot in good conscience participate in their phony ass debates; and give them back their checks. If they try to gag you by saying you breached a contractual agreement, tell them to go f**k themselves and sue you. Hey, if they do, solicit funds to pay for your legal defense. In fact, I have a check waiting right here to sign, just tell me who to make it out to.

Oh, before I end this post, I see where "straight talk" McCain visited Baghdad and declared that it was safe to walk some streets in Baghdad now. (yeah tell that to the Iraqis Mr. "straight talk") Why he even took a stroll in an open air market. Of course he had a few hundred of his closest military friends with hm; including snipers, assault helicopters watching his back, and a bullet proof vest to boot. Yeah, I guess under those conditions it would be pretty fu****g safe.

But anyway, since the good Senator is feeling like taking nice long walks in dangerous places, I would like him to take a walk with me in Southwest Philly one weekend night this summer. (Any weekend night, I will let him pick it) It will be great, we can get some Chinese take out, head to Woodland Avenue, and just bond with our peeps on the corner. How about it Senator? I think it's a win win for you. You could get yourself some black votes, and some white voters will vote for you because you will show them that you are a man of courage who is not afraid to go anywhere in your own country.

So do we have a deal? Hey, have your people call me I can make it happen.

Oh, but one thing, no military OK, just you, me, and maybe a few of your aids. I mean we wouldn't want all the people in the neighborhood to get nervous with all that military presence. Hell, they might get Frank Rizzo flashbacks. (which honestly, probably wouldn't be a bad thing) So do we still have a deal Senator? If we do holla at the field.

"I have been here many times over the years.... never have I been able to go out into the city as I have today"


Hopefully you will be able to say that after your trip to Philly Senator, but please don't forget to wear your bullet proof vest, you might need it.

You might be a field negro if.....

One question that often comes up among my acquaintances who know my handle when I blog is: "Field, how would I know if I am a field negro or a house negro? I mean I see you with this blog, and you seem to be inimical to the house Negroes, so how do I know where I stand?"

That's a fair question. And I previously gave some tips on this very blog on how to identify the house negro. So now, to be fair, I think it's time I gave some tips on how one would know whether he or she is a field negro or not as well.

So again, with my apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, here are just a few ways that you can tell if you are a field negro:

1. If you look at the suffering of people in places like Darfur, Angola, and Iraq, and you feel genuine pain for them, well then you might be a field negro.
2. If you would rather read a good history book (any history)than watch BET, then you might just be a field negro.
3. If you think the biggest threat facing America is from those among us who are ignorant, bigoted fear mongers, and not Muslim terrorist, then you just might be a field negro.
4. If you think all citizens of the world are equal whether they were born within our borders or not, then I sense a field negro.
5. If you have watched at least five Spike Lee joints in your life (any five even Crooklyn) then you might be a field negro.
6. If you are feeling Nia Long, Lisa Raye, and Dawn Robinson, but not Halle Barry,Tracy Bingham,or Naomi Campbell, then you just might get this field negro thing.
7. If you are feeling Don Cheadle,Denzel Washington, and Djimon Hounsou, but not Cuba Gooding, Terrence Howard, or Samuel L. Jackson, then start looking for your field negro card.
8. If you were hoping OJ's sorry ass would get off, but knew he was guilty, well you just might have this field negro thing down.
9. If you always exercise your right to vote, not because you trust politricksters, but because you know what those who came before you had to go through to give you that right, well then you just might be a field negro.
10. If you have read Noam Chomskey, Franz Fannon, or Chinua Achebe, then you might just be a field negro.
11. If you value where you live more than what you drive, well then you might be a field negro.
12. If you hold down more than one job just because you can, well congratulations, I think you just might be a field negro.
13. Speaking of jobs, if you are working and going to school, well then you might have this field negro thing pretty much wrapped up.
14. If you think the sybaritic excesses of America is way too much, well then my friend, I think you are a field negro.
15. If you don't trust anyone with an offering plate and a promise, well then you might just be a field negro.
16. If you always want to learn more no matter how much you have accomplished, well step right up, because you might be a field negro.
17. If you think Paris Hilton is a restaurant in France, good for you, you might be a field negro.
18. If you believe that America could not have been the industrial power it is without the blood sweat and tears of your ancestors, well then you might be a field negro.
19. If you don't prejudge things like music,clothes, and places, well then you might just be a field negro.
20. Rule #19 applies to people as well (unless of course it's a white male over 50 :))
21. If your "bling" consists of just a wedding ring, a watch or a chain that your dying momma gave you, well then you just might be a field negro.
22. If Negroes who white people love makes you nervous, (see Oprah, Barack, and Tiger) well then welcome to the fields.
23. If you have a criminal record because some white person called you nigger in the past, well then you might have anger issues, and could be a field negro.
24. If you understand that there are white folks out here who have more in common with you and all the above traits than some black folks, well then guess what; you just might be a field negro after all.

25. If you tuck your child(ren) into bed every night, well then you just might be a field negro.

26. If you think Malcolm was just as important to the civil rights struggle as Martin, well guess what,you might be a field negro.
27. Finally, if you read this blog at least three times a week, I am thinking that you are more than likely a field negro :)

OK, I gave you 27 things to kind of lead you in the right direction to field negrodom. Now if you still can't tell if you are a field negro with all that I gave you.... well, there is a lady named La Shawn with a blog you might like to read.

***Before, I go, I think the frat boy is visiting the folks in Alabama tomorrow. Must be nice, just one day after that tragic twister hit, he is going down to Bama to give them his moral support and his ahem ahem prayers. But are you thinking what I am thinking? Yeah I know; why the f**k didn't he visit the poor victims of Katrina a little F*****G sooner? "George Bush doesn't care about black people". Damn it Kanye you might be right!