THE ENCLAVE

Truth of the matter, Limitation of choices.

2011-07-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've written anything, so forgive me if this post is a little off point.

This article that was posted nearly two weeks ago sparked my interest for a few reasons.

For one, it seems to be a pretty blatant case of discrimination. One older gentleman (Caucasian) wearing nothing more than panties, high heel stilettos and black stockings was allowed to board an U.S. Air commercial filght. While a young man (African American) was booted from a U.S. Air filght six days later and then arrested for sagging his pajanma pants.

The second reason it sparked my interest is because it speaks to our values an American society. What one values dictates how he or she thinks thus determining how they will behave. For instance, one might say if the young man had different values, he would not have been arrested in the first place.

The final issue that attracted me to this story was perception. How we perceive what happens to us dictates how were going respond now and basically until we die. Although, for many individuals there is a huge difference between what we percieve happened and what actually did occur. There are times people percieve an insult when one did not actually happen.

In the mind of a twenty-year old man, I could see how this would be upsetting. You paid for your flight, showed up on time and were simply trying to get on the plane to go to a certain destination.

Many of the folk in blogosphere support the young man and state this is a racial issue. If nothing else, to many folk it definetly seems like a double standard.

Yet, since I'm assuming these were two different flight crews, maybe the flight crew that asked the young man to pull up his pants would have not allowed the older man to board either. We cannot really know unless these were the exact same flight crews.

Yet there is one question that I can't get out of mind, was it worth it?

The young man seems to have an interest an improving his life or he would not be in college, at least that is the assumption I'm going to make. With that said, how does getting arrested for sagging fit in with the goal of improving ones life?

I mean to get arrested, have a possible pending court case and the prospect of losing your college football scholarship, all because you would not pull up your pants?

Maybe the real question is should anybody be defending the young man at all? Is sagging, which seems to have orginated in prison culture, then transferred to hip-hop culture, something we really want to defend?

This case underscores two issues that we in the African American community must confront: our values and perception of issues.

Whether to allow someone to sag or not does not strike me as some form of injustice. Asking somebody to ride at the back of bus for a reason outside of his/her control or having Jim Crow laws are injustices. Wearing your pants at waist level is called decency and is value we should want all are children to aspire to.

If a child of mine commited a crime with another guy but my kid was the only one that got arrested, I'd be upset about the double standard.

But, I'd be more upset that my child committed a crime at all. If he/she had not committed the crime in the first place, he/she would not have to worry about any double standard.

The young man stated he was "embarrassed" by the whole ordeal. I'm sure he felt singled out and percieved that this had to do with something "other" than his panjama pants. The young man's response was to speak out/refuse to pull up his pants and resist arrest.

One value that is important in the African American culture (and any other culture that has dealt with mass oppression in some part of their history) is to speak out or rebel. If you think about it, if African Americans had never spoke out or rebeled, slavery probably would have lasted longer. With that said, for some African Americans (Human beings in general) it seems our perception might be a little skewed on when injustice is actually occuring.

In this case, had the young man thought in his mind that there are many people in society that find looking at a man's boxers kind of disgusting, he would have pulled up his pants, end of story. It's obvious the young took this situation to mean something else.

For some young men, sagging may be their expression of freedom. Freedom from the demands of others to act or live in a certain way. The one question young men that sag may want to ask themselves (or ourselves for that matter) is whether the freedom to rebel is actually freedom, or it's opposite? Isn't it really just a limitation of choices, the person must do the opposite of what is expected? Maybe as they (or we) become more aware , they (or we) can make a choice that represents real freedom, the freedom not to rebel but to do what they (or we) truly choose.

For this young man, it would have been pulling up his pants and boarding a plane back to New Mexico, so he can graduate from college and lead a productive life.

The Coming Storm/The Leaders

2010-09-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Judging from current polling data, in November 2010 Democrats will lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate as well. It seems that there will be a big Republican victory, thus seriously challenging President Barrack Obama's ability to put forth his administration's agenda during the rest of his first term in office. Tea Baggers/Fox News/Republican leadership have been effective in depicting the President as an anti American/socialist who's trying to take their country away from them.

Two of the Republicans main arguments have been the federal government should be limited in size and spending must be undertaken responsibly. These are not unreasonable requests and should civilly be debated among our elected officials to come to a reasonable compromise.

Yet, Republican leaders/Fox News/Tea Baggers have not stopped there. They have held up the Federal Government as if it's the enemy. Fear mongering techniques have been used to combat all of President Obama's initiatives from health care to wall street reform.

In fact, President Obama has been the target for much of the hysteria. Whether it be the President's place of a birth or his religion, the card of Mr. Obama being "different" from "Real Americans" has been played by Republican leaders/Tea Baggers/Fox News to the tilt.

Leaders such as Newt Gingrich, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, etc have shown little regard or respect for President Obama. These leaders continue to defend certain falsehoods about the President even while knowing them to be untrue.

One wonders how individuals who consider themselves stalwarts of "Family/Christian" values can make up such fabrications. Isn't lying breaking one of the basic tenets of Christianity? I mean, I didn't major in theology or go to seminary school but didn't Christ call us to love our enemies?

In a previous post, I discussed the followers of this Authoritarian right wing movement. Now, I will write about their leaders. Just as in that initial post, most of what I write is based off the book Conservatives without Conscience, written by John W. Dean who quotes much of the work done by psychologist and researcher Bob Altemeyer of the University of Manitoba. Bob Altemeyer researched and coined "right wing authoritarian" term. Although, Mr Altemeyer did not have scale or criteria for the men and women who lead RWA's. That's where researchers Felicia Pratto of the University of Connecticut and Jim Sidanius of the University of California, Los Angeles, who developed social dominance theory, and social dominance orientation scale come in. An individual who scores high a social dominance orientation scale, would be described as having personality that is sadistic and inhumane towards others.

Research results show social dominators believe equality is a pipe dream for suckers. Individuals who score high on the social dominance orientation scale tend to agree with the following statements, "Do you enjoy having the power to hurt people when they anger or disappoint you?" "If you have power in a situation you should use it however you have to, to get your way," and "I will do my best to destroy anyone who deliberately blocks my plans and goals." Needless to say, these social dominators seem to have no moral compass. Here are some additional statements dominators tend to agree with, "There really is no such thing as right and wrong; it all boils down to what you can get away with," and "basically, people are objects to be quietly and coolly manipulated for your own benefit." They disagree with statements like "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and never do anything unfair to someone else," and "since so many members of minority groups end up in our jails, we should take strong steps to make sure prejudice plays no role in their treatment by the legal system."

I'm sure that none of you will be surprised that authoritarian dominators are attracted to "status-inequality-enforcing occupations," like prosecuting attorney or a job in law enforcement, and that they are "over represented in positions of political power."

Quite frankly, these leaders seem to be narcissistic and just flat out inhumane. It might appear that I'm making a partisan attack against the right but these dominators describe themselves as "intimidating, unsympathetic, untrusting, untrustworthy, vengeful, manipulative, and amoral." These individuals know exactly what they're doing and don't care whom they hurt in the process.

What's more disturbing are the individuals who test high on both the Dominator (leader) scale and the RWA (follower) scale. These individuals are referred to by Mr. Altemeyer as "Double Highs." It may seem strange for an individual to score high on both scales, since it obviously would be a contradiction. Yet, Double Highs don't answer questions on the RWA scale as followers, they are making the assumption people are following them. To put it plainly, dominators answer questions as if people are doing they're bidding. Dominators always picture themselves in a world where they have control.

Double Highs tend to be Christian Fundamentalists but don't go to church for the love of Christ. They go to church for selfish motives. Mr. Altemeyer's research shows that Double highs agree with statements like, "The best reason for belonging to a church is to project a good image and have contact with some of the important people in your community." Double Highs attend church more than most folks and think of themselves as holier than thou but they have no problem lying, cheating or bullying. As the aforementioned statement suggests, Double Highs are amoral and thus church has know effect on their behavior. It does not bother their conscience because they don't have one to begin with.

Double Highs show their narrow mindedness by agreeing with the following statements "If it were possible, I'd rather have a job where I worked with people with the same religious views I have rather than with people with different views"; "all people may be entitled to their own religious beliefs, but I don't want to associate with people whose views are quite different from my own"; and "non-Christian religions have a lot of weird beliefs and pagan ways that Christians should avoid having any contact with."

While social dominators generally don't subscribe to a grand scheme or philosophy, Double Highs do. Mr. Altemeyer ran a simulation game called "Global Change" with fifty-five university students, whom all tested high for RWA and seven of whom tested high for Social Dominance (Double High) as well. During these two — session simulations, the Double Highs took control and disastrous results ensued. They made themselves wealthy unethically, participated in nuclear blackmail, destroyed the ozone layer and allowed billions of people to die of starvation.

Now I know it was just a game, but would you want these individuals leading your schools, military or better yet, your country? Double Highs are dangerous not only due to their selfish and narcissistic personalities but also because they lead people (RWA's) who are submissive, gullible and do not think for themselves. Mr. Altemeyer compares "Double Highs" to Hitler and to those who are "most likely to mobilize and lead extremist right wing movements in the United States."

Not to beat up on the right or anything but I'll be damned if this does not sound like their leaders. Sarah Palin continues to promote falsehoods like this, knowing full well it's incorrect. Yet, we are told by Palin's followers that she is the embodiment of christian virtue.

Or take an individual such as Newt Gingrich, who publicly promotes "Family/Christian" values but even close associates concede the man is amoral.

There are going to be some difficult days ahead but we as intelligent Americans must press forward demanding truth over fiction. We have a choice not to succumb to the nonsense and consistently present the facts the way they are. If we choose to remain silent now, then I fear our country will start to head down a bumpy and dangerous road.

Disgusting/ Selective Focus

2010-07-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

By now, we all must be familiar with Shirley Sherrod and her extraordinary story. What this woman has endured over the last seventy-two hours due to the manipulative behaviors of Andrew Breitbart and Fox News is amazing.

Shirley Sherrod's life is a testament to thinking outside box and using one's experiences to make them more compassionate and not bitter. Shirley Sherrod could have been hateful and angry but she made a different choice. This woman upheld the golden rule "due unto others as one would want done to themselves."

The same cannot be said about Andrew Breitbart and Fox News.

I know what many of you are thinking, "What about the NAACP and the White House?" "What about their contribution to this mess?"

I agree that the NAACP and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack did not do due diligence and acted in a defensive manner. I'm still stunned the NAACP condemned this woman for what she said on that 45 second edited clip that was posted on Andrew Breitbart's blog. Considering that they had the original recording due to the speech being done at their banquet! It's disturbing that no one in that organization thought to look at the tape in it's entirety before making a statement! Hell, nobody from the NAACP even contacted Shirley Sherrod before condemning her.

Yet, I also understand that hindsight is 20/20. It's easy for me to be critical now but under pressure most of us respond in a manner that we usually would not. I'm not giving them a pass, I'm just acknowledging that Benjamin Jealous/Tom Vilsack are human beings and mistakes can occur.

But then again, this is why organizations usually have a policy and procedure handbook that list exactly what should happen in certain situations.

Although, the true tyrants of this story are Andrew Breitbart and Fox news. If they had not tried to manipulate the public into believing Shirley Sherrod was a racist, none of this would have occurred.

It's obvious these tyrants suffer from perverted thinking/selective focus. Selective focus means you pick and choose certain parts of an event or situation and focus only on those parts. What you focus on may be something good or bad. If some facts don't support what you already believe, you block them out. You try to control the focus so you can justify your behavior.

To watch Andrew Breitbart and Fox news reminds me of trying to hold a conservation with an individual who is severely mentally ill and not taking their medications. There is no coherent rational thought to their logic.

Andrew Breitbart continues to claim the NAACP is racist and the crowd that Shirley Sherrod was speaking to were also "cheering" racist rhetoric. If you watch the video, you see this is a distortion made up in the sick mind of Breitbart. There was no cheering or applause, it was just another lie made up by a man who needs anti psychotic medication.

Bill O' Reilly's weak attempt at an apology last night only continues to prove that Fox news is not actual "news" at all. O' Reilly, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and everyone else at Fox news who was involved with this deception owe Shirley Sherrod a real apology. They can't use the excuse of blaming Breitbart for his lie because they should have checked their source. In journalism 101, I'm sure checking your source for accuracy is mentioned.

But then again, when has Fox news ever really been concerned about telling the truth.

What is the lesson learned from this matter? I think it's simple, truth is paramount. We should no longer side with people due to their political leanings, race, gender or sexual orientation. The only thing that matters about a person is the content of their character, "their truth."

Listening to Shirley Sherrod defend herself the last couple days, only a bigot could come away not being impressed by her. Shirley Sherrod is a counter to every stereotype thrown at black american women today. A brilliant example of "truth" personified.

What we see from Andrew Bretibart and Fox news is something all together different. Either due to mental health issues, fear, narcissism or combination of them all, we see individuals who seem incapable of "truth."

I guess the question becomes what "truth" will Americans listen to? The Shirley Sherrod's of the world or the Andrew Breitbart's/Fox news types?

Forgive me for not being too optimistic.

The Followers: Right -Wing Authoritarian/Tea bag movement.

2010-05-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

When I've watched some of the tea bagger rallies or listened to their leaders interviews, it's been hard for me to take them seriously. The hypocrisy and self righteousness of their behavior/statements is so easy to see, that I've sometimes wondered if they're joking. Yet, with each tea bagger victory in Republican primaries, I've come to realize their movement is not a joke. What concerns me is the direction a movement like the tea party will take this country. My belief is it not will not be pleasant for everyone who is non-white male or female.

It isn't to say that tea baggers don't have legitimate concerns. The national debt is at a record high. The prospect that this debt will passed on to future generations is an issue that should be debated.

As far as taxes are concerned, I'm sure none of us wants to pay more of them.

Although, this is where the hypocrisy of the tea party becomes obvious. I don't recall the tea party demanding less government spending under G. W. Bush's administration. Bush began fighting two wars an Afghanistan and Iraq, continued with the bush tax cuts for the wealthy but did not decrease spending and deregulated the banks/wall street. Basically, set the table for much of the chaos that has occurred over the last two years.

In fact, I don't remember the existence of the tea party during G. W. presidency. This is due to the fact that much of the tea party probably supported Bush. In fact, they've only seemed to come out of the woodworks since the election of President Barrack Obama.

Their dislike of President Obama and his policies has sometimes been unreasonable. It's one thing to oppose government activities that interfere with the market, it's quite another to call the man a socialist or compare him to Adolf Hitler.

Most rational individuals would agree that President Obama is doing nothing on the scale compared to an Authoritarian leader such as Hitler.

If anything, it's more likely Tea Baggers would elect and follow a man comparable to Hitler. What makes me say this is not a partisan attack on the right, it's a scientific fact with empirical data to back it up.

In the book Conservatives Without Conscience, author John W. Dean quotes much of the work done by social psychologist and researcher Bob Altemeyer of the University of Manitoba. Over the last thirty years, Mr. Altemeyer has researched and written books on the findings from his studies. He has coined the term "right wing authoritarians" for followers of authoritarian leaders.

Now I don't want to confuse anyone, but there is a bit of a difference between the way I'm using the word "Authoritarian" and the way a political scientist would. A political scientist would use the word "Authoritarian" to describe a form of government, while I'm using it to describe a personality. You can have an "Authoritarian" school teacher or pastor or whatever. Although, it's the belief of Mr. Altemeyer that the more "Authoritarian" personalities that exist an American politics, can move our country towards an "Authoritarian" form of government.

To get back to Mr. Altemeyer's findings, there are three main attributes that an individual must score high on in RWA(Right-Wing Authoritarian) scale to be considered Right-Wing Authoritarians. They are as follows: especially submissive to established authority, as showing "general aggressiveness" toward others when such behavior "is perceived to be sanctioned" by established authorities and as highly compliant with "social conventions" endorsed by society and established authorities.

Submissive to Authority means they accept without question the statements and actions of their leaders. These just can't be any leaders though, RWA's believe in good presidents and bad presidents or good judges and bad judges. Their decision to submit is dependent on whether certain leaders views are compatible with their own. If they are, RWA's will not question their leader what so ever.

Aggressive support of Authority means a willingness to support their leaders and even partake in aggressive acts to a sanctioned group. This could mean physical, social, financial or psychological harm brought towards certain enemies (think torture in the G. W. Bush administration). Mr. Altemeyer research states RWA's are able to do this due to being fearful and completely self righteous, which frees their aggressive impulses.

Conventionality simply means RWA's accept and follow tradition absolutely. They tend to be religious fundamentalist with no flexibility on issues. There is no gray area or in between for them, just right and wrong. They believe in the traditional family structure with the man being the bread winner and the woman as the "subservient homemaker" wife. Again these are not negative characteristics, but data from research of accepted views held by RWA's.

Here's a few more attributes:

They travel in tight circles of like minded people.
They're thinking is more likely based on what authorities have told them rather than on their own critical judgment, which results in the beliefs being filled with inconsistencies.
They harbor numerous double standards and hypocrisies.
They are hostile toward so many minorities they seem to be equal — opportunity bigots, yet they are generally unaware of their prejudices.
They see the world as a dangerous place, with society teetering on the brink of self-destruction from evil and violence, and when their fear conflates with their self-righteousness, they appoint themselves guardians of public morality, or God's Designated Hitters.
They think of themselves as far more moral and upstanding than others-a self-deception aided by their religiosity (many are "born again") and their ability to "evaporate guilt" (such as by going to confession).

Not to bash the tea baggers, but these characteristics seem to define them perfectly. They are able to rally against President Obama's government spending policies but were non existent during G. W. Bush era's spending policies. They are able to be christian fundamentalists and at the same time call for the assassination of world leaders (Pat Robertson), even thought the ten commandments states "thou shalt not kill." They wave signs calling President Obama a socialist, marxist, nazi and witch-doctor, yet seem to be unaware of the bigotry of their statements.

RWA's are dangerous due to their uncompromising and absolute views. In a democracy, were allowed to have different opinions, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is guaranteed to all Americans. It seems the RWA's or tea baggers want to restrict freedoms for only a certain group of people. Tea Party candidate Rand Paul's statements about the civil rights act of 1964 only confirms this viewpoint.

We must be vigilant in these difficult times. Ignoring groups will not make them go away, on the contrary they will more than likely continue to grow. It's only through continued promotion of truth that some of these RWA's blinders may be knocked off. If we do nothing, I'm fearful of what form our government may take in the coming years.

What you think about the material presented in this post? Is it fair or unfair to the Tea Baggers?

Myth of Manhood: Chapter Five, Final Chapter, No need for a Big Ego!

2010-05-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I enjoy watching the NBA. I grew up watching basketball and still love catching an entertaining game on TV every now and then.

Over the last fifteen years there has been an influx of foreign born players in the NBA. One of the more obvious observations that even a novice sports fan could make is that, foreign born players tend to be more fundamentally sound than their American counterparts. The foreigners are generally better in a few major ways: they usually can dribble and shoot with either hand, they also can shoot pretty well from the three point and free throw lines. This discrepancy in fundamental skill level is even more pronounced in the "Big Men." American big men are taught to play close to the rim with their back toward the basket. They generally have one or two offensive moves that they rely upon. The foreign born bigs (especially the Europeans) have the ability to shoot from longer range. They also have all the aforementioned abilities of foreign players, while American bigs for most part do not. This has led to the American men's basketball team losing some key games an international competition in the last ten years (Think 2002 and 2006 world championship teams or 2004 olympic games Athens, Greece). Although, the American men's basketball team won the gold medal in the 2008 olympic games in China. Even in that game though, they were pushed to the limit by Spain.

Well, I wrote all of that with this being the point, the improvement of foreign basketball players is something American coaches and NBA executives have been aware of for years. Yet, American basketball players have not shifted towards a higher fundamental skill level over the last fifteen years. It does not seem like American coaches have started to emphasize more of this "European team" style of play.

The question then becomes, what would make a person refuse to do something that would actually improve their performance and make them more competitive? In this instance, I think ego gets in the way of common sense.

Many of us men have difficulty conceding when we've done something wrong. It's easier to criticize whatever external force that is bring about the conflict. Take for instance, your boss critiques work that you recently completed and you just blow it off. "The boss is a**hole" is what you tell yourself, never thinking that maybe they were correct in their analysis of your work. Or maybe your significant other asks for more help around the house and your response is, "I do enough already, you do it." Even though most researchers in domestic issues would tell you that women generally do the majority of the work around the house.

It's not to say that believing in your ability is a bad thing. Gaining confidence from past success is a healthy way human's progress and try new activities.

I'm also not saying there are not tyrannical bosses out there. There's plenty of supervisors who think they know everything and behave like a jacka%%. When your boss accuses you of doing something wrong, when they're the one who trained you to do it that particular way, it's completely justified to dismiss them as jacka$$$$.

Yet, when an individual claims never to be wrong and refuses any feedback to the contrary, then there is a serious problem. Common sense should dictate that none us knows everything. Therefore, at some point in our lives, whether it be personal or professional, we will be wrong about something. Except for the egomaniacs, of course. Egomaniacs' never get anything wrong because they only see things from their narrow perspective. It's all about them, their wants, needs and desires, to hell with anyone else.

How could one go through life never considering their wrong but by discarding anything that doesn't go along with what they already believe. They fail to consider just because you've worked on something or believed in a cause for a long time, doesn't necessarily mean it's correct!

In one key way, being an egomaniac or depressed individual are similar: they both refuse to allow feedback from others into their mind. A very depressed individual only sees the glum in their particular circumstance, not all the other possibilities or meanings of a certain life event. In that same vain, egomaniacs don't allow other information in as well, their too smart or too good to be wrong.

The choice for all of us is simply, we can be humble in the face of failure or simply deny its existence. If one chooses the latter, just like the 2004 American men's basketball team, you won't becoming home with the gold. There's an old saying, one has a right to their own opinion but not their own facts. Face facts now ladies and gentleman, before it's too late!

Myth of Manhood: Chapter Four, Name dropping is unecessary

2010-02-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

As a young kid I wanted a "starter" jacket. These jackets were popular back in the late eighties and early nineties. The jackets featured NFL teams and were high status symbols with the youth. If I remember correctly, they were priced in the $100 — $150 range. I remember kids were getting killed for these jackets back in the day, which is really insane when one gives serious thought to this subject.

Well, I eventually got one of those jackets. Looking back on it now, the person who bought me that jacket wasted their money. I say that because as I remember it, the jacket did not keep me particularly warm. I'd had better insulated jackets over the years and I'm willing to bet their price was below $150. But my young impressionable mind was displaying an American value that our culture permeates: materialism.

There are situations when buying a name brand merchandise makes sense. When the product is associated with quality, you pay more because it's going to last longer. Thus, saving you money in the long term.

Yet, our culture promotes the idea of buying items not for quality but to symbolize prestige. Individuals in our culture purchase jewelry, name brand clothes and cars to show people that they're affluent. The only problem is the majority of the time they're not affluent, just fronting like they are.

In fact many people go into debt trying to show they're wealthy! This "name dropping" is related to "Prices others have paid." These myths fuel one another and are similar to a domino effect. Many of us are busy looking at our neighbor's, co-workers, relatives and trying to keep up/compete with them. We want they have because we're just as important as them or maybe even better than them. If they can have it, why can't I?

The answer to the question is simply, because we usually can't afford it. Although, this does not stop people from either spending their hard earned cash, borrowing money they don't have or putting their life at risk for items (cars, clothes etc) that quickly depreciate in value.

I remember watching a comedian joke about mid-to late 90's rappers. He stated these rappers were bad PR for black men. They had the nice cars, pretty girls but were still unhappy in their videos. This astute observation made by the jokester sheds light on what statistics show us about materialistic people: they are generally unhappy. On average, materialistic people tend to be more depressed than regular folk in the population. They usually drink too much and use illicit substances. Even for folk who just yearn to have more money suffer worse mental health.

The reason is it's hard to stay in front for long when it comes to materialism. Think of how fast trends change in this society. Now imagine how much it would cost to always have the new hot item. The only way an individual can keep up is to be extremely wealthy. Statistics show the majority of Americans are no where near extremely wealthy.

For many black men who believe in the ideal of materialism, it is believed vacant esteem is the cause. Dr. Joy Degruy Leary, author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome defines vacant esteem as: "the state of believing oneself to have little or no worth, exacerbated by the group and societal pronouncement of inferiority." Dr. Leary went on to say, "People who believe themselves to have little worth, little power, little self efficacy, will often do whatever they can do to don the trappings of power, even if it means acting out the demeaning roles society considers appropriate for them."

Whether the case be vacant esteem, narcissism or whatever, we as group of men must take in honest look in the mirror. We need to ask and answer the difficult questions: Are we builders or destroyers? Do we make our communities stronger or weaker? Can we be counted on to do as we say? Are people better off for knowing us or not? The answers to these questions are better indicators of value or self worth than material possessions.

People can change. African Americans fight for equality since our arrival in North America is proof of our ability to change circumstances through will and perseverance. The catch is the agent of change always resides within each individual.

The question for us men is do we want to change or continue "name-dropping" till we die? Our survival as a group of men may be determined by our answer.

Myth of Manhood: Chapter Three, Letting go of Anger and letting other emotions in

2010-01-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

For many of us men, showing our emotions is a no — no. This is the way many of us were socialized as children. For men to show any emotion is generally a sign of weakness. Although, there is one exception to this rule and that would be the emotion called anger. Society tends to allow men to express anger openly. Instead of admitting to being fearful, hurt, lonely or embarrassed and feeling those emotions, many men allow themselves to become angry. Many psychologist theorize that this is why most violence in society is perpetrated by men. Some men become physical or violent when feeling these emotions because they believe this is their best available option. I think we all can agree that this can become dangerous if men believe violence is they're only alternative.

Now, I'm not saying every man in society falls into this category. There are plenty of men who are comfortable in their own skin and have no problem expressing themselves appropriately.

Nor am I saying that there's never a good time to be angry. Allowing ourselves to be angry when it's justified is a very human thing. I think Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman or Malcolm X all exhibited that justified anger. When our rights as human beings are being ignored, I think any one of us would blow our stacks and there's nothing wrong with that.

Yet, there are other times where anger is unjustified and counter productive. I've talked to men who have admitted to becoming so angry that they didn't care what happened to them next. Usually, they were feeling another emotion, such as being hurt or embarrassed but those feelings quickly manifested themselves into anger. Our IQ drops when were angry, so we're no longer thinking rationale. This fact can lead to behaving in a manner that many will regret at a later time and date.

When I think back to last year, no one exemplified this topic more than Chris Brown. Although, none of us know exactly all the events that led to his attack on Rihanna, we can all agree Mr. Brown over reacted. When Rihanna did her interview on ABC, she mentioned there was nothing in Chris Brown's eyes during the attack. Mr. Brown was so enraged he didn't care anymore what happened next. My question is why? What would make him that angry?

Truth's theory for this situation is simple, Chris Brown got caught. Rihanna stated Brown received a text message from an ex-girlfriend. Rihanna questioned him about it and would not let it go. Mr. Brown was either embarrassed, guilty, hurt or all of the above for getting caught cheating. He probably also felt a woman should not question him in that manner. He's a man and sleeping with as many women as possible is his birthright.

Chris Brown's reaction brought about disastrous consequences for himself. His story is a cautionary tale of what happens when we don't confront the myths of manhood: self destruction.

The reality is we men must confront what we learned growing up about manhood. If some of what we learned is helpful and doesn't infringe on another human beings natural rights, than we should keep it. If what we learned is maladaptive and harmful to ourselves or others, than we must let it go.

We must divorce ourselves from the notion of being emotionless robots. We do feel fear and hurt, confronting these feelings is healthier than masking them.

We must admit that sleeping with as many women as possible doesn't make you more of a man. Their have been plenty of serial killers, child molesters, rapists and other disgusting folk who were good at getting laid. Needless to say, this does not compensate for all the hell they caused peoples lives. Bottom line, there are some real f**kers out there who are good in bed but terrible men. There are better values for us men to focus on than this myth.

We also must be willing to seek equality in our personal and professional relationships. Trying to dominant and be controlling all the time has got to be an exhausting task. Accepting women as our equals and sharing control instead of always trying to be in control will lead to beneficial relationships. Relationships that benefit both parties equally and not disproportionately affecting one person or the other. Basically, do unto others as one would want done to themselves.

We must learn to communicate appropriately with peers and our significant others. To shut down and display no interpersonal skills is going to be counter productive to any relationship. Many men complain women want a man to be "strong" and "tough." Therefore, they have to keep a 24/7 facade of invincibility.

I don't doubt that there are some women who believe in this ideal of men. But, I also know all women do not share this belief. There are too many divorces in this country due to women complaining their husbands don't talk/share their feelings with them. To make a long story short, this is what dating is for. You find out whether your values match with the person your with. If a woman demands you be a 24/7 superhero and you're not, than it's probably a good idea to cut your losses and bounce. It will save you from the drama in the long run.

This is a little off topic, but I remember sometime ago being in counseling session with a former pimp. While discussing a similar topic, he sarcastically quipped "how should we treat women?" Part of me wanted to tell this individual "you should not even open up your mouth." "Your ideology is part of the reason most Black children don't grow up with both parents in the same household." "Your way has brought about nothing but destruction." "Besides, with your prison record, your in no position to have an opinion on being a productive man."

Thankfully, I controlled my anger and simply rolled with resistance.

Ultimately, as men we have similar choices. We can give into anger and fall in line with what society says about how men should behave. Or we can roll with resistance and forge a healthier more balanced value set of manhood. For the sake of the next generation of black boys, I hope we choose the latter.

When schemas/stereotypes dont' fit anymore

2009-12-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

I'll take a break from the "Myth of Manhood" series and focus on a serious and very important news story: Tiger Woods. Now I won't pile on and make fun of Mr. Woods. He's been getting slammed throughly in the media and blogosphere. That's not to say Mr. Woods doesn't deserve what he's been receiving, it just would be redundant at this point to continue on making jokes about him.

Besides, no one knows exactly what happened and how it all transpired. What we do know is the media has gotten hold of salacious story and they will not be letting up anytime soon.

Although, I'll be the first to admit I'm a bit of hypocrite with this one. Considering all the other far more important stories in the news right now, I to am focusing on a celebrities' relationship that I'll more than likely never meet. The War in Afghanistan, Iran's defiance or the backlash against all felons from Arkansas on parole not being allowed to move to Washington State anymore probably deserve to be written about more than Mr. Woods. But, like I said I'm a hypocrite on this one.

This story has peaked my interest for many different salient reasons, too many to list. The one I'm focusing on is the expectations society has of women. Specifically, our schemas/stereotypes of how women from different races are supposed to behave. Particularly, the idea that white women are easier to deal with in relationships.

For many of the Brothers who I know have dated or married white women, they were genuinely in love with them. Yet, there are quite a few I have run into over the years who were with white women for dubious reasons. Such as the all too familiar "White Women are easier to deal with" or "you can get away with more with White Women." We probably all are aware of the stereotypical comments that some Brothers (society in general) make regarding differences in behavior among Black and White women.

Let me be clear, I'm not insinuating Mr. Woods is one of those men. I have no clue what Tiger Wood's feels internally or what his motivations were for marrying Elin Nordegren.

Yet, many people close to me have joked Elin Nordegren went "sista girl" on Tiger's Woods with a golf club. Basically, this isn't the expectation one would expect of a woman who looks like Mrs. Nordegren.

My question is "Why not?"

I think its safe to say Mrs. Nordegren reaction was a very human response to being betrayed by someone you love. It's not genetically programmed to one race or the other, it just is what it is. Granted, not every woman grabs a golf club and starts swinging for the dude's head (If that is indeed what occurred) after they caught them cheating. But, I'm willing to bet most felt a similar initial type of rage.

Maybe this national incident will normalize this human reaction and thus eliminating "the angry black woman" myth. As Mrs. Nordegren has so eloquently showed the world, Black women aren't the only ones who "snap" when they've been betrayed.

Thanks Field! Part II

2009-12-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

To all the Field's readers, thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog. I plan on posting something new in the next day or two, so your more than welcome to continue to check me out and leave comments if you so choose.

Thanks to the Field again for honoring "The Enclave" with "Blog I'm Feeling" shout-out. I appreciate the continued support.

Peace

Myth of Manhood: Chapter Two, Doing what needs to be done, at the time it needs to be done.

2009-11-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Would you say that you're a responsible person?

For the most part, I would say I'm a responsible guy. The people closest to me would more than likely agree that I'm someone they can depend upon.

Yet, there are times when I fall short of the glory. This usually revolves around tasks I'm not completely confident I can complete. Instead of confronting this issue and dealing with it immediately, I'll put it off for another day. More often than not, that another day leads to another week. Eventually, that week leads to a month and sometimes it ends being a year before I actually get around to completing the task. I don't think I'm alone when it comes to procrastination, its pretty common thing folk do every now and then.

The funny thing is how I continue to convince myself that this being common makes it acceptable. The excuses that I make up have become consistent mantra's when I come across an issue I don't particularly want to deal with. I'm not saying there's no validity to them but then again, I certainly find time for things I want to accomplish.

Truth be told, excuses can become our way of life. It easily can lead to disastrous results if we're not honest with ourselves and willing to confront the obvious.

This lack of will to do something when it needs to be done comes to mind in the Cleveland serial killers case, Anthony Sowell. There were multiple failures by the police in particular and on lesser scale the east-side Cleveland community where Sowell lived. There was a failure to do what needed to be done at the moment it needed to be done. Due to that dereliction of duty in this instance, eleven women were murdered.

The Cleveland Police force bare the burnt of this horrific story. Click here to read about their alleged foolish surrounding this case. It seems to me that the Cleveland police force need to work on recognizing what a mentally ill /sociopaths' behavior looks like. Now I know individual rights in this country are very important. I also realize it's hard get someone committed to be a ward of state unless their deemed a danger to themselves or someone else. Yet, this individual was a registered sex offender whom police had regular contact with.

One has to wonder what the police who visited Sowell thought that smell could be. If this smell came from a house in a suburban Cleveland neighborhood, there's no doubt in my mind someone would have tried to find its source much sooner. One part of me wants to give the cops the benefit of the doubt and just say they were incompetent surrounding they're handling of this case. The pessimistic side of me says this particularly neighborhood was not important to the boys in blue or society in general. In their mind, this was a neighborhood of inferiors so why waste time searching for the cause of this odor. If the neighbors can live with it then so be it, must have been their logic on this issue.

The neighbors were not quiet about the odor problem around Sowell's house. They complained to police about the smell. Yet, they failed to get a sufficient response. What's disappointing is that no else in this community demanded a resolution. I know what many of you are thinking, the residents did inform police about the retched smell. They did their part, it was the police who choose to neglect their duties. That definitely is true. But this smell was around for years and nobody demanded closure. Again, folk will say, this is a part of black emotional pain. Police have not always had black folks well being as a priority. We expect to be treated unfairly therefore those residents were just rolling with the punches.

I'll agree with those of you who share those thoughts but you'll also have to concede that they're also excuses. Excuses that led to a habit. A habit which in turn led to a way of life. A way of life that allowed a predator to kill eleven women, without anyone seeming to notice. This only happens when we live in the "stop snitching" code. Or the mind your business, it's not my problem mode. When we have a world of excuses and are only concerned about our own well being, then extreme things like this can occur.

This case is indictment on our society, our communities and our country. A country of individuals who care about nothing but things that involve their own self interest. Think about it, if someone (police or residents) decided I'm going to find the source of this smell a year or two ago, there may be five or six women alive today.

But that's not what happened.

The point of this story is we must have the courage to be cognizant of our problems. We must ask ourselves the difficult questions.

Why are we putting these issues off? Can we afford to put it off any longer? Who are we affecting besides ourselves with inaction?

Anthony Sowell is a mentally ill/sociopath who deserves the maximum punishment under the law. Yet, the only reason he was able to kill for so long was due to the ineptitude of the police and the east- side Cleveland community where he resided.

The choice is simply for Black men and society in general. We can continue to be a community of me first, self serving people or take steps toward building healthy communities by confronting our own bullshit.

The Anthony Sowell's of world will continue to exist. The question is will we have strong communities who catch individuals like him early on or communities were they can thrive?

The choice is ours to make.

100 posts and counting!

2009-11-21T08:07:00.000-08:00

Truth made it to 100 posts!

Thanks to everyone who's been hanging in there with me over the past couple of years. Especially since I've had a couple lengthy periods of inactivity.

It's humbling to know that some of you actually find what I write interesting enough to follow "The Enclave" consistently. All I can say is thank you!

May peace be with you all.

Myth of Manhood: Chapter One, Price Others Have Paid

2009-11-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

I would ask those of you that are reading this to think back to 1998 for a minute. What was life like for you at that time? Where were you working? Who were you dating/spending time with? What music were you listening to?

I will not bore you with all the details of my life at that time. The only thing Truth will say is it was not a happy period in my life. With that said, Hip-Hop/Rap music was all that I listened to for the most part. Two artist I was a big fan of were DMX and Big Pun. I thought (along with many others) that these men were talented. To go along with that, I believed at the time they had an ideal lifestyle. Looking at the images that were displayed in their videos and admiration they got from the opposite sex, it seemed to me these guys had it all.

Okay, maybe these two didn't appear to have it all on second thought. I mean Big Pun weighed close to 700 pounds and DMX seemed like he was just a tab bit off his rocker. Yet, they were still extremely popular at the time.

Looking back on it now, I certainly thought they had a better life than me. The money, the women (although both were married at the time, it didn't seem to stop DMX from messing around with other ladies),the cars , etc. They had everything a man could want.

Although, had people been able to take a more in depth look at these men's lives, we would have seen the opposite of ideal: chaos.

I watched this show "E! True Hollywood": Rapper Wives on the E! Channel recently. DMX and Big Pun's wives (Tashera Simmons and Liza Rios) are the envy of no clear thinking woman. Tashera Simmons reveled that X-man was physically, psychologically and emotionally abused as a child. DMX's behavioral issues (allegedly he's Bi polar) and run — Ins with the law have been well documented. Not only does DMX have a mental health disorder but he also is reportedly chemically dependent. There is no doubt DMX has been hazardous to himself. Believe it or not, DMX's family has suffered more so by his reckless behavior and being consistently absent from their lives.

Big Pun's story is even more disturbing. He terrorized his wife from the beginning of their relationship. Liza Rios made a vague reference to Big Pun dealing with issues as a child. The fact that Ms. Rios wasn't specific as Mrs. Simmons leads us to only wonder what happened to him.

I say that because what Big Pun reportedly acted out on his wife and children is scary. They allegedly couldn't talk without his approval. The physical abuse that Ms. Rios suffered was equivalent to what Tina Turner endured. At one point during the "Rapper Wives" program, a home video of the abuse was shown. I'm assuming it's a hidden video camera that Ms. Rios set up. It shows Big Pun walk over to her while she's sitting on a living room couch. Pun had a gun in his hand and slaps Ms. Rios with it full blast in the face. It seemed to happen with absolutely no provocation besides him just feeling like hitting her. The foul thing is that no other family member in the video did anything. They were so acusstommed to this occurring that nobody even seemed to blink twice. Needless to say, it was some disturbing shit to watch.

Much of what I saw in Big Pun's and DMX's lives was tragic but what kept messing with my head is that I used to admire these guys. As I think about it now, this servers as a good lesson for us men. We complain when the DMX's and Big Pun's get the beautiful girls. Some of us may switch up our own behavior patterns to make it similar to men we admire, thinking this is the way to success. We ignore our own blessings, talents and gifts for a preference of someone else's. We do all this not knowing the price that someone else has paid.

The price that DMX and Big Pun paid is steep. Not only did Big Pun die as result of him not dealing with his obvious mental health issues (he died in 2000 from heart attack due to being morbidly obese), his family has suffered since his death. According to Ms. Rios her family is broke and homeless due to receiving only a small royalty payment from Pun's last album.

Mrs. Simmons has made off a lot better financially than Ms. Rios and has no reported physical abuse from X. But the emotional suffering is another story. DMX claimed he was raped by a woman which produced a child in 2006. I'm not going to entertain whether DMX is telling the truth or not, you can come to your own conclusion.

Let this serve as a teachable moment for us all. Instead of trying to keep up with everyone else, we should focus on the blessings, talents and gifts we have. Accept the fact that we cannot all be the center of attention. There will always be those who write, sing, dance or whatever better than us. That doesn't mean we change who and what we are. If anything, we should use it as motivation to become the best we can be.

One should be careful of coveting what someone else has achieved. Especially, when you have no idea the price they paid to achieve it.

Bringing Truth to Light

2009-11-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

This is my first post in over three months, so bare with me as I try to get back into the swing of things.

During my time off I reflected on blogging and questioned whether it was worthwhile to continue. To answer the question about whether I should continue or not, I thought about my initial reasons why I started on this adventure in writing almost two years ago.

My initial reason to start blogging was my belief that I had something valuable to say. The second reason was financial. I was hoping to make some money on the side that would help justify to my wife why I spent so much time writing posts on the internet.

After ninety-eight posts and not one penny earned, I started to wonder how much longer I should continue to blog?

The answer I came to was there is a little bit more blogging left in my tank. Yet, to sustain the motivation I have left requires me to switch the reasons why I blog. Like I already stated, the reasons why I started writing posts on the "Enclave" was all about me. My opinions, My finances, My beliefs, My values and so on. Now I find it truly more inspiring to focus on what's holding us back as a group of men. The themes I'll be exploring are not exclusive to just black american men. They are human issues that affect every man and woman on earth.

Ultimately, I would like to dialog respectfully with individuals I agree and disagree with. It servers no purpose to argue and make pejorative statements about people who have different opinions than mine. As long as we all remember the golden rule: Due unto others as one would want done to themselves, then we can truly exchange ideas and learn from one another.

As reggae/hip-hop/rock artist Matisyahu states, " Time will continue without you so in the end it's not about you But what did you do? Who do you love besides you."

In the end, hopefully they can say I brought truth to light. That is the only goal I have for blogging and hopefully it will be enough.

Gone till November.

2009-07-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are still periodically checking out the Enclave, I've obviously been away for almost two months. My schedule is hectic right now, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I take blogging seriously, so I didn't want to write a bunch of half ass posts just to stay consistent. I thought it would be better to walk away and come back stronger in the fall.

My goal for the fall is to come harder than ever with the Truth!

Hang in there just a little while longer, I promise "I'll be back!"

Dealing with the inevitable: Part 2

2009-05-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

As human beings, were social creatures. Without social interaction, we wouldn't be able to survive. It's been generation after generation of human beings passing on knowledge to one another, that has allowed our species to become the dominant one on earth.

Yet, some human beings don't pass on the best traits. This usually occurs due to an unfortunate combination of genetics and environment, which causes humans to develop maladaptive traits. This leads to all type of behaviors that generally make life harder for themselves and the people around them.

Some behaviors are worst than others, but there seems to be a significant part of the population that thrives on making other folk miserable. It sometimes can be so called friends, family, classmates or strangers but whatever their title, the ill behavior is the same.

Don't get me wrong though, we all have our own issues. But it's the way we handle these issues that separates us from being respectable or a nuisance. Once people get past a certain age, the chances of them changing begin to decrease. They may not even necessarily like the way they behave, but changing would be too difficult. So, folk generally take the path of least resistance and continue on being for a lack of a better word, "Assholes."

Now the question becomes, how do we deal with the "Assholes" in our lives? Funny thing about people is, we sometimes take on the behaviors of folk closest to us. People who are negative and unhappy generally infect folk that their close to with the same disease. After being around them day after day, year after year, you begin to look at life in similar ways. Now the behaviors you used to despise in them, become apart of your personality.

Think about it, did you ever see a weaker kid get bullied in school and then everybody bullies him to avoid being picked on themselves? Sometimes the kid getting bullied gets stronger by the following year and then starts bulling a weaker kid because that's what happened to him the year before. Or have you ever had a so-called friend or family member that shoots down a good idea of yours related to one of your pursuits in life, because she or he does not want you to possibly surpass them?

Chances are you had or still do have someone like that around you. These kinds of people can be significant stumbling blocks for growth and overall happiness. The very way you think and behave can be severely affected by these people. Just think if you believe half the nonsense negative folk bring your way, there will all kinds of opportunities and chances you'll miss due to this faulty mind set.

There are only two constructive ways to deal with these kinds of folks: One, is to hold them accountable and tell them about themselves. This is the long way, but you might actually save some people. If the relationship is worth it to you, confronting them every time they come at you sideways might teach them over time on how to be a better person. Or, they will simply stop talking to you because you held them accountable. Which kills two birds with one stone, you got rid of that person in your life and let them know how you felt.

The short way is to cut all ties immediately. This would be for people you know aren't going to change or with so called friends who you can simply do without. The logic behind this is life is much too short to try and teach grown folks how to treat you. That's something we should have picked up long ago, so why would I want to waste my time teaching someone who doesn't want to learn, how to be respectful or to be a friend. You should cut your ties with folk like these and find people who already know how to be a friend. Surround yourself with people who are going to support you in life, not hinder you.

I had a friend in recovery tell me one time how selfish you have to be to actually recover. He surrounded himself with sober and helpful people not just to be nice, but for himself. He knew if he put himself with his old friends, in his old neighborhood, that it wouldn't be long before he used again. He tells his story and lectures recovering addicts not just because he likes to help people, but ultimately because he wants to help himself. He used to say the only way he can keep what he has is by giving it away.

I think in one way or another, we're all recovering from something in life. Loss of a parent, lover, job or friend, we all know what it is like to lose someone or something important to us. Isn't wise to surround ourselves with people that will help us in our time of need? Don't we deserve to have people in our lives that will help us back up when we fall and not kick us when were down? I think the obvious answer is yes we do! Life is far too short to have negative people around us and let them help destroy our dreams and opportunities. Cut them off now, before it's too late!

What do you think? Is Truth being too harsh? Do you put up with negative people around you or cut them off? Let me know.

Dealing with the inevitable: Part 1

2009-05-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Life is short, not long as Chris Rock once joked. Even for those who make many mistakes and survive them, they spend the rest of their lives wishing there was a time machine available. So, they could go back in time and change a few things. If life were long as Rock suggested, then we would have no regrets, since there would always be time to change or make up for our mistakes. Unfortunately, at least for me that has not been the case.

Nothing brings home the point of having minimal time in life like death. When people close to you die or begin to get sick and start their decline headed towards death, ones own mortality quickly comes to mind. Realizing there will be a day when the world spins and I no longer will be among the living is always difficult for me to picture. As human beings, I just don't believe were programmed to think that way. Don't get me wrong, I mean we all know that our death is inevitable, but we seem to push that fact to a difficult to reach spot in our minds. Maybe it's an adaptive characteristic of our species, considering if we thought about death all the time, we'd be too depressed to do anything constructive. Or maybe American culture, which does not like to confront difficult issues, has taught us not to talk about it. "We'll cross that bridge, when we get there," seems to be how American culture deals with death.

I think that's tragic, because if we all really rationalized from a young age our inevitable date with death, we wouldn't waste as much time. More people would be willing to confront their anxieties, shame, guilt and anger, because they would truly realize that time waits for none of us.

For much of my youth and early adulthood, I wasted most of time being angry. I spent a lot of energy on this usually unproductive emotion. It would have served me better to face the true source of my anger, which happened to be me and deal with it. Instead, I avoided it and missed many opportunities that were there for the taking. My anger distorted my sight and more than anything it affected the way I thought and consequently, the way I behaved.

Now with my mother facing an illness, I realize how much time I wasted. The idea of losing the person who has been in your corner since birth, is a scary proposition. As of right now, she's only a phone call away, but ultimately all that I will have is the photographs and memories. It seems crazy that the only way I'll be able to visit her in the future is going to a cemetery and praying at her grave stone.

Yet, this is the inevitable I wish I had been more cognizant of twenty years ago. But, I can't focus on that now, all I can do is be in the moment. That from this day forward I won't make the same mistakes I did in the past. I won't avoid my problems but face them head up. I won't give a fuck what the world thinks of me, because how others view me means nothing. As long as I'm living an honest, balanced life and not trying to hurt folks, I could give a fuck less about anyone who wishes me ill will.

We only have a limited amount time on this earth, so I suggest you spend it with the people you love and who love you back. Spend it chasing your dreams and building something for those who will follow.

We don't have a choice of being born or when we'll die, but everything we do in between is on us. If you haven't already, I suggest you start appreciating life and doing what you desire today. Time is already running out.

Bloods and Crips, in the UK?

2009-05-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

The influence American culture has on the world should never be underestimated. If one needs evidence for such a statement, read this article here from the UK.

After reading this article, it brought to mind a funny story from my younger days. I used work with a friend of mine back in high school, who went to school in the Minneapolis district. He was a recent transplant from Louisiana, so he had an interesting point view on life in the Upper Midwest.

Anyway, my friend, lets call him "Derrick," went to a high school that had a sizable gang representation in the school's student population. He wasn't in one, but he was no fool, so he knew what was going on. Well, the school invited rapper Ice-T to come talk to the students about the perils of entering into gang life. From what Derrick said, Ice - T did that and more.

He made it known right away that he couldn't care less about the camera's that were there, he came to tell it like it is. Ice-T basically called the gangbangers in Minnesota stupid. He said they were representing gangs and streets in LA that they had never been to or seen.

Derrick gleefully told me his favorite parts of the story. The first one was when Ice-T asked this rhetorical questions, "How much sense does it make for someone to call himself a Minneapolis Crip?" Then Ice-T said, "How much sense does it make for someone to call himself a Saint Paul Blood?" Derrick said most students in the audience laughed and agreed with Ice - T. He also said that cats in LA were laughing at the gang members here, they thought the idea of Minnesota Bloods and Crips was a good joke.

Derrick's second favorite part was the rebuttal by some of the gang members in the audience. Apparently, Ice - T stated the main motivation for some of these guys to bang was impressing girls. One gang member loudly stated, "I'm not trying to impress no girls." Ice - T quickly responded with, "Then you must be trying to impress the dudes." According to Derrick, this self described gang member got out of his seat and started walking towards the stage to get at Ice - T. Derrick gleefully stated, this was not a sincere attempt to get at Ice-T, because he brought three bodyguards with him. According to Derrick, these guys were huge. So the gang member got about half way to the stage, the bodyguards started heading to meet him and he came to his senses, turned around and went back to his seat. This happened a number of times. Gang members would get pissed off by Ice-T's comments and then would make a half hearted attempt to get at him, only to turn right back around when his bodyguards stepped up.

Derrick stated that the gang members walked out about half way through Ice-T's talk. But, Derrick thought the whole thing was hilarious. He definitely sided with Ice-T's assessment that there should be no such thing as a Minneapolis Crip or a Saint Paul Blood.

Which brings us back to the initial article, that these London youth are claiming allegiance to LA based gangs. Honestly, I'm not outraged or even surprised by the story in the least bit. Maybe I'm just becoming numb from all that I have seen in life, but the only thing interesting about this story is that it happened in the UK. Don't get me wrong, its tragedy when anyone is murdered, but I've seen stories like these in my life probably hundreds, if not thousands of times.

Ice T's question to audience is an intriguing one though, when you really think about it. He's questioning the legitimacy of gangsters representing something they have no direct allegiance to. I'm guessing, no one in Minneapolis at that time, had any contacts in LA, so why pick an LA gang to represent?

The answer to the question is there are lost youth all across globe. Whether it's Bloods and Crips in America or the UK, Or skinhead computer hackers in Russia, there are youth searching for something to be a part of. Usually, they come from dysfunctional homes where there was no sense of belonging, comfort or safety, so they link with other youth just like them. Next, they turn their rage on the enemy gang or race, depending on what they're claiming.

Ice - T asked what sense does it make for someone to call himself a Minnesota Crip? One can only wonder how he would respond to UK Bloods and Crips.

What you think about UK youth claiming allegiance to Bloods and Crips? Is this a sign of the apocalypse or just part of a natural gang expansion? Let me know.

Are Blacks second class in reality or in their own minds?

2009-04-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Reading through many different online news sites, I came across this article from the Ohio State University student body newspaper.

The associate Professor of Law at Moritz College of Law, Michelle Alexander states that today's war on drugs and racial incarceration is apart of America maintaining a racial caste system. She compares it to Jim Crow, saying that the justice system today has racialized social control.

She points out being a felon means it will almost be impossible to get a job. Recently released prisoners go back into same community they came from, with no new legal skills to contribute. Which means more than likely they are going to return to what got them thrown in prison initially.

Michelle Alexander also claims that African Americans are subject to control by the media's negative perception of them. Black men are automatically assumed to be criminals and by racial profiling all of them, you humiliate many who have never broken the law.

In my opinion, some of things Ms. Alexander says are true, but this seems to me to be an old argument. This is something you would have heard in the early to mid nineties. It also misses the point of dealing with our own maladaptive behaviors. The idea that just by changing laws, the incarceration rates will dramatically decrease I think is inaccurate. Sure there will be drop off, but just because the law was changed doesn't mean behaviors will.

Don't get wrong, I think some of the drug laws are ridiculous. Yet, what people forget is addictive and criminal behavior generally feed one another. That means if you commit a crime, that same thinking could lead you to use alcohol or other drugs. Or, If you use alcohol or other drugs, the thinking that influences you to do that can lead you to commit crimes.

Our folk have to deal with the thinking that leads to the negative behaviors, changing the laws will only have a minimal effect. The core beliefs for many of our uneducated/lower class folk is part of the problem. It's not to say that we all don't have thoughts from time to time that could be described as "criminal." The difference being the majority of us don't act on those thoughts. Criminals do act on those thoughts when they have them.

It's some of our folks maladaptive thinking/beliefs that explain their behavior. This is what they tell themselves to justify in their minds robbing, stealing, assaulting and using drugs despite the consequences they may face.

I think Ms. Alexander leaves out an important fact in the second class citizen statement. The thinking/beliefs by some of our folk leads to second class behavior and therefore they are treated as such.

What do you think? Is the war on drugs and racial incarceration apart of American maintaining a racial caste system or are they just enforcing the law? Are Blacks treated second class or do some lower class/uneducated Blacks behave in that manner? Let me know.

Is Obama's leadership style equivalent to Jimmy Carter or Halie Selassie?

2009-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.

The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469 - 1527

President Obama went to the Summit of Americas last week to meet with leaders from the Caribbean and Latin America. By now we have all seen Mr. Obama's handshake with Venezuela's president / dictator Hugo Chavez. Mr. Chavez also gave President Obama a book in front of the international media, which allegedly details America and Europe's exploitation of Latin America. What I found interesting about the book exchange was the sly grin on Chavez's face when he walked away.

If that wasn't enough, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave an anti Israeli speech at the United Nations conference in Geneva on Monday. Iran has also recently sentenced an Iranian American Journalist, Roxana Saberi to eight years in prison for allegedly spying and passing secrets to the CIA. I'm pretty sure that Ms. Saberi, who was born in North Dakota, but has lived in Iran for the past six years doing freelance reporting for National Public Radio and the BBC, is not really a spy. Many insiders believe that the hard-liners in Iran do not want close ties with America, thus are creating a crisis that would make it more difficult for such to take place. Or, they're going to use Ms. Saberi as a bargaining chip to leverage against America during possible negotiations over Iranian Nuclear ambitions.

Either way, both of these incidents have brought into question President Obama's way of dealing with conflict. Many of Obama's detractors have brought up that our President has looked weak. That leaders like Chavez and Ahmadinejad are behaving like Bullies because they take Mr. Obama's kindness for weakness.

To be honest, I do believe Mr. Obama's detractors may have a point. Certain human beings get a kick out of being aggressive and getting what they want, when they want it. They don't care about you or me and will push anyone around as long as they can. Bullies will bully until they run into someone stronger who isn't going to take it. Usually, Bullies avoid someone who is stronger or who is their equal. They tend to fight with someone who they know won't fight back or they're just plain stronger than the victim.

The fact that Iran seems to be giving America the middle finger along with our president being a democrat, the name Jimmy Carter has surfaced. Many people compare former president Carter's inability to fight back as similar to President Obama.

That is certainly one way to look it. Another possibility is president Obama's leadership style could be similar to Halie Selassie. Many of Mr. Selassie's (Ethiopian leader from 1930-1974) rivals could not understand how this quiet, mild mannered man rose to become a leader. He never got angry or emotional, he would smile in his enemies face, making them feel more powerful before he attacked. Mr. Selassie would use bullies aggression against them, he would appear weaker than he really was and then lure them in with a trap. By the time his victims realized what was going on, it would be too late.

Only time will tell what Mr. Obama's leadership style really is and whether its effective or not. For President Obama's sake, I hope his style resembles Mr. Selassie more than Mr. Carter.

How do you view President Obama's leadership style? Do you think he's being bullied by world leaders? Does this show America has a stereotyped view of Manhood or is this just reality? Let me know.

Thrilla in Manila: Who's the real uncle tom/house negro in this story?

2009-04-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Muhammad Ali is a boxing icon and an international hero. His stance against the Vietnam war and subsequent suspension due to his refusal to be drafted into the army, gave him a larger than life persona.

With that said, there is a video of him that has bothered me since I was a kid. It comes from the press conference before his third fight with Joe Frazier. In the video, Ali pulls out a Gorilla doll which was meant to be Frazier and begins to punch it. While he's punching it, he gives this line,"It's gonna be a chilla, and a killa, and a thriller, when I get the Gorilla in Manilla." All my years watching that video, I have never laughed.

I didn't laugh because I couldn't understand how one Black man could call another Black man a Gorilla. When you also consider the time period this fight took place in (1975), it's still unbelievable Ali would go that far. The excuse that he was trying to promote the fight does not fly. He had other options than to call Frazier a Gorilla and mock him in the manner that he did. To go along with calling Frazier a Gorilla, he also said Joe was not intelligent and made fun of his nose. He used the very stereotypes that Whites have said about Blacks against one of his own kind.

My disappointment in Ali has only gotten worse since watching the HBO documentary, "Thrilla in Manila." For one of the few times, the story is told from Mr. Frazier's perspective. After watching that documentary, I see why Joe still harbors anger all these years later.

What I didn't know is that Frazier was supportive of Ali during his suspension from boxing. He tried to get Ali's boxing license reinstated, defended him and even borrowed him money. His repayment for these acts of kindness were to be called an "Uncle Tom" and a "Gorilla."

It's ironic that Ali was such an important figure for the Black Power movement, yet displayed such racial hatred for a member of his own race. Being that Ali was lighter skinned than Frazier, it makes you wonder did he really believe that he was superior to Joe. If that was the case, than I have to ask who was the real uncle tom/house negro?

I know some of you will defend Ali, calling it just his sense of humor. Or, Joe would not be that upset had he won the final fight. Neither of those points is the real issue.

The real issue is the superficial nature of our people sometimes. The ability to have this double standard where if a White man had said what Ali did, there would have been mass protest. Yet, Ali says it and it's "funny." Funny? It damn sure wasn't funny to Frazier and his family, besides Ali knew better, but he did it anyway.

After the fight, Ali requested that Joe Frazier's son, Marvis come to his locker room. At that point, he apologized about his behavior and asked Marvis to tell his father that. Joe's response was correct,"he should have told that to me." Ali owned him that much. Ali has never apologized for his Gorilla statement. He made a general apology in 2001, but it was not specific enough for Frazier and I understand that. Although, it would probably do him some good to forgive Ali and move on. I think history will show it was not he who was in the wrong, it was Ali.

What do you think of Ali's behavior leading up to the fight? Does his behavior put a stain on his legacy? Let me know.

Why now? The paradox of forgiving an old racist.

2009-04-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

As I was reading different stories on the various news websites, I came across this one. Elwin Hope Wilson, a seventy-two year old former KKK supporter, who is entering into his final years on earth, issues apologies to the Black freedom fighters he attacked years ago.

After reading about all the hateful acts Elwin Wilson participated in his younger days, I have to admit a certain amount of distain came into my heart for this man. Although, I have to give him credit for apologizing and facing the people whom he hurt. It does take courage to publicly admit one's faults and take accountability for your actions.

Yet, the skeptical side of me brings up the timing of it all. Elwin is near death and wants to make peace with all the evil that he has committed during his time on earth. The fact that as recently as ten years ago, he left his former church due to a pastor encouraging more blacks to attend there, is a red flag for me.

What's more interesting are these certain blacks folks who call Elwin a hero. Hero? The hero's were the men who Wilson attacked. Men like John Lewis, who got his face smashed in and speaks with speech impediment to this day, due to the beatings he received as a freedom rider. The hero's were the men that got humiliated or lost their lives to guys like Elwin Wilson.

I just wonder if these same folks rush to forgive their own kind when they make mistakes.

Anyway, if men like John Lewis are willing to forgive Elwin Wilson, who am I told to hold grudge against a man I never met and more than likely, never will.

One of my favorite bloggers, MacDaddy, wrote a great post last week about forgiveness. The necessity of letting go of anger and resentments to free oneself.

Yet, there are some crimes that are easier to forgive than others. For people who have been abused sexually or physically, I imagine forgiving is damn near impossible. But, necessary for them to move forward in life.

The abuse Elwin Wilson unleashed affected more people than he'll ever know. He stirred up resentments in some of his victims that still hurts all these years later. Apologizing for doing harm to these people does not make him a hero in my book, it just means he finally did what was right. He acted like a Human Being, which should be an expectation for us all, not something we should be praised or rewarded for.

What do you think? Is Elwin Wilson a hero for apologizing for his crimes against black folk? What do you think of these individual's who wrote to Wilson, calling him a hero? Let me know.

The Officer Robert Powell personality type exists in all races and both genders.

2009-03-29T14:14:00.001-07:00

By now, you all have heard about this video. NFL player Ryan Moats rushing to the hospital to pay his final respects to his dying mother — in — law. Unfortunately for Mr. Moats, police officer Robert Powell was on duty. This video is truly disgusting, I mean officer Powell has obviously never heard of the word empathy. His performance during this incident shows what a gross abuse of power looks like.

With the level of arrogance showed by Robert Powell under these circumstances, one wonders if he is some kind psychopath. Psychopaths don't always turn out to be serial killers or criminals, some of them learn how to exist within the rules of society. They sometimes show up in high risk professions, such as cops, soldiers, firefighters, skydivers,etc. I'm not saying everyone in these professions are psychopaths, what I am suggesting is these professions sometimes attract people who are wired differently. While the average man or woman would be afraid to jump from a plane, certain people seek jobs like that out because their fear threshold is way different from the usual person. After watching Powell's performance, there is something definitely missing with this man.

But, before we all go off the deep end and pledge hatred for all cops, let's keep in mind this is obviously a sick man. Not all cops are sick like this guy. More importantly, there are sick people spread throughout a number of professions, not just police officers.

One incident that comes to mind, is from my clubbing days years ago. Now, although this incident pales in comparison to what happened to Mr. Moats, it still shows that sick people are everywhere.

While I was in the military, I was stationed in a southern state. Me and ten other cats went to this hole in the wall club on a friday night. The club was lame, but there was nothing else to do, so we stayed there the whole night. When final call was announced, we all hurriedly finished are drinks as the bouncers came around collecting bottles. This one particular bouncer gets to my homeboy and motions for him to give up the bottle of beer he had. My homeboy, politely motions for one-second and tries to down the last of his drink. Now, this idiot bouncer, who happened to be African American, snatched the bottle out of his hand. A fight nearly ensued, because this idiot used horrible discretion of power. I mean, would it have hurt to give this cat ten more seconds to finish a drink that he paid for? Of course not, it was this arrogant SOB's perceived threat to his power or sense of control he needed to have. There was no logic to this idiot's overreaction. The same way there was no logic to how Mr. Moats was treated by Powell.

What Mr. Moats did show was how you handle an arrogant asshole, who has power. Had Mr. Moats flipped out and lost his temper, there is a good chance he would be dead today. An arrogant character like Powell would have definitely overreacted and shot Mr. Moat's to death. Mr. Moats tried to explain the situation and then realized there was no use arguing with this idiot. Also, there was no profit in getting himself killed. He took the ticket and then rushed into the hospital.

Although, he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to his mother — in — law, I'm sure she would have understood and would not want him to join her on the way to the afterlife, not yet anyway.

The morale of the story, we're all going to have to deal with the officer Powell's of the world. They are not restricted to a certain race, gender or occupation, but exist across the board. Its better we learn how to appropriately deal with them, especially if their in powerful positions. Mr. Moats intelligence and ability to be rational, more than likely saved his life.

What do you think about this incident? Do you think Powell will be fired? Let me know what you.

Something new: twenty first century perspective

2009-03-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Reading blogs on the internet gives me insight into alternative perspectives held by folks out there. Upon reading many different bloggers, I quickly found out that there are a lot folks in blogosphere who I agree and disagree with. What's most intriguing for me is reading blogs written by women, particularly African American women. They are not all monolithic, there are a wide variety of views shared by Black women on the internet. Yet, with many of these African American female bloggers, there are a few central themes that ring true for most of them. One of these central themes is an overall frustration with African American men. Most of these women refuse to make excuses for African American men. They are not going to play the role their mothers and grandmothers played, according to many of them.

For the most part, I understand where they're coming from. We all know the vast majority of black children are born out of wedlock (although black men are not totally responsible for this statistic), which is embarrassing for both black men and women in this country. You combine that with high murder and incarceration rates for young black men, plus black men marrying outside of their race more than black women by 2:1 and well you get the point.

With all this frustration, a very new psychological perspective has emerged from African American Female bloggers, maybe African American women in general. One that seeks separation from African American men all together.

Now, before the fellas get upset, let's think about it from their perspective. Imagine this scenario, If Black women married outside of their race more than Black men by 2:1, were less educated overall and more likely to be involved in the judicial system, how "loyal" do you think Black American men be to them (in general)? I may not agree with their perspective 100%, but I have to admit it's not an unreasonable conclusion to come to.

My lone reservation with this new psychological perspective is it seems to lump all African American men together. The statistics (the number of black men in college compared to the number of black women in college, for instance) are bad, but they don't tell the whole story. There are many African American men who take themselves and their families very seriously. Although, many of these women claim to know this fact, judging from their writings, I doubt their sincerity.

Whether you agree with them or not, you have to respect this new perspective. It will definitely bring about change within the so called black community.

I have a few questions for my folks out there, what will be the Black American man's twenty-first century psychological perspective? What guidelines/principles do you use in your life? Is there any hope for changing the psychological perspective of lower class / uneducated Black American men? In general, is the relationship between Black American men and women repairable? Let me know what you think.

Has Hip - Hop improved Race Relations?

2009-03-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not a hater of Hip-Hop. The majority of CD's I brought from my teenage years through my mid twenties were Rap. Although, many of those CD's would probably fit into the "Conscience Rap" category, Hip - Hop in general was the music I enjoyed listening to more often than not.

With that said, since I've past age twenty-five it has become more and more difficult for me to listen to top forty rap music. I admit being a bit of a hypocrite and occasionally enjoying a rap song that is ignorant, but the rapper has some talent. But for the most part, I don't like the vast majority of rap music today.

So when I came across this little article, I had to stop and think about the question it presented.

Has Hip - Hop improved Race Relations?

There may be in under current of truth to Jay-z's belief that Hip - Hop has played a part in improving Race Relations an America. But the first question that comes to my mind is has Hip - Hop improved how Black Americans relate to themselves? What I mean is, does Hip - Hop instill pride in Black folks? Does it give a balanced look at the lives of Africans Americans, particularly African American males?

I think many of you can see where I'm going with this. So - called rap music of the last twenty years, has gotten more and more negative each year. The lyrics and images of the average Rap song/video today glorifies materialism, criminal behavior and being misogynistic. If anything, it gives a very limited view of what it is to be Black and male an America.

In fact, the self hate that permeates modern day Rap music has probably brought about more harm than good for the Black community. Many songs give criminals a soundtrack to commit despicable acts against their fellow man or woman. Also, the average song serves as a guide on how to hate women and worship the almighty dollar.

It seems like many a so called Hip - Hop artist wants to talk about the good their art form has contributed to this country. That's fine, but Hip - Hop artist's must be more willing to look at the bad as well. They must be willing to take responsibility for their part in reinforcing the destructive violent atmosphere that exists within our inner cities today. It's called taking accountability for one's actions, the good AND BAD!

Tell me what you think, Has Hip - Hop improved Race Relations? Has Hip - Hop reinforced self hatred an Black American Men?

Random thoughts - Monday,3/2/09 - Sunday, 3/8/09

2009-03-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

My Minnesota Gophers lost to Michigan 67-64 yesterday, which puts them on the bubble as far as making the NCAA tournament. Whether they make it or not, this has still been a good year for them and they have far exceeded preseason predictions. With the recruiting class Tubby Smith has coming in, next year will probably be their time to shine.

Speaking of people trying to Shine, why is everybody talking about Rush Limbaugh? Why is everyone paying attention to what this guy says? Why do Republicans at first rebuke him, but then turn right back around and kiss his a**? I guess the answer to my question is Limbaugh has somehow become the Republicans de facto leader. Watching his speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee on CNN last weekend, I couldn't help but snicker at his behavior. He mockingly "dapped" a couple of his conservative buddies during his speech, this was an obvious reference to President Barrack Obama's dap to the First Lady back in June of last year, when he won the Democratic primary.

Politics aside, when I watch Limbaugh, he usually reminds me of a chubby five year old boy. I believe when discussing Limbaugh, one has to keep that in mind so you know how to deal with him. Its like when your five year old child goes to his room, but he doesn't want to go to bed. He's crying and screaming, so you shut his door. He cries even louder after you initially shut the door. Now, if you go back in his room and give him any attention, then he will continue to cry louder and louder. But, if shut door and don't go back in there, eventually the kid cries himself out and goes to bed. That's how you deal with the Rush Limbaugh's of the world, you shut the door and don't give him any attention.

Two people who need psychological attention is Chris Brown and Rihanna. After reading what happened in the police report, this was a very disturbing incident. I came away with a couple conclusions from this incident: One, this was not the first time he beat her. Second, they both are sick.

The average woman would have nothing to do with a man like Chris Brown, after an incident like this happened. Although, in many cases of abuse, the woman does go back to the abuser, time and time again. There is some shame/low self esteem thing inside of Ms. Rihanna, which is driving her back to Chris Brown. She needs some type of counseling and help from family members who care about her, to deal with this issue.

Chris Brown's behavior was disgusting. No matter the truth of whatever internet rumor (for example, she gave him herpes), to why this attack was so over the top. There is no justification to going as far as he did. His behavior since the incident doesn't really make me feel too hopeful that a change in his behavior will actually occur. He more than likely will eventually do it again. If anybody close to him really cares about his future, than they will be very honest with him in the present. They should encourage him to seek one on one counseling with a therapist. The anger management class and seeking counsel from a minister should only be the beginning for Chris Brown. Judging from that police report, it might takes years of counseling to really help Brown. That's if he's help-able at all.

Random thoughts - Monday,2/23/09 - Friday, 2/27/09

2009-02-27T06:25:00.000-08:00

It snowed way too much here in MPLS/ST.PAUL yesterday! Those kind of days make me think of relocating to a warm climate in the very near future. Although, I say that every winter, so I seriously doubt I'll be moving out of town any time soon.

Watching Obama's so called non, but it sure seemed like State of Union address was interesting. I got the most satisfaction out of watching everyone an attendance stand up and clap when Michelle Obama walked in. It was like our First Lady is royalty and for some reason I liked watching that image.

The Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal, who gave the Republican response was pathetic. He's been the butt of jokes nationally, since he gave his now infamous speech after President Obama's. In fact Republicans in general seem to be the butt of a lot of jokes lately. Take for instance, your favorite Republican and mine, Alan Keyes. Click here to read an LA Times blog and watch the you tube clip featuring Mr. Keyes.

Mr. Keyes still disputes whether Barrack Obama was actually born in America. He also calls President Obama a communist who will destroy America if he is not "stopped."

Had Keyes just stuck to speaking about his concerns with President Obama's handling of the economy, his rant would have been somewhat legitimate. People are going to have differences of opinion and there's nothing wrong respectfully disagreeing with someone. But, the name calling (I'm guilty of name calling too, but I'm getting better) takes credibility away from anything he said. He sounds like a jealous/angry man spewing hate, not someone who has political differences with our President.

Hell, he refused to even acknowledge that Obama is our president. His argument seems a bit ridiculous. I seriously doubt the state of Hawaii is covering up for our President, if they were, I believe it would have been exposed a long time ago.

If President Obama is even halfway successful with his economic plan, then the Republicans are digging a very deep ditch for themselves. It's a ditch that may take twenty years to get out of!

I stand corrected, well not really but........

2009-02-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

After writing my post about Black America's disinterest in connecting with Africans, I came across this article from the LA times. Its kind of ironic and maybe it's the Lord's way of humbling me and my opinions.

Although, I still believe men like Mr. Washington are in the minority as far as overall interest is concerned. Also, celebrities have the time and money to invest in Africa. The average Black man or woman may not have the time or means to do so.

Yet, there does seem to be some tangible interest, evidenced by the existence of DNA testing companies like African Ancestry Inc. Companies like these would not exist if there were not individuals willing to pay for their services. I think its positive that some African Americans want to know exactly what part of Africa their ancestors came from.

But to be honest,the skeptic in me has a few questions about this story. I've read many articles where the validity of the DNA testing has been questioned. Many researchers say there is not a large of enough database of African genetics to pin down exactly where folks ancestors might have come from. Also, many researchers say that DNA of the different tribes of west Africa are so similar, there's no way to differentiate one tribe from another. So, this may be another hustle where folks curiosity is being taken advantage of. I suggest folks do more research on their own and find out for themselves how credible these companies are.

My other issue is with the African countries themselves. I wonder how eager Sierra Leone would have been to grant Isaiah Washington citizenship, if he were not an actor with a decent amount of money.

In my previous post, I wrote about African Americans overall disinterest in returning to Africa. I also alluded to Africans lack of interest in reconnecting with African Americans. Click here to read different accounts of treatment that African Americans received from the locals, while living in West African countries.

I think many African Americans who want to reconnect with Africa have this pie in the sky dream. A belief they will get off the plane and there will be a parade welcoming them home. I hope those stories from African Americans living an Africa bring the reality home.

Not to say every African thinks and feels the same way about African Americans, that would be an unfair thing to write. As the writer from the aforementioned article points out, Africans are not a monolithic people.

Yet, when African Americans living in Ghana claim they need a civil rights movement there to get fair treatment under the law, that's enough to give me serious pause. My folks did enough fighting on this soil, why move to another country and have to fight for equal rights?

The grass always looks greener on the other side, until you get over there and find out it's not. African Americans must stand and face their problems in America, running to Africa will not solve anything. Judging from the article/book outline above, they'll only be running into a new set of problems.

Marlon Jackson's slave history theme park/resort!

2009-02-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

I found an interesting article on the BBC website a couple days ago. Click here to read about Marlon Jackson's plan for a tourist attraction targeted towards African Americans, in Nigeria.

The idea seems a bit far fetched, but I know none of you are too surprised that one of the planners is a Jackson.

The one part of this article that really caught my attention was their estimate of visitors within the first year. The motherland group believes 1.4 million visitors will arrive in the first year, rising to 4.4 million in five years!

Many African American films that have a positive message, generally struggle to get Black Americans to come out and support it in the theaters. So, forgive me if I laugh at the prospect of getting a significant number of black folk to travel across the Atlantic for a Jackson 5 museum and slave port/resort!

I would truly be shocked if they were able to attract half that number to Nigeria.

I'm not trying to be negative, but ask yourself this, how many African Americans do you know that have a genuine interest in reconnecting with Africa? Or, how many Africans do you think are trying to reconnect with African Americans? Let me repeat, I'm not trying to create a divide, this is just my opinion about the ambivalence that exist between the two different cultures.

For most African Americans, there are more pressing issues today than trying to reconnect with Africa. For proof of that statement, you could sample black blogosphere and see what subjects dominate the conversation. Interracial dating, black on black crime, President Obama or Chris Brown/Rihanna are sure to be the top stories, not Africa.

My guess would be that reconnecting with African Americans doesn't rank too high on Africans to do list, either.

Besides a lack of interest, there also seems to be a lack of sensitivity to creating a resort where slaves were once held. Visiting the museum and then heading to a resort nightclub afterwards, just seems wrong.

Then again, does anyone really care either way?

We'll just have to wait and see.

What do you think about Marlon Jackson and his museum/resort idea? Do you think a significant amount of African Americans will make the trip to Nigeria, if this plan actually goes through?

Breaking the cycle.

2009-02-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

It seems Chris Brown has put his freedom and career in severe jeopardy. Last sunday morning, Brown and girlfriend Rihanna got into an argument on the car ride home following an annual Clive Davis pre Grammy party. Nobody but Brown and Rihanna know exactly what happened next, but what the public does know is things got physical after Brown stopped the car. The police were called and Rihanna allegedly was taken to the hospital. Brown, who initially left the scene of the crime, turned himself into police Sunday evening and was released on $50,000 bond.

It's hard to comment on this story because neither side has spoken publicly about what happened. Although, Chris Brown fleeing the scene before the police arrived is not a good sign.

What I will say is physical violence should never be acceptable between a couple. Whether the aggressor is male or female, violence should be considered a deal breaker. Which means the relationship should end at that point.

Women are far more likely to be victims of domestic violence than men in their lifetime. For many women, this fear of being physically abused by a man they love is always in the back of their minds.

So it doesn't help that the #1 female pop star in the world (based on #1 hits since 2000), has apparently found herself too being a victim of domestic violence.

But, believe it or not, for Brown the damage is worst.

In a 2007 Giant magazine issue, Brown spoke about the abuse his mother received from his former stepfather. Brown witnessed his mother being beaten from ages 7 to 13. At that time, Brown stated watching his mother being abused changed him. He vowed never to disrespect women and put any woman through what his mother experienced. When asked about his ex stepfather, Brown stated, "I hate him to this day."

If this story is completely accurate, then imagine the shame and guilt that must be Chris Brown's. Knowing that he behaved just like the man he claimed to hate.

Unfortunately, like drug abuse and other maladaptive behaviors, domestic violence tend to run in families. Although, Chris Brown hated what happened to his mother, it's the one relationship of a man and woman he personally witnessed. When we have no history of our own, we tend to act out what we have seen. Usually, that means our parents.

This is not an excuse and if this story is 100 percent accurate, then the fault lies with Brown alone. Yet, if he wants to break the cycle of violence, he'll need to get counseling for this matter.

As for society as a whole, instead of focusing on what to do if your victim of domestic violence, we should be more interested in preventing such crimes from occurring. Don't get me wrong, caring for domestic violence victims is important. But, the focus should be geared toward educating young women and men to the danger of domestic violence.

It seems to me that the majority of the time we talk about preventing domestic violence, the conversation is targeted for women. Wouldn't it make sense to also include men in this conservation? Since men are usually the perpetrators of domestic abuse, educating men when their young would probably decrease the incidents of violence against women in this country.

As we see in Chris Brown's case, what you see when your young is hard to unlearn.

Thanks Field!

2009-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

The Field Negro named "The Enclave" in his Blog "I am feeling" section. I'm sure the folks who follow my blog are well aware of the Field Negro and his popularity.

So I'll take this time to say thank you and hopefully his readers get something useful out of my opinions.

Peace

Start Snitching!

2009-02-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Reverend Al Sharpton is back in the news again (click here). I'm sure you're all aware of the mass shooting that took place in Miami a couple of weeks ago. It left two teenagers dead and seven others injured. Mr. Sharpton made a visit to Miami last week and called on the black community their to help police find the shooters. Apparently, police have not received any substantial leads due to the "no snitching" code of the street. Reverend Al was quoted as saying, "You are traitors to our race and denigrating our community." He was directing this comment towards individuals within the community who know things about the crime, but have not come forward with information.

Many may question why Mr. Sharpton consistently shows up in a crisis, but is not around for the day to day grind of establishing salient change. Yet, this is not the point of this post.

This "code of the street" value is what's truly interesting. Value's are what decide our destiny. How we behave is generally a direct reflection of what we believe. So, this idea of telling on criminals as being a violation of one's values, should call into question how healthy are the Black communities values. Particularly, the value set of lower class/uneducated part of our community.

It would be one thing if this value was restricted just to criminals, but even everyday regular citizens are held to this standard.

Obviously, many residents fear retaliation if they "snitch" on criminals. The problem with that is, what happens if they don't say anything? The answer to that question is the killers keep on killing. Psychopaths generally don't see the light one day and then stop their acts of violence. They continue on until either their own death stops them or a trip to prison.

Its time for our community to reevaluate what is important to us. What values that we're going to embrace, that best represents progress for our community.

Too many of our young men embrace a mentality or value set that leads to self destruction. There a lot of excuses, some very legitimate, to why many of our young men are headed down the wrong path.

Although, at some point one has to take responsibility for their own well being. You may not have asked to be born or to live in poverty, but it does become your responsibility to figure out your own problems. It may not be fair, but nobody said life would be fair.

We can no longer allow the double standards to exist. We can no longer analyze everyone but ourselves. It's about time we start holding people accountable for their actions. Its time we start snitching!

Don Imus Revisited.

2009-01-31T13:53:00.000-08:00

Say the name Don Imus and I bet your first though is not a positive one. Click here to read an article chronicling his first year back in radio, since being fired for making offensive remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

When the "Nappy headed ho" comment first occurred almost two years ago, I was pretty much like everyone else in this country, I though Imus was an idiot. His comment was ignorant, insensitive and just plain wrong. These young women did not deserve to be disrespected in that manner, it made no sense.

They were playing basketball, not going to a beauty pageant. What were they supposed to do, get their hair and nails done, then go play ball? Sweating it all out, just to appear "cute" on TV is not logical.

Looking back on it now, what happened next is a microcosm of what's wrong with our community. Black leaders decried this incident as racist and demanded Imus be fired. Iums defended himself by saying rappers say far more insulting remarks about women than him.

Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprising), certain black comedians, such as D. L. Hughley and Damon Wayans came out in support for Imus. Hughley joked that the ladies on Rutgers are some of the ugliest, nappy headed women he had ever seen.

While Imus got ridiculed and fired, very little has happened to Hughley or Wayans. In fact, Hughley now has his own show on CNN (although, he did not have a show when he initially came to Imus's defense). Black leaders and the community itself did not call for them to lose their jobs or boycott their comedy concerts. They focused on Imus and let the other two ride.

Why? Isn't murder, murder? Were they not just as wrong as Imus? Wasn't their comments just as racist and hurtful to these young women? But because they are black men and Imus is white, it's not that big of a deal. I guess that's the message Black leaders are telling us.

While I've heard it said that black folk are the most honest people on earth, I'd have to disagree. It's easy to analyze someone else's issues, it's more difficult for us to look at own our shit. Black folks will scream about white racism, but will ignore the black racist. I have to ask, how honest is that? In my opinion, many a black folk (human beings in general as well) tell it like it is when it's convenient for them to do so, not when it involves their own flaws or shortcomings.

Why? Maybe we're afraid to look at our own insecurities or just ashamed at some of our folks decisions and circumstances.

Maybe we fear admitting we're just as superficial as the white folks we call racist.

Either way, as much as I hate to admit it, Imus showed more courage than Black leaders or negro sambo comedians.

Why would I say such a thing? Because Don Imus publicly apologized and then faced the Rutgers women's basketball team. He did not have to do the latter. Imus heard first hand how hurtful his words were and pledged to switch up his act.

Where did Imus get this spine from? He states in the article that he's a recovering alcoholic/drug addict. I suspect Don Imus is familiar with AA and the twelve steps. It's obvious to me that he used steps 4-10 in the Rutgers situation. I'll list them for those of you who are not familiar with them.

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

Looking at these steps, many a so called black leader or civilian should try to apply these laws to their life. Imus was wrong to say what he did, but at least he acknowledged his mistake, faced the people who he hurt and pledged to never do it again. He did not try excuse his mistake by saying it was "cultural" or minimize what was said. Don Imus held himself accountable for what he did. That's something we all can learn from.

The Enclave turns one!

2009-01-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

Today is "The Enclave's" first birthday! It's hard to believe that time has gone by so fast, but such is life.

Anyway, I would like to say thank you to all who have commented or lurked on this blog. It's been truly humbling to know that a few folks out their find what I write to be interesting. I hope you folks continue to get something useful out of my opinions.

A wise man told me once, "The only way I get to keep what I have, is by giving it away." I believe this statement captures the agenda of my blog.

Play with that paradox for a while and tell me what you think about the truthfulness of such a statement.

Peace be with you all and thanks again for your continued support!

Why can't we be friends?

2009-01-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article on relationships via CNN, click here to read it.

Can your wife have guy friends? For most men, I think the answer would be hell no! Part of me agrees with the assertion that its possible for men and women to have platonic relationships. Especially, if these relationships were established in childhood.

The other part of me says this is psych-pseudo bulls**t! Not many men would want their wife spending time with another guy. Regardless of how long they have known each other, having another man, who is not a relative, escorting a married woman around just doesn't seem right.

Meeting an ex — coworker for lunch occasionally is one thing, but your wife calling another man to talk about her relationship issues seems wrong.

Dr Bonnie Jacobson states projection is the issue when married couples have disagreements over opposite sex friendships. "People project onto another person something they would do," Jacobson says. "If Tom says to Sally, I don't want you to hang out with Harry, it's very likely Tom feels he would violate that boundary [if he were in the same situation], so he imagines his wife will, too."

I guess that's one legitimate explanation for Tom's reaction. Another possible reason is Tom has grown up with men. So, Tom knows that many men have ulterior motives when dealing with a woman. He's watched some of his associates sleep with married women, but start out with the moniker of being "a friend." At least, I have witnessed that kind of behavior in the military and throughout society.

Dr. Jacobson's explanation is far too simplistic, human relations are more complicated than simply projection in every case of opposite sex friendships. Actually, she gives a pretty stereotypical view of the way a man thinks. It doesn't seem to cross her mind that maybe by observing the behavior of his peers, might be the reason "Tom" doesn't have much confidence an other men, not a lack of confidence in his wife. Especially, around the prospect of one's wife having a platonic male friend, I got to be honest, it sounds pretty ridiculous to me. Except, for the circumstances I listed above.

What do you think? Would you be okay with your wife having male friends' that she spends time with? And for the ladies, Would you be okay with your husband having female friends' that he spends time with?

What effect will a black president have on young black men in the inner city?

2009-01-20T01:29:00.001-08:00

What effect will a black president have on young black men in the inner city? Click here to read an article about six young black men giving their opinion of what the effect will be.

As we anticipate Barrack Obama's inauguration today, the aforementioned question becomes a poignant one.

Judging from the responses of the young men featured in this article, hope for a better future is one possible effect.

The next question is will hope be enough? Enough for what, you say? Enough to significantly decrease Black on Black violence. Specifically, young black men killing each other. Enough to seriously decline the percentage of Black children being born out of wedlock. Enough to significantly decrease the number of new HIV cases for Black women and men. Just to name a few.

How we behave is a direct reflection of how we think. So, maybe the more important question will be can Mr. Obama's presidency change the way young black men in the inner city think, particularly about themselves.

Will watching Mr. Obama from the White House on TV, be a sufficient enough role model for young black men in the inner city. Many of whom have no in house role modeling.

I think my question is answered by Barrack Obama's call on Martin Luther King Jr's holiday for more folk to get involved in their communities.

No, Obama's image from the White House alone will not end Black on Black violence. It will only dissipate when communities where violence takes place, have had enough. When young black men in the inner city decide to invest in themselves, then the killing will slow down.

There are other intangibles we can talk about; education, poverty or whatever. But what it really comes down to is when young black men and their communities decide they have had enough, then things will change. Otherwise, it's business as usual.

What do you think? Will Obama's presidency change the lives of young black men in the inner city?

Was B.I.G. that influential to a deserve biopic? Is he really the greatest rapper of all time?

2009-01-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Click here to read an article about B.I.G and his worthiness of a biopic.

Fanon Hutchinson makes interesting comments about B.I.G and his place in Hip - Hop history. Although, the author mentioned Krush Groove and Beat Street as the two most important Hip - Hop movies, he must have forgot about or never heard of "Wild Style." Wild Style is the first and most important Hip - Hop movie ever made. It's a small issue, but if you're going to write about Hip - Hop movies, then it has to be included on the list.

Anyway, I'll agree with Hutchinson about the tag line of this movie. "The most important film of our time" is an overstatement, obviously an attempt by some advertisement agency to hype up this film before its release. I don't think anybody would seriously try to compare the importance of B.I.G to Malcolm X, if you know someone who does, then they need help.

As far as Biggie deserving a flick, I guess my response would be why not? There have been biopic's of gangsters (Bugsy Siegel), serial killers (Ted Bundy) and other people on the fringes of society, why not let B.I.G have one? I'm not saying Biggie is comparable to those individuals, I'm just saying that if they got a movie made about them, then Biggie can damn sure have one.

Is Biggie the greatest rapper of all time? That's pretty much subjective, you ask ten people and you'll get ten different answers.

In my opinion, the answer would be no. I would place Rakim and KRS - One ahead of Biggie Smalls.

Rakim is a legend, he has lyrics that no one before or after him can touch. Take for instance Rakim's "My Melody" -

I take seven MC's, put 'em in a line,
and add seven more brothas, who think they can rhyme
Well, it'll take seven more before I go for mine
And that's twenty — one MC's, ate up at the same time

Or take this line from Rakim's "I know you got Soul" -

I start to think and then I sink into the paper like I was ink
When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines
I escape when I finish the rhyme

Let me know what you think B.I.G's influence and who do you think is the greatest rapper/MC of all time?

Guest Writer - Chicago Zack!

2009-01-12T07:26:00.001-08:00

Today, Truth is doing something a little different. I've opened up my doors and allowed someone to guest write for me. The author of Today's post is none other than Chicago Zack. Zack has his own blog "Go Zack" and I suggest you check it out (If you haven't done so already). He's a talented young brotha who's going places. Don't be surprised if you see Zack on CNN someday soon. If you do, remember "The Enclave" is where heard about him first!

Click here to read the article Zack based this post on.

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"Cabinet Controversy" — a guest post by Chicago Zack

There used to be a time in which the only blacks in a president's cabinet were "Aunt Jemina" and "Uncle Ben." But we've moved past that. Now, we have real people representing us, as well as this great country. However, the Congressional Black Caucus is raising a raucus over small potatoes. They feel as if President Obama doesn't have enough blacks in his Cabinet. Well, that goes back to the debate of whether skin color should really matter.

Playing The Race Card like Uno

You know how the game "Uno" goes. You can either match colors with colors, or numbers with numbers, or something like that.

So, black politicians must consider the Race Card as part of their own Uno Deck.

If they don't like the color, then they'll try to change the number — and vice versa.

Yet, when you look at the state of most black neighborhoods, it seems as if having a politician that looks like us hasn't really helped in the first place. This is why I don't get so caught up on the skin tone of a person, but the tone of their vision.

Look at how Obama won the election. Despite his temporary association with Rev. Wright, he still managed to convince whites that his color didn't matter when it came to his qualifications. So why can't blacks go by the same principles?

Actually, we can and we do. It's not us causing trouble — it's those who falsely represent us.

To be honest, until we have more honesty - I feel that we need LESS black politicians.

Uno OUT!

Rap murdered the R&B star!

2009-01-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Does anybody ever wonder what happened to R&B music? As I listen to the new Anthony Hamiliton CD, I contemplate why music like his does not get played on the radio. To go along with that, why aren't more artist like him signed to major labels?

My theory is that Rap murdered R&B.

How you ask? Well, R&B artist of today seem to respect modern day rappers more than legendary soul men like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield or Donnie Hathaway. What's my evidence for such a claim? Who do you think Akon was emulating when he released "I wanna f**k you?" While the soul men of yesteryear had class and smoothness, most of today's R&B artist are vulgar and have no craftiness.

This can mainly be attributed to the mixing of both genres by music executives. P. Diddy's idea (although the New Edition spin off group BBD did it first) of making acts like Mary J. Blige and Jodeci into R&B singers/with Rap beats, has had negative long term consequences for both genres. Though, R&B has been more severely damaged than Rap.

Now, before the sistas who do read this blog erupt with outrage over condemnation of Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, let me say I like them both. But you have to concede that Mrs. Blige's music has gotten better since she stopped working with P. Diddy. Her style is more Adult contemporary/soul music than Rap, now. As far as Jodeci goes, the more thuggish their music got, the less effective they became as a group.

Where Rap has hurt R&B the most is artistically. Like I stated earlier, the song writing by some of today's so called soul singers is terrible. Ray J's "Sexy Can I" or Akon's "Smack that," are examples of the negative influence that Rap has had on the art form. Most lyrics in today's R&B world revolves around cheating, strip clubs or just flat out lust. The days of genuinely singing about love and relationships has gone out the window. Now, I know great soul men like Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass sung about sex, but I'll be damned if it wasn't some of the most artful/slick stuff a man has ever recored to a woman. These cats were smooth, no one can honestly say "Smack That" and "Let's get it on" are on the same level. Same subject maybe, but completely different skill levels of artistic class and expression. What certain Rappers/R&B clowns don't understand is most people generally prefer what's graceful to something vulgar.

Along with a drop off in artistic expression, the image these characters choose is even worse. Take for example "the great peeing on underage Black Girls crooner R. Kelly," who labeled himself in R&B thug. Many other artist have tried to claim this style for themselves as well. Which means most of their videos look like the average Rapper's, half naked women and strip clubs.

With almost twenty years of this nonsense polluting the airways and the minds of our young, most under thirty year olds (hell, some over 30 as well) don't know what good music is. They've been dumbed down to point where if a song is positive, it's considered wack.

Hell, some of the best R&B today isn't even made by Americans. The British seem to have a better appreciation for soul/R&B music. Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Estelle and Duffy have been part of a British soul invasion that makes most American R&B acts look silly, at least in my opinion.

How do we bring soul/R&B back? We've got to support and advocate for it to return on the airways. Also, let a youngster that you have a relationship with, listen to some good soul/R&B music. If their averse to listening to it, hold them down if you must! We have to bring soul/R&B music back by any means necessary!

Just kidding about holding the kiddies down part!

The Divided States, are you ready for this possibility?

2009-01-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

Russian academic Igor Panarin predicts that America will cease to exist in 2010. Click here to read the article.

I could point out obvious motivations to why this former KGB analyst and current dean of the Russian Foreign ministry's academy for future diplomats has such dire predictions for America.

But, I'm not going talk about that, what's more intriguing to me is what if he's right? Mr. Panarin states that due to economic turmoil and moral decay, America will collapse and foreign powers will move in. He believes the United States will split along racial lines and a civil war will take place. Looking at his map of what foreign powers would control or influence certain parts of "The Divided States," I can't help but be a little worried.

What bothers me about this scenario is I know I'm not prepared to deal with a situation like this. Furthermore, I know the majority of Black folk would not be ready.

If wealthier states do secede from the union and the Federal government breaks down, one can only imagine the chaos that would in sue. It would be like Hurricane Katrina on steroids and we all saw who the majority of vulnerable people were in that disaster.

If things in this country were to breakdown, then communities would have to stick together. Many of my blogging brethren have commented about the self hate that exist within our communities. The recent study that showed an increase of young black men killing each other between 2000-2007 comes to mind and makes me even more anxious if a worst case scenario occurred.

Bottom line is most Americans would not be ready for a collapse, but some would be at more of a disadvantage than others. Black folk would probably be in the most vulnerable state and this mostly could be attributed to enemies within our communities. Many inner cities do not have businesses or the infrastructure to sustain its self for a long period of time. With the many broken families, exactly who would be policing our communities at night, provided no other state agency is around or would care to protect Black folk.

I hate to start off the year with doom and gloom, but I have to ask, how ready are you for the possibility of" The Divided States?"

New year Resolutions/pledges for us!

2008-12-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

Another year is coming to end and new one begins. When this new year begins, we have a chance to right the wrongs of previous year's gone past. In actuality, we can change at anytime, it doesn't have to be the beginning of a new year. Yet, a new year does symbolize fresh possibilities that we can capitalize on. That's if we make a plan and then follow through with it. Here's some ideas for my brethren and I, most of us are already doing these pledges, but it never hurts to have a reminder.

1. I pledge that from this day forward I will strive to love my brother as I love myself.

2. I, from this day forward, will strive to improve myself spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, politically and economically for the benefit of myself, my family and my people.

3. I pledge that I will strive to build business, build houses, build hospitals, build factories and enter into international trade for the good of myself, my family and my people.

4. I pledge that from this day forward I will never raise my hand with a knife or a gun to beat, cut or shoot any member of my family or any human being except in self defense.

5. I pledge from this day forward, I will never abuse my wife by striking her, disrespecting her, for she is the mother of my children and the producer of my future.

6. I pledge that from this day forward, I will never engage in the abuse of children, little boys or little girls, for sexual gratification. But I will let them grow in peace to be strong men and women of the future of our people.

7. I will never again use the "B" word to describe any female, but particularly my own Black sister.

8. I pledge from this day forward that I will not poison my body with drugs or that which is destructive to my health and my well — being.

9. I pledge from this day forward I will support Black newspapers, Black radio, Black television. I will support Black artists who clean up their acts to show respect for themselves and respect for their people and respect for the ears of the human family.

Take the pledge today and have a Happy New Year!

Peace

Why argue with an internet idiot?

2008-12-17T06:28:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, superstar blogger "The Field Negro" wrote a post informing his readers of a white racist blog. Mr. Field Negro encouraged his readers or at least gave them the option, to comment on this racist's blog by linking it to his. I won't name the idiot here, you can go to the Field Negro's blog and check it out if your interested.

This clown's blog had very ignorant photos and views of Black folk. One post in particular, was about over weight Black women and "Black men on the Down Low." It was really immature stuff, something you would assume came from an insecure teenager. It's what one would expect from a white hate mongers blog.

Let me say that I like the Field Negro's blog, but this racist clown does not deserve anymore attention then he already receives from his supporters. Furthermore, what would debating a person like this really accomplish? Even the most rational people ( and this idiot is far from rational) can be completely stubborn when it comes to what they believe in. You present an individual with evidence that contradicts one of their core beliefs and they find some other information to support them. Most of our beliefs have a certain emotional component to them, which trumps rational thought, so it's difficult to actually change someone's mind through an argument. The only time people truly change is when they want to or it becomes too uncomfortable to stay the same.

Now, back to the racist idiot. He likes conflict and being a bigoted prick, why else would you write a blog with that kind of message? He needs attention and probably has some insecurity issues, psychological as well. Debating someone like him is a waste of time. Any historical fact you bring up, he'll refute with something he has read that supports white supremacy.

Ultimately, life is short, far too short to waste one minute debating with an internet racist. Better to ignore internet racist and let them rot away in their own hate/misery. They created their own prison.

Kevin McHale must go! If not, then Glen Taylor must go!

2008-12-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Posts about sports generally do not get many responses on my blog, but then again I haven't been getting many comments anyway.

The Minnesota Timberwolves fired their coach, Randy Wittman Monday morning. This organization (owner Glen Taylor) decided to replace him with the team's vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale, who had to give up that position to coach. They should have sent him packing with Wittman, but I'll get to that later.

My Timberwolves have become a joke around the league and this is due to incompetent leadership. Glen Taylor has supported Kevin McHale much longer that what has been warranted. The only positive with him becoming the coach is he no longer makes decisions on player personnel. McHale's blunders in the front office have become legendary. He traded away "the big ticket" Kevin Garnett in 2007, who quickly won a world title with Boston last season. A world title that eluded him for twelve years in Minnesota, mostly due to Kevin McHale's inability to put quality players beside him. Most Garnett haters( McHale and Taylor included) excuse during his time in Minnesota was, "He makes too much money" for the team to sign quality talent. Yet, Garnett makes the same salary in Boston and they were able to surround him with enough talent to win a title within a year. So it wasn't about money, it's about McHale.

In the 2006 draft, McHale picked Randy Foye over Brandon Roy. Mr. Roy won rookie of the year in 2006-07 and was a 2007 - 2008 all star. As for Randy Foye? Not so much.

On draft day last June, McHale traded O. J. Mayo to Memphis for Kevin Love and veteran guard Mike Miller. O. J. Mayo leads all rookies in scoring and might be rookie of the year. As for Love and Miller? Not so much.

These are just McHale's recent mistakes, I could go on for days, but I won't. Although, I can't leave out my favorite draft day blunder. McHale drafted high schooler Ndubi Ebi in 2003 ahead of Josh Howard, Leandro Barbosa and Kendrick Perkins. Legend has it that Mr. Ebi was getting schooled in pick up games by then Minnesota Gophers guard Vincent Grier in 2005 - 2006.

With this type of job performance, one has to wonder how the hell does Kevin McHale stay employed? A job with the same damn organization is amazing. What does dude have to do to get fired? Trade Al Jefferson for Michael Olowokandi? Hopefully, this is his last chance and once this team finishes in the basement again, Taylor will finally come to his senses and fire McHale! If not, then Taylor needs to sell the team. It will become obvious that he is too foolish himself to continue owning a professional franchise.

Changeling is a must see movie!

2008-11-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Truth usually does not make recommendations of motion pictures, but I have to talk about "Changeling." Clint Eastwood directed this movie and it stars Angelina Jolie as a mother who's child has been abducted. It's a fascinating movie, one that stays with you long after watching it. In my opinion, Clint Eastwood is the best director in Hollywood and this film proves my point.

One of the more remarkable things about this film is it's based on a true story. This story seems so implausible, the fact that its truth and not fiction is disturbing. Even though this is a period piece that takes place in late 1920's/early 30's, it does not diminish the shock value. If anything, it bothers me even more to know something like this could occur just seventy to eighty years ago.

There are many lessons one can learn from "Changeling." The evil that men do, absolute power corrupts absolutely and women have a right to be angry about the treatment they received in this country are the salient points that stick with me. I now realize why radical feminists exist. Not to say I agree with them, but I understand.

Another thought crossed my mind after watching this flick. If a single white woman got this kind of treatment in the late 1920s Los Angeles, what in gods name happened to single black women going through a similar issue, during that time? At best they were probably just ignored, at worst, I don't want to even go there.

Ultimately, one leaves this movie knowing that evil has always existed in this world. All the nostalgia we here about "the good old days," is because people have conveniently forgotten stories like "Changeling." It's enough to make a man distrust the whole world and put his faith in nothing. Many Black comedians joke about the angry old black man. That old cat that trust's no one and who has faith only in himself. Folk chastise this man because they think he's out touch with today. Although, nobody ever considers how he got that way or even better yet, what he saw that made him what he is.

Check out "Changeling" and let know what you think about it.

I'm rooting for the new first lady!

2008-11-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone who still checks out my blog on a regular basis. I've been a little busy lately,which is why the Truth has not written in a while. I plan on being more consistent from now on.

Anyway, here's an interesting article about America's new first lady, Michelle Obama. This article was written by an African American female writer (Allison Sammuels) who is considering the importance of America having a Black woman as first lady. How she'll force America and more importantly, Black folk, to rethink how we view ourselves.

I've always liked Mrs. Obama, she is a beautiful, articulate woman. But, I have not been surprised that over the last two years, people have taken shots at her. Basically, because she is a Black woman. The shots have not all come from Republicans, either. In Chris Rock's comedy special, "Kill the messenger," he quipped that a Black Woman could not be the first lady. Something to the effect of black women being overbearing and controlling. In a separate issue, D. L. Hughley stated that black women "are upset by black men interracially dating, but Obama would not be here if not for an interracial couple."

As far as Mr. Rock's comments, I guess it depends on how sensitive you are to caricatures. It's no doubt the joke reflects a long held stereotype of Black women. Although, I'm sure Rock would say it's just a joke. He probably would venture to say he does not really believe his own statement. This is the same guy who encouraged Black women to interracially date if they have difficulty finding a Black man. So, this "joke" is to up each individual to decide if it's funny or not.

D. L. Hughley's comment was short sighted and a bit ignorant. First off, every Black woman does not have an issue with interracial dating. There are growing numbers of Black women who date and marry outside of their race, therefore, they all can't possibly have a problem with it. My second point would be that all Black men do not embrace interracial dating either. In fact, many ethnic groups in this country have their own hang ups when it comes to dating outside of their race. It's not just a Black man or women issue.

With these comments indirectly attacking black women and the first lady, I imagine there will be more to come over the next four years. The hate not only come from Republicans, but self hating Negroes or folks with unresolved Black women issues. Which is why I'll be rooting for our brilliant and beautiful first lady. Lord willing, she'll prove them all wrong!

Reactions from around the world to President elect Obama's victory

2008-11-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Click here to check out a BBC news video on folks around the world reaction to Barrack Obama's victory. My personal favorite is a tie between the people of a Japanese town called "Obama" and the kids in Obama's old school in Indonesia. Enjoy!

Powell's response says it all

2008-11-06T17:46:00.001-08:00

Two days after seeing the presidential election results with my own eyes, it's still hard to believe. Mentally, its difficult for me to process this new information. Barrack Obama will be our 44th president and I'm totally surprised. If someone would have told me two years old ago that Barrack would win the presidency in 08, I would laughed in their face. There's no way I could have conceived that it was even possible in my lifetime, definitely not in two years time.

What I found even more touching were the reactions from people around the country. Folk all across America spontaneously poured into the street and celebrated. TV pundits and celebrities were seen on camera crying, overcome with emotions about what they had just witnessed.

The one reaction that sticks in my mind is that of Colin Powell. This stoic warrior/statesman usually shows no emotion, but even he could not hold back tears on this historic event.

All I can say is, God Bless America!

The" Real American" Requirement

2008-10-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

"I request and require you recognize the Church as your Mistress and as governess of the world and universe, and the High Priest, called the Pope, in her name, and His Majesty, king of Spain, in Her place, as Ruler and Lord King. And if you do not do this, with the help of God I shall come mightily against you, and I shall make war on you everywhere and in every way that I can, and I shall subject you to the yoke and obedience of the Church and His Majesty, and I shall seize your women and children, and I shall make them slaves to sell and dispose of as His Majesty commands, and I shall do all the evil and damage to you that I am able. And I insist that the deaths and destruction that result from this will be your fault."

The aforementioned paragraph is called "The Requirement," a sixteenth century statement that Spanish troops read to Native American villages before laying siege in the New World. While this direct attack on people has long been deemed unacceptable, the indirect methods of warfare are alive and well.

Sarah Palin has talked about the rural areas of this country being the "real America." Michele Bachmann has encouraged the media to investigate whom in congress has pro or anti American views. Rush Limbaugh claimed General Colin Powell endorsed Barrack Obama for president simply because he was Black. Limbaugh also made some statement that Powell "owed" the Republicans for his career.

These phrases are all code words and indirect ways of saying something more sinister. What conservatives are implying is if an individual does not agree with them, then they aren't "real Americans." To them, real Americans are white, rural and hardworking people. It should be mentioned that stereotypically, those folks tend to vote Republican.

Which means in a way, that "The Requirement" statement is still valid. Physical harm may not come to an individual whom disagrees with the so — called "Real Americans," but social consequences is a different story. You may be labeled a traitor, terrorist, or unpatriotic. Maybe employment or residence could be denied to you due to not being a "real - American."

Colin Powell has been throughout his career a conservative Republican, but the minute he acts independent of that thought, he's basically called an ungrateful Negro from Rush Limbaugh. I don't know how Powell owes the Republicans anything, considering he worked his way up through military ranks. Yet, again this proves my point about this "Requirement" to be a real American. Even for man like Powell, the minute you act against the "Requirement," all the evil and damage "Real Americans" can inflict will be done. And of course, the fault will lie with Powell and other unpatriotic Americans.

Michele Bachmann has been a twit for a while!

2008-10-23T10:06:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, Michelle Bachmann went on MSNBC's Chris Matthews "Hardball" show and stated Barrack Obama may have anti - American views. During the same interview, she called for the media to do an expose, to find out who in the Congress had anti - American views.

Being that I'm from Minnesota and familiar with Mrs. Bachmann's past comments, this recent gaffe did not come as much of a surprise. This is the same woman who in 2005 at the Minnesota State capitol, hid in the bushes and spied on a Gay rally being held their.

In this video, she blames minorities for the recent mortgage crisis. How she became an elected official is beyond me. Lord Willing, her days of being one are coming to in end!

The Honeymoon is over, on with life!

2008-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

I recently jumped over the broom and went on my honeymoon. It's been a wild couple of weeks, but I'm glad to be married. My wedding ceremony was beautiful, but it had some disappointing moments. To be specific, the reception was the most disastrous part. Also, two individuals who were supposed to perform important functions during the ceremony, were late to the church. Although, taking everything into consideration, I believe things happened the way they were supposed to.

Yet, I walked away from this day with a new sense of responsibility. No longer single, I must now be the protector of my home and family. Which makes me reevaluate the relationships I have with my so-called friends. Many of the mishaps that occurred at the wedding, can be traced back to irresponsible "friends." But, I can't just blame them, the person who invited them is partially accountable as well (that means me, Truth). I believe watching what people do, tells you more about them then anything they can say. If I had not let loyalty or convenience blind me, then my wedding day would have been totally enjoyable.

I learned the hard way, but this is the last time it will happen to me. As the co — head of my household, it's my responsibility to only have people around who will help my household grow, not destroy it. Individuals who want the best for me, not ones that couldn't care less. People who are undoubtedly in my corner, not folk whom I have to guess where their allegiance lies.

My wife says I'm too hard on people. After our wedding day, I think she has a better understanding of why I'm that way.

A Trick is a Trick, a John is a John, no matter how much money they spend!

2008-10-06T09:32:00.000-07:00

One of the popular lines from many a rapper these days is "it ain't tricking, if you got it." Which means if you have the money to spend on strippers or prostitutes, then it's okay to do so. This flies in the face of the old school mentality of not paying for lovin (at least not directly paying for lovin). Certainly, if one does pay, then he concedes to tricking.

What irks me about this statement, is the sheer arrogance of it. These clowns justify exploitation on the basis of having the means to do so. It sounds very similar to might makes right. Better yet, manifest destiny, which basically rationalized the early Europeans treatment of Native Americans and Africans. It's ironic that rappers would use the same philosophy of the people who enslaved their ancestors.

Another interesting thing about these certain rappers is, they'll mock a guy for tricking his last dollars away. But an essence, what is the difference between him and the rappers?

Ultimately, whether "you have it" or not, your still a trick. Having the ability to make it rain, does not elevate one from trick status. This belief is a microcosm of what's wrong with popular culture's ideal of Black manhood today. What some of our folk value as "powerful" is amazing. That the ability to "make it rain," to these men, is the equivalent to commanding a military. To hell with admiring Colin Powell, Martin Luther King Jr or Malcolm X, no, power to these men is the ability to control women. It seems like many of these clowns don't respect women that much, so it's obviously about their perception of power and control over them. Never does the idea that their manhood has nothing to do with how many women they can control, but what they stand for or what they believe in. Never do they speak of positive values they hold dear or providing for and protecting their families. No, their focus is on trying to justify tricking.

The bottom line is simple, if your in a strip-club and pay for the attention of a stripper, then you're a trick. No amount of money can ever change that fact!

Bush Strikes again! I think Kanye was right!

2008-09-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

President Bush met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni last week and praised him as one of Africa's great leaders. Click here to read the full article. Bush was quoted as saying "you gave me great confidence when it came to realizing the proper strategy in dealing with AIDS." This is a strange comment by Bush, since the United States does not have a national prevention policy towards HIV/AIDS. Also, it seems Uganda is shifting it's ABC policy towards a US backed abstinence only program. Which may partly explain it's recent rise in new HIV infections. This extreme social conservative stance by the US seems to be destroying an HIV/AIDS prevention system that most AIDS researchers and activist acknowledge was working.

Uganda's ABC program began in the late eighties after the country ended it's civil war. This country is often cited as a rare example of success on the African continent dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The country had an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of around 15% in the early nineties, but in 2001, it was down to 5%.

The ABC approach stands for — encouraging sexual abstinence until marriage, secondly, advising those who are sexually active to be faithful to one partner; and finally, urging condom use, especially for those who have more than one sexual partner.

There are many reasons why researchers around the world like this strategy. First off, it focuses on behavior change. In Uganda, there was a rise in the average age of first sexual experience, a reduction in the average number of sexual partners and more frequent condom use. The frank and open discussions led to the population being informed of the consequences of risky behavior. This led to behavioral change amongst the population.

To be fair though, many experts believe death played a part in the decline of Uganda's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. Early on an Uganda, drugs and treatment were not available, so their were not many people living with AIDS in the country. Once the AIDS/HIV became full blown, they died quickly. Although, other African countries have had similar rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but have not seen any decline after the death of some of its population. Which means death alone cannot explain Uganda's success in the reduction of new HIV/AIDS infections.

One has to wonder, if a system is working, then why is the US government trying to change it? Why is it that America does not have a national HIV/AIDS prevention policy? For many years I wondered why America did not adopt the Ugandan prevention policy. Now, I know why. The Ugandan government has begun to only promote the Abstinence part of their prevention program. Since 2003, there has been a significant investment of money from PEPFAR, the American government's initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. PEPFAR is contributing large sums of money through pro — abstinence and even anti — condom organizations that are faith based. Some Ugandan teachers report being instructed by US contractors not to discuss condoms in schools because the new policy is "abstinence only."

In my opinion, this is silly. You have an HIV/AIDS prevention strategy that has shown success, yet you want to change it based on ideals? Someone should ask the US government, what's more important, ideology or saving lives? I know religion and the bible play a part in the abstinence — only insistence by the US government. But, I believe wise religious folk meet people where their at. None of us is perfect, therefore no human has the right to expect perfection from folk. Yet, that is exactly what the abstinence only program entails, perfection.

Furthermore, I really wonder what the true intentions are behind this insistence on abstinence only.

As for us Black folk, I think its time we develop our own strategy to deal with AIDS. The wrap it up campaign is a good start, but it does not go far enough. We have to start talking about behavior change, like the ABC program in Uganda. One of the positive things we can learn from the aforementioned example is, even though the government gave major support to the ABC program, it was basically a grassroots campaign. It was mostly done by AIDS activists and volunteers.

Black folk can no longer wait on the US government, whom seems to be more concerned with ideals (or something more diabolical) than saving lives. We as African Americans should take a look at the Ugandan example and start implementing some of their strategies.

Obama, bringing light skinned brothers back to the top!

2008-09-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Click here to check out a humorous article on the return to prominence of light skinned men.

On a serious note, will black folk ever stop being color struck? I know some of you are saying, "Damn Truth, it's just a joke!" I know it's joke, but sometimes the truth is said in jest. I've said many times before in this blog, that many black folks have a pathological love of white folk. In this instance, anything that is close to being white.

How do you see it? Funny article or another example on how color struck black folk are?

Some things are just better left unsaid.

2008-09-18T21:16:00.001-07:00

I've said it before and i'll say it again, Sometimes it's not what you do, but what you don't do in life that matters. Over the course of the last five months, NBA player Josh Howard has said things publicly that he should have kept to himself.

First he publicly admits to smoking weed and now he gets caught on camera saying he does not give a damn about the National Anthem.

Personally, I don't think smoking weed is that big of a deal, besides it being illegal. Anyway, Alcohol and Cigarettes kill far more people annually than marijuana. As a matter of fact, I don't know if weed has actually ever killed anyone. It definitely will kill motivation, but cause death? But, that truly is not the point. The point is Howard gave information that he did not have to. His honesty served no real purpose and it will only hurt him in the long run.

The National Anthem dis could mess with his career. He needs to google the name Mahmoud Adul - Rauf. Mr. Rauf was an NBA player who refused to stand during the National anthem, due to his belief the American flag represented "a symbol of oppression." He was suspended one game in 1996, before the NBA cut a deal where he could stand and pray during the anthem. He last played in the NBA during the 2000-01 season. After september 11th, no NBA team wanted to deal with a Muslim player who didn't want to stand during the National Anthem. He never played in the NBA again and finished his career oversees.

Whether Howard was joking or not, doesn't matter. Being that he plays in Dallas, Texas, does not bold well for him either. Quite frankly, if he doesn't learn to shut his mouth, the folk in Dallas will be least of his worries.

28 years is a long a** time!

2008-09-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Your favorite network and mine's, BET, just split with its president of entertainment. Reginald Hudlin is stepping down to return to his "entrepreneurial roots as an independent producer," according to Debra L. Lee, chief executive officer of BET networks. Click here if you even care.

I have not watched a single BET program in the last two years, so I can't really speak to what effect this will have on the network. Although, I've heard through the grapevine that BET's programing has improved.

The issue I have with BET is it just premiered their first scripted series in it's twenty-eight year history. Twenty - eight years? Damn, what took so long for this station to make an original series. One would think a channel called Black Entertainment Television, should have had many original scripted series depicting the different aspects and individuals that comprise the African American community.

When I browsed this article, I thought of an interview I read a few years ago featuring BET founder, Bob Johnson. When he was asked why shows like "Our Voices" and "Teen Summit" were cancelled, his response was basically they weren't making the network any money or pulling in ratings. Mr. Johnson also went on to say he's a businessman, not an activist.

To be fair, I guess the man has a point. When an individual starts a business, he or she is trying to make a profit. No business can survive for an extended amount of time unless they make money. If African Americans aren't watching shows like "Teen Summit," but will watch two hours worth of half naked women in videos, as a business person, what is he supposed to do?

Don't get me wrong, Mr Johnson could have done a whole better with the programming at BET. Plus, since his network has been in business for twenty-eight years, those shows couldn't have been losing him that much money. Yet, we in the African American community must take ownership for our part in BET's programming. It's only been over the last five or so years, that Black folks have finally had enough of the crap that BET has been pushing. Granted, shows like Teen Summit didn't get canceled until 2002. Yet, we should have put more pressure for original programing on BET a decade ago. Its Black folks own complacency that is part of the problem.

If we don't support programs that give a positive portrayal of African Americans, should anyone care if we complain about the crap that makes it to the big screen? Case in point, Denzel's Washington's " The Great Debaters" came and went in the box office. African Americans in general, did not go out and support this movie in high numbers. Including yours truly! Which makes me apart of the problem as well.

The Bob Johnson's of the world make an important point. If Black folk will not get behind positive programing, then how in the hell can we expect him to make it? He's a businessman who needs to make money, not an activist. Which means BET and the Black community have equal responsibility for it's awful programming. The only reason it took BET twenty-eight years to premier original scripted programming, is because we allowed it to.

What happened to Black Wall street?

2008-09-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting article on a UK site not too long. Click here to read it.

The question that starts out the piece is one that within the Black community has been voiced often over the last twenty years. With the black middle class leaving the city and moving to the suburbs, many inner cities in this country are depressed communities.

One of the men in the article who was advocating for the "Blacks only" business district in Detroit, made an excellent point on how recent immigrants are surpassing Africans Americans. This reality is very evident in my hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul. The North side of Minneapolis is considered the worst area in the state. The Black owned businesses in this side of town are regulated to barber shops and beauty salons. That's literally all they have in this area. Now, of course there are liquor stores and fast food joints as well, but I seriously doubt any of those are black owned. Anyway, most of the fast food joints open and close down for one reason or another over the years. The only constant are those liquor stores.

Once you go to South Minneapolis, specifically the area known as Lake Street and one can definitely tell there has been a recent influx of hispanic folk. They have restaurants, corner stores, check cashed places and everything else you can think of on a series of city blocks.

St. Paul has one of the largest Hmong populations in the United States. This Asian ethnic group has made great strides since arriving in Minnesota over thirty years ago, seeking political asylum. All of snelling avenue for almost a mile is decorated with their businesses.

Anyway, back to the question, Did ending segregation harm the black community? I did not live through the indignities of the period, so it's hard for me to do a comparison between then and now. My belief is the answer would be no. Why? I think the real harm came an our leaders failure to plan for the future. The leaders of the late 60's and early 70's seemed to have not anticipated the flight of black middle class out of the inner city. They rightly focused on white oppression, but neglected solidifying a strong independent economic base for our folk. Yes, segregation ended and black people now had a choice of where to live, shop, etc. The key word in that sentence is choice. Nobody made the Black middle class desert their neighborhoods, they choose to move. Even after moving, they still could have returned to their former hoods and supported the businesses. In a rush to enjoy their new found freedom, they forgot about the necessity of working and living together. The sanctuary that they enjoyed. It would have taken wise and diligent leaders to see something like that coming. With many of our leaders either killed or thrown in jail during the turbulent sixties and early seventies, the wisest of our group was simply not around to help.

Furthermore, the second class citizenship that blacks suffered due to segregation, had to have some severe psychological consequences for many that lived through it. The acceptance of the law stating that you were inferior and had to be separated, must have been difficult to deal with. Going back to that idea for the sake of black unity, is unimaginable.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my opinion? Isn't it possible for black folk to have unity without reverting back to segregation laws? Can't this be done by private businesses and citizens?

I don't identify with you!

2008-09-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about identity in the African American community. Click Here to read it.

The article kind of jumped out at me for a couple different reasons. One specific point the article touches on is the sometimes difficult relationship between African Americans, Native Africans and Caribbean immigrants. The cultural differences between us seems to override race. For the most part, there appears to be a severe lack of understanding between the different groups. As the one Kenyan woman in the article put it, "She didn't understand" why her African American friend talks about race all the time. My first thought is, obviously in the African educational system, they must skip over much of American history. Particularly, black history in this country. I had an older white co — worker tell me once, that he spoke to an African born black peer about the racism he witnessed as young man and she could not believe it. He stated "she was shocked" at the stories he told. The "stories" he told were pretty basic Jim Crow type themes. Nothing that I haven't heard million times or so in my life. Which may be part of the problem right their, many Africans simply don't have a clue to what African Americans went through in this country. They can't know, if they did, there would be no way they could legitimately ask why African Americans focus upon race.

My second thought was do the African born blacks have a point? Do African Americans put too much focus on race? Sometimes people from the outside can see something that the folks who are too close to matter, can't see. In this case, I do believe many African Americans put too much emphasis on race. Not so much complaining about race, but race being the source of all our problems. If we don't get along with a non — black co worker, it's about race. In some situations, tension with a co — worker may have to do with race. An other instances, it may have more to do with strong personalities or someone having a bad day. Bad relationships or terrible customer service becomes an indictment on all black men and women, not the individuals who wronged you, but the whole race.

My final point has to do with the sanctity of marriage. I have friends from all over the black diaspora. When I announced that I would be getting married next year to my friends, there was an interesting trend that occurred. My Native African and Caribbean friends were more enthusiastic about it than the African American ones. It wasn't that my African American friends weren't excited for me, they were, but there was a different intensity. My Non American friends were quick to ask about the date and what my plans were. The Americans were skeptical about marriage in general, more pessimistic about the success of marriage. Now, my little personal study is in no way scientific. You really can't make any conclusions off my circle of friends and how it relates to the marriages of Native Africans or African Americans. But, then again, statistics on marriage within the African American community cannot be ignored. Although, this article states that over sixty percent of Black kids grow up in single parent homes, I'm not so sure that number is correct. The statistic I have from 2007, says 42% black kids do live with a mom and dad. Yet, even if my statistic is right, we're only talking about being a few percentage points off. In that vain, I guess it really does not matter, the marriage situation within our community is at a crisis point. Unfortunately, it seems like my friends reinforce the statistics in this article.

What do you think? Do African Americans focus too much on race? Do Native born Africans live in denial about race in this country or do they make a better effort to assimilate than African Americans? Where is marriage headed for African Americans?

It's alright to get pissed off every now and then!

2008-08-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

For many years in my youth, I suffered in silence. Anger was an emotion that I had difficulty understanding. On one end of the spectrum, society says a man is supposed to be a man. It's all right for men to get angry or be confrontational and defend themselves. On the other hand, many people look down upon individuals showing anger. Society sometimes calls them hot heads, crazy or spoiled brats. Showing anger can sometimes give the impression that an individual has lost control.

Anger is especially troubling for black folk. If we show anger in situations not deemed appropriate by certain folk, then we're labeled the "angry" Black woman or man. Those labels come with a host of stereotypical characteristics. No one wonders what this black man or woman has been through in their life, either in the past or present. They don't consider that individual may be just having a bad day. No, their experience in life is minimized to just being an angry person.

Shouldn't people be allowed to get angry every now and then? Isn't anger a natural human emotion? Don't get me wrong, cursing at your boss is not a smart career move. If we're going to confront people to their face, then being balanced and respectful as possible is the best bet. It's allowing yourself to be angry and not necessarily acting on it, that is important. Also, there's nothing wrong with being angry in private.

Society might be a better place if people learned to get angry with each other respectfully. It's safer to do that, then bottling up all your frustrations inside, only to explode on someone. As Psychotherapist Derek Draper put it, "Anger is the loudest and most dramatic of emotions. Just think of the power of someone when they are showing righteous anger. Then think how much damage we must do to ourselves if we repress all that and turn it inwards. No wonder we eventually explode."

If you're not doing it already, do yourself a favor and get pissed off on occasion. Just don't kill anyone or curse out your boss!

Complaining/Blogging for change.

2008-08-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been wondering why do I continue to blog? What is the point to just writing about change? Sometimes I feel like this whole blogging thing is a waste of time. I mean, who am I really reaching with my bitching or talking points? Furthermore, I don't want to become an individual who just complains about issues, but does not follow it up with action.

With that said, I recently read an article in psychologies magazine about the art of complaining. Julian Baggini wrote that complaining is an important part to being fully human. For instance, black folk over fifty years ago complained about public transport. Although, the protests were not about high prices or late arrivals, they were about social justice. When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger, the Montgomery Bus Boycott followed, which became one of the defining moments for the Civil Rights Movement.

Mr. Baggini states that society may look down on complainers, but its time for folk to think twice about doing such. The fact that humans can recognize something isn't quite right and a make stand, is one of our species unique strengths. In fact it's not so much that we complain, but how we do it that gets some folks into trouble. Mr. Baggini believes good complaints are directed at things that really are wrong and can be changed. Bad complaints are about things that we cannot or should not change, or are directed at people who can't do anything about them.

After reading this article, I realized that blogging does have a purpose for all that participate in it. For some, we're telling the world that something isn't right and we want to fix it at all costs. Others are doing it just to get feedback that lets them know there not alone in the world, that there are many folks who share similar beliefs. Whatever our reasoning, there is something we must remember about blogging/complaining. Complaint can be an important spur to action, but too often it's used as a substitute for action. I believe bitching just for bitching sake helps no one.

Then again, maybe I'm complaining too much!

I'm not messing with them on the dance floor!

2008-08-22T12:29:00.001-07:00

I've been busy lately, so I have not had time to post any written words. Although, I have had time to check out a few wedding dances online, since I'll be getting married next year. I came across this couple in the video and must admit I'm impressed. I'm not messing with them on the dance floor.

When it comes to my wedding dance, I'll be doing that same old two step! Enjoy the clip!

I better cancel my winter vacation in Spain!

2008-08-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Spain is a beautiful country. I was last there about eight years ago and loved it. With that said, over the years I have read about increasing acts of racism in that country. Especially, at sporting events, such as soccer games. The Spanish fans and players have been known to get a bit rowdy and disrespectful toward black players. For further proof, check out this here .

Even more recently at a Formula One race in Spain, some fans showed up wearing black face paint with T - shirts saying,"Hamilton's Family." H1 driver Lewis Hamilton, an arch rival of a Spanish driver, is black.

Now this picture above from the 2008 Olympic Spanish Men's basketball team. Which might be the most insensitive photograph I've seen in a while. This is just plain silly and a terrible idea for a team who is representing their country. Or, maybe this picture is a reflection of Spanish folks attitudes towards non — white people.

To be fair, that last statement is probably a little harsh. I'm sure the majority of Spanish people are decent human beings and it would not be intelligent of me to characterize the whole nation as racist, by the actions of only a few idiots in the population.

But, I've been trained to notice patterns in folks behavior and I'll be damned if this doesn't look like pattern. Nazi salutes and monkey chants at Black players and now the slanting of eyes by the National basketball team, this definitely hints at the very least, cultural insensitivity.

It's a good thing they've received a backlash from the photo. They need to know that this type of behavior is unacceptable. Now, some training on cultural differences might help the basketball team and from the sound of things, the majority of Spain's population.

The interesting thing about this is, Spain has at least two NBA players on their team. Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon, both play in the culturally diverse NBA, so you think they would have a clue on this issue. After reading one of the quotes from Mr. Calderon, I realize the man doesn't have a clue. Here's his quote,"I want to say that we have great respect for the Orient and their peoples. Some of my best friends in Toronto are of Chinese origin," Calderon said on his website. "Whoever interprets something else from the photos has taken it completely the wrong way."

Somebody might want to tell him that Oriental is a rug and not a race. Also, we've all heard "My best friends are Chinese or Black" before, when they get caught talking reckless. It just makes him look and sound more guilty.

Bottom line, The majority of Spanish people are probably great to be around. I had nothing but peaceful and respectful interactions with them. But then again, I've never been to a Spanish soccer game either and I don't plan to go anytime soon.

Thanks Brother Dirty Red!

2008-08-14T13:06:00.001-07:00

Brother Dirty Red over at the blog, A Black man's view nominated me for the award above. I'm truly humbled by this nomination. Although he didn't say to do so, I will copy what Red did on his blog and give you seven facts about Truth.

Seven things about Truth

1. My real name has something to do with the word Truth. Now, I'm not going to tell you in what language, you'll have to guess that on your own.

2. I used to box back in the day, but I had to hang up the gloves. I realized I was no Mike Tyson and retired. Although, I may return to the ring for fun someday. I don't want to mislead anyone about the retiring comment, I never fought as a professional, just messed around in the gym.

3. Just like Brother Red, I spent time in the military as well. It was an interesting period in my life to say the least.

4. Learning languages is something I have appreciation for. I nearly learned how to speak a different language but gave it up after college. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made!

5. Like most Black folks in this country, my family's ancestry started in the South. Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia all areas where my folk first touched down in the United States.

6. Truth plans on getting married in 2009. I truly look forward to that day!

7. I love my folk! Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, "I'm Black and I'm Proud!"

That's it for me, now here goes my nominees for the award.

5. Saucacisms

6. Raving Black Lunatic

7. Go Zack

These are the rules you brothas and sistas should follow:

1. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

Peace!

Get a license to steal, Mr. D- boy!

2008-08-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting story at the US news & world report website. Click Here to read the article.

If you really think about the results of the study, they should not be too much of a surprise. Whether you start a business legitimately or illegitimately, there is a certain amount of risk involved. Of course, there's far more danger in the latter than the former. Anyway, part of being a successful entrepreneur is dealing with and overcoming the risk involved.

As far as the prospect of legalizing drugs, I can't ever believe that would be possible an America. The conservative branch in this country would raise hell. Any politician who supported a bill that legalized drugs, can kiss his or her career bye-bye. It's not going to happen in our lifetime.

Government incentives for opening businesses in the inner city would be a good idea. Although, ultimately some of our young brothers who hustle will have to walk away from the game on their own merit. The government is not going to help them make a better choice. In most government officials minds, they've done enough already to help black folk.

The Black community will have to start to support the businesses they have and encourage the young ones to gain the knowledge to start ones of their own. If the community starts to respect and shop in their own neighborhoods, maybe some of the young bloods will pay more attention to the legal hustle. When black boys see black men opening up businesses, besides Barber shops, then maybe the legal hustle becomes more attractive.

The infamous gangster Charles "Lucky" Luciano had an interesting quote towards the end of his life. When asked if he would do it all again, he said, "I'd do it legal. I learned too late that you need just as good a brain to make a crooked million as an honest million. These days you apply for a license to steal from the public. If I had my time again, I'd make sure I got that license first." I don't know if a gangster has ever said truer words.

A LA story, Black vs Brown .

2008-08-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

The LA times reported on Monday that hate crimes rose to a five year high in Los Angeles County last year. Attacks between Latinos and Blacks were the most commonly reported. The report that comes out annually from the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission stated the largest number of racial hate crimes involved Latino suspects against Black victims. The second most common was Black suspects against Latino victims. This pattern of hate had a gang connection in many of the cases. In one-third of the Latino - on - Black crimes and 42% of suspected Black - on - Latino crimes involved gangs. Overall, blacks made up almost half of the hate crime victims, totaling 310.

I think everyone knows that your far more likely to be hurt by someone within your race than outside of it, but the Black and Latino beef, especially in Los Angeles is becoming hard to ignore. There is something going on there and these statistics prove tension exists between the two groups.

I started to become more aware of the hatred about twelve years ago. I had just bought a CD by the West coast rapper Kam and he made mention of the growing tension. A couple of years later, I had a homeboy in the military who was from LA. He let me know he was raised not to like Mexicans! Although, he was an older guy and in his younger days he was crip, so that might explain some of his hatred.

While my friend was honest about the beef, it seems many others are not. There seems to be some denial in both communities. Many of the hispanic leaders blame it on the prison culture. I've actually heard other hispanic leaders claim the beef goes back to the 70's. According to these leaders, the black prison gangs in California made a pact with prison officials. This led to preferential treatment to blacks and difficulty for hispanics. Apparently, this pact fell apart in the 80's or 90's and the hispanics wanted revenge.

I have to be honest, I don't really buy that story. Even if that's true, some of the recent attacks by hispanics have been on African American citizens. One was a fourteen year old black girl. I'm sorry, but what does a fourteen year old black girl have anything to do with a prison pact from the 1970s?

Many black leaders are quick to deny or they point out the obvious. For instance, like I already mentioned, your far more likely to be hurt by a member of your own race. There is no arguing that point, especially in the black community. But, tell that to the family of that fourteen year old girl who was murdered last year. We should not minimize crime on either side, Black or Latino.

The bottom line is a problem exists. Both sides seem to be in denial which means the issues between them are only going to get worse. There seems to be some built in cultural or racists dislike between the two groups. Only by acknowledging that fact, can they start to build an alliance towards peace and not more violence.

Tell me what you think? Is this just media driven propaganda, or does a real problem exist between blacks and hispanics?

Always outnumbered, Always outgunned.

2008-07-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is a story that I initially did not want to deal with. I aim to have a balanced blog that promotes positivity in the black community. Therefore, at times I will have my readers confront the negative an our communities as well. But this story, makes no damn sense what's so ever.

On the evening of July 4th, a Minneapolis man was beaten unconscious by eight thugs for trying to protect his twelve year old daughter from being groped. The man, whose identity has been kept private for fear of retaliation from the gang these assholes belong to, approached one of these jokers as he, his wife and daughter's left Valley fair amusement park. He told one of them not to touch his twelve year old daughter, after apparently, one of the idiots felt on her as she walked by. Instead of being a man and accepting that he was in the wrong, this idiot got on his cell phone and called for back up. The "back — up" was seven of his friends who were already somewhere else in the parking lot. As the family walked to their car, the father was attacked from behind by these eight clowns. They took turns stomping on and kicking the head of the 41 year old man.

Devondre Evans - Lewis, Andrew Shannon, Darris Evans, Terry Arnold, Derry Evans, Anthony Gildersleeve and a fourteen year old boy were arrested at the scene for the attack. The eighth attacker ran away, so he did not get arrested.

As you can probably tell from the names, all the accused assholes are black. Like I stated earlier, the local media has not shown the identity of the victim or his family, so many in the state believed that the they were white. This is probably due to the amusement park being in a white section of Minnesota. The assumption was wrong, this was an African American family that was attacked by these predators.

There's no post slavery condition, lack of schooling or poverty that explains this type of bullshit, it's just plain evil. We in the black community were outraged by the Sean Bell shooting and black folk will march for the Jena six. Yet,what did the Black leaders or civil rights activists from Minneapolis say about this brutal attack? I have not heard shit from any local leader. I could be wrong, but besides Peter Bell's article in Sunday's Star & Tribune, there has been silence on this issue.

Which hints at a much larger problem and a faulty state of mind. If white folk are the perpetrators of violence towards blacks, then we must raise hell. If Black folk injury one another, it's sad, but we don't want to be too hard on the brotha's or sista's. WTF? This man is lying in a hospital bed with possible permanent brain damage, his twelve year old daughter and wife are traumatized, and were worried about these assholes?

These are the times where a man's faith really gets tested. I have thought, God forbid, what of that had been me? Truth be told, it could have be me or someone I care for.

The answer to dealing with situations like these is not silence. The righteous brothas must organize within their respective cities. We must try to link up with like minded brothas to have an answer to this type of evil. I'm looking into many different possible community organizations that I can lend my services to, I suggest to the of rest my brothers that you do the same. We may be outnumbered and outgunned right now, but it does not have to remain this way.

Can TI Redeem himself? Only time will tell.

2008-07-26T00:43:00.000-07:00

One thing I always gave TI was the fact that he had charisma. I never bought any of his music, but conceded that he had talent. When I would listen to him speak an interviews, he didn't seem to be an idiot like many of the other rappers. I thought if anything else, the young man had some common sense. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough sense to avoid being arrested last year for buying unregistered guns through his bodyguard. TI tried to buy $12,000.00 worth of firearms from an undercover ATF agent. After the arrest, the police found three more guns in TI's car, plus a half — pound of weed!

On March 27, 2008, TI reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to one year in prison (to be served in 2009), three years probation and more than 1,500 hours of community service as a public speaker talking to youth. That certainly beats the up to ten years and $250,000.00 fine on each charge, he could have faced had he been found guilty by a jury of his peers.

Well, in life, it's not what happens to you, but how you respond to it. After reading the August XXL feature on TI, I think the young man has a chance to redeem himself. Why do I believe this? One cannot change, until they first admit fault. In the article, TI takes full accountability for his regrettable actions. TI was quoted as saying,"I don't blame anyone else for my mistakes. It wasn't my inner circle that caused this whole thing. I'm not trying to be the one to point the finger and say, Well, that guy caused me all this pain and lost me all this money, Nah. At the end of the day, I'm the head to the body. It was my decision and a play couldn't have been made if I didn't make it, so I got to keep it 100 with myself and man up and accept that responsibility."

TI drops another jewel when he states, "It's several different ways to look at it once you've already gone through it. But all that really matters is, if I wouldn't have broke the law, I would not have gone to jail, period."

For much of this article, TI does what he should do, he man's up to his mistake. Insanely, TI has to answer questions about possibly snitching to receive a lighter sentence. It seems to me he gave a truthful and genuine answer. TI stated, "You can read my whole plea agreement. It's public record. If cooperation was a part of my deal and that was the reason they gave me less time, it would have been in black and white. They not into making me look good. That's not their job, to help me keep my street cred."

In many ways, TI's situation is a microcosm of the issues many of our young black men face in this country. Young men with a world of talent and potential, yet throw it all away with bad decisions. That's why I now root for TI to do his time and come back out into society with a new mindset. A mindset that is more about helping himself and our community succeed, not self destruct. To use our talents and gifts the way the creator intended for them to be used. Maybe if TI can metamorphosis himself into a leader, many young brothers just like him may follow his lead.

What do you think about TI? Ignorant rapper or a changed man? Tell me if you think once he's out of trouble with the law, will he go right back to doing what got him arrested in the first place?

73 percent Ms. Banks? No way in He**!

2008-07-21T11:51:00.001-07:00

Let me first say, I was very conflicted about posting this guy's audio from youtube. I've been trying to find video on the State of the Union for Black Women from the Tyra Banks show, but was unable to find anything. What I did find were a few responses from Black men about the show. Most of them were emotional and ignorant comments. This Kobra cat had issues with the Black women on that show and with sisters in general. His overall tone is negative and stereotypical, but I can't say he's completely ignorant.

I only agree with three of his points about the show. For starters, shows like these do not help anyone. If anything, it only serves to create more antagonism between black men and women. Ironically, he turns around posts this audio clip which I seriously doubt will cause Black women to rally to his cause. If anything, they'll respond just as defensive as him.

Second of all, I'm not convinced about the whole "down low" phenomena either. All of the experts that I have read, concede that they have no data on these men. I think the author of the "down low" book is capitalizing on the fear of sisters and the sensationalism of the media. Until someone can give me statistical proof of its prevalence, I don't buy it.

The final one is my true reason for even writing about this subject. If you missed the show, go to Trya Banks website and click on the video section. Then click on the "State of the Union for Black women" and listen with you own ears Ms. Banks misquote the following statistic. She actually stated that out of all the interracial marriages in the country, a Black man is involved in 73% percent of them. That is complete BS! Black people as a race don't comprise half the interracial marriages in the country, so how could black men make up 73% of them? To go along with that, Asians, Hispanics and Native Americans percentage wise, marry outside of their race more than blacks.

Hell, if Ms. Banks used common sense, she should have been able to correct her mistake instantly. The vast majority of Black people in this country live in the South. Needless to say, Mississippi and Alabama's interracial dating statistics are much different from Minnesota or California. If you don't believe me, google the 2000 census and look for yourself.

Why does Ms. Banks goof bother me? First of all, you have thousands, maybe millions of Black women around the country quoting an erroneous statistic. Which like I said in my initial complaint, only makes the already strained relationship between Black men and women worse.

Second of all,Because it's a lie. There are two ways you can lie to people, you cannot tell them the truth or not tell them at all. She has to know by now she made a mistake, yet there has been no attempt to correct the error. Which really makes me question what is her true motivation behind this annual series?

For the sisters, let me make it perfectly clear that I don't agree with the overall tone of Mr. Kobra. He deflects all the blame on Black men and gives it to Black women, which I strongly disagree with. This is a two way street, both sides have issues they need to confront.

If anything is going to be solved in our communities, we have to confront the difficult issues constructively. Interracial dating is a complex and emotional issue with many black folks, so I respectfully ask that your comments be appropriate and not hurtful. Let's listen to each other and then find a solution how to love one another better.

Peace!

The Valley of Elah

2008-07-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

Those of you who read the bible know, the title of this post serves as the background to one of its best known stories. This is the place where David and Goliath met in battle.

It also is the title of a great movie that debuted last year. The film is based on a true story about a missing soldier who just returned from Iraqi. Tommy Lee Jones stars as the soldier's father, an ex - MP who is determined to find out what happened to his son.

This film examines the issues that many of our present day soldiers deal with. Such as, the Iraqi war, abuse of prisoners and post — traumatic stress disorder following active combat. Basically, the point of the movie is the war and this country are in trouble. American needs a David to stand up and face Goliath. Whether that means ending the war and leaving Iraqi or going to further extremes to win, I don't know. I'm not sure which way the director was leaning.

But it did make me think about what the Black community needs. We need a David to face the "Goliath" type issues that affect our communities. Although, it can't just be one, we need a nation of David's.

The main deterrent that prevents there being more David's in the Black community, is the same one that all the Israelites (Besides David, of course) felt upon seeing Goliath, fear. For forty days, Goliath would challenge one man from the Israelite army to fight, but there were no takers.

Yet, David could not wait to go into battle. In his mind, the God of Israel was on his side, therefore he could not lose.

Which caused me to think again, is the lack of Davids' in our community due to a decline of spirituality amongst us brothers? Is it a fear of being labeled a self righteous christian? Or is it the fear we'll be outcasted as one of those "Black righteous folk?" You know, men that talk a good game about changing their community, but then are robbing them blind once they've gained the communities trust.

Whatever the reason may be, its time we confront this fear in ourselves. Each of us needs to seek out a relationship with the creator, if one has not already been established. Why? Because were powerless to bring about change without the help of the creator.

We can no longer wait on someone else to change our communities, it has to be us. Just like David, we have God on are side, so we should not let fear get in our way. Its time we get are sling shot and five stones out, then face down the "Goliath" in our own backyards.

Young Berg doesn't like "dark butts!" WTF is he smoking!

2008-07-13T17:56:00.001-07:00

I always thought of Young Berg as an annoying, below average rapper. As soon as this fool opens his mouth, I turn the channel. He really does not deserve to be mentioned on my blog, but this was something that I could not pass up.

He's reasoning for not dating dark skinned Black women is as shallow as I've ever heard in a recording. This clown refers to them as "Dark Butts." Considering his mother is allegedly on the darker side, this should make their next family gathering interesting.

To all my dark skinned sisters, don't put too much value into this idiot's comments. You can tell by listening to this recording, he's not the brightest lightbulb in the shed.

To all my brothers, let's remind our dark skinned sisters that their just as beautiful, if not more so, than any other group of women on earth! Let's be sure to say that Young Berg's idea of beauty is not representative of how we all feel!

It's your personality and style, not your race Mayweather!

2008-07-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, newly retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr accused HBO'S boxing analysts of being racist. He was quoted as saying, "Even a guy like Jim Lampley, he praises Kelly Pavlik - who has won some good fights, he beat Jermain Taylor twice, we have to give him credit for that —but they talk about Kelly Pavlik, a white fighter, like he's the second coming or they go crazy over Manny Pacquiao. But I'm a black fighter," Mayweather said. "Is it racial? Absolutely. They praise white fighters, they praise hispanic fighters, whatever. But black fighters, they never praise."

He also put Mr. Lampley on full blast with his next quote. Mayweather stated, "Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Emanuel Steward, they're always talking about the negative things in my life," Mayweather said. "But I've seen Jim Lampley in the same strip club as me before. They always want to talk about me going to strip clubs, but they don't want to talk about that." Mr. Mayweather was not done talking about Mr. Lampley, he went on to say, "He caught a court case himself, too. But when they catch a case, all they do is take them off the air a couple weeks, then its over." Lampley, the lead announcer on HBO boxing, last year received three years' probation for violating a restraining order brought by a live — in — girlfriend who accused him of domestic abuse. Lampley never was charged on the original abuse complaint.

I've watched HBO boxing for close to twenty years. There is no doubt that the network's announcers are biased towards certain fighters. Although, I would not necessarily call them racist. They tend to support action fighters, who act humble outside of the ring. Floyd Mayweather Jr displays neither of the aforementioned attributes. He tends to fight a safety first, defensive style. Now, I don't blame him for it, but that sometimes means his fights will be boring. Case in point, Mayweather vs De La Hoya was not a very entertaining match. Considering it was one of the most hyped fights in recent memory, as far as action goes, it was a complete disappointment.

Outside of the ring, Mayweather can sometimes be obnoxious. One particular incident that bothered me was shown on the pre fight documentary series, "24/7 Mayweather vs De La Hoya." There was a sparring session with Mayweather and some unlucky soul. Now, I boxed for a minute and I came to understand sparring sessions were about getting work in, not trying to kill the other guy. Mayweather did not let the camera crew tape the session, but the viewers did get to see the aftermath. The unlucky guy was bloodied up pretty bad and to add insult to injury, Mayweather and his entourage were joking about the beating he just gave. It was totally classless.

Besides, the two fighters Mayweather mentioned, Kelly Pavlik and Manny Pacquiao, are both action fighters. To go long with that, they don't act like a**holes outside of the ring, at least not in the public realm. Most people, Black or White, would probably root for Pavlik or Pacquiao over Mayweather.

But, Mayweather does make an interesting point about Lampley. There does seem to be a double standard in the media about judging athletes for their bad behavior, but ignoring the indiscretions of journalists'. Jim Lampley, Marv Albert and Bill O' Reilly are three good examples of TV analysts' with their own behavioral issues, yet their crimes are swept under the rug without too much ridicule from peers'. Professional athletes, particularly Black male athletes catch hell for their behavioral shortcomings.

The bottom line with this is, Mayweather choose to be the villain. He states that controversy sells, therefore he behaves in a manner that, at times, plays into a stereotype. Therefore, a big reason why people may not like him has little to do with race. It has more to do with dude's personality.

I like Floyd Mayweather the fighter, but liking him as far as person is a completely different story.

What do you think about Floyd "Money" Mayweather? Would you say he's just playing the race card or not? Tell what you think about HBO's boxing announcers.

Free, but not Independent or collective.

2008-07-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

I always used to have conversations with a friend of mine over the independence, or the lack of it among many Blacks in America. He believed the reason why many Black people take there communities and lives for granted, was due to the fact they did not win their independence through a war. In his opinion, we fought in the civil war, but it really wasn't our army. We marched and died in the civil rights movement, but you can't really consider that a war in the classical sense. I don't want to offend anybody, but he stated that our rights were basically "given" to us. Now, I don't really think that encapsulates our problems totally. In my opinion, the issues in our communities run deeper than winning a war. Yet, It still is an interesting theory.

Anyway, today America celebrates its independence, yet it seems many a Black folk are still searching for their piece of Apple pie. For some of our folk, they have become dependent on the government for survival. If not dependent, some people within our communities expect politicians or the government to fix the plight of the inner cities.

That is not going to happen anytime soon. Its like the great Malcolm X stated and I'm paraphrasing, If you're going to wait on the government to change things, expect to wait 500 years. None of us are going to have that kind of time on earth, therefore we cannot wait for change.

Many of us Black American men must start to think independently, but mix in some collective thought for our communities. Too many of us have become apathetic about our lives, communities, jobs or whatever. When this occurs, we then decide to take the path of least resistance. Just live out our lives and hope somebody else comes along to fix things. Unfortunately, if everyone takes that approach, then no one ever does anything but wait. Not doing anything means acceptance, whether we want to admit it or not.

I'll the end this post with an example on what an independent, but collective mindset looks like. The late great Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett took a young Tori Hunter under his wing in the early nineties. According to Hunter, Kirby looked out for him from day one when he showed up to spring training. They would go out to eat at a restaurant after practice and Kirby would always pick up the tab. Tori stated that Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield would never let him hang out by himself after practice, he would always go over one their houses and hangout. Along with that, Kirby always kept a couple thousand dollars in his locker which he called "pocket change," Hunter's locker was right next door and one day Puckett turned to him said,"If you ever need any money, just take it, you don't have to ask." Tori said he respected him too much to take his cash, but he would pick Puckett's brain on how to make it in the Major League's. When Kirby Puckett died in 2006, Tori Hunter was devastated by his friend's tragic demise.

Tori Hunter left the Twins this year via free agency to play for the California Angels. Yet, before he left, Tori carried on the tradition of looking out for young brothers coming up to the major leagues. In spring training two years ago, Tori befriended Denard Span, a 2002 draft pick for the Twins. Tori apparently did the same for Mr. Span as Kirby Puckett did for him.

The day when more of us are treating each other like the Kirby Puckett and Tori Hunter example, the day are communities start to become independent and self sufficient.

Do Black Americans take their freedom for granted? What do you think about the "War Theory?" Is it possible with this generation of young black men, to emulate what Kirby Puckett did for Tori Hunter?

Bill O'Reilly Flips Out/Bad day, I guess.

2008-06-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

We've all had bad days on the job, but Bill might need to think about taking some anti-psychotic medications. Or should I say, I hope he has already started taking medication.

Seroquel, Risperdal, Clozaril or Abilify, pick one Mr. O'Reilly and please take it before you hurt someone. I'm "looking out" for you!

NEW 50 CENT YOUNG BUCK PHONE CONVERSATION. Buck Crying/ The Diabolical 50 cent!

2008-06-27T14:52:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying I'm not a Fifty cent fan. Yet, you have to give the diabolical one some credit for planing this a year in advance.

According to Young Buck himself, this conversation took place over a year ago. Which means Fifty smiled in his face for a year, acted like everything was cool between them, all along he had this tape to use against buck once he decided to leave or Fifty kicked him out of the group.

This is an embarrassing tape and it will be hard for Young Buck to put a positive spin on the recording. Not only is he begging to stay in the group, he admits to being in serious financial trouble.

Fifty cent is planning to write a book with the author of "The 48 laws of Power" Robert Greene. It's supposed to be something similar to the aforementioned book, but it will have to do with street laws.

I'm sure one of the laws will be don't cry in the phone, when talking to your boss. He may be recording you!

Lack of Ownership/ By any means necessary!

2008-06-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

The sista focusedpurpose has been one of my most consistent commenters, along with Brother Zack, Brother Dirty Red and Sexual Chocolate Matters (just kidding, Chocolate). She has held it down for the ladies quite well and I truly respect her words. We don't agree on every issue, but the passion she displays on her point view is undeniable and something I admire about her.

The one issue that the sista has brought up on her blog, which inspired me to write this post is the lack of ownership in the black community by the "good" black men. You know, the brothers that pay their taxes, provide for their families and care about their community. The sista has called for violence, if necessary, to protect the women and children of the community from thugs. After reading stories like the one in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune, I'm damn near in complete support of violence, if necessary.

Every June in Minneapolis, there is a Juneteenth festival. This is an event where the African American community gets together to celebrate the freeing of the slaves. I'm sure every major city in the country has something similar. Anyway, this is obviously a family oriented event that is supposed to be a peaceful gathering. Well, I'm sure some of you know exactly where this story is headed. On Saturday evening, which was last day of the event, two different groups of young men began to fight each other. The next thing you know, gun fire erupted and people took off running. Two innocent bystanders and one gang member were shot, but none of their wounds were life threatening.

Now this shit makes no sense, but be honest, are you really surprised something like this happened? I mean, if there is an event where the intended target audience is young black men or possibly could attract this group, I'll be damned if violence is not the expectation. The brother Zack from Chicago, decided not to go to a local Kanye West concert for fear of violence. Imagine that, A good brother wants to enjoy some music amongst his peers, but thinks better of it for fear of death! In fact, many of my blogging brothers concede they avoid events were the black population will be the overwhelming majority. Including, yours truly.

Yet, like sista focusedpurpose has stated, that's the problem right there. The "good" men are avoiding events and not confronting these clowns. The "good" men are not organizing and making it clear that this shit is unacceptable. That this event is off limits to your stupidity and consequences will be enforced, if our event is not respected.

That may sound extreme, but I mean, these clowns knew where they were, it's their neighborhood for Pete's sake (who the hell is pete, anyway? But I digress). They knew innocent people were around and could be hurt or killed. The issue is that they did not care what happened to innocent civilians at this festival. Civilians who are members of their community, people they pass on the street everyday. Men, Women and Children who look like them, yet they feel no compassion, no sense of duty or honor to preserve innocent human life. In my opinion, its time someone start making them care.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not turning into Rambo! Like everyone else, I want to live a long life. One day when I grow old, I want to be able to play with my grandkids and die in the house where my children were raised,with family members at my bedside.

But then when I put more thought into my vision, I can't help but wonder what kind of world would I be leaving behind? Specifically, what kind of neighborhoods would I be passing on to them? If my life follows the pattern of middle class black folk today, then I'll live in suburb where white folk is the majority. Call me crazy, but something seems inherently wrong when one must move from his own kind to feel safe. Many ethnic groups have enclaves where they live together because they want to be around one another. Yet, for many African Americans, that just is not the case. We openly joke about not wanting to live, work or play where too many of our kind already inhabit. White folk continue to move further away from the city and the black folk that can afford to, follow in hot pursuit. There will eventually come a day, were moving or avoiding will no longer be possible.

I know some of you will say, let's not be too hard on the young men. We don't know their family situations, their environments, possible physical and sexual abuse, mental illness and a host of other possibilities. I have empathy for those issues that people have to deal with that is beyond their control. On the other hand, just because those things may have happened, does not give them the right to be totally irresponsible and disrespect human life. We all have issues and ultimately, were the only ones responsible for healing ourselves, no one else. Besides, I believe most people know that opening fire in crowd of people is wrong, but I like already stated, these so — called gangsters did not care.

Desperate for answers, one organizer of the festival suggested more African themed exhibits as a way to show the importance of the event. Needless to say, I doubt this will prevent anything. One thing is for certain, the situation within our communities are getting worse nationwide. Major cities such as St. Louis, Philadelphia and Washington DC are experiencing high numbers of homicides. Next year, it might be your hometown or mine.

No one wants conflict, but if were honest with ourselves, it's impossible to go through life without experiencing situations where conflict is necessary. I think this is something us good men must understand. If we eventually want to have our own communities ,where our children can play and grow without constant fear of violence, then conflict with our own kind may be unavoidable.

Do you think this post is over the top? Should us good black men continue to move further away from the city like white folk or organize and start to enforce some standards within our own communities? If you agree with the latter, how would this organization look? If agree with the former, please state you're reasoning for such.

Absolutely wrong about relationships.

2008-06-20T08:22:00.001-07:00

On Father's day, Barrack Obama gave a speech which spoke about fatherlessness in the Black community. He called for Black men who are neglecting their responsibilities, to step up and be accountable to their families. After reading his speech, I mostly agree with Mr. Obama's stance. Yet, it would be nice if members in our community started mentioning that it takes two to have a healthy relationship. Many Black men and women need to work on respecting each other better.

The most annoying aspect, in my opinion with many folk within our community is the absoluteness of they're thinking process when it comes to their own kind. All Black women are hard to deal with. All black men are disrespectful and dangerous towards their families. Black women are Goldiggers. Black men are trifling and on the "down low." If this is the mindset of many African Americans, no wonder interracial relationships have grown in popularity.

Many Black folks characterize their own racial group, with negative attributes. We as African Americans have spent the majority of our time on this continent asking to be treated as individuals, while the dominant culture has grouped all of our feelings and behaviors into a box. Instead of rejecting this box as the bullshit it is, many an African American co sign with stereotypical beliefs. Within certain parts of the black community, there seems to be a pathological love of white folk.

Relationships are difficult enough, adding racial baggage into the mix makes things tougher. Some African Americans take a maladaptive human behavior and characterize it as exclusively being "black." There are many women whom are difficult to deal with, that are not black. There are also men who are not honest about their sexuality, that are not black. These behaviors are Human, not restricted to certain races of people.

Yes, many black men need to own up to their responsibilities. Yet, its Black people that must confront their own self hate and stereotyping of their own kind. Black men are over represented prison, but not all black males are criminals. Maybe African American women are a little bit more concerned about finances than non — white women. There is a very human reason why this may be true. Statistically, they're the ones most likely to raise a child by themselves. I don't think it's unreasonable that the average sister wants some reassurance from the man she's dating or marrying.

Ultimately, many black men and women need to start treating each other like human beings, not "absolute" beings.

What is your first thought upon seeing someone black, positive or negative? Do you characterize all black men or women as having similar behavior patterns? For example, Black men are dogs? Black women are angry?

Senseless.

2008-06-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

There were two local murder cases covered in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper last week, that really should bother anyone who reads those articles.

One involved the murders of Mosetta Peters, 21 and Ja' Naurri Allen, 18. They were murdered on Jan 16, 2007 by Ms. Peters ex — boyfriend Revelle Loving, 21. Ms. Peters and Mr. Allen were sitting in their car outside of an apartment complex, when Loving unloaded his AK - 47 into the automobile. Mr. Loving's brother Ronelle, unloaded his 9 - millimeter handgun into the car as well.

This case gets even worse, Ms. Peters was scheduled to be in court the next day to get a restraining order against Mr. Loving, because he attacked her twice before. Unfortunately, I do not think it would have mattered much in this case.

Besides both of the Peter's and Allen's families being grief stricken, there is now a 4 year old girl with her mother dead and father headed to prison. Yeah, I forgot to mention that Ms. Peters and Mr. Loving had a child together. Ms. Peters's relationship with Mr. Allen had just began six months ago and it obviously seems like Mr. Loving was a bit jealous.

Mr. Loving was sentenced on June 10, 2008, to life without the possibility of parole. Yet, before he was sentenced, Loving punched his lawyer in the face. I guess he did not agree with the way his attorney handled the case.

If that was not enough to read about, Thursday, June 12, 2008, another horrible crime took place. Katrica L. Daniels, 36 and her son Robert Shepard, 10 were found dead Thursday morning inside their South Minneapolis duplex. The scene of the crime was described by authorities as "gruesome." Two seventeen year old boys were arrested for the deaths late Friday evening. The two young men were "acquaintances" of the family. Police have not made public the alleged reason for the murders. Whatever the motive these two guys give the police, there is no justification for such inhumanity. Fortunately, Ms. Daniels three other children were not hurt.

I want to first give my condolences to the families of the victims. Second of all, if any of the victim's family members reads this post, know that I'm not trying to exploit the death of your loved ones. Yet, I feel the evil that was committed in theses cases displays a problem that exist within our society today.

Both cases showcase young men who showed callous and cold — blooded behavior towards fellow human beings, people that they knew personally. Although, statistically it's more likely you would be murdered by someone you know rather than a stranger. Another statistic for you women with a possessive boyfriend or men dating one who has an unstable ex, if they're going to attack violently, it generally happens within two years of the initial break — up.

Anyway, one has to wonder what enables a human being to behave in such an inhumane manner? How does one kill a mother and her ten year old son? What drives a man to kill the mother of his child and her new boyfriend? People who value the sanity of human life can't even begin to grasp going to the extreme these young men exhibited in these tragic instances.

Calling them animals and monsters may make us feel good, but it's not the reality. The aforementioned young men are very human, but either through their environment, upbringing, genetics or all of the above, were able to commit gross acts of violence. Also, dehumanizing groups of people is the first step towards genocide. The Hutu called the Tutsi "cockroaches" leading up into the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The Nazi's labeled Jews as "rats" previous to World War two. If we start dehumanizing young black men, even criminals, the violence will only get worse. More importantly, our response to the violence will become worse.

The bottom line with cases like these is nothing makes any sense. This is not a just world and bad things do happen to good people, including ten year old boys. Instances like these shake my belief in the goodness of people. We live in a world where evil exists and trusting a fellow human could be a fatal mistake. Trying to make sense out of the senseless, leaves me hopeless most of the time. Yet, my confusion is nothing compared to what the families of the victims must be feeling today.

My pray for the victims is that your families find comfort and I hope your souls are resting in peace.

Special education needs a face lift!

2008-06-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night, Black community leaders and Minneapolis public school officials met to sign an agreement that commits them to work together to find solutions. Solutions to what, you ask? The answer is to these dreary statistics: Sixty - nine percent of black students did not pass the state reading test last year; Seventy - eight percent failed the math portion; Seventy - three percent of students suspended last year were black, and fifty-two percent of all district special education students were black.

It would seem that the Minneapolis public school system has quite the job ahead of them. All of the aforementioned statistics bothered me, but the special education one is the most damning of the bunch. Why? I know people personally who worked in the special educational program and called it a complete joke. Imagine this scenario, 5th and 6th grade black boys that cannot read. Yet, they are awarded with snacks for "proper" behavior. Think of young African American high school girls playing "games," instead of learning pre — algebra.

Now ask yourself this, when they graduate from high school, will they be able to get a job? Hell, will they be able to fill out the damn application is the better question!

The special education system in this country, needs to be reformed. There has to be some academic standards set for these children. Giving them snacks for good behavior is not going to help them in the future. The fact that a child's brain development may take longer, does not mean they are incompetent. It is possible as they age, their brain "will catch up." Even if the child cannot compete in a normal classroom, they still need to have some educational goals.

The Minneapolis public school system and the parents have failed these children so far. Its good community leaders have stepped in to attempt to do something. Now, for the sake of the children, we need some action, not more empty conversation towards improvement.

Do you think community leaders and School officials can fix the problems in Minneapolis public schools? Does the federal government need to change its special education funding policy, so it's more concerned with academic results than the amount of students in the program?

Minnesota Nice/Whistle Me Dixie!

2008-06-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

"Minnesota Nice" is the term that supposedly encapsulates my state's citizenry's pleasant behavior towards each other. For the most part, that has not been my experience, but I won't speak on that now.

Although, it was "nice" to see Bloomington Kennedy's high school officials enforce their anti —discrimination policy on three of their students who decided to bring confederate flags to school. Seniors Justin Thompson, Joey Snyder and Dan Fredin brought the old rebel flags to school Tuesday morning and waved them around as students arrived. They were immediately told by teachers and security guards to get rid of the flags. Principal Ron Simmons met with the boys shortly after the incident and then suspended them for three days. Due to the fact of their suspension, they were not allowed to participate in Wednesday's graduation ceremony.

Obviously, their parents and friends were upset by the decision. Some of their fellow classmates, including a few black ones, protested the decision. These students claimed their friends were not racists, but (I kid you not) "Dukes of Hazzard" fans that respected the "Southern lifestyle." This excuse was original, but a very lame attempt at trying to justify their behavior.

Thankfully, the school stuck to their guns and delivered a message to future "Rebel" sympathizers. The bottom line is these kids knew better. School officials stated these young men were well aware of the policy, so they have no real excuse. Instead of complaining about the decision, they should take it as a lesson learned. You do crime, you do the time.

Now, if only the rest of America would enforce their laws equally on all of it's citizens, regardless of color.

What do you think about the schools decision to not allow the students to participate in their graduation? Did they over react?

The Black man or woman's workplace survival laws, part two.

2008-05-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

These laws are just as an important as the first three. Obey them and you will probably keep your job. Ignore them and you will suffer the consequences.

4. Don't talk recklessly/Getting comfortable. Human beings behavior tend to fall into patterns. Its like the old saying , "You go to what you know." The longer a person is at any place, they tend to get more comfortable with the location. For a Black man at work, this can become a problem.

First off, a Black man should never get too comfortable in America. There is always someone looking over your shoulder.

The second thing to keep in mind is that Black and White cultures have some distinct differences. Trust me, white folk don't adjust their cultural values for anyone, definitely not for a Black person. In everyday life, it does not really matter what "they" think, but at your place of employment is a different matter. I have witnessed Black men get fired for sexual harassment and insubordination, generally because of not recognizing the recklessness of their words. They got comfortable and felt they could talk to people how they would at home. Your job is how you get paid, nothing more or less.

Inappropriate jokes, flirting with female co — workers when they did not initiate it first, telling people they're looking for another job or talking behind people's back are all no — no's for Black men.

Why some men find it necessary to try and mess with women they work with is beyond me. Most of the situations I have witnessed were truly silly attempts. I think for the majority of Black men, its best to find a woman to deal with outside of your place of employment. Along the same lines, keep the dirty jokes to yourself. You never know who is listening or who might get offended.

Never talk behind someone's back, especially if you're talking about a white person to another white person. It's funny how a group of folk will be talking behind someone's back, but the only negative words that person here's about is what the Negro said. It's always best to be professional and front like you respect the person in front of fellow co workers. Otherwise, they may gang up and talk about you. It should be needless to say, but I'll say it anyway. Don't tip anyone off that you're looking for another job, until you already have one. It makes no logical sense to tell folk that you're leaving ahead of time, they could get rid of you and hire someone else before you have found a new job. Keep your mouth shut, the only advance warning they need is a two week notice.

5. Know your Job. Every training you can go to or new aspect of your job that is offered to learn, take it. The more you know, your value to the company increases. I've noticed at many jobs, that brothers shy away from learning new roles. I believe this is partly due to viewing the company as "the enemy" and not seeing any realistic chances for advancement. So, why learn how to do more work, for the same pay rate? The reason being knowledge is power. At certain jobs, the turnover rate is pretty high. It becomes pretty hard to let someone go, if there one of the few people who knows how everything works. The money it would cost to train a new person to come in, who possibly will leave right after they have learned everything, is not cost effective. Company's want stability, so learn all that you can and increase your worth to the power's that be.

6. Don't isolate yourself. No matter how much you may dislike your co — workers, it would be wise to try to be social. A simply hello or superficial conversation does not make you a sambo or uncle tom. Besides, an isolation, you may miss out on important information that your peers may know. Possible layoffs, difficult new personnel or supervisors and other promotion opportunities within the company are some of the info you could miss out on. Knowledge is power, there is no point to being left in the dark due to pride.

7. Snitch or Sue. People can only take so much, before they snap. Many health officials believe that high blood pressure and some of the other health issues that affect the Black community are partially due to racism. Diet and exercise play a part as well, but that's a different post for another time.

Some people are more resilient than others. For example, Oprah was sexual abused as a child and now is a billionaire. I personally know of a few women who were sexually abused as children and now are unable to live independently.

Whatever the case, if the harassment starts to get too bad, you must either snitch, sue or do both. Using your chain of command is the best way to start. Challenging co — workers or supervisors to the parking lot for hand to hand combat is not a good idea. You have to remain professional and handle it in that manner. If your chain command ignores the harassment claim, then you must consider how important is the job to you. If it's worth it to stay or leave. Either way, you do have the lawsuit option. If that becomes your choice, you must start documenting everything that supports the case and make copies of that material. Hateful e-mails, every written reprimand received from management, the date and time of inappropriate conversations are all things you will need to prove your case.

It should be mentioned, that your claim needs to be legitimate to have a chance of winning and from a moral standpoint. This should not be looked at as way to get back at an employer if you were let go for reasons of your own doing. This is a last case measure to be used, when you have tried every other law and still are near you're breaking point.

This concludes the series, tell me what you think about the laws?

The Black man or woman's workplace survival laws, part one.

2008-05-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I have witnessed plenty of brothers lose their job over some dumb BS. For the majority of the cases I personally witnessed, it was because they lacked a code or strategy to dealing with the everyday grind of the American workplace. So, I now give you Truth's workplace survival laws, part one. Follow them and I bet you will never get fired, at least I hope not!

1. Be on time! Some jobs are more lenient than others when it comes to this issue. For Black men, its best you come to work on time no matter what the company's stance may be. Even if your fellow co — workers walk in a minute or two late regularly, a brother should not pick up this habit. For us, we are more visible in the workplace than our non — black peers. You best believe, one of your supervisors will mention it to you if come to work late. This will eventually lead to being written up or termination.

2. Don't have high expectations for White folk. In Barrack Obama's landmark speech on race, he spoke on white resentment. In the workplace, this can manifest itself in many ways. Maybe your white co-workers will all go out to lunch together and not ask you to come along. Your supervisor may constantly double check your work, but never take a second glance at your non-black peers work. Co - workers may bluntly say to you, "you're an affirmative action hire, you really are not qualified for this job."

Realize, that every example I just stated, is an actual incident experienced by me or someone I know personally. Yet, I did not get that upset when experiencing or hearing these stories. Why? I do not expect much out of White folk in the first place.

To be fair, I have worked with some really cool white men and women over the years. People I liked and respected, but even with them, sometimes the things that would come out of their mouths disappointed me.

The bottom line is you can't let petty things slow you down. If your left to eat lunch by yourself, so be it or you can hook up with a friend. If your supervisor is double checking your work, it will only make you the better employee. Someone says you're an affirmative action hire, just ignore them. Although, if the harassment gets to be too overwhelming, there are other options to explore. I will speak on them in part 2 of this series.

3. Beware of your own kind. Marcus Garvey stated one of his biggest mistakes in life was assuming that all black people wanted the same thing as he did. Black co-workers can be our biggest allies or worst enemies, depending on what kind of individual's they are. Unfortunately, you cannot tell who is who just by looking at them. Therefore, just like anyone else, you have to get to know them first, before sharing any information with them that could possibly come back to hurt you. Let me give a couple of true stories to illustrate my point on the different kinds of treacherous Negroes that exist in the workplace today.

Nikki is an African American woman who works for a private company that reviews nursing homes for the county. Nikki's supervisor Terry, is also an African American women who openly talks about her disgust for Black men among her co-workers. She also gives Nikki the responsibility of reviewing nursing homes primarily in "The Ghetto," this is the term Terry uses in front of the other co-workers as an attempt at joking. The vast majority of employees working for Terry are white women.

Nikki reviewed a nursing home that was run by a Black man. This man's nursing home happened to have a lot of safety violations, but Nikki felt these were nothing too unusually compared to the other homes she has reviewed. Terry got a hold of the paper work and instructed Nikki to push for the toughest punishment possible for this man's home. Nikki felt like a warning letter and doing a follow — up inspection in a couple months, would be the fair thing to do. This would at least give the man a chance to make corrections. Plus, that is generally what she had been instructed by Terry to do in the past when the lead administrator of the nursing home was white. Terry told her "Black men are trifling" and instructed her to push for the maximum punishment. Nikki did what she was told and to make long story short, the African American man lost his job.

Anita and Clarence are co — workers in a HR department at some company. They both are African American and there are not many people of color working at the company. They formed somewhat of a friendship over the years, and talked openly about their lives. Clarence would constantly make reference to his difficulty finding a good Black woman, so he exclusively dated white women. Anita did not care who he dated, but she did get annoyed with his excuses for not dating black women. Anita told Clarence one day, "People are just people, regardless of color. One day you're going to find that out the hard way." Clarence did not take that comment too kindly.

A few months later, Clarence got promoted to the role of supervisor. From that point on, their friendship went down hill. Clarence, now Anita's supervisor, began harassing her. He claimed her job performance was below average. He did this because he knew Anita really loved her job and took pride in performing well. This was just psychology warfare and it upset Anita. She thought they were friends, but found out they never really were. For the next year, he harassed her for being late to the office, not turning her work in on time and any other petty issue he could find. This continued until Anita finally put in for a transfer to another site. Thankfully, she was granted her transfer request and moved to a new location.

The moral of these stories is, just because there is another blackface in the workplace, does not necessarily mean they will be your allies. Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of Black folk I work with are cool. I consider them allies, but there are a couple of them that, in my book, are the equivalent of Nazi's. If they were drowning, I would not lend them my hand. So, until you know someone, only give superficial information away. Hell, that might be the safe bet throughout your career, talking about the weather and sports, but never about yourself.

What do you think about the first three laws?

The Murder Of Ron Brown Part 1/Conspiracy BS or reality?

2008-05-27T18:35:00.001-07:00

I do not know if I believe this story, but with Hillary Clinton's RFK assassination reference, I'm starting to wonder about her.

Also, I'm starting to get tired of her always playing the victim. She is now blaming Obama for hyping up the RFK story.

With the Clinton's track record, Barrack better watch his back!