Da' Souf...?



As progressive as much of Texas pretends to be...

It seems that some things in an (almost) antebellum state never change.

When our local news reports started reporting that a Black man was missing in an East-Texas town...

No one wanted to even imagine that the disappearance could have been racially motivated.

 

But since the discovery of a man's body (believed to be that of Mr Wright), some here have begun to question how a physically fit man could just disappear while walking home. Reports have come out that stated that Mr Wright used Bath-Salts, has been connected with and charged with bank related crimes, and photographs began to circulate with Mr Wright and an anonymous white woman.
In much of Da' Souf... Which would be more damning?

Code Red

I didn't want to say anything until I learned more about the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito situation.
At first, many in the media were quick to jump on the story of a locker room/lunch room dust up and label the situation as 'bullying' with racist undertones.
Mainstream media, Black media and even foreign media scooped up the story and quickly assigned 'bully' and 'victim' labels to the actors.

But something about the story never seemed quite right...
How could a six-five, three hundred plus pounds man be the victim of a bully?
Don't bullies usually prey upon the weak and easily intimidated?
Aren't football players supposed to be filled with testosterone and bravado?

Maybe football isn't the sport it used to be.
Back in the day, the goal of many in the sport was to punish and abuse ones opponent.
Flags that are thrown today would have gotten a sideline pat on the head a generation ago.
I have little to no idea what happened along the way...

The thing I hate about a lot of children's sports today is that no one loses.
Every kid is taught to think of himself as a winner just for making the team.
Children receive trophies at the end of the season just for making the team.
Excellence is no longer required.

The situation may be even worse for today's Black kids - more than seventy percent of Black households are run by single mothers.
Many Black boys never go through any of the old rites of passage.
Many of today's young Black boys never have the opportunity to earn the respect of their fathers.
Many of today's Black boys never learn to struggle and/or overcome obstacles.
Many of today's Black boys will still be trying to prove their manhood well into adulthood.

"Ungawa, Black Power... Yo' mama needs a shower... I said it, I meant it - I'm here to represent it...", "Yo' mama is a; knock-kneed, bald-headed, cock-eyed, son of a bitch...."

"Hey, hey,... Get outa' my way,..." and the rest of the schoolyard pre-fight chants from my days in the hood are no longer acceptable.

Wearing two pairs of underwear, shorts and an extra pair of pants for our Friday morning paddlings are no longer necessary.

Vaseline slathered on ones face is a practice today's kids would be confused by.

 

Sure we had bullies.

In the fourth grade I fought one (a sixth grader) every day for a week until he grew tired of fighting.

We knew which streets to cross, which houses to avoid and when to run when the 'Big Kids" were on their rampages.

We learned that the only way to get the better of a bully was to fight back.

 

Earlier I posited that sports were inherently gay.

No, not in the sexual sense - more in the prison/domination sense.

I had so many 'bitches' back in high school that one would have thought me a pimp.

No, not 'bitches' as in 'ho's' - but bitches as in close friends and team mates with whom one could joke around with, tease and/or embarrass.

"Bitch" was used as a term of disrespect and endearment.in almost any competitive environment.

IMOHO - Martin was soft and in need of a Code Red.
Was Incognito the man to do it? I don't know - I was never in that locker room and I don't know their relationship nor the dynamics.
But any grown-ass man who accuses another grown-ass man of 'Bullying' in any sport as aggressive as football (used to be) is too soft for the game and a detriment to the team.

Class Warfare

Do I believe in the current popular complaint from those who 'have not' - that of an ongoing class warfare being directed by 'The Elites'?
Sure I do - it's supposed to be that way.
No, not in the Atlas Shrugged sense, but I do not believe that everyone should be equal.
I believe in equal opportunity yet I do not believe that everyone will be nor should be equal.

If one desires to reside in the comforts of the Consumer Classes, then he cannot complain about his lot in life.
If ones goal in life is to have the newest and biggest of everything, then he will make himself a slave to his debt.
If his life has become mundane, banal and meaningless, then that choice was his own.
If one pursues the best uses of his talent, if one makes the effort, takes the risks and he puts his money (talent, status, gifts, blessings, whatever...) where his mouth is, then he deserves his good fortune and he owes it to himself to accept such blessings with thanksgiving and humility.

In all honesty... I'm not ballin'. I'm just doing a'ight.
I'm blessed to be a blessing to others.
Simple people will never understand why I give so much away.
They will never understand that money is not my motivation.
Sure, my recent benefit at the club and subsequent donation buys me a seat at the charity's Christmas Gala - but that is not why I host so many fundraisers.
My goal is not to become a highly honored member of the Consumer Classes.
My goal is to become and remain a member of the Creator Class.

Looking For Brohammas

 I finally made it home for a visit - I kind of sneaked into town without much notice to my friends.
It's odd when one visits his childhood home - one finds long-lost treasures in once used closets and drawers.
It surprised me to find my old Duran Duran-style hat still in my old closet.
The unopened packs of E.G. Smith socks with the original packaging were also an amusing find.

 Childhood posters (This one from KROQ circa 1983 or '84?) also filled what was once my old closet.

 But I was home to relax - to get away from nightclubs.
Maybe I'd even give Brohammas a call and meet for lunch.
Strange things happen when one returns to his old stomping grounds.
Things change - some even get better.

I knew Brohammas was seen in the nearby city of Redlands.
Even though I visited State Street in the city's downtown area - I doubt that I would find him at a friend's wine shop.

  Brohammas seems somewhat conservative.
" 'Duke's', Hmmm", I thought, "The name kind of brings to mind John Wayne."
Nope, no Brohammas here either.

 The Mission Inn is a stylish and architecturally interesting place.
But nope. He wasn't here either.



Pixels displays art by local artists... Brohammas paints...?
Well, I didn't run into him at this bar either.

ProAbition had class and an attempted sense of elitism.

Maybe this would be the place?

I looked in as many hot spots as I could.

 and no Brohammas.

Maybe next time I'll try the stake centers.

Gravity

I have yet to see the film - for that I'll wait until I can do so without being bothered once I get back to Cali..

But that must be a strange feeling...
One of falling to ones death with enough time to understand what's going on.
The film trailer looks like I'd imagined Ray Bradbury's 'Kaleidoscope' - or the way Major Tom must have felt.

I HATE 'Black' Blogs.

Maybe there is a place for them,
But I don't see it.

Sure, I read blogs written by Black people - my blog roll is filled with them.
Yet, I cannot see the purpose of reading disinformation or misinformation, self-aggrandizement or myths that just perpetuate useless memes.
I have no interest in debating with racists and I have even less interest in reading about the complaints of those who fail to even make an effort in mastering the system.
I don't imagine that everything good was created by one race or another, just as I cannot imagine that everyone from any given race is inherently bad or good.
I don't classify Black people on a gradient (Although the comment, "Octoroon, Please.", was and still is a classic.) - I'm sick of people who say that Barack Obama, Halle Berry, Charles Drew, etc. are 'not REALLY Black'.
I don't consider "Good Times" any more real of a Black experience than I do "The Cosby Show".
I'm sick of single mothers stating the fact as though it is a Medal of Honor. They are NOT special. In fact, they are the norm - almost seventy percent of Black families are headed by single mothers.
I KNOW racism exists. EVERYONE (except racists and the foolish) knows racism exists. But really, is racism the only unifying factor within the Black community?

I like blogs written by Black people - although, not exclusively.
Provide information which will make me think - which stirs curiosity and challenges me to do my own research.
Write about universals.
Write about unique experiences.
Keep it simple. Most people within certain circles are smart - there is no reason to be a pedant.
Keep it complex. Most people within certain circles are smart - there is no reason to dumb down ones thoughts.
Write about life. We all have our own to live and we can all learn from others.
Write about death. None of us knows for sure what comes after but I'm pretty sure most of us have given it some thought.
Be an expert in something (science, philosophy, finance, history, art, ...) other than your race alone.

My bottom line is this;
There is nothing as boring and banal as one who has nothing to offer ( or proffer) besides outcomes  vaticinated on race alone.

Who Cares?

The computer is down so I guess I have to use the tablet.
(Yes, it's an i-Pad but stating such seems so pretentious.)
In all honesty, I hate this thing.
No USB port, nowhere to install programs purchased on disks, and my fingertips often swipe and poke the wrong things.
Besides all that, I cannot figure out how to download photos for my blog posts.

As I always say, 'I hate running nightclubs - I'm just good at it.'.
These past few months have been good - a little too good.
We've had to stop letting people in after 12:30 am - we are always over the posted capacity.
We are attracting people younger than our stated >30 requirement.
We are getting people willing to pay ten-times the cover charge just to get in in the hopes of reaching the bar for a drink.
We are giving away more money through our benefits and fund raisers than other clubs make.
We make loans to rival clubs to keep them afloat.
We mediate behind-the-scenes deals and solutions between politicians, business owners and the media.
We are the 'in' Black club for the white establishment.
We get free television, radio and print coverage to the point that I cannot even go to any of the local malls or restaurants.
I wanted the club to be the social and cultural hub for Black business in this small town and in that I seem to be successful.

But I am tired.
I am tired of knowing who slept with whom.
I am tired of knowing about the flaws of friends.
I am tired of knowing that the exploitation of racism and class divisions are more important in getting things done and the retention of power than any solutions to those problems.
I am tired of the favored not knowing justice, virtue or honor. (Even though I may often benefit from those who bestow such favor.)
I am tired of grown-ass adults who seek popularity as though they were still in high school trying to fit in with the right cliques.
I am tired of those who: Imagine that this club is anything more than a business to me. Who think that the tenuous status associated with this club is as useful to me as my old high school popularity awards for Best Legs, Coolest, Mr Irresistible or Most Soul. Think I am impressed with any ratchet ho' who throws panties my way.
I hate clubs - they are a dirty business.

But maybe I am made for the club life.
My social climb seems to be similar to that of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho.
My decision making (while rooted in Biblical teachings) is seen as cold, calculated and manipulative.
I just wanted to run a club without focusing on money or status,
but doing so has caused me to gain much of each.
I just wanted to be able to hang out with friends in an environment I liked,
but doing so has taken up so much time that I can barely speak when they come in.

An Average Beauty

 Blame this on Obama as well...
It's funny that some are upset that a woman of Indian descent has been crowned as the 2014 Miss America.
Racist comments and the side-eye....?
Welcome to the current world, ya'll.

 Tall, blond and busty are great...
The taller and bustier the better - as far as I'm concerned.

 Yet it seems that a bit more melanin, curves and booty are the flavors of the day.

As America wakes up to an Indian (Not 'Indian' as in Native American - now that would be progress.) beauty as their representative to the world - some are not comfortable with the change.
The thing is - Miss New York is the average of all things thought to be attractive in this day and age.
Is she a light-skinned Black, Is she Hispanic, Is she of Southern-European descent... Is she an Arab terrorist's daughter?
The phenotypic traits displayed by the new Miss America are pretty much what it would look like if we took those thought to be the best looking across all races and ethnicities and combined them into a single individual.
Nina Davuluri is that average.

I LIke Ike

I'm sick of wimps,

Of yes-men,

Of charlatans,

Of puppets, and of liars.

Give me a humble man who went to church, played football, went to college and served his country.

Give me a POTUS who has been to war and understands it's consequences.

Give me a POTUS who is against a strong Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex.

 

I voted for Obama... TWICE.

Was it a mistake? I'm not sure.

 

The first time around, McCain seemed like a good guy yet I could just not fathom to see Sarah Palin in any leadership role at the national level whatsoever.

"Besides", I thought, "Obama couldn't be any worse than Bush".

And I was right in this thinking - he has proven to be just as bad.

 

The second time around I was more torn.

Romney was an outside-insider.

His religion and wealth could have provided a buffer from the influence peddled by those in the DC establishment.

When the SHTF - Mormons will be uniquely positioned for survival.

.

But as many others chose to do - I decided to give the brotha' (Obama) another chance to prove himself.

The paradigm remains the same.
Sure, this movie is more than a decade old but the truths (and lies) remain the same.