Bad-Assed Kids

Those damned ghetto-ass kids just keep forming flash mobs and robbing law abiding store owners. But after reading posts on mob mentality and group coercion - maybe these were just kids blowing off some steam.

Maybe they were just having a little fun.

Back when I was a kid we'd do some pretty dumb stuff ourselves.

Were the police called? Umm.. sometimes.

But we were smart enough to plan an escape route.

(Except for one time when we lit a field on fire while flicking matches at each other only to put the fire out by running to a nearby irrigation canal to retrieve buckets of water just as the police arrived. We were not arrested but we did receive a stern warning.)

We'd; burn messages into lawns using detergent, pour dish washing liquid into each others pools, egg unsuspecting pedestrians, collect and place dog poop on the mean neighbors car - but we were always just dismissed as kids having fun. 

 If these kids lived in a more bucolic area, maybe they would just tip cows instead.

 In my area, we would purchase large blocks of ice and ruin the practice driving range at a neighborhood golf course.
I'm sure we ruined hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of quality Bahia, Rye and/or Bermuda grasses.

 And those pristine trains don't stand a chance in some areas.
Some call graffiti a crime while others see it as art.

And what kid hasn't thrown a roll or two of toilet paper at a house or tree?
Sure, these flash mobs may be participating in illegal activity and they all need their asses whipped - but is there any difference (besides class) when it comes to kids having fun?

(One difference is that we knew that we might get our asses whipped - we even expected it. Some say that spanking children is barbaric and ignorant but then they sit an wonder why they have no control over their own bad-assed kids. These same adults place the blame on society instead of taking responsibility for their own progeny.)

But The 'Solution' Is The Problem

The recent riots in the UK are said to have been started over the mistreatment of citizens by those in authority.
Now, magistrate courts are being told to refer cases involving looters/rioters to the crown courts in order that those involved can be sentenced to ever more severe punishments than usual.

In Which City...

Will riots first break out in America?

They Haven't Got A Prayer

Whether the NEETs in England or bored kids at your area shopping mall, one thing remains the same - today's kids have no music.
Sure, pop tunes can give one the often fleeting feeling of everything being alright - that life is just one big party and that one should not lose his invitation.
But Pop Music is not real music.

If  I believe my assertion that "Music=Prayer" then today's kids are praying to powerless worldly gods who can do little more than produce the illusion of well-being.
To gods which only serve to placate the masses.
But what happens when worldly desires are not enough?
What happens when these worldly desires are unattainable for many?
What happens when being concerned with only "Me" offers little-to-no solace in tough times?

In times past, society often turned to music as a tool with which to focus the needs and desires of the masses.
Both Punk and Rap are the illegitimate offspring of the establishment's Rock&Roll .
Each were created by those who needed a voice but had none.
Can't play the guitar? No problem, just improvise and play a Punk tune.
Can't play the drums either? That's still not a problem, just sample the music of others to create your own Hip Hop.
The outcomes from these times may have still resulted in riots but at least I could understand why these riots occurred.

I'm Black. I'm supposed to know about Hip Hop.
I could use the Public Enemy albums as an example.
But let's use Punk instead to illustrate the belief that music can convey a point to anyone with the ears to hear.
Taking a cue from SeeNew... The Clash is one of my favorite bands.
Their first album was a simple attempt at being heard by those who were experiencing similar problems.
Their classic double-LP London Calling  sought to call attention to bigger issues, to bigger problems than oneself.
Almost thirty years on and many of the songs on the album still apply to many of today's situations and conditions.
But how does a group follow up a double-LP?
With an even more ambitious triple-LP.
Sandinista could now apply to our current wars in the Middle East.
The Apocalypse Now- inspired Charlie Don't Surf  could now be  re-titled "Muhammad Don't Surf".
The Call Up could be used as a call to all to forgo joining the military in a time of unjust wars.

Sure, people will riot when they feel they have no voice.
But with the right music, these riots will be more focused and will likely bring about a more desirable outcome.
With the right music - ones prayers will be answered.

Why Riot?

 When citizens serve a corrupt government instead of the government serving the people...

 When financial institutions prey on the working man's 401k...

 When the government thinks that it's easier to imprison some of it's citizens instead of treating them fairly...

 When educational institutions would rather cheat than teach...

 When religious institutions prey on their members...

When we are involved in business which is not our own...

When parents fail to protect their own children...
People lose faith in the institutions which hold society together.
When people lose all hope - people riot.

OWN Something.

 And then you can tell me how the riots and looting in England are justified.
It's not as though people are burning and looting government buildings and threatening the lives of those sworn to serve them.
These riots effect regular working people who actually pay the taxes which fund the services many looters probably rely upon for their living.

 Are these people fighting for freedom?
Maybe... I don't know the living conditions of those in the effected areas .

In an effort to better serve it's citizens, London has installed cameras everywhere.

The Guardian ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/ ) is even assisting in the effort to catch these hooligans.

"London Calling"? I'll one-up you with "Guns of Brixton".

(Who knew The Clash would be so prescient?)



Did Africans "Discover" Europe?

Of course they did!
Check out afroeurope's point of view
http://afroeurope.blogspot.com/

Family?

Okay brohammas, let me get this straight.
 So... Satan is allowed limited access into heaven because he is 'family'?

Are you saying that...
Satan is the heavenly family's version of 'Gator'?
("I smoked the TV, mama.")

Let's Just Make Him a 'Her'... No, Let Him Convert To Islam... No Wait... Let's Make Him Half-Black/Half-Hispanic... and Gay

IDK... He kind-of looks like Tiger Woods...

Ghetto Breakfast?

FreeMan just hit me up with this.
Are times getting this tough?

Stability Not Size

 So the market seems to be recovering - what does that mean to you or me?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average seems to be hovering in the low to mid 1200's for about the past year.
This is almost double it's value from the crash on March 6, 2009 (6469 - down from a high of 14164 on March 6, 2007).
Are you really twice as well off as you were three years ago?
Is the economy doing twice as well?

All the numbers we view on the nightly news have no meaning to the common man.
If you would have invested in Chevron (up 15%) or American Express (up 16%) you would be a lot better off than if you would have invested in Hewlett Packard (down 16%) or Bank of America (down 26%).
The numbers are intended to give an overall picture of the economy - but they don't.

Since deregulation - most companies invest (gamble) the money contributed to their pension funds on the stocks of other companies through mutual funds and other instruments created to 'create wealth' from the large sums of money workers invest in their 401k's.
Since the money is not reinvested in their own improvement, the performance of another company can effect the bottom line of a company which may be be doing well in it's own industry.
This was necessary because these companies are mandated to 'create wealth' even if there is none.
Which is why the housing bubble burst - how many times did banks expect to sell the same house, and to whom?
Since they could could only sell a house once - banks created instruments which permitted them to sell the same house (at a profit) over and over to each other until someone decided they had had enough and decided to collect.
Since the homes were then valued by banks at multiples of their real value - the market collapsed.

 "Economic Growth" seems to be what politicians say we need to avert another economic meltdown.
But this is foolish.
We need stability not growth.

What good is a newer and bigger home if it cannot stand?
It's time we evaluate our debts and assets and begin to take a look at our real economic positions.
Sure, many workers will lose their jobs - but were those jobs necessary to begin with?
How many government jobs could be cut?
How many people will have to downgrade their lifestyles in order to live within their means?
While making 50k, having to do real labor, driving only one or two cars and living in a smaller home which he could actually afford may sound bad to someone making 100k but still in debt - it is what is needed.
We would all be much better off if we only bought that which we could afford to pay for instead of us buying what we could afford to finance.

Old Gold

I've been in my house for twelve and a half years but it was not until last week that I stumbled upon an old cigar box filled with old gold teeth.
Apparently, my grandparents and their siblings and their ancestors thought that passing ones teeth to the next generation would be a good idea.
No one in the family knew where the teeth were nor who it was that had them.
The teeth-filled box is heavy so I'm assuming that their is some value to this gold.
I've heard of passing down the family gold - but gold teeth?

Imagery

 In my effort to get a group of rival club owners together - I had to sell them on an image.
The image was not that of a cohesive group which understood that they each stood a better chance of staying in business if they could manage to share resources and experiences.



The image that sold was that of a Meeting of the Dons.
The meeting went so well that the elderly owners of a very nice club offered to sign over their inventory, fixtures, equipment and licenses if I agreed to run their club for three more years.
(I'll have to think about it...
I.
Don't.
Like.
Running.
Clubs.
- I'm just good at it.)

These meetings are such a big hit with our customers (The first hour is a meeting of the owners and major players with the rest of the night being open to the general public and invited guests.)  that other owners, who had initially turned down an invitation to participate, are asking to join the group.
We've even had inquiries beyond that of our core Black-owned group.
Just stroke the ego of the man or woman who needs his or her ego stroked and one can manipulate many things - even turning rivals into partners.

(I already know the next phase. Like the disciples of Christ arguing over who would be the greatest among them - these people will eventually wonder the same thing. My reply will be that the hegemon is the one who best looks out for the best interest of all members... not just their own. I only hope they know what a 'hegemon' means...)

War In Heaven?

How is that even possible?
How did the snake even get into para-dice?
How did Satan get into heaven to be able to bet against Job?

New Knowledge

 Is your cause worth dying for or is it better for you to just stay alive even if it compromises your values?
Christ was killed because he brought knowledge to the masses.
This knowledge was power and the elites of his day would have none of that...

 The same type of elevation of consciousness was taught by those like Martin Luther and Malcolm X as well.

 Prometheus was punished for all eternity (Or as long as their religion existed) for bringing fire to man.
Apparently, man was supposed to remain in darkness.

And don't even get me started on he who would entice the first man to partake in the knowledge of the heavens.
Since the beginning of time - he who would give the knowledge of the elites to the masses would be punished.

Apparently, giving knowledge to the masses is the most punishable of sins.
And who wants to be a martyr?

Swagger

 No, not the image of those who dress up to imitate the attire, walk and confidence of those with real swagger...

 But the attitude of those who, regardless of the odds,  know they will succeed.

 Swagger can be had by one who is alone but more often than not it comes from those who are members of a well-trained and skilled group.

Those who have put in the hard work and for them all that is left to do is to execute.

Why is the ghetto still the ghetto?
Because people still have not learned to work as a group to accomplish a common goal.
Because most still imagine that the affectation of confidence is the same thing as confidence.