Goldilocks ?

Too hard, too hot, too Black?

Too soft, too cold, too white ?

Juuuust right ?

White In The NBA

Back in the day - Michael Jordan had a shoe design that the commissioner of the NBA wanted to ban because they didn't contain enough white.
But today... the same could be said of the NBA as a whole.
DPizz points out that American audiences might be alienated by the Korean dominance in the LPGA because of cultural, language and racial differences.

So when the first white dude taken in the NBA draft is from Spain,

And even an Israeli is taken ahead of many American born whites - Is the NBA again concerned with there being enough white in the game?

Sixteen of the top one hundred players picked in this year's draft happen to be white but from a foreign country. Is the NBA trying to keep it's season ticket holders and it's marketing partners happy? Or are they just searching the world for the best players?

Really... who are the best white players in the NBA?

How many of those are from America?

Can Tyler Hansbrough hold it down on his own?

The Worst Week In Whiteness

Okay... I see where the Anglophile Rush Limbaugh is coming from.
His world is changing.

Republican poster girl Sarah Palin is still crazy but not in office,
From the Williams sisters winning Wimbledon,
To Tiger being back to his winning form in his own golf tournament,
To Barack Obama being big news overseas,
to the Michael Jackson funeral getting two and a half hours of commercial free coverage on most networks,
And now, a Black man who can swim?


Yeah... I feel for you Rush.
Those Blacks just seem to be everywhere they're not supposed to be.
This has possibly been the worst week in whiteness.

Common Heritage ?

So, only a woman who looks like this can be called a "Real Black"?

Let's go Old School and try to define the point of separation in Black society.

Does this woman still get to be Black?

What about the middle class to upper-middle class Blacks who would vacation at the Inkwell on Martha's Vineyard?

Or is Martha's Vineyard a nice place to define today's separation point of Blackness?

http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2009/06/black_and_white_1.php

Why are Blacks the only group to ostracize it's successful members from their race?

Doesn't this add a disincentive to doing well?

You're Probably NOT Nubian

Or Moorish.
In fact, Wikipedia lists at least seventy-five (75) different ethnic groups belonging to the continent of Africa.
Since most American slaves were the descendants of Western African peoples - chances are, you are not from the Northern African Moorish peoples, nor the Eastern African Nubian peoples.

Even Africans have different origins.

Still Black ?

Kristen said; "...Thank you. I don't understand people's fixation with trying to make Black something other than what it is - a color.
I am Black because of my skin tone and my heritage."

FreeMan said "Black, to me, is defined by our color and shared origins."

Kristen, I'm not saying that Black is something to be denied - but that it has to be more inclusive. Anyone would admit that African model Alec Wek is Black. The shape of her nose, the curl of her hair, the color of her skin - she is Black.

But what about these Africans?

Or her?

What about this African woman (Yes, in the grey dress) who is attacked on the Stormfront site for being able to pass for white?

What "Color" makes one Black?

Jonesin'

The fastest on land and in water?
Who would have thunk it?
As Usan Bolt is to track - Cullen Jones is to swimming.
This past weekend, Mr Jones set a new American record at the US Swimming National Championships in the 50 metre freestyle in a time of 21.41 seconds.

"So what, one brotha' can swim" - some would say.
As Ali learned to box after someone stole his bike - Mr. Jones learned to swim after he almost drowned.
And Black children, between the ages of 10-14, are five times more likely to drown than white children of the same ages.
Not possessing a skill can be deadly.

Does Mr Jones still get to be Black while participating in a "White" sport?
Check out his site;
http://www.cullenjones.com/links.php

Al and Jessie still get to be Black - but their power and influence is based on the charity of others.
They don't contribute their own money, they only contribute money from the funds of their organizations.
Their "charity" actually costs them nothing of their personal wealth.
As Oprah, Tiger, and countless other "Bougie" Blacks do for less fortunate Blacks - so does Jones.

While others complain about the disparities between the races - these "Bougie Negroes" are actually doing something about it at a cost to their own personal wealth.

Si Ri Pak

In 1998 - Si Ri Pak was the only Korean on the LPGA tour.

Of the top-ten finishers (including ties - 16 players) in this weekend's Open Championship, 10 were from Asia.

In the decade since Ms Pak's win, there are now 45 Korean women on tour.

Today, Eun-Hee Ji became the forth Korean woman to win The Open in the last eleven years.

The largest revenue source for the LPGA is it's television contract with Korea.

All this in spite of the LPGA's recent racist efforts to limit the number of Korean players participating on tour by (unsuccessfully) requiring their participants to speak English.

The Koreans didn't complain about the racism of the sport's governing body.

The Koreans didn't complain about those who became successful also becoming too bougie.

The Korean women just changed the complexion of the sport by dominating the LPGA.

From Whence Volition ?

Anything can be used as a motivational tool.
Greed, hunger, lust, racism, hatred or even pain.
The trick is too use that which would normally be considered as being a stumbling block as being one's stepping stone.
Anyone who has run track knows that, when pushed in the right direction, it only requires minimal force to knock down a hurdle.
The trick is to focus only upon that which really matters.
In the Biblical story of Christ walking on water - Peter was able to perform the same feat.
It was only when Peter lost his focus that he began to sink.

Why is the hood still the hood when one should be able to use a negative situation to their advantage?
Because different people are motivated by different things (kind-of).
All people are motivated by pleasure.
Whether it's the pleasure of money, status, satisfaction or pain - finding pleasure in one's condition is key.

"What world are you living in?" is an oft heard refrain from many of my friends.
But since it's difficult to change the world - the smart thing to do would be to change one's approach to dealing with the world.
This change is mostly psychological.
"What world?" - Apparently, one which they'll never know.

I've heard it said that people hardened by the hood often don't feel any emotion but anger.
But this is not quite true.
It's not that they don't feel pleasure - it's more probable that they cannot feel pleasure.
Maybe it's that they've become inured to their hardships and that they cannot feel any emotion besides anger or resentment.
But of these people - it would seem that the ones who are able to find pleasure in their pain are the most successful.

I had a step-father who was quick to tell us kids what we would not be able to do.
He was quick to point out how we would fail instead of teaching us how we could succeed.
He would often put limitations on us that were based on his past shortcomings or lack of accomplishment.
This is the mentality behind the whole, "That's good... for a Black person" philosophy.
IMO - This is the mentality that causes more damage to our community than could anyone in the Klan.

But at an early age - I refused to listen.
When my step-father would tell me how I would fail - I searched more diligently for the answers on how I could succeed.
I failed a lot at first because I was often starting from scratch.
But this did not prove him right.
It was only proof that I needed more practice, better materials, a better method or a different environment.
After taking enough whippings for doing what he said I couldn't - I grew used to someone hating on me.

I grew used to to the doubt.
In fact, I found pleasure in overcoming ever more difficult situations.
I found my motivation in doing that which others would say I couldn't - even in the worst of circumstances.
I found that I enjoyed the pain of practice more than being in any meet, match or game.
I found that I enjoyed doing the work.
I found that I enjoyed that feeling of exhaustion when you feel like you gotta' throw up.
I enjoyed the feeling of snot running from your nose and heat radiating from spent muscles.
I enjoyed the stress before the comeback.
I enjoyed the pain.

But if I enjoyed it - is it really pain?
(Everyone is motivated by pleasure.)