Is It THAT Serious?

 Some people still manage to find racism in every aspect of life - even in Dove ads.
I guess the argument is that the thick and dark woman is the 'before' while the thin white woman represents the 'after'.
Some even say that this was an intentional slight because Unilever (Dove's parent company) also makes skin bleaching products.
For realzz?
The next thing you know someone will say that Close Up (another Unilever brand) is racist because it helps to whiten ones teeth.

 The odd thing is that many of these same women bemoaned the fact that Eddie from Family Matters took over as Malcolm on The Young and the Restless.

 I wonder if they even noticed that Damon Wayans replaced a dark actress with a lighter one on My Wife and Kids?

And why did the 'Black Woman's Friend' (Tyler Perry) replace a dark actress with a lighter more telegenic mode on Meet the Browns?

Multinational corporations aren't known for being culturally sensitive, but most make an effort.
When Disney finally created a Black princess, "Oh, she's too light, and why did she have to be the daughter of a seamstress?"
IMOHO - The problem is not how others see us - our biggest problem is how many of us see ourselves.

The Learning Curve

 People learn from their past experiences.

 After Hurricane Katrina, the world was shown America at it's worst.
From;
 the local residents - who didn't take the threat of yet another monster hurricane seriously enough to leave town or prepare to shelter in place,
 to the local and state government - which failed to be proactive,
to the federal government - which seemed overwhelmed and out of touch,
 the entire response to Katrina was a mess.
Theft, looting and other crimes were commonly mentioned on local and national news.

 But by the time Hurricane Rita struck the Gulf Coast (less than a month later) people learned to heed the warnings of mandatory evacuations.
People who stayed behind were warned that no assistance would be made available in the case of an emergency and that anyone foolish enough to remain in the area (like myself) should be prepared to shelter in place.
Buses were made ready to ensure that anyone who needed a ride to an inland shelter could get a ride.
Local, state and federal government agencies worked together to create staging areas from which to service residents and contractors upon their return and arrival.
(This was particularly tough because my town was already inundated with refugees from Katrina).
Reports of theft and looting were minimal because most non-essential residents were kept out of town until civil services could be restored.

 By the time Hurricane Ike came to town, the Gulf had it's disaster relief down pat.

 Not being in the 'Ring of Fire', the buildings in Haiti were built to withstand hurricanes - not earthquakes.
But when a 7.0 earthquake struck the island nation, an already impoverished country was to get even worse.
Even with aid being provided, the logistics of getting the aid to the right places was a problem.
The country's government was almost non-existent, the infrastructure was ruined and no one had a plan for earthquake recovery.
To this day, even with massive charitable donations and international 'expertise', no one can point to any measurable progress.
Theft, violence and looting were reported as being major problems after the quake.

 But surely the 90% white city of Christchurch would have no problems with looting after a natural disaster and the government's response would be quick and decisive.
I'm sure no one would dare loot in this predominantly white citeeeerummm...
Wait, I guess Google proves this theory wrong.

Now there are news stories which tell of over 250 thefts in the past ten days in and around Sendai.
I guess theft, looting and crime are a natural response for many (regardless of race, nationality or culture) following a natural disaster.

WTF?

Couldn't Bethune-Cookman University get Black men who actually have degrees as the hosts for their National Summit of the Black Males in High Education Think Tank? Steve Harvey and Al Sharpton?
Really?
All they had to do was add Tyler Perry and they would have had their Three Pimps Roundtable set.
What about Corey Booker, or Kenneth Chenault, or Ronald A Williams, or.... anyone with a degree from an institution of higher learning.

Battle on Two Fronts

 Ne-ga-ro Pleeease!
So light skinned, educated, affluent Blacks from good families have it easier than dark skinned Blacks?
In what way.

Not only do these Blacks have to battle the same racial and cultural stereotypes from non-Blacks - but they must battle the soft 'El Dabarge' image against some darker Blacks.
The more accomplished Blacks have to be "Black+" (corporate success) or even "Black++" (self-determined success).

The Color Curve

 Poor, uneducated, broken home, loud, Ebonics, ... = Black?
Affluent, educated, two-parent home, reserved, SAE... = Uncle Tom?
Sure, I'd expect this from someone who was unable to escape the clutches of poverty - but not from a well compensated employee with access to more resources than the average American (regardless of ones race).

 Okay, the argument is that colleges make too much money from the labors of the downtrodden minority - I get that.
But without the exposure and experiences gained from being at these elite universities - to what could these same individuals aspire?

 Some attend a J.C. for two years and then transfer to a four year university.
Some receive scholarships.
Others are fortunate enough to be able to pay for college.
For many, an education is the ticket to take their family one step further from a life of subjugation and oppression.

 Commoners used to distinguish themselves on the battlefield - some became knights and landowners.
This is also the case with our modern military.
Some escape poverty by joining the Armed Services in hopes broadening their perspective on life.
A few even rise to the ranks of the elite in America.

 Some don't have the opportunity, ability or even will to do better for themselves.
But this is still not a bad thing - as long as they understand that they must sacrifices in order for their progeny to do better.
Every successful family can tell the tale of an ancestor who made these sacrifices for their children.

 Many imagined that families similar to those portrayed on the Cosby Show were just anomalous fantasies.
That these families only existed in the minds of those who were no longer connected to the reality of the common Black person.
But what people who complain about "The Man" or the "Bougie Blacks" fail to understand is that all opportunities started somewhere,
with one generation or individual working hard and/or making a sacrifice,
or with ones choice to do better for themselves.

This class war is nothing new.
Whether between races, neighborhoods, schools, or even hues - some people will always be bitter because someone else has something that they wish they had for themselves.
Some will assume that others always had it easy.

The funny thing about all this is that Jalen Rose's children will grow up to be similar to those whom Mr. Rose himself hates. Will his children be Uncle Toms as well?

English First

 Since the Dymally-Alatore Bilingual Services Act requires that all public services provide information in whatever language a person might speak -

should there be a requirement that signs in Chinatown, Koreatown or the many majority Hispanic enclaves have an English translation?

Sure, racists might say that we should cater to the majority but this would make living in Los Angeles County (48% Hispanic)  impossible for those who only speak English. 
I'm in favor of making English the official language of the US. (Is this being racist?)
But this does not mean that I favor English Only laws - all I ask is we place English first.

Black St.Pat's

O'Brien, Bailey, Carey and Ciara - all can be traced as far back as (at least) Ireland. "Their slave master probably gave them their last names.", some might say.
Because of King James II, Charles I and Cromwell, most of the Irish immigrants were too poor to be Southern slave owners - and after the 1798 Irish Rebellion, many Irishmen in America were slaves themselves.
It gives the term "Black Irish" a whole new meaning.

But how do we celebrate this in America?
Since Juneteenth was created to celebrate Emancipation three years after slaves were set free - let's celebrate Black St. Pat's the Wednesday before Saint Patrick's Day.
(Well, this is the reason I gave for having a BSP's the day before the actual holiday at one Black-owned club. In reality, the club wasn't open on Thursdays and I already had the promotions in place. We celebrated with cheap Jameson's Irish Whiskey (provided for free by the liquor reps), green beer with huge pots of crawfish (they're in season) and Okra and Shrimp (this is the Gulf after all) given away for free. Branded shirts, hats, etc. were also given out to all who came. )

"Black St. Pat's" the Wednesday before Saint Patrick's Day?
Who would turn down another drinking holiday?

Not PC But You Know That Ish Was Funny

By now, everyone has seen the video of the fat kid turning the other cheek.
Apparently, the little skinny kid thought that the fat kid had three cheeks.
But then... Blam!!!
Down goes the bully.... down goes the bully!!!
As the bully stumbles away his friend feigns toughness to try to protect his big mouthed (but small arsed) friend only to be pushed away by a girl.

Don't get me wrong, I've done my share of bullying and I've been bullied (kind of).
It's just part of growing up.
I've been whooped up and down the block, I've been jumped and I've been threatened.
Sure, it hurt - but I always walked away and the same kids never tested me again.

Not All The Same

There is nothing wrong with being different, with not fitting in.
The only problem is when we let others tell us where and how we are supposed to fit.
When we let others determine our future.
But similar to the above child's toy - the same shapes can be made by using different parts.
Not all are built to be squares, and not all circles are formed from the same parts.