Post-Election

Some local Black politicians won in their election bids while others lost.
Most of the politicians (Black, white and/or Hispanic) who used race as his tool to get voters involved lost his seat on the council or school board.
This election happened to coincide with a local professional Black men's social club's monthly open house.
Every prominent bourgeoisie family was represented.
Of course I invited a group of attractive young women from the clubs to sit at my table.
My table was the most popular table in the house as these upstanding businessmen and politicians flocked to the younger and better looking ladies present.

Afterwards (at about midnight) we decided to support a young brotha' at his club in the hood.
While initially hesitant to be seen in such a run down venue - each of these old school pimps suddenly remembered the hood in them.
The funniest thing was the chorus of "Thank You's" given by groups of people who had forgotten their roots.
The thing they tend to forget is that it was these people who got them where they are today.

Being Boring

I liked the '80's and especially eighties music.
With music television being a new vehicle, many of the videos from the time were crap while others bordered on being art.
One image that stuck in my mind was a quote from the Bruce Webber directed video of The Pet Shop Boys' Being Boring.
The actual Zelda Fitzgerald quote reads, "She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring.".

Many people hate their jobs, a few tolerate them while still fewer get paid to do what they would do for free.
Many people allow themselves to be defined by these jobs while others only use these jobs as a means to an end.
Most people work for a pay check while others choose to excel in whatever they happen to be doing at any given time.
Most people know how to do their job but little else, and these people bore the ish out of me.
The trick to enjoying ones life to to fill ones free time with productive things one enjoys doing.
Sometimes these interests become new business or social opportunities.

What one does as a job is not what defines him, while what one does in his down time may.
Some people fill their off time with drinking, gambling, chasing women (or men), playing video games or watching television.
And this is fine..., if that's all you want out of life.
Other more interesting people have hobbies, volunteer and/or continue to learn.
These people may spend their time perfecting a skill or knowledge.
These people have something to talk about other than what someone else is doing.
These people have a circle of 'friends' beyond those they view on television each night.

Cool people have stories.
Cool people don't just watch life, cool people live life.
Most cool and interesting people can tell stories of hardship, of suffering, and of overcoming these situations.
Many may scarred emotionally and/or physically but none use this as an excuse for failure.
In fact, most of these people can tell more stories of failure than of success.
These people can tell stories of those hardships with a knowing laugh because they understand that they became stronger or better or smarter from these experiences.
A loss or failure is viewed as a stepping stone, as a minor inconvenience.
These people are tough, because tough people have lived through tough situations.

Interesting people will try almost anything.
Sure, the may suck for a while but they continue to work at it until they become at least proficient in these endeavors.
Interesting people can laugh at themselves when they make mistakes because they are good enough in enough other things to know that they don't have to be good at everything.
Interesting people can slide from one group to the next with ease because they have a broad enough spectrum of interests to be able to identify with almost anyone.
I can get along with almost anyone but I like people who can do and talk about more than just one thing.

i.d.

"She's doin' it for the Big Girls.", one of a group of big women said as she was watching Kirstie Alley dance on a nearby television screen.
Dancing With the Stars (as are all voter-elimination reality shows) is a popularity contest not a talent show.
The producers of DWTS chose each contestant based on his or her ability to attract any given demographic segment for it's audience.
Why is Kirstie still on the show?
Because there are a whole lotta' Big Girls who can identify with her.
Hines gets the jock vote, The Karate Kid gets the '80's vote and that blonde girl gets the youth (or horny old men) vote.
It's.
A.
Popularity.
Contest.
Not a talent show.

Results

 I live in a town which could be the worst example of public education in the nation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/us/25ttsaleries.html
This district was only fully integrated in 1983.
Needless to say, this town is behind the times.
Needless to say, 'race' is the factor in every public decision.

I come from a town in which 70% of the Blacks have at least an Associates degree, 30% have at least a Bachelors and twenty percent have least a Masters.
But the town in which I currently live is one of the most under-educated in the state.
If the overall education level of the city's residents is this low, imagine how poorly Blacks here are doing.
(And this in a town which has a Black-run school board which is more focused on race than it is with the education of it's kids.)

Most People Don't Care

Even FreeMan writes about getting money,
SeeNew goes into more detail on current events or scientific ideas than even post-grad courses require,
Reggie is comical and conversational - while each point of view comes from someone Black, the focus is not on being Black.
Most people don't care about race to the point where everything revolves around race.
Most people just do what they do and sometimes ones race plays a role in determining his ability to perform such duties.
"Race" is not everything.

Most people agree that having an education helps when it comes to getting ahead.
But what is it to be 'educated' - and when is it just having a group of people able to repeat establishment approved memes?
(Hint; If you're not always learning or thinking, you're probably being left behind.)
If every Black person had a PhD in African American Studies from the current system of HBCU's - would every Black person be educated to the point of full employment?

I have no problem with HBCU's but IMOHO they may limit ones pool of resources.
If a kid grew up in the hood, always lived in the hood, always went to hood schools and then went to an HBCU - how well would that kid be prepared to compete for jobs or contracts on a national or global level?
(If a Black kid grew up in the suburbs, an HBCU would be a good place for him to learn that he is nothing special. That there are thousands more like him. An HBCU would enable him to understand that there is no fault in being Black.)

People associate with those which they have the most in common.
Many people complain of cronyism, but this happens on all levels of society.
People tend to favor those they know.
If the only people that know you are people from the hood - all of your cultural, social and financial benefits will come only from the hood.
This is fine.... if you want to stay in the hood.
Many people complain that they didn't get this contract or that job because they are Black.
This might be true... to a point.

Back in the day, I had a job interview at which I spoke of little more than correcting the slice on my golf swing.
The guy had a Pebble Beach hat tossed on an office chair which signaled to me that he may enjoy an occasional day out on the links.
"My girl lives at Spyglass.", I said to the guy.
"Really? Do you get out much?", he asked.
"About once a week... but I suck"., I answered.
"Dude, my slice is so bad that I end up at Spanish Bay.", I continued.
"I'm alright in tennis, I swam on a swim team for about eight years, but I can't seem to get a decent golf swing.", I said.
We then went on to talk about Hawaii, Hip Hop v. Alternative music, architecture, clothing designers..., everything but the job.
When employees and other applicants walked past the office and asked "You're thinking about getting John?", the big boss came down for a personal interview.
"Did you grow up in an affluent area?", the guy doing the interview asked.
"Sometimes.", I said as I gave a quick run down on my upbringing.
"Interesting. Cool.Okay.", the big boss said as the interview went on for about an hour an a half. (The interviews were scheduled for fifteen minutes each.)
He asked simple questions to which I gave clever but concise answers.
I knew that I could have this job just because these guys could see me being around them without having to make excuses for any social faux pas an Affirmative-Action hire might make.
These guys saw me as being one of them just because I had enough in common with them.

If you're Black and all of your education is in the field of "How to Be Black", you're probably not a viable candidate for many things other than being Black. (And there are 39 million other people in America who can do that.

The Other Side

 The funny thing about L.A. (Well, most of California really...) is that it is both the best and the worst place to live on earth.
When most people think of L.A. -  they probably imagine something like this.

 Many people visit the creative and entertainment communities of a places like Venice.
The area looks nice... as long as you stay west of Lincoln.

 But the town also has white, Asian, Hispanic and Black gangs. (Sho' Line Crips)
Most people cannot afford the nearby beach and canal homes so most just live fairly mundane lives with 'survival' being their primary focus.

In most situations, there is a flip side to the official story.
More often, sordid stories and lives are littered with the detritus of those just passing through.
And it is these stories which tell the true tales of nations, cultures and people.

Homeless

 What they don't tell you about your favorite vacation spots is that most people living in these areas cannot afford the same accommodations which you enjoy.

When I used to ride the bus from Honolulu back to campus I'd always notice people camping out on or near the eastern beaches of Oahu.
"Wow, that would be a nice vacation!", I said to a local.
"Nah, brodda'. These people live here.", he said.
At the next stop, "Dat's my 'house.", the guy said as he motioned towards the next bus stop.
"Oooh, that's nice.", I said as I looked at the spacious home.
"Nah, brodda', the third tent.", he said.
I'd see and talk the to guy most weekends on my way to and from the clubs and shops of Waikiki.
The guy worked at one of the hotels but could not yet afford to pay for an apartment in the city.

Sure, life on the beach sounds nice...

But what if you actually had to live on the beach.
Oahu's nearby hillsides are filled with wild game, the ocean has enough fish and most parks provide free water.
What else would you need?

Trailer ParkGhetto/Slum/Barrio/Favela Economy

 A recent article in Forbes magazine
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/global-2000-11-violence-disease-megaslums-salvation-sinkhole.html
lists the world's megacities (pop. 10,000,000+) and those projected to become megacities within the next half-century.
The magazine also looked at the problems which arise when such cities become more common.
(Like that one out of eight people alive today now live in what would be thought of as being slums, ghettos, barrios or faveli.)

 Even the most advanced and prosperous cities have some sort of slum district.

While poor, many of the residents of these areas are fairly industrious.
In the magazine's billionaire issue, one billionaire advises that the best way to become a billionaire is to start ones own business.
In slums like those in Mumbai, almost everyone is an entrepreneur.
Another article interviews a guy who aspires to live in a slum.
Apparently, life in a slum is 'better' than life in the countryside.

Trailer Park, Ghetto, Slum, Barrio or Favela - I guess some problems are almost universal.

Privilege?

What privilege?
A blogger asked, "Who would be taken more seriously if a Black man and a white woman were seen arguing?".
Her assumption was that the white woman would be given preferential treatment.
But this whole thinking is wrong-headed.
This thinking assumes that most Black people are violent or breaking one law or another at all times.

Who would be given the benefit of the doubt - A Hell's Angel beating up a white woman or a Black guy buying a news paper from a white woman at a convenience store?
I don't know about the blogger's experience, but I'm not in the habit of robbing, raping or killing women.
I don't walk around starting fights with arbitrary white women.
Is it 'Priviledge' to assume that everyone Black is always plotting about how to harm someone white?
Or is this blogger just projecting her own racist views onto everyone else?

In reality, most people don't care about such things.
Most people go about their lives trying to make life better for themselves and their families.
While most Black people are aware of race but most Black people are not fixated on it - we just have other things to do.