America Is Racist?... Duh

Almost a year after we elected our first African-American President, I remember a movie I watched back in my college days for a class - Bamboozled. If you've never seen the movie, I suggest you take a evening with your good friends and sit down and watch it. It isn't an entertaining movie, but it WILL make you sit back and think about how you carry yourself. In any case, the ignorance in this movie is unsettling; but of course it's done to prove a point, but it still bothers me. Can society still be like this? Could there be a network writer just waiting to unleash his idea of a mainstream minstrel show? If there is, would a show like this either make it to being produced? Could we as a society honestly take such a feat and accept the stereotypical racism expressed in a minstrel show?

Can Mantan and Sleep & Eat become National icons? Can we celebrate anyone who dresses in Blackface and outfight disrespects themselves and their culture? How do we react to the pickaninnies, the aunt Jemimah's, the coons, the uncle toms...? I know, you're thinking "but that was the past, they can't get away with something like this today!" Funny thing is, they are. With reality television/dating shows so popular we allow people like Flava-Flav, and Tiffany "New York" Pollard - who will pretty much do anything for a dollar - come into our homes and tap-dance on our dinner tables. We sit back and laugh, thinking "but it's funny." But that's what they thought back in the 100 years from 1830 when Blackface became popular. What's even more unfortunate about it, is that they used Blackface as an education means to teach them how African-Americans really acted. Not the case today? Wrong. I guarantee there White Americans who have never met an African-American before (yes, there still are some) and feel that we all act like Flava-Flv, New York, or the Stallionaires.

How do we deal with something like this? In my opinion...bury them all. Burn them (the image) even. Show America that we won't take that shit. We have too many influential African-American figures who are respected and looked-up-to even THINK this could be pulled off today. But that doesn't mean they won't try. Understand that the image we carry is more than just who we are as individuals, but we have to represent for our culture.

What do you think? Who do you represent?

What role do you play?

In "old" society, it was "a given" that men provide and women nurture - the men would go out to work and make the money while the women stay home and take care of the children. This was common knowledge until over 50 years ago when World War II took the men out of the work places and women had to cover for them. Since then, women have been working, making their own money and providing for themselves. On top of that, less women are getting married, more are finding carrers and raising children on their own. As time has moved on, even though it is believed that women make around $.87 to every $1 a man makes, there are married couples in which the woman brings home more money than the man.

In today's society, we have ideals such as "Independent women", "I don't need no man in my life", and "I can do bad all by myself" yet, we still have women who sit back and expect the man to foot the bill 100% of the time. Now, don't get me wrong, chivalry is not dead, but can you really have your cake and eat it too? I understand that it's nice to have someone want to provide for you and make sure you always have everything you want, but in that instance, he should be your husband, lol. You can't sit there and say, "We been dating for 3 months, I expect him to pay my car note, my phone bill, my rent, and take care of my 3 kids! And if he doesn't, he can get out." Because sweetie, I can tell you from now, you will be alone for the rest of your life. (That's probably why you have 3 kids and no man in your life in the first place).

My opinion, learn to want to provide for yourself and not spend all your time and effort looking for a man to provide for you. Because at the end of the day, no man wants to be with someone always looking for handouts. "I am nobodies sugar daddy, and I'm not gonna spend all my money on her while she goes and spends all her money on herself." Trust, there are some men out there who feel like they need to pay for everything all the time, but you will spend YEARS looking for him, and by the time you realize, you will have wasted a large portion of your time, and have pushed too many GOOD men away from you. So my question to you is, what role do you play?

Afraid of your own skin...

(To live in fear of being yourself)

"Sometimes I wish I could just go to sleep and never wake up."
"I hate myself for what I am... for who I am.. for who I love."
"I don't know what this is... I hate myself... look at me."

Self-image problems are a prominent issue in America today, and always have been. Now, I'm not just talking about fat vs. skinny, or tall vs. short. But what about masculine vs. feminine... or the social condition of what is right vs. what is normal? The generalizations of the effeminate male as a "momma's boy" or the masculine female as a "tom-boy" drives the preconceived notion that these traits are only acceptable as children. There isn't really much of "growing out of it" anymore, seeing as children are "growing up" earlier and earlier every generation.

What ever happened to people loving who they are? What ever happened to society accepting those for WHO THEY ARE and not what we want them to be? What makes it alright to tell one man he's "acceptable" because he acts how a "MAN" SHOULD act. Being able to look in the mirror and appreciating who you are, isn't that the ideal goal in life? I mean, theoretically, lol.

(Unfinished)