Here's A Story...

Ok, I heard a really interesting story today that I would like to share. There are 2 young boys, one white, and one black, walking down the street together. Along the way the white child picks up a rope and carries it, white the black child grabs a stick as his souvenir. When they get done with the walk the black kid asks his white friend, "Why did you pick up that rope?" The little white boy's answer was simple to him. "I have this rope so that when I climb up to the top, I can pull my people up with me. Why did you pick up that stick?" The black kid's answer was just as simple. "I have this stick so that when I get to the top I can beat my people from coming up there."
All I can say to this story is that when that white kid pulls his people up there, they will be able to push him up higher. His "top" has unlimited potential. That black kid, his "top" will surely be limited.

Lack Entertainment Television

If you follow me on twitter, or know me personally, it is no secret that I don't watch BET. Now to be fair, I don't watch a lot of television. There's Family Guy, The Boondocks, most sports, any stand up, and every so often I might catch some WWE tv. But for the most part, that's it. Television, in my view, is mostly useless and not entertaining.
With that being said, I have no problem with there being a Black Entertainment Television network. Like most institutions of America, black representation on television has been limited at best. For every one Cosby Show there were 5 white shows. Much like we established Historically Black Colleges to give blacks equal education, BET was formed to give us equal entertainment.
Here lies my issue with BET. Black culture is not represented well. If I was to show a foreigner who's never been around black people BET, he would have a jaded view on what is an diverse and proud race. Artists with meaningful videos take a backseat to blinged out ignorance. Wholesome sitcoms are replaced with reality shows based in the most outlandish coonery. Talk shows about serious issues in black society have turned into reruns of bad ghetto B-movies.
Frankie and Neffie is an inspiration to...nothing. Tiny and Toya are washed up. Michael Vick is old news and not a role model. 106 and Park is a joke. The Monique Show is a modern day chitlin circuit. BET is not quality television in the least.
As a person who watches less tv than most, I can argue that most the stuff on television is garbage, which I do. But the fact that BET is supposed to represent my race makes me put it on a higher curve. If they would allow more intelligent programming, I wouldn't have an issue. But until that happens I will continue not to watch. Because it is not a proper representation of us, therefore I don't consider it black. It is not entertaining. All it remains to be is television. So I'm gonna go read a book. Let me know if you find something good on.

Where are they at?

Where are the real men at?
 Where are the men who hold a door open for a woman?
 Pull out a chair?
Be a father?
Give her your jacket when she's cold?
Call when you're not home on time?
Tell her where you're really going?
Cook for her?
Pump her gas?
Tell her you love her more than once a year?
Lay down your jacket so you can walk over a puddle?
Make real love to her?
Not make her cry?
Respect her?
Don't hit her?
Pay for a date?
Hold her?
Don't call her a hoe or bitch?
Take her out?
Where y'all at?

By the way, where are the real women at?
Where are the women who treat your man with respect?
Stand behind him?
Cook for him?
Ask him about his day?
Let him enjoy the game?
Don't nag him?
Understand his boys are important to him also?
Allow him to be strong?
Respect his mom?
Know lovemaking is a 2 person job?
Don't blame him for them problems another man left you with?
Don't use his child as leverage for what you want?

It goes both ways. We need to step our game up in relationships. Or else, nobody is going to be happy. There isn't just a shortage of good men. There isn't just a shortage of good women. Let's do better, to have better.

K. He's Black. Now What?

Watching the season premiere of one of my favorite shows, "The boondocks", inspired me to write this blog. I feel that a lot of us are okay with Barack Obama winning the presidency. And it stops there. So being the first black president is all that matters? What about universal health care? What about the war in Iraq? What about the unemployment issues?
Now I realize Obama is working on solving all of these problems, but where are we in voicing our approval? We wanna complain about people what don't agree with him making news airwaves, but none of us are taking a stand for him. Every decision this man comes with is met with scrutiny by every level of congress. Where are we now? Wearing a shirt with his face on it isn't doing the job anymore.
"We the people..." If this is true, why are we the people afraid to voice our support for the man we put in office? Our thoughts are, "I put him in the house. Now he's the one that has to change it." Bullshit! Bush had an army of supporters among the protesters. Where's Obama's army?
Realize what they are trying to do to us. Every policy he comes up with is met with more rejections than a black man at country club in the deep south. This is to halt progression. So in the next election, we look at what's changed and see nothing. Then who do we blame? Will you vote for him again if we're in the same situation Bush left us in?
Pay attention to the conspiracies at work around you. They know we cannot be stopped by them. We proved that in the election. But we can stop ourselves. Don't let them make us lose faith in a black president. Help him help us. We only have 3 more years.