White People Need To Stop Being Racists

This logo is as accurate as it is iconic.  PE#1.

Now that I have your attention, let me give some background on myself to explain why that I think that statement is 100% true: I grew up in a predominantly white school system.  I had a lot of white friends in my childhood, so I saw the good in white people.  I was oblivious to a lot of the atrocities in the U.S. because of the type of education that I received and the environment in which I was raised.

Then I went to an HBCU (Google it if you don't know the acronym) and I met other people who looked like me who had totally different experiences growing up.  By the way, this is generally how one learns about the world.  Being exposed to all walks of life is what expands our way of thinking.  But, back to the topic at hand...

I spent a lot of my youth and some of my adult life explaining to minorities how "the conversation" about racism should be approached with white people.  I found myself speaking from a place that protected the good white people that I knew.  It took growing older in society to realize that they didn't need me to defend them.  Their privilege alone gave them the protection that they needed.

The point I'm trying to make is that black people have no responsibility in stopping racism.  White people do.  And it's always been that way despite how others have tried to spin it over and over again.  It's not a woman's responsibility to have "a discussion" with an abusive husband.  He just needs to recognize that he's wrong and stop abusing her.  See how simple that is?  Problem solved.

We don't need a table of "black leaders" to sit down and discuss why we shouldn't be unlawfully shot by police, denied opportunities for leadership positions from being a CEO of a Fortune 500 company to being an NFL head coach, or refused loans and/or housing based solely on the fact that we are enriched with melanin.  Black people have complained for decades on the things that prevent us from truly being equals in this country, so there's nothing new to talk about.  All white people have to do is stop doing it.  It's just that simple.  Nothing else is required.

And for all white people who have done things to help promote the end of racism, I thank and applaud you.  We wouldn't have made it this far without some of you.  But, you're going to have to do more.  Because in order for you not to be unfairly grouped in with racists, you have to convince the racists to cut it out.  So, it looks like you have the responsibility of helping this madness end.  Not black people.

America Has Hit Rock Bottom

It was bound to happen.  That big "thud" that you heard after the last election was this country hitting rock bottom.  This country is in a very, very bad place and it's not going to get better any time soon.

Racism is as prevalent as it's ever been over the past 50 years.  Politicians are more corrupt than every before.  Jobs are non-existent despite the fact that our infrastructure is crumbling like an Oreo in Shaquille O'Neal's back pocket.  Violent crime rates are higher than giraffe nostrils while cops are shooting first and not asking questions later.

All of this comes from an accumulation of things over the past 30 or 40 years.  Because of that, it can't be fixed overnight.  But make no mistake about it.  It can be fixed.

Well, not racism.  That's never going away in the U.S.  This country was built on racism, so it has no choice but to continue to spawn racism.  You can't plant an apple tree and expect oranges, no matter how hard you wish for them.

But, everything else can be fixed.  We can vote crooked politicians out of office if we actually took time to think.  We get swayed by name recognition and political party loyalty when we step into a voting booth.  And while I'm on the topic, let me step on my soapbox for a minute...

(steps on soapboax)

Black people need to stop voting for Democrats as a default.  The only reason that I say that is because Democrats are so confident that we're going to vote for them, that they don't even try to do anything substantial for us.

When I was a child, I remember countless Democratic candidates coming to my neighborhood to speak to the voters.  They asked questions and acted like they truly wanted to earn our votes.  As an adult, do you know how many Democrats have visited my current neighborhood?

Zero.

I've been visited by plenty of Jehovah's Witnesses, but the next Democratic candidate to step into my driveway will be the first.  And I've lived here for 20 years.

As for Republicans...  They refuse to even make the effort to meet with black people because they know that we're not going to vote for them any way.  Black people got upset that Donald Trump didn't meet with certain black "leaders".  Why should he?  For PR?  Would you waste your time visiting someone that you knew was biased against you?

No, you probably wouldn't.  Until black people make Democrats earn their votes once again, then we'll keep getting what we're getting.  You can't do the same thing over and over and expect different results.  That's just dumb.

(steps off soapbox)

Dag, what was I talking about again?  Oh, yeah.  'Murrica...

Until we do away with political parties, our country will continue to spiral out of control.  How can you have a United States if everyone is divided?  How can you say "united, we stand, but divided, we fall" when it's always "us vs. them"?  If we simply took the time to think, we could turn this country around.  The people have the power.  We're just too lazy or dumb to use it.

Freakin' sheep.

In The Year 2100, Blacks Will Only Be Seen in Museums

I know that the title is unsettling.  I heard my father say that recently. He said that at the rate black people are destroying their communities, that 100 years from now we won't even exist.  Think about that for a second. That's a strong statement!

If you're not black, then you may feel uncomfortable agreeing with that thought or speaking on it. If you are black, then you should feel uncomfortable in knowing that although it may not be true, you can understand the concept.

Here in Jackson, MS, a 15 year old girl was shot outside of Wingfield High School after a fight. She died later at the hospital from a gun shot wound to the chest. Shortly after this tragedy occurred, videos surfaced showing multiple fights at that high school from this year and last year. At least eight videos ranging from classroom brawls to outside gatherings.

Kids fighting is nothing new.  It happened when I was in school, too.  I think that the difference is today is that it's glorified on an entirely new level in 2013.  Teachers no longer have control over classrooms due to the policies put in place that restricts them.  Parents have no control over kids at home because most of them are either single parents or too immature to be a parent.

So, if kids are steadily engaging in acts of violence and parents don't know how to guide them to behave like human beings, then why shouldn't my father feel the way that he does?

Nelson Mandela just passed away a few days ago.  He represented something we may never see again in any leader, regardless of color: restraint.  Mandela could have easily lashed out against white people for putting him in jail for almost 30 years.  But, he decided that it wasn't worth it.  He spent the remaining years of his life trying to install peace into society instead of the opposite.  Sometimes your worst enemy will learn to love you if you show compassion.

For every Mandela, there seem to be 10,000 non-Mandelas born each day.  Black people who just don't believe in leaving the world in a better place than how they found it.  My generation (70's babies) were the cause of that.  We were the generation that decided that we would allow our kids certain freedoms that our parents wouldn't allow us.  Now we have a generation of kids who only want what they want regardless of the end result.

It's that mentality that makes being violent feel like option number one instead of a last resort.  It makes taking care of your kids seem like a burden instead of a responsibility.  It makes dating the opposite sex seem like a game instead of an opportunity to find someone to share your life.

How can a race of people possibly survive against those odds?  Maybe my father was right.  Neither one of us will be here to verify in the year 2100, but maybe this blog post will serve as notice to those who will.

Bounced Out of Contention

Bounce TV is a new television station scheduled to launch on September 26th. It is majority-owned by and will cater to black people. Being that I'm black, you would probably think I wouldn't have a problem with this, now would you?

Well, I don't. Kinda.

First, let me get out the good things about the station: it claims that it will feature positive programming for black people which is something that is lacking on television now. Pretty much every show on TV that stars a majority black cast is usually a comedy. They did try a crime-time drama on NBC last year called "Undercovers," but let's be honest, that show just sucked. I've seen better writing on bathroom walls than what their script contained. At least they tried, right?

And let's not talk about B.E.T. That station is junk and has been for over a decade as far as I'm concerned. B.E.T. was once a reputable media outlet for black people to be entertained, but it eventually turned into an outlet that is detrimental to the black community (along with mainstream radio). Their only focus now is broadcasting as much violence, materialism and sexual exploits as possible because of its selling power. So, although they're very successful in pushing crap into the black community, they fail to understand the concept of ethical responsibilities. But, I do think that black parents (or lack thereof) are the true failures when it comes subjecting our children to the media's poison. So, I'm not placing blame on B.E.T. for their selection of greed over cultural responsibility when I rant about them. And I also think Bounce TV can pick up the slack and possibly make B.E.T. even more irrelevant.

BET's meal ticket TV show, "The Game."

Having a TV station featuring movies like "The Wiz" and shows like "Judge Hatchett" isn't a bad thing at all. Mix in documentaries, specials, sports from HBCU's (historically black colleges/universities) and you have something positive for black people to watch, right?

Here's where the "kinda" comes in. I don't like media that is strictly marketed to black people and I'll tell you why and give you an example:

BlackPlanet.com
Over ten years ago (along with AsianAve.com and Migente.com for Hispanics), BP started and greatly contributed to what we now know today as social networking. Before MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, BP allowed you to have friends in a community in which to connect with on a regular basis. In fact, the creators of MySpace have even credited BP for influencing their site.

Now, MySpace, FB and Twitter each more than double BP's current subscription base. Why? I think it's because they didn't limit their marketing to one race.

That's what I dislike about black-owned medias. Why limit yourself to only one race? Imagine if BlackPlanet would have just been "The Planet." Could they have been the first Facebook? Could the story of Mark Zuckerburg been replaced by the story of BP founder, Benjamin Sun? It doesn't mean that the site could not have catered to and promoted black material, but why announce that a media outlet is for black people by black people and reduce the incentive for other races to join?

ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX don't carry what I would call "black programming," yet black people watch these stations just like everyone else. But, what if ABC changed its name to W.E.T. (White Entertainment Television)? How many black people would even bother to flip to that station to see what's on? I doubt that many would even give the station a chance. They would think that the station doesn't contain programming of their taste thus eliminating viewers who may have found something that they liked or at least given it a chance. Think of how many white people would have never seen "Sanford & Son," "The Jeffersons," "The Cosby Show," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" or "The Bernie Mac Show" had they all aired on B.E.T.

Do you see my point?

"Hey, Uncle Phil!  Follow my man, Q's blog!"

So, Bounce TV, I wish you so much success. You're launching in quite a few households across the country, so a lot of people will have access to you. But, with the marketing targeting only black people in a country full of so many nationalities, how many people will watch? I hope that your early promotions catering to only blacks don't bounce you out of contention before you even get started.

Now that I think about it, I just don't see how we can ever find equality if we're still promoting exclusion.

A blood Rush to the brain?

I have always considered Rush Limbaugh as more of a Howard Stern type than a political figure. A comedian. A beefier version of Jon Stewart or something.

But his latest spew really made me take notice. Here's Rush's quote:

"George Steinbrenner, that cracker was a great capitalist, and he made many African-Americans who worked for him millionaires, as a lot of capitalists do. But he also, as a good capitalist, knew when to die. There is no death tax. George Steinbrenner's family this year will not have to cough up 55% of what they inherit and perhaps lose the New York Yankees. "



Okay, first of all, George died less than 24 hours from your statement. Where is the respect for the dead? The man "knew when to die"?

Secondly, why did you target African-Americans when mentioning he made them rich? He made whites and Latinos rich, too, didn't he? Let's be real, this isn't the NBA. Major League Baseball is less than 11% black and I'm positive those blacks didn't all play for the Yankees. Rush went out of his way to not only talk about a dead man, but also single out a race of people (who currently have very little impact in baseball) as some sort of indication that they couldn't have gotten rich without Steinbrenner.

I'm all for free speech. Heck, that's why I have a freakin' blog in the first place. And I don't dislike Rush. I think he's an idiot, but I don't dislike him. He does what he has to do to make money.

I am concerned about the people who believe he speaks the gospel. They're the ones who scare me. The people who heard this statement on the radio and thought to themselves, "You go, Rush! Speak the truth"!

Conservative and Liberal media has fried our brains. We believe everything we see/hear on MSNBC or FOX News instead of making an educated decision on our own. People like Rush, Sarah Palin, Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews make their money by getting us to hate another group of people we know nothing about other than what we see/hear on TV/radio.

Wake up. Stop being a slave to the machine. Stop being fooled. Wait. No. Stop fooling yourself.