You're A Tough Guy, Huh? T-U-F-F!

"Don't you know that orange is the new black?"

A few weeks ago, I was watching a marathon of one of only two reality shows that I enjoy: "Beyond Scared Straight."  ("Cops" is the other one in case you were interested.)  Anyhoo, the reason this is one of my favorite shows is because it takes people who think they're tough and puts them in their place.  There is nothing like seeing someone being put in their place.  Unfortunately, it rarely occurs to people who really deserve it like Congress members, celebrities, etc., but when it does, it's a good feeling.

Now, some of you are reading this and saying to yourself, "but, Q, how can you find happiness in someone else's pain?"

Easy.  People who cause pain get no sympathy from me when they receive it.  Do you think that I would care about some Congress member who takes kick backs to ship American jobs gets bullied in return?  Do you think that I would care if some larger-than-life athlete or celeb who thumbs their nose at the fans goes broke?

Absolutely not.  And the fact that these are kids on these shows gives them an opportunity to turn their lives around.  Although it's not always the kids' fault they're bad, it still shows them the end result of the decisions that they make.  Kids don't believe that "fat meat is greasy."  That's why adults are on this planet.  We're here to teach the younger generation how to leave things in a better position than it was left for us.

Unfortunately, my generation dropped the ball.  We told our kids that it's okay to have your own identity.  We told our kids that it's okay not to listen to grown ups who aren't your parents.  We're responsible for the many disrespecting, unappreciative, confrontation children that you see at the mall or in schools.

I wonder if we could get Scared Straight programs for Congress, Wall Street employees, and Kardashians?

Do you think Scared Straight Programs are a good idea or can you not teach with fear?

A @REALStaceyDash of Controversy

I was 16 years old the first time that I saw Stacey Dash and I developed a silver screen crush on her.  The name of the movie was "Moving."  It starred Richard Pryor and Randy Quaid.  I've been a fan of her looks ever since and now I must come to her defense for her mind.

My man, TrueSpeech, kind of stole my thunder, but I wanted to comment on this "controversy" as well. 

Actress, Stacey Dash, is in the center of a whirlwind full of hate for a tweet mentioning her support for Mitt Romney for President.  First of all, as fine as Stacey Dash is, she can vote for "Honey Boo Boo" and I wouldn't care.

But, seriously, let's just analyze what has happened over the past week: this photo went viral along with her mentioning that she supports Romney.  Since that time, fans, fellow actors, etc. have expressed publicly that she's wrong for doing so.  Wrong for picking a candidate she likes?  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the people hating on her are even registered to vote.

She's even received death threats behind her choice of candidate.

(shaking my head)

Let's get real here: the reason black people are upset over Dash supporting Romney is because so many of them think that all people of color should default to Obama.  "Minorities aren't allowed to vote Republican."  I'm sure that's written in the "Guide to Being A Minority" handbook.  Because Dash chose to go the other direction, they think that she's a sellout.  Yet, you don't see people of color get upset when white people support Obama.  Why aren't white people sellouts when they don't support their own in Romney?

If Dash were white, then I seriously doubt many people would have raised an eyebrow to this.  I'm a black guy who has voted in every election (not just Presidential) for as long as I can remember.  Do I support "Mittens?"  Heck, no.  I can't get with someone who contradicts himself constantly.  Ask any black man that has ever had a nightmare about "The Man" and I bet they would describe him as looking like Mitt Romney.

Would I publicly blast someone for supporting him?  Absolutely not.  Why should I come down on a Romney supporter just because their opinion is different than mine?  Sure, I'll disagree with them, but to insult them or threaten their life because they think differently?  Is that why a Jacksonville Jaguars fan killed a Chicago Bears fan last weekend?

The logic behind that is stupid!  Social networks have given idiots a false sense of power and anonymity they've long craved.  This venue allows them to come off as socially conscious or to appear as some sort of an expert critic.  It allows them to be able to actually affect the lives of the public figures that were once only accessible on the television screen.

Look, I'm not saying that a person can't publicly disagree with someone's viewpoints.  I do so all of the time on this blog.  That's what America is all about.  But, isn't taking one person's vote and turning it into national stories and death threats a bit much?  Does everything have to be an outrage?  If Ms. Dash isn't allowed to express herself and vote as she chooses, then what's the point of even having an election?  And how would you feel if someone did the same thing to you?

Here's what I'll leave for you all to think about: social networks spark emotions.  Emotions spark bad decisions.  The days of hearing or reading something that upsets you and waiting to have someone to talk to about it are over.  At any time of the day or night, you can go online and find an audience.  A lot of people do just that and the time that we once had to rationally think things out has been replaced with an instant emotion dictated in 140 characters or less.

The end-result is a person bullying a celebrity for having the exact same right as they have.  "How dare you promote Mitt Romney!  #OBAMA2012"

Really?

Have social networks created a "lynch mob" mentality (for lack of a better phrase) when it comes to opinions?

VIDEO: Who's to Blame?

Watch the video. Please keep in mind that it's very disturbing in nature...


WLBT.com - Jackson, MS
This occurred at a day care in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which is about 45 miles west of Jackson. This video infuriates me. Mainly because a child was victimized and I don't have enough fingers to point and place blame.  Who do you blame?

A) The boy who violently bullied this little girl. 

B) The parent(s) of the boy who either haven't been doing their job or have missed something in regards to their son's behavior. 

C) The day care employee who ignored the girl's crying for the duration of the torture. 

D) The father's reaction when he took his anger out on the wrong child.

Who's to blame in this? I focus most of my attention on the day care employee. She should have been trained to notice and respond accordingly to this abuse. Safety should be her main priority at all times. She has been appropriately charged with two counts of child neglect.

How do you discipline the boy? It's obviously something really wrong with a 9 year old putting that type of force into bullying a toddler. I think he's too far gone for anything other that psychiatric counseling. Maybe Reckmonster can help with that theory. A follow-up story says that the kid has been kicked out of the day care. You think?

The final question is: where are his parents? I've yet to see one on TV. The victim's father apologized for losing his cool and he may face charges, but the perpetrator's parents are unknown to me.

So, where do you start placing blame?

What's the punishment for a 9-yr old who does something so heinous?

What Would You Do?

Please watch the video below and tell me what would you do?

How would you handle this situation?

Please list all of your comments below.