Using Your Voice

It's about time. Time for what, you ask? It's about time that some mainstream black athletes finally showed some concern for something other than themselves. Now, I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "but, athletes give money to charities all of the time on top of visiting kids hospitals, etc."

Yeah, but all of that is the safe thing to do. How many of today's black athletes actually stand up for a cause that's political? How many of today's athletes stand up for a cause that's racial? For something that involves the possibility of losing a sponsor therefore losing one of many paychecks?

I'm sure by now, unless you've been living under a rock a la a Geico commercial, you've heard of the Trayvon Martin shooting tragedy. If you haven't, then Google it. Long story, short, the Miami Heat basketball team did a photo shoot of all of the players wearing hoodies just like Trayvon was when he was killed. To many, this photo means absolutely nothing, but to a black man like myself, it's a breath of fresh air.

Reportedly organized by LeBron James, this photo represents so much to black culture. In a world where no one wants to have an opinion on anything political because they want to avoid scrutiny, these guys, black and white, took a stand. And it's not LeBron's first political statement. He once said that if he could dunk on anyone in the world, that he would dunk on and shatter the backboard on George W. Bush. That's a strong statement from someone who I'm sure has to see Republican season ticket holders sitting courtside at his games.

Muhammad Ali, the most polarizing figure in the history of sports (despite what Skip Clueless Bayless thinks), was the first person to turn an athlete into a celebrity. However, he was willing to throw all of that fame away to take a stand in what he believed. His beliefs actually landed him in jail for a period of time in the prime of his career.

That doesn't happen now. It hasn't happened on a regular basis in 30 years. Michael Jordan once famously said that he wouldn't endorse a Democratic candidate in a local election because "Republicans buy shoes, too." He would rather be selling shoes than using his celebrity status to bring awareness to something political. That's mainly the reason that I'm not a fan of the off-the-court Michael Jordan. He's very selfish and would rather add millions to his millions rather than make a difference in the world.

If you have the spotlight and you're not using your voice, then you may as well lose it all together. LeBron James and the Miami Heat have decided not to fall prey to pressure. The photo may not be as powerful as the one from the '68 Olympics with Tommie Smith and John Carlos, but it does make a statement that justice has not been served in the case of Trayvon Martin. I'm not saying who's innocent or guilty, I'm just saying start the process already!

This blog is about common sense. Sure, I do blog postings on things that are funny, provocative or random, but ultimately, the message I want to convey is that "there's always another way of doing things." People who have the means to make a difference in the country prefer not to do so because they don't want to stop their cash flow. No one wants to rock the boat.

Well, I'm glad LeBron James and the Miami Heat decided to do so. It's amazing how something so simple, so subtle, can be so important.

Redheads

Actresses Lucille Ball and Christina Hendricks along with blogger, Cherie Martin

We all have something that fascinates us. Something that we find attractive and we're not even sure of why. For me, when I was growing up, I was fascinated by redheads. I wonder if it's because I used to watch "I Love Lucy" reruns religiously as a kid? Who knows?  But, despite most of her shows being broadcasted in black and white film, I still loved Lucy.

I mean, some guys are fascinated by twins (in more ways than one). I've seen dudes on TV who had a thing for little women (literally). But, me? Redheads. I carried that fascination with me throughout life and found myself always being a fan of theirs. To this day, I can appreciate a good-looking redhead over an attractive blond or brunette. Does this qualify as some sort of fetish? Seems like a strong word to use in this case, but it may be just that.

If The Mrs. reads this post, I hope she doesn't come home in a red wig or anything tomorrow. That would just be weird.



What trait fascinates you about people?

When Elevators Attack, Part II

Back in my college days, a lot of craziness occurred. Unfortunately, since this was before the days of cell phone cams and YouTube, most of the antics were unseen to the world. So, now and then, I have to do things the old fashioned way and tell you a story about the time I was at Mississippi Valley State...

If you thought Part I was bad, then imagine the horror I must have felt from this tale. This incident actually occurred on another college campus. The campus of Alcorn University. This was a rival to my school that was located about 150 miles south of Valley. My roommate and I traveled there to watch a basketball game between the Alcorn and Valley. Afterwards, we decided to stop by one of the dormitories to visit a high school friend of his. So, it was me, Tim, a guy named Bobby and another guy whose name escapes me.

We walk into the dormitory and proceed to the elevator. We get in, face the front, press the button and as the doors start to close, a freakin' armadillo walks onto the elevator with us as if he belonged.

Yes, you read that right. An armadillo. Now, despite watching many episodes of "Wild Kingdom" while I was growing up, my knowledge of armadillos was next to zero. The same must have been true for the other guys in the elevator because panic ensued immediately! We had no idea what that thing was capable of. We also had no idea that armadillos make a horrific sound and jump (quite high, I might add) when they get scared. Go here to open a new window and see an armadillo jump (no need to watch more than 30 seconds of the video). As for as how they sound when they're scared, just peep the video below or go here if you don't have Flash.




So, imagine that noise and a creature jumping around the elevator with four grown dudes who are completely terrified. As the armadillo bounced around and made screeching sounds reminiscent of the snake in the old Q*Bert arcade game (for the 70's babies), the four of us visited every corner of that elevator multiple times in an attempt to get away. Four guys, the smallest being 220 lbs., smashed up in a corner like children. All of us were attempting to climb up the elevator walls like Spider-Man with Vaseline on his fingers, not wanting to be attacked by the armored rodent who may as well been a cobra by the way we were reacting.

We almost tore that elevator up. When the doors finally opened, we shot out of that elevator like a Roman candle. Two other guys, who were waiting on the elevator, stared at us as they started to walk into it. One of them saw the armadillo in the back corner, fell on to his back and proceeded to scurry backwards on all fours like something from "The Unborn."

The doors closed and the "threat" was over. How an armadillo got into the dormitory is beyond me, but my mom almost lost her youngest son to a heart attack that evening. I've gotta start taking the stairs.


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