Is there anyone who the slight mention of them makes you giggle? I was listening to Common's Finding Forever at work this week biding the time as I deleted excel entries, and he mentioned Master P in one of the songs. Not only do I love finding hidden jewels in lyrics that I never caught before. I like to laugh...a lot.
The grin broke out...and before I knew it I had to stifle a giggle. The idea of Master P, no matter how "bout it bout it" those Miller boys are just does that to me. And what happened to his tv network? Goodness, I write about Mr. Miller so much, he has his own tag.
THAT'S JUST MESSED UP! From a "Why lie, I need a beer" sign to "Barack, the Magic Negro" some things are just messed up. Really there's no other way to describe it.
The New York Post decided to be brilliant and run this cartoon by Sean Delonas which will be interpreted by any smart, current event literate person as Barack Obama, depicted as a chimpanzee, being shot by cops. This is in light of a chimpanzee attacking a woman and cops having to eventually shoot the animal and President Obama pushing the stimulus bill.
Usually, I don't feel the need to discuss issues as blatantly racist as this one. We all know the historical implications of blacks being stereotyped as animals, particularly monkeys, apes, chimps and other non-homo sapien primates. But for all the post-racial hoo-ha that is being touted now-a-days (which I don't believe) you would think we have all moved beyond this. Apparently not.
At least be more creative with it the next time Mr. Delonas. Put a little work into getting people angry. It makes for better discussion.
One of my favorite essays is one that I wrote on revolutionary poems during the Black Arts Movement. (Noted one of the worse essays I've ever written was my high school senior thesis on the evolution of slam poetry.) Obviously I wasn't expecting a "poem that kills"* during the inauguration. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much. For someone who loves poetry, competed in prose and poetry, and was forced to memorize more poems that I can remember as a child, I have never enjoyed watching poets reading their own poems. With the exception of slam poetry, I usually find it to be a little lacking.
It's not really her fault, David Alan Grier had us all waiting to go "Hosanna Obama" and he set us up to be disappointed.
So great poem, Elizabeth Alexander.(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-poem.html) But here's a little something to help you with your delivery (and I really needed an excuse to share the following).
The Fresh Prince: Rafael de la Ghetto "Charge of the Light Brigade"
Another one of my favorite poetry on television scenes comes from A Different World, the Mammy episode. There they performed "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and "Ego Trippin" by Nikki Giovanni making me forever in love with the latter. I can't find an embeddable version, but you can catch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3cGgr-Rz-w.
What you gonna do when they come for you? Yes the COPS theme song needed to be reprised for this post. If you follow this often enough, you know I tend to rely on the New York Times for procrastination and leisure reading, as well as keeping up with what's going on in the world (although there are much better publications for world news).
In the waker of the non-guilty Sean Bell verdict, the New York Times has gotten over the shock that black people in New York are not all the same, and produced an article on some of the work of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. The organization, which is reportedly critical of the NYPD and the justice system, hosts a variety of events including one that teaches young black and hispanic youth how to respond to officers in certain situations. Events like this are great and help to reduce situations where cops are aggravated or fearful for their life. Indeed, in the fear inducing fear of the police officer, there are times when their adrenaline rushes.
Still, as great as it is for non for profit organizations to provide services like this, there must be a greater change in law enforcement itself. Too much of this country's history has been of people learning how to respond to unfair situations, and not enough of it has been truly evaluating situations and looking for ways to improve.
In the chance that you have not already figured out that you should allow cops to punk you, not mention a possible possession of a firearm, and in general just be courteous, people are around to inform you of ways to keep yourself protected. And just in case you are not able to attend one of the sessions by 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, just peep this Chris Rock clip. He's a black man from the BK, he knows what's up.
There is no such thing as American history, only a frontier. -Don Draper, Mad Men.
They did the same thing to Jesus. They did the same thing to Martin Luther King. They do the same thing to every great leader. --Po-Prah, "I Want To Work For Diddy" Episode 2.
Morning conversations)Mommy: What did you have for breakfast? Kimmy: cookies! Mommy: Cookies aren't breakfast, unless they're oatmeal raisin. But I know you and you had chocolate chip. Kimmy: I had chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Mommy: (sigh) Alright my child, I have to get ready for work.
