This is the second in a series of rants by Huey, a character from The Boondocks. For further information check out previous blog post entitled "Introduction, The Grown, Really Pissed Off Huey".
(Disclaimer - Now I know you all love Michael Jackson, and I am by no means trying to disrespect the significance of his passing. I am a huge fan myself - As a kid my sister and I memorized the dance routine in the 'Remember the Time' video and used to re-enact it in our basement. He transcended racial barriers, was the preeminent musician of his time - and perhaps of all-time, and his MUSIC left a lasting influence on many people around the world. The key words there were 'his MUSIC'.. If you love Michael Jackson so much that you can't bear to read anything negative about him... well then... don't fucking read. I have no concern for those who cannot engage in constructive debate because their feelings got hurt. Now on to the post) (Oh how I love being able to talk shit under the guise of creative writing)
Since the dust has settled after the public uproar over his death, I thought I would discuss my opinion on your boy - your favorite singer, Michael Jackson. Don't get too upset man and caught up trying to defend your music idol - you know I'm the nigga that tells niggas what they don't want to hear, but need to fucking hear... and as you well know being politically correct is not my forte. So here goes..
You could've sworn this mans' music stopped the spread of AIDS in Africa and cured cancer the way people reacted to the untimely news of his death... or that Martin Luther King had been resurrected and died again. Are you niggas serious? I see Michael, just as I see the Pied Piper of R&B (sidenote - who the fuck let this nigga get away with calling himself the 'Pied Piper of R&B'?! Especially after he peed on a young girl?! 'Pied Piper of R&B' translation - 'My music is why young girls let me pee on them') - save the fucking praise, and accolades for the people who actually deserve it. It is like Michaels' music has made people blind to his character. I mean really, what the fuck did this nigga do besides sing and dance that was so great for the world, and African-Americans specifically?
None other than the great Reverend Al Sharpton (everytime I hear anything this nigga has to say it makes me cringe - seriously, I cannot stand that motherfucker) had this to say about Michael, "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color, way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama. Michael did with music what they later did in sports and in politics, and in television. And no controversy will erase the historic impact", but let me point out where that reasoning is flawed. All those other people embraced their heritage (well, not Tiger Woods, 'Mr. I am going to create a new ethnicity for myself' - but you get my point), Michael refused to. Quincy Jones, who knew Michael just as well as anyone, even said Michaels' excuses for turning himself white were "bullshit", and that "he obviously didn't want to be black". Viti-fucking-ligo?! Negro please, the shit gives you patches of pigment changes on your skin, and only a serious case would result in having to bleach your whole body. If that really was the case then how come there is not a single image of this man where symptoms of vitiligo are present? He gradually went from brown, to lighter brown, to an even lighter brown, to white, to even whiter, to pale as a fucking ghost white. His story is as believable as Uncle Ruckus's crazy ass talking about about he has 're-vitiligo, the opposite of what Michael Jackson got'.. Uncle Ruckus's skewed perception of himself is exactly what the fuck was wrong with Michael Jackson. Quite frankly, the nigga was cuckoo.
Then this nigga had the audacity to biologically manufacture his children so that they would be white - adding fucking insult to injury. No other nigga could get away with such a bold spit in the face at his own community - he would be shunned. The mere mention of his name to an African-American, would cause them to distort their face as if they had just smelled rancid meat and boldly pronounce, "Man fuck that nigga! He didn't even want to black!". But noooo, because this nigga created the moonwalk, and sang Billie Jean, he gets a free pass. It's like we are so proud to claim him because of his talent that we are blind to see that he did not want to be claimed as one of us. Let's be real, Michael Jackson did wonders for the African-American community.. until he was no longer black. This is a man who could have been one of our greatest role models, a figurehead for the community - and instead he chose to be an embarrassment. A dancing and singing freakshow, that made white supremacists everywhere grin because a black man was ashamed enough of his color to actually make himself white. Michael ain't do nothing for us but make us look bad - he spat in the face of all the people who fought for us to be respected because of our color. Yet this is who we are so quick to claim, defend, and praise?
And I didn't even get to his world-renown penchant for playing with little boys. Yeah, I hear that bullshit excuse for him, 'your innocent until proven guilty', which by law, you are. But in the court of public opinion no such rule applies, and that nigga is as guilty as it gets. Any adult knows better than to interact with children in the manner that Michael did, and even if he didn't do anything sexual with these boys - he sure as hell should've known better than to boldly proclaim that there is nothing wrong with sharing your bed with children. To even attempt to defend that type of behavior is ridiculous - you know you wouldn't have let your young son hang out with that nigga (shit, unless you were willing to sacrifice your children to get a quick come-up, tempt Michael, let him do what he is bound to do - then sit back and wait for your 20 million. My grandfather always used to joke that he should send me to Neverland Ranch so he could be a millionaire, talking about, "I should take one for the team").
All the praise of his humanitarian efforts - well, that is just another bag of bullshit. This man's day-to-day expenses were so high that he squandered a half a billion dollars. And he lost it for dumb shit too, like an amusement park at his house and fucking zoo animals. For all that he did for the world - which for how much he had, was not much - he wasted plenty of money that could have been put to more efficient use in impoverished nations around the world. The only defense people have for him being a philanthropist is that he sang, "We Are The World" - when it should've been more like "I'm in my own fucking world". Come the fuck on, this nigga was no Bill Gates - his main concern was himself. (It is a great song though)
Call me insensitive if you want - but I refuse to glorify a man where he deserves no glory, to pay tribute to a man for qualities that have been fabricated, to pay homage to a life for what it wasn't. Instead I choose to remember Michael for what he was. He was no inspiration, no great person, no role model. He was the preeminent musician of our generation, nothing more, nothing less. His talent was praiseworthy - his character was not. I am fond of the music he shared with us, not of him as a man... I hope Michaels' soul rests in peace - and he does a better job ridding himself of personal demons in his afterlife than he did while he was living.
Huey
(let the outcry begin)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Confessions of a Martian Pt. 3
"..I can mingle with the stars.. and throw a party on Mars.."
..The Martian is back, lol.
As you all know I am currently living in Liberia, a country so vastly different from the nation of my birth that I might as well be on fucking Mars.
Liberia is such a unique country in Africa because its' history is intertwined with the United States . Liberia was founded by expatriate freed American slaves; the name Liberia itself denotes 'liberty'. It is the only country in West Africa without roots in European colonialism, and its government is based on that of the United States. The freed slaves were also responsible for the creation of a new ethnicity, 'Americo-Liberian'. This, however, is where the similarities stop.
Fourteen years of civil strife demolished the tiny West African nation. The war is known for its sheer brutality and destruction of infrastructure. War lords were unmerciful and showed no remorse as they killed hundreds of thousands of people (look up General Butt-Naked on wikipedia - seriously, do it, it will give you an idea of how crazy this war was). Child-Boy units of soldiers, some no older than 13, roamed the streets, murdering, pillaging, and raping. Liberia was in a state of mayhem and anarchy for over a decade. The war ended in 2003 and Liberia has been struggling to find peace, stability, and economic growth ever since.
The nation has been on a gradual path to prosperity, and the election of the first female African president brought hope to a nation where the will and spirit of the people had been crushed by prolonged conflict. Coming here for the first time, being able to interact with the Liberians, and hear their stories was incredible. I was amazed at how optimistic people were for their country. I though hopelessness and despair would describe the mind of the people, it was refreshing to hear that they were all very positive. Still, the war manifests itself in the mindstate of the people in a different manner; a mindstate so prevalent that it would be impossible not to notice it. I am going to use a simple story, just happened to me the other day, to give you an example of what I mean..
See when I walk out on the streets here I really am a fucking Martian. Even though I'm black, Africans can tell when you aren't African, and it doesn't help that I am walking out of a gate with a big United States emblem on it. The other day I decided to venture out, I needed a phone card because I wanted to call my girl (it only costs like 10 cents a minute here to call the U.S.). Of course soon as I start walking, I see a man see me and his eyes light up. He was a beggar, and I was a potential client. He started following me and talking to me in Liberian English (broken English, their 'slang' version of English). Since I don't have it in me to be rude, I chatted him up, asked him where the nearest place I could get a phone card was. As he led me, he went on and on about how he is struggling, his parents died in the war, that he has been saved by Christ.. it was pretty much going in one ear out the other. I just wanted him to hurry up and show me the place so I could be on my way. Too bad even when we got to the place he kept following me, waited until I bought my phone card, and kept walking with me home. He started to act like he could draw, claiming he went to school, and drawing me these lame-ass stick figures on a piece of paper that were half-ass excuses for art. At that point I had it, I looked at him and said, "Your drawing is fucking horrible, so stop it. You don't have to fake like you can do some shit you can't just to get some money. You were giving me your sob stories, and I know you want some money. I plan on giving you some money, but you need to get a fucking job. Your struggling because you refuse to work; you wouldn't need to beg for money if you worked for it." Of course, he claims he has tried, that he can't find one. I know that's bullshit so I kept chastising him, and when I finally got to the gate I gave him five bucks. He was jumping for joy.
Thing is you would think I'd feel good about helping out the less fortunate. But you don't; he is not going to try and get a job and me giving him money is just encouraging him to keep begging for a living. Beggars are typical in third world countries, and Liberia is no different. Where Liberia is different is that a "beggars mentality" is characteristic of a whole generation. Just the next day, one my of guards that I play ball with, just about my age, hit me with another sob story about how his mother is sick and he needs $40-$50 to help her. I am an easy target because I entertain that bullshit because it is in my nature to always hear someone out, even though I know good and well that my guards' mother is definitely not sick. The way they prey on kindness and generosity is sickening.
A whole generation of people were wiped out by this war. If you were born in the 1980s, and stayed in Liberia, your whole life was defined by war. There was no education and you had two options - join the fighting, get what you could from your leaders, and steal the rest to survive - or you could run, jumping from camp to camp, taking advantage of all the goods international NGOs provided for your survival. The common denominator in both cases, is that nobody was working for an honest buck, and working for a living. What's left is a nation of ex-combatants, and ex-refugees who refuse to progress and learn how to make a living. They would just rather beg, because since you got it, they feel that you are entitled to help them. It's insanity.
I used to complain so much about all the house servants that we had. They refuse to let you do anything for yourself. I didn't need them, and I didn't want to get used to someone doing everything for me that I should be doing for myself. Shit, I just graduated from school, I am about to be back in the States where I am going to have to do everything for myself anyway; I can't have them being responsible for making me lazy. It hurt their feelings to know that I felt that way. Now, I don't give a fuck. I let them do everything. At least they are working for a living, trying to do their jobs as well as possible - as opposed to begging, and stealing everything they get. You really learn to appreciate something as simple as someone working hard for a living once you bear witness to the mentality of most of the people around here.
I probably will never stop entertaining their bullshit, and they will continue to prey on my kindness. It is just apart of who I am, if you need it more than I do, I try to find a way to give it to you. Though I hope one day, for the sake of the country, that the mentality no longer exists. Speaking to a Liberian the other day, he called it a 'disease', and it truly is. A 'disease', which will take another generation to cure.
..A truly interesting social dynamic, brought to you straight from the eyes of an alien.. until next time earthlings. I'm signing out.
The Martian
..The Martian is back, lol.
As you all know I am currently living in Liberia, a country so vastly different from the nation of my birth that I might as well be on fucking Mars.
Liberia is such a unique country in Africa because its' history is intertwined with the United States . Liberia was founded by expatriate freed American slaves; the name Liberia itself denotes 'liberty'. It is the only country in West Africa without roots in European colonialism, and its government is based on that of the United States. The freed slaves were also responsible for the creation of a new ethnicity, 'Americo-Liberian'. This, however, is where the similarities stop.
Fourteen years of civil strife demolished the tiny West African nation. The war is known for its sheer brutality and destruction of infrastructure. War lords were unmerciful and showed no remorse as they killed hundreds of thousands of people (look up General Butt-Naked on wikipedia - seriously, do it, it will give you an idea of how crazy this war was). Child-Boy units of soldiers, some no older than 13, roamed the streets, murdering, pillaging, and raping. Liberia was in a state of mayhem and anarchy for over a decade. The war ended in 2003 and Liberia has been struggling to find peace, stability, and economic growth ever since.
The nation has been on a gradual path to prosperity, and the election of the first female African president brought hope to a nation where the will and spirit of the people had been crushed by prolonged conflict. Coming here for the first time, being able to interact with the Liberians, and hear their stories was incredible. I was amazed at how optimistic people were for their country. I though hopelessness and despair would describe the mind of the people, it was refreshing to hear that they were all very positive. Still, the war manifests itself in the mindstate of the people in a different manner; a mindstate so prevalent that it would be impossible not to notice it. I am going to use a simple story, just happened to me the other day, to give you an example of what I mean..
See when I walk out on the streets here I really am a fucking Martian. Even though I'm black, Africans can tell when you aren't African, and it doesn't help that I am walking out of a gate with a big United States emblem on it. The other day I decided to venture out, I needed a phone card because I wanted to call my girl (it only costs like 10 cents a minute here to call the U.S.). Of course soon as I start walking, I see a man see me and his eyes light up. He was a beggar, and I was a potential client. He started following me and talking to me in Liberian English (broken English, their 'slang' version of English). Since I don't have it in me to be rude, I chatted him up, asked him where the nearest place I could get a phone card was. As he led me, he went on and on about how he is struggling, his parents died in the war, that he has been saved by Christ.. it was pretty much going in one ear out the other. I just wanted him to hurry up and show me the place so I could be on my way. Too bad even when we got to the place he kept following me, waited until I bought my phone card, and kept walking with me home. He started to act like he could draw, claiming he went to school, and drawing me these lame-ass stick figures on a piece of paper that were half-ass excuses for art. At that point I had it, I looked at him and said, "Your drawing is fucking horrible, so stop it. You don't have to fake like you can do some shit you can't just to get some money. You were giving me your sob stories, and I know you want some money. I plan on giving you some money, but you need to get a fucking job. Your struggling because you refuse to work; you wouldn't need to beg for money if you worked for it." Of course, he claims he has tried, that he can't find one. I know that's bullshit so I kept chastising him, and when I finally got to the gate I gave him five bucks. He was jumping for joy.
Thing is you would think I'd feel good about helping out the less fortunate. But you don't; he is not going to try and get a job and me giving him money is just encouraging him to keep begging for a living. Beggars are typical in third world countries, and Liberia is no different. Where Liberia is different is that a "beggars mentality" is characteristic of a whole generation. Just the next day, one my of guards that I play ball with, just about my age, hit me with another sob story about how his mother is sick and he needs $40-$50 to help her. I am an easy target because I entertain that bullshit because it is in my nature to always hear someone out, even though I know good and well that my guards' mother is definitely not sick. The way they prey on kindness and generosity is sickening.
A whole generation of people were wiped out by this war. If you were born in the 1980s, and stayed in Liberia, your whole life was defined by war. There was no education and you had two options - join the fighting, get what you could from your leaders, and steal the rest to survive - or you could run, jumping from camp to camp, taking advantage of all the goods international NGOs provided for your survival. The common denominator in both cases, is that nobody was working for an honest buck, and working for a living. What's left is a nation of ex-combatants, and ex-refugees who refuse to progress and learn how to make a living. They would just rather beg, because since you got it, they feel that you are entitled to help them. It's insanity.
I used to complain so much about all the house servants that we had. They refuse to let you do anything for yourself. I didn't need them, and I didn't want to get used to someone doing everything for me that I should be doing for myself. Shit, I just graduated from school, I am about to be back in the States where I am going to have to do everything for myself anyway; I can't have them being responsible for making me lazy. It hurt their feelings to know that I felt that way. Now, I don't give a fuck. I let them do everything. At least they are working for a living, trying to do their jobs as well as possible - as opposed to begging, and stealing everything they get. You really learn to appreciate something as simple as someone working hard for a living once you bear witness to the mentality of most of the people around here.
I probably will never stop entertaining their bullshit, and they will continue to prey on my kindness. It is just apart of who I am, if you need it more than I do, I try to find a way to give it to you. Though I hope one day, for the sake of the country, that the mentality no longer exists. Speaking to a Liberian the other day, he called it a 'disease', and it truly is. A 'disease', which will take another generation to cure.
..A truly interesting social dynamic, brought to you straight from the eyes of an alien.. until next time earthlings. I'm signing out.
The Martian
Friday, June 26, 2009
Shut Up, Be Gay (Happy)
I'm baaaaaaaaaack.
There have been a couple things in the news recently that I have been meaning to discuss, but one has particularly stood out.. so let's get to it.
Obama recently signed a memorandum extending benefits to same-sex partners of gay federal employees. On July 5th it was implemented at the State Dept, and yesterday at work I received a management notice detailing exactly what benefits same-sex partners are entitled to. Here is the list -
"The Department of State intends to provide the following benefits and allowances for declared same-sex domestic partners serving overseas:
- Diplomatic passports
- Inclusion on employee travel orders to and from posts abroad
- Shipment of household effects
- Inclusion in family size calculations for the purpose of making housing allocations
- Family preference for employment at posts abroad
- Use of medical facilities abroad
- Medical evacuation from posts abroad
- Emergency travel for partners to visit gravely ill or injured employees and relatives
- Inclusion as family members for emergency evacuation from posts abroad
- Subsistence payments related to emergency evacuations from posts abroad
- Inclusion in calculations of payments of overseas allowances (e.g. payment for quarters, cost of living, and other allowances)
- Representation expenses
- Training at the Foreign Service Institute"
Quite frankly, I think the list is some bullshit - pardon my french. I have nothing against the gay community; my issue is the federal government has basically recognized gay partners as family members, essentially giving them many of the same rights as a married couple. The Defense of Marriage Act states that - "The federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman." I am not here to debate the morality of whether gay people should be allowed to get married or not, and personally I have no problem with it. Fact is, by federal law they aren't allowed. So why is the federal government giving them some of the same benefits that are reserved for married couples? All one must do to obtain benefits for their same-sex domestic partner is file an affidavit stating that they intend to remain together, and live together. What kind of precedent are we setting when all one has to do to attain benefits for another is file a form? And why can't I file a form stating that I live with my girlfriend, and I plan to be with her so she can get the same benefits?
If they could get married and have it recognized by the federal government then this would not even be an issue. But they can't, and it is. The memorandum is too slippery of a slope, and can be easily manipulated. In no way should a non-married couple be entitled to many of the same benefits as a legally married couple, regardless of sexual preference. Simply put, it is unfair. I recognize the reasoning behind why it was done, however. This was the only option to advance gay rights significantly in a short period of time; gay marriage will be a tough battle to win. The memorandum was a step the Obama administration needed to take in order to appease their gay constituents.
Yet gay rights activists are still adamantly complaining that Obama has not given them anything, that the memorandum was only a incremental move; that they should be given much more. Looking at that list, I think the memorandum was a MAJOR first step(and I have not seen the list for other federal agencies, but I am sure it is much of the same thing). Even Obama himself acknowledged, "This is only one step", and he knows there is still much more to be done. My advice to gay rights activists everywhere, 'Shut Up, and Be Gay', and by gay I mean happy. The federal government took a significant step towards giving you what you want. Yeah he hasn't repealed the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in the armed forces, and yeah you didn't get full health insurance benefits - but still you have made progress. Obama has only been in office but for so long, give him a chance, and you will eventually get more of what you are fighting for. I am not downplaying the importance of your struggle, I am just saying be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day.
There have been a couple things in the news recently that I have been meaning to discuss, but one has particularly stood out.. so let's get to it.
Obama recently signed a memorandum extending benefits to same-sex partners of gay federal employees. On July 5th it was implemented at the State Dept, and yesterday at work I received a management notice detailing exactly what benefits same-sex partners are entitled to. Here is the list -
"The Department of State intends to provide the following benefits and allowances for declared same-sex domestic partners serving overseas:
- Diplomatic passports
- Inclusion on employee travel orders to and from posts abroad
- Shipment of household effects
- Inclusion in family size calculations for the purpose of making housing allocations
- Family preference for employment at posts abroad
- Use of medical facilities abroad
- Medical evacuation from posts abroad
- Emergency travel for partners to visit gravely ill or injured employees and relatives
- Inclusion as family members for emergency evacuation from posts abroad
- Subsistence payments related to emergency evacuations from posts abroad
- Inclusion in calculations of payments of overseas allowances (e.g. payment for quarters, cost of living, and other allowances)
- Representation expenses
- Training at the Foreign Service Institute"
Quite frankly, I think the list is some bullshit - pardon my french. I have nothing against the gay community; my issue is the federal government has basically recognized gay partners as family members, essentially giving them many of the same rights as a married couple. The Defense of Marriage Act states that - "The federal government defines marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman." I am not here to debate the morality of whether gay people should be allowed to get married or not, and personally I have no problem with it. Fact is, by federal law they aren't allowed. So why is the federal government giving them some of the same benefits that are reserved for married couples? All one must do to obtain benefits for their same-sex domestic partner is file an affidavit stating that they intend to remain together, and live together. What kind of precedent are we setting when all one has to do to attain benefits for another is file a form? And why can't I file a form stating that I live with my girlfriend, and I plan to be with her so she can get the same benefits?
If they could get married and have it recognized by the federal government then this would not even be an issue. But they can't, and it is. The memorandum is too slippery of a slope, and can be easily manipulated. In no way should a non-married couple be entitled to many of the same benefits as a legally married couple, regardless of sexual preference. Simply put, it is unfair. I recognize the reasoning behind why it was done, however. This was the only option to advance gay rights significantly in a short period of time; gay marriage will be a tough battle to win. The memorandum was a step the Obama administration needed to take in order to appease their gay constituents.
Yet gay rights activists are still adamantly complaining that Obama has not given them anything, that the memorandum was only a incremental move; that they should be given much more. Looking at that list, I think the memorandum was a MAJOR first step(and I have not seen the list for other federal agencies, but I am sure it is much of the same thing). Even Obama himself acknowledged, "This is only one step", and he knows there is still much more to be done. My advice to gay rights activists everywhere, 'Shut Up, and Be Gay', and by gay I mean happy. The federal government took a significant step towards giving you what you want. Yeah he hasn't repealed the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in the armed forces, and yeah you didn't get full health insurance benefits - but still you have made progress. Obama has only been in office but for so long, give him a chance, and you will eventually get more of what you are fighting for. I am not downplaying the importance of your struggle, I am just saying be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sports Chatter - "NBA Finals Edition"
I told ya'll I was going to give you my prediction and insight even though I fear that if I do I'm going to fucking jinx it.. but here we go
..I'm going with Lakers in 6.
Here's my reasons why -
1. The Lakers are a far superior team than the Cavs. The Cavs lost the season series 2-1 to Magic, they were only 3-6 versus Boston, L.A., and the Magic, and the 6 losses were by an average of 13.8 points - crazy stat huh? Why you think I've been telling you clowns the Cavs weren't real? I do my research... even though by that logic we would lose to the Magic since we lost the season series to them 2-0 - I think we are a better team now than we were then, and Jameer Nelson absolutely torched us during the regular season. Even if he comes back for the finals, he won't play a high level because of the injury layoff..and Skip to My Lou will not cause us as many problem because...well.. he's a scrub (he's actually decent but he's turnover prone, on top of being a head case - not a good mix).
2. Dwight Howard will come back down to earth. The Cavs made Howard look like the second coming of Shaq, which as I've already stated before, he just isn't. The frontline of the Cavs just couldn't match up so he feasted on a slow-ass Ilguaskas, a soft-ass Varejao, and Ben Wallace's washed up ass (that lets you know how damn cruddy the Cavs are, Ben Wallace would not get significant minutes on any team in the league - but that might be more of an indictment on Coach Brown, who at times makes Mike Dunleavy look like a good coach, but we will get to him later..). Kendrick Perkins basically shut him down in the Celtics' series besides two games; as long as he is not getting great post position everytime up the floor, his scoring numbers will look more mortal. Somewhere in the 15-20 range, which just isn't enough to get it done against us. His rebounding and defensive presence will still be a factor, but we have sufficient bigs to keep his scoring to a minimum without too much help from the double-team. Plus, Bynum and Gasol both have the offensive repertoire to make him work on the defensive end. Simply put, he is not gonna go off for fuckin 40 against us.. (and if he does, I'm getting my Dad's gun, and shooting at the T.V. screen)
3. We matchup well. The Cavs got demolished mainly because they just didn't have the personnel to match up with the Magic's versatility on offense (and because Mike Brown sucks.. but like I said, we will get to him later).. The Lakers will not have the same problem. We are horrible against quick, shifty guards but Jameer Nelson being out (or not 100%) negates that weakness, and other than that we match up well at every position on the floor. Odom and Gasol have the length and quickness to stay in front of Lewis and keep him from making it rain from the arc, and they have the skills to destroy him on the offensive end (he works hard, but he is booty as a defender, and is playing out of position). Ariza can run around screens and will make Turkoglu work for all his buckets; he will also hit threes (50% for the playoffs) and pick a couple pockets that will lead to easy transition points. Bynum and Gasol will get Howard duty, Kobe..well..thats obvious - the only question mark is point guard. If Fisher, Farmer, Brown match the production of the Magic guards we are as good as golden.
4. We've got the best player in the series, and in the league for that matter. LeBron put up a sick 38-8-8 against the Magic, and Kobe could easily duplicate it. Even though he won't because his supporting cast is so much better, he is the best finisher in the league, is a nightmare matchup for whoever is guarding him whether it be Pietrus, Lee, or Redick (I dare the Magic to put Redick on fucking Kobe - every minute he is in the game Kobe will get a bucket), and the loss in the Finals to Celtics last year motivated him like never before. This is finally the year for The Black Mamba to shed his demons and win one without Shaq.. Kobe is desperate, and determined, and I think his play will represent that. I'm forecasting a 30 ppg avg and probably a Finals MVP Award.
5. We have the best Coach EVER. Seriously, experience is huge and no one has more than Phil Jackson. The Zen Master has been here countless times, is a proven winner and has all the records to prove it, even though recently he has fallen off a little bit... I think this year he will redeem himself. Van Gundy is a great coach though, definitely proved a lot of people wrong; but he was matching wits with fucking Mike Brown. The same fucking Mike Brown, who instead of staying home on the Magic shooter's that absolutely killed them, kept double-teaming Dwight even though he was dunking all over their heads anyway - leaving the shooters to get wide open J's. They shot something sick like 47% from the 3-point line for the whole series - wouldn't you just rather have Howard get his and make sure all the other players don't beat you? Not to mention he is the least innovative offensive Coach in history (I can only imagine in the huddle Mike Brown must look around and say, "Uh, LeBron, what play are we running?"). Phil Jackson will be a whole different ballgame for Van Gundy.
There you have it, my reasons why the Lakers are going to take it in 6. Odom and Bynum are the X-Factors. If they can post a couple doubles doubles, play solid defense, make Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard work, and have 1-2 breakout performances; this series will be over a lot quicker than imagined.
...Enjoy the game tonight. Feel free to contact me about potential wagers, I want to take some of you niggas money.
..I'm going with Lakers in 6.
Here's my reasons why -
1. The Lakers are a far superior team than the Cavs. The Cavs lost the season series 2-1 to Magic, they were only 3-6 versus Boston, L.A., and the Magic, and the 6 losses were by an average of 13.8 points - crazy stat huh? Why you think I've been telling you clowns the Cavs weren't real? I do my research... even though by that logic we would lose to the Magic since we lost the season series to them 2-0 - I think we are a better team now than we were then, and Jameer Nelson absolutely torched us during the regular season. Even if he comes back for the finals, he won't play a high level because of the injury layoff..and Skip to My Lou will not cause us as many problem because...well.. he's a scrub (he's actually decent but he's turnover prone, on top of being a head case - not a good mix).
2. Dwight Howard will come back down to earth. The Cavs made Howard look like the second coming of Shaq, which as I've already stated before, he just isn't. The frontline of the Cavs just couldn't match up so he feasted on a slow-ass Ilguaskas, a soft-ass Varejao, and Ben Wallace's washed up ass (that lets you know how damn cruddy the Cavs are, Ben Wallace would not get significant minutes on any team in the league - but that might be more of an indictment on Coach Brown, who at times makes Mike Dunleavy look like a good coach, but we will get to him later..). Kendrick Perkins basically shut him down in the Celtics' series besides two games; as long as he is not getting great post position everytime up the floor, his scoring numbers will look more mortal. Somewhere in the 15-20 range, which just isn't enough to get it done against us. His rebounding and defensive presence will still be a factor, but we have sufficient bigs to keep his scoring to a minimum without too much help from the double-team. Plus, Bynum and Gasol both have the offensive repertoire to make him work on the defensive end. Simply put, he is not gonna go off for fuckin 40 against us.. (and if he does, I'm getting my Dad's gun, and shooting at the T.V. screen)
3. We matchup well. The Cavs got demolished mainly because they just didn't have the personnel to match up with the Magic's versatility on offense (and because Mike Brown sucks.. but like I said, we will get to him later).. The Lakers will not have the same problem. We are horrible against quick, shifty guards but Jameer Nelson being out (or not 100%) negates that weakness, and other than that we match up well at every position on the floor. Odom and Gasol have the length and quickness to stay in front of Lewis and keep him from making it rain from the arc, and they have the skills to destroy him on the offensive end (he works hard, but he is booty as a defender, and is playing out of position). Ariza can run around screens and will make Turkoglu work for all his buckets; he will also hit threes (50% for the playoffs) and pick a couple pockets that will lead to easy transition points. Bynum and Gasol will get Howard duty, Kobe..well..thats obvious - the only question mark is point guard. If Fisher, Farmer, Brown match the production of the Magic guards we are as good as golden.
4. We've got the best player in the series, and in the league for that matter. LeBron put up a sick 38-8-8 against the Magic, and Kobe could easily duplicate it. Even though he won't because his supporting cast is so much better, he is the best finisher in the league, is a nightmare matchup for whoever is guarding him whether it be Pietrus, Lee, or Redick (I dare the Magic to put Redick on fucking Kobe - every minute he is in the game Kobe will get a bucket), and the loss in the Finals to Celtics last year motivated him like never before. This is finally the year for The Black Mamba to shed his demons and win one without Shaq.. Kobe is desperate, and determined, and I think his play will represent that. I'm forecasting a 30 ppg avg and probably a Finals MVP Award.
5. We have the best Coach EVER. Seriously, experience is huge and no one has more than Phil Jackson. The Zen Master has been here countless times, is a proven winner and has all the records to prove it, even though recently he has fallen off a little bit... I think this year he will redeem himself. Van Gundy is a great coach though, definitely proved a lot of people wrong; but he was matching wits with fucking Mike Brown. The same fucking Mike Brown, who instead of staying home on the Magic shooter's that absolutely killed them, kept double-teaming Dwight even though he was dunking all over their heads anyway - leaving the shooters to get wide open J's. They shot something sick like 47% from the 3-point line for the whole series - wouldn't you just rather have Howard get his and make sure all the other players don't beat you? Not to mention he is the least innovative offensive Coach in history (I can only imagine in the huddle Mike Brown must look around and say, "Uh, LeBron, what play are we running?"). Phil Jackson will be a whole different ballgame for Van Gundy.
There you have it, my reasons why the Lakers are going to take it in 6. Odom and Bynum are the X-Factors. If they can post a couple doubles doubles, play solid defense, make Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard work, and have 1-2 breakout performances; this series will be over a lot quicker than imagined.
...Enjoy the game tonight. Feel free to contact me about potential wagers, I want to take some of you niggas money.
Holy War
President Barack Obama's recent speech at Cairo University in Egypt has garnered worldwide attention and has stirred controversy. The emergence of an alleged Bin Laden taped message, and the condemning of Obama's visit by Al-Qaeda's second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri, was filled with rhetoric implicating the world as being in the midst of a "Holy War" -
"The White House declared that Obama will send a message from Egypt to the Islamic world but they forget that his messages were already received when he visited the Western Wall and wore the Jewish yarmulke and when he prayed their prayers"
"..his administration continued to reject the appliance of the Geneva Conventions regarding Muslim prisoners in the crusade war against Islam that they call the war on terror."
"he is walking the same road of his predecessors to build enmity against Muslims and increasing the number of fighters, and establishing more lasting wars."
In order to counter the extremist Islamic views of Al Qaeda, Obama gave a calculated, well-crafted, and overall great speech. Obama's oratorical abilities are an important component of his policy to sway the Islamic opinion of the west to a more favorable one. While actions speak much louder than words - we cannot underestimate the power of oratory in influencing the minds of people. Few key quotes from the speech -
"I consider it part of my responsibility, as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear, but that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."
"America is not and never will be at war with Islam."
"What is also true is that in the wake of 9/11, in a whole host of our actions and sometimes in our words, America has not been as careful to distinguish our very real need to hunt down extremists who would do us harm, from broader policy or cultural differences that are best approached through diplomacy and conversation and some self-reflection on our part."
"Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."
It was extremely imperative for Obama to emphasize sympathy for the Palestinian cause, and the non-existence of a battle against Islamic ideals. Deep-rooted tensions between Islam and the west, and jihadist rhetoric have long been the recruitment tools of violent, extremist, Muslim demagogues such as al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden. Our policies toward the Middle East should be the reflection of an effort to curtail the viability of these very important tools in the war that extremists are waging against America. Obama's speech - while it may not have provided resolutions - was a critical first step in the process.
However, neo-conservative ideology that led to the Iraq War and guided the War on Terror, which in turn fueled the fire of the concept of Holy War; the subsequent backlash from the Islamic community and the rise of extremism, combined with the escalating tension of the Israel - Palestianian conflict has led me to the question... Are we truly in the midst of a modern-day crusades? Will history view the wars fought today as Holy War, regardless of the effort to diminish that viewpoint in the present?
It is truly a legitimate query.. and only time will tell..
..What do you think?
"The White House declared that Obama will send a message from Egypt to the Islamic world but they forget that his messages were already received when he visited the Western Wall and wore the Jewish yarmulke and when he prayed their prayers"
"..his administration continued to reject the appliance of the Geneva Conventions regarding Muslim prisoners in the crusade war against Islam that they call the war on terror."
"he is walking the same road of his predecessors to build enmity against Muslims and increasing the number of fighters, and establishing more lasting wars."
In order to counter the extremist Islamic views of Al Qaeda, Obama gave a calculated, well-crafted, and overall great speech. Obama's oratorical abilities are an important component of his policy to sway the Islamic opinion of the west to a more favorable one. While actions speak much louder than words - we cannot underestimate the power of oratory in influencing the minds of people. Few key quotes from the speech -
"I consider it part of my responsibility, as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear, but that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire."
"America is not and never will be at war with Islam."
"What is also true is that in the wake of 9/11, in a whole host of our actions and sometimes in our words, America has not been as careful to distinguish our very real need to hunt down extremists who would do us harm, from broader policy or cultural differences that are best approached through diplomacy and conversation and some self-reflection on our part."
"Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."
It was extremely imperative for Obama to emphasize sympathy for the Palestinian cause, and the non-existence of a battle against Islamic ideals. Deep-rooted tensions between Islam and the west, and jihadist rhetoric have long been the recruitment tools of violent, extremist, Muslim demagogues such as al-Zawahiri and Bin Laden. Our policies toward the Middle East should be the reflection of an effort to curtail the viability of these very important tools in the war that extremists are waging against America. Obama's speech - while it may not have provided resolutions - was a critical first step in the process.
However, neo-conservative ideology that led to the Iraq War and guided the War on Terror, which in turn fueled the fire of the concept of Holy War; the subsequent backlash from the Islamic community and the rise of extremism, combined with the escalating tension of the Israel - Palestianian conflict has led me to the question... Are we truly in the midst of a modern-day crusades? Will history view the wars fought today as Holy War, regardless of the effort to diminish that viewpoint in the present?
It is truly a legitimate query.. and only time will tell..
..What do you think?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
"Reflection"
"...Beads of sweat, second thoughts on my mind
How can I ease the stress and learn to live with these regrets this time?"
Jay-Z - 'Regrets'
As I sit back in moments of reflection, reminiscing within my mind; I feel a great sense of pride over earning my college degree, but also a deep sense of regret. Just three years ago, it was unlikely that I would even make it to this point. See, my path to graduation was an arduous task, full of personal trials and tribulations - a result of my early immaturity, depression, and lack of motivation. My high school career was characterized by my lack of concern over my future - I rarely studied, rarely did school work, rarely paid attention in class. While teachers and family members constantly tried to push me, remind me of my intelligence, the importance of a great education - I refused to acknowledge it, content in sticking to my rebellious ways. The only reason I went to college was to please my parents, who up until that point in my life, had very little to be pleased with me about; while family friends were bragging to my parents of their childrens' acceptance into Ivy League educations, they were hoping that I would just continue to go to school. The only reason I was accepted was because of a great S.A.T. score, which was not due to diligent test preparation.
I began my college career with the same attitude as I had before; doing what I could to get by, never looking ahead to what the future may hold. I soon fell deep into an abyss of alcohol consumption, and persistent partying. I was having the time of my life, living in the moment, destined for failure... inevitably it all came crashing down. I failed out of school second semester of freshman year - seemingly my life was in shambles. Still, I continued to live recklessly - my decisionmaking got worse as time progressed. Then the arrests started coming - while the charges never stuck, I was developing a rap sheet that made me look like a criminal because I chose to put myself in compromising situations. I just didn't understand that being a black man in southwest Virginia required that you proceed every situation with caution. I blamed everything under the sun for my problems other than myself. You can only imagine what my parents were going through, my mother pleaded with me; still my demeanor was "fuck the world".
I ended up getting back into school because of a glitch in the system after half a year off. It was funny because once I got back in, I wanted to succeed, but I realized that I didn't even know how to. It was discouraging; I had never developed study habits, and didn't even know the amount of effort it took to be a successful student. Albeit I was doing better, I found it difficult not to revert back into some of my old ways; I still skipped classes, and was putting school secondary to my social life. Then something happened that will forever be etched in my memory - one of my roommates disappeared for three weeks. His mother came to get his belongings, and informed me that he would be entering a rehabilitation center - I always knew he had a problem, but I never knew the extent of it - or rather I was in denial. He was my friend, he did want he wanted to do, I had never done hard drugs and I thought his cocaine use was purely recreational - I didn't know what it could do to you. When it got worse, I was forcing myself to remain incognizant. To this day I regret not doing more; by not forcing him to confront the issue I enabled the problem. His mother cried on my shoulder that day, told me to never do drugs. The emotion, the pain, and the anguish in her face was so deep, it was moving - I had an epiphany. I never wanted to put my mother in that position. All the bullshit I was putting my parents through had to stop from that moment forward.
I started to focus more on my studies, I taught myself what it would take for me to be successful, I surrounded myself with likeminded people, and I developed a thirst to learn. I realized that I was the root of my own problems, nothing else, because I ultimately had the final say in what I chose to do. My motivation at first centered around the desire to make my parents proud of me; soon I realized that I should be the focal point of my dreams. I was driven like never before to fulfill potential that I was just starting to recognize I had. Things started to look up - my academic performance went from unacceptable to excellent. Graduation was the culmination of the transformation I had made to improve myself.. I was proud of what I had accomplished, grateful that my parents never gave up on me - the true measure of a great parent. I was thankful for the great teachers, and great people I had met along the way...
...Yet, as I look back upon the college career that has come to define so much of who I am, I am consumed by waves of contrition. While I love the growth that I made as a person and a student, I wish it never had to be that way - I could have achieved so much more. Regret is an emotion that weighs heavily on the psyche, and it feels like a brick on top of mine.. I find myself searching for the answer to the existential question, "What If?"...
How can I ease the stress and learn to live with these regrets this time?"
Jay-Z - 'Regrets'
As I sit back in moments of reflection, reminiscing within my mind; I feel a great sense of pride over earning my college degree, but also a deep sense of regret. Just three years ago, it was unlikely that I would even make it to this point. See, my path to graduation was an arduous task, full of personal trials and tribulations - a result of my early immaturity, depression, and lack of motivation. My high school career was characterized by my lack of concern over my future - I rarely studied, rarely did school work, rarely paid attention in class. While teachers and family members constantly tried to push me, remind me of my intelligence, the importance of a great education - I refused to acknowledge it, content in sticking to my rebellious ways. The only reason I went to college was to please my parents, who up until that point in my life, had very little to be pleased with me about; while family friends were bragging to my parents of their childrens' acceptance into Ivy League educations, they were hoping that I would just continue to go to school. The only reason I was accepted was because of a great S.A.T. score, which was not due to diligent test preparation.
I began my college career with the same attitude as I had before; doing what I could to get by, never looking ahead to what the future may hold. I soon fell deep into an abyss of alcohol consumption, and persistent partying. I was having the time of my life, living in the moment, destined for failure... inevitably it all came crashing down. I failed out of school second semester of freshman year - seemingly my life was in shambles. Still, I continued to live recklessly - my decisionmaking got worse as time progressed. Then the arrests started coming - while the charges never stuck, I was developing a rap sheet that made me look like a criminal because I chose to put myself in compromising situations. I just didn't understand that being a black man in southwest Virginia required that you proceed every situation with caution. I blamed everything under the sun for my problems other than myself. You can only imagine what my parents were going through, my mother pleaded with me; still my demeanor was "fuck the world".
I ended up getting back into school because of a glitch in the system after half a year off. It was funny because once I got back in, I wanted to succeed, but I realized that I didn't even know how to. It was discouraging; I had never developed study habits, and didn't even know the amount of effort it took to be a successful student. Albeit I was doing better, I found it difficult not to revert back into some of my old ways; I still skipped classes, and was putting school secondary to my social life. Then something happened that will forever be etched in my memory - one of my roommates disappeared for three weeks. His mother came to get his belongings, and informed me that he would be entering a rehabilitation center - I always knew he had a problem, but I never knew the extent of it - or rather I was in denial. He was my friend, he did want he wanted to do, I had never done hard drugs and I thought his cocaine use was purely recreational - I didn't know what it could do to you. When it got worse, I was forcing myself to remain incognizant. To this day I regret not doing more; by not forcing him to confront the issue I enabled the problem. His mother cried on my shoulder that day, told me to never do drugs. The emotion, the pain, and the anguish in her face was so deep, it was moving - I had an epiphany. I never wanted to put my mother in that position. All the bullshit I was putting my parents through had to stop from that moment forward.
I started to focus more on my studies, I taught myself what it would take for me to be successful, I surrounded myself with likeminded people, and I developed a thirst to learn. I realized that I was the root of my own problems, nothing else, because I ultimately had the final say in what I chose to do. My motivation at first centered around the desire to make my parents proud of me; soon I realized that I should be the focal point of my dreams. I was driven like never before to fulfill potential that I was just starting to recognize I had. Things started to look up - my academic performance went from unacceptable to excellent. Graduation was the culmination of the transformation I had made to improve myself.. I was proud of what I had accomplished, grateful that my parents never gave up on me - the true measure of a great parent. I was thankful for the great teachers, and great people I had met along the way...
...Yet, as I look back upon the college career that has come to define so much of who I am, I am consumed by waves of contrition. While I love the growth that I made as a person and a student, I wish it never had to be that way - I could have achieved so much more. Regret is an emotion that weighs heavily on the psyche, and it feels like a brick on top of mine.. I find myself searching for the answer to the existential question, "What If?"...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Sports Chatter
A lot of interesting things have been happening in the world of sports.. the Lakers made it to the finals, the LeBrons did not.. Rafael Nadal finally lost at the French Open, leaving the door open for Roger Federer to finally win one.. Derrick Rose cheated on his S.A.T.. among many things. So todays' chit chat is going to cover these topics, complete with my random attempts to make everything humorous - hope you enjoy.
Kobe and his band of troopers made it back to the NBA Finals (this despite the countless amount of haters, LeBron dick-riders, Nuggets and Celtics fans, and friends of a woman by the name of Katelyn Faber, who used to work at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera hotel in Cordillera, Colorado.. who wished it would not happen.. lol). The Nuggets put up a valiant effort - I was legitly concerned earlier on in the series - we were having trouble containing Melo (who is an absolute monster and never gets credit for it), our role players we're playing horribly, and we managed to make a fucking douchebag like The Birdman look good (anyone remember when he missed 1,000,000 dunks in a row in the dunk contest? - youtube it). Still, we fought hard, finally showed some grit (yes, you, Gasol, you fucking pussy), and look as if we may steamroll our way through the finals...
...LeBron, and well, his team of LeBron, did not fare as well. LeBron did it all; shit, he averaged 38-8-8 (the kind of numbers I put up on Nba Live w/ Kobe), hit a sick buzzer-beating, three point-bomb (he had enough highlight-worthy plays in one series to create a fucking career video montage), and was D'ing up like a free safety. Too bad the Cavaliers fucking suck. Seriously, that is the biggest testament to LeBron's greatness - Do you see that squad of srubs Cavaliers management has surrounded him with? Delonte West, Wally Sczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas - no superstar has ever done so much with a core group that looks that horrible on paper. Those niggas would have trouble winning games in the D-League without Bron Bron, and yet somehow he willed these bums to the Eastern Conference finals again. LeBron probably wants to bitch-slap Carlos Boozer right about now... (*Sidenote - How does LeBron blatantly get to display bad sportsmanship under the guise of competitive nature and not get lit up by the media for it? If that was Kobe, they wouldn't have been able to shut the fuck up about it - quit giving LeBron a pass, he is just as cocky, and as big of an asshole as any other superstar)
...Don't forget the Magic.. they played the role of an underdog to perfection. Nobody gave them their due, and they shut a lot of people the fuck up. I'm not even going to front I thought they were going to lose to the Celtics - but now they look like legit title contender. It was only a matter of time before the Cavs were exposed for what they are - LeBron, and a squad of D-Leaguers masquerading as professional ball players - and the Magic were the perfect team to do so. Everyone always makes a fuss whenever teams do not play well, play back to back game 7s, and face adversity; they always hype teams up who seem to be crushing competition in the playoffs. That logic is stupid - we smashed everyone last year and look what happened, the Celtics smashed us despite playing a game 7 in every series. Adversity is a good thing, I'm glad the Rockets took us to game 7, it builds character and the players gain valuable experience - Did all you LeBron fans really think the Cavs were doing something special when they swept a Detroit team that had given up on the year mid-season and a Hawks team with a majority of their best players nursing injuries? Orlando was stuck in tough battles, learning playoff basketball and they came out a better team because of it - the Celtics series was the best thing that could've happen to them. They saw how hard the Celtics worked, how scrappy they we're, and in turn learned what it took to win a tough series. I gotta give Dwight Howard some credit too; I still think he's overrated, his post game consists of two moves, jump and dunk, and is nowhere near Shaq at the same age, but he has come up big on the big stage. Talking all that shit about his coach not letting "a dominant player be dominant" put a humongous spotlight on his play for the rest of the postseason and he has backed up his words.
..Enough of the NBA talk though, I'll make my finals prediction later (Hmmm...wonder what team that will fucking be? lol). Rafael Nadal finally lost a match at the French Open. Crazy - Before his recent loss to Robin Soderling (Who?) of all people, he had one 31 straight matches at Roland Garros. He was on a quest for an unprecedented fifth title in a row, and a place as probably the greatest player ever on clay. I thought the man was unbeatable on clay; if anyone had a chance it would be Federer, and history has shown us then even he really had no chance(0-4 against Nadal at Roland Garros the past four years, 27-0 against everyone else). Nadal might even end up as the greatest player ever, not Federer; he's only 22, already has 6 grand slams, and is likely to win plenty more before his career is all said and done. 18-20 grand slams are easily within his reach... but Federer can finally win the slam that has eluded him his entire career, even though it looked as if Nadal was going to have a stranglehold on it for the next 5 years. Still, a win this year loses a siginificant amount of luster because Federer's nemesis has been knocked out of contention. He may never say it, but I know Federer has to be disappointed that the title will not go through Nadal..
..Derrick Rose cheated on his S.A.T... Really? Who gives a fuck? If you believe that pro prospects in basketball and football don't get perks, monetary and otherwise, you are fucking oblivious. Shit, LeBron did it, OJ Mayo did it, Jesus Shuttlesworth refused it (that is why He Got Game was such a great movie, it has an element of realness - elite prospects would be getting money thrown at them from every which way, and have butt-naked big titty bitches laid up in bed on their college visits begging to get fucked; I sincerely believe that is how it is - Why you think Stephon Marbury is so fucked up?). Academic misconduct by athletes has been going on for years, and the new wave of one-and-done players, like Rose and Mayo, will only add fuel to the fire. These guys see college as just a pit stop before superstardom, they have no reason to even go to class their last semester in school. Everything in our society caters to the ability of an athlete - admission standards are lower for athletes compared to regular students at almost every major university in the United States not named Notre Dame (And you wonder why they suck at football.. And how did fucking A.I.'s ghetto, ignorant ass get to go to Georgetown over numerous more qualified candidates?). If your a nigga and you are strong, can run fast, jump high - nobody gives a fuck how intelligent you are. They want the money, and the attention that great athletes bring to their universities - they use the black athlete and throw their duty as educators out the window. It's fucked up because niggas are not given the incentive to study as well as they play sports. They know they can do whatever they want and not have to deal with the consequences because everyone is fascinated by their athletic ability. If this is the system we use, then what is all the fucking hoopla about everytime allegations surface about a famous athlete's misconduct? We want these guys to act this way, in fact we fucking encourage it - if we want them to start honing their minds with the same dedication as they hone their bodies, then we need a fucking overhaul of the whole system. If not, then everyone just needs to shut the fuck up..
..and I'm out, next time I'll give ya'll my Nba Finals preview.
Kobe and his band of troopers made it back to the NBA Finals (this despite the countless amount of haters, LeBron dick-riders, Nuggets and Celtics fans, and friends of a woman by the name of Katelyn Faber, who used to work at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera hotel in Cordillera, Colorado.. who wished it would not happen.. lol). The Nuggets put up a valiant effort - I was legitly concerned earlier on in the series - we were having trouble containing Melo (who is an absolute monster and never gets credit for it), our role players we're playing horribly, and we managed to make a fucking douchebag like The Birdman look good (anyone remember when he missed 1,000,000 dunks in a row in the dunk contest? - youtube it). Still, we fought hard, finally showed some grit (yes, you, Gasol, you fucking pussy), and look as if we may steamroll our way through the finals...
...LeBron, and well, his team of LeBron, did not fare as well. LeBron did it all; shit, he averaged 38-8-8 (the kind of numbers I put up on Nba Live w/ Kobe), hit a sick buzzer-beating, three point-bomb (he had enough highlight-worthy plays in one series to create a fucking career video montage), and was D'ing up like a free safety. Too bad the Cavaliers fucking suck. Seriously, that is the biggest testament to LeBron's greatness - Do you see that squad of srubs Cavaliers management has surrounded him with? Delonte West, Wally Sczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas - no superstar has ever done so much with a core group that looks that horrible on paper. Those niggas would have trouble winning games in the D-League without Bron Bron, and yet somehow he willed these bums to the Eastern Conference finals again. LeBron probably wants to bitch-slap Carlos Boozer right about now... (*Sidenote - How does LeBron blatantly get to display bad sportsmanship under the guise of competitive nature and not get lit up by the media for it? If that was Kobe, they wouldn't have been able to shut the fuck up about it - quit giving LeBron a pass, he is just as cocky, and as big of an asshole as any other superstar)
...Don't forget the Magic.. they played the role of an underdog to perfection. Nobody gave them their due, and they shut a lot of people the fuck up. I'm not even going to front I thought they were going to lose to the Celtics - but now they look like legit title contender. It was only a matter of time before the Cavs were exposed for what they are - LeBron, and a squad of D-Leaguers masquerading as professional ball players - and the Magic were the perfect team to do so. Everyone always makes a fuss whenever teams do not play well, play back to back game 7s, and face adversity; they always hype teams up who seem to be crushing competition in the playoffs. That logic is stupid - we smashed everyone last year and look what happened, the Celtics smashed us despite playing a game 7 in every series. Adversity is a good thing, I'm glad the Rockets took us to game 7, it builds character and the players gain valuable experience - Did all you LeBron fans really think the Cavs were doing something special when they swept a Detroit team that had given up on the year mid-season and a Hawks team with a majority of their best players nursing injuries? Orlando was stuck in tough battles, learning playoff basketball and they came out a better team because of it - the Celtics series was the best thing that could've happen to them. They saw how hard the Celtics worked, how scrappy they we're, and in turn learned what it took to win a tough series. I gotta give Dwight Howard some credit too; I still think he's overrated, his post game consists of two moves, jump and dunk, and is nowhere near Shaq at the same age, but he has come up big on the big stage. Talking all that shit about his coach not letting "a dominant player be dominant" put a humongous spotlight on his play for the rest of the postseason and he has backed up his words.
..Enough of the NBA talk though, I'll make my finals prediction later (Hmmm...wonder what team that will fucking be? lol). Rafael Nadal finally lost a match at the French Open. Crazy - Before his recent loss to Robin Soderling (Who?) of all people, he had one 31 straight matches at Roland Garros. He was on a quest for an unprecedented fifth title in a row, and a place as probably the greatest player ever on clay. I thought the man was unbeatable on clay; if anyone had a chance it would be Federer, and history has shown us then even he really had no chance(0-4 against Nadal at Roland Garros the past four years, 27-0 against everyone else). Nadal might even end up as the greatest player ever, not Federer; he's only 22, already has 6 grand slams, and is likely to win plenty more before his career is all said and done. 18-20 grand slams are easily within his reach... but Federer can finally win the slam that has eluded him his entire career, even though it looked as if Nadal was going to have a stranglehold on it for the next 5 years. Still, a win this year loses a siginificant amount of luster because Federer's nemesis has been knocked out of contention. He may never say it, but I know Federer has to be disappointed that the title will not go through Nadal..
..Derrick Rose cheated on his S.A.T... Really? Who gives a fuck? If you believe that pro prospects in basketball and football don't get perks, monetary and otherwise, you are fucking oblivious. Shit, LeBron did it, OJ Mayo did it, Jesus Shuttlesworth refused it (that is why He Got Game was such a great movie, it has an element of realness - elite prospects would be getting money thrown at them from every which way, and have butt-naked big titty bitches laid up in bed on their college visits begging to get fucked; I sincerely believe that is how it is - Why you think Stephon Marbury is so fucked up?). Academic misconduct by athletes has been going on for years, and the new wave of one-and-done players, like Rose and Mayo, will only add fuel to the fire. These guys see college as just a pit stop before superstardom, they have no reason to even go to class their last semester in school. Everything in our society caters to the ability of an athlete - admission standards are lower for athletes compared to regular students at almost every major university in the United States not named Notre Dame (And you wonder why they suck at football.. And how did fucking A.I.'s ghetto, ignorant ass get to go to Georgetown over numerous more qualified candidates?). If your a nigga and you are strong, can run fast, jump high - nobody gives a fuck how intelligent you are. They want the money, and the attention that great athletes bring to their universities - they use the black athlete and throw their duty as educators out the window. It's fucked up because niggas are not given the incentive to study as well as they play sports. They know they can do whatever they want and not have to deal with the consequences because everyone is fascinated by their athletic ability. If this is the system we use, then what is all the fucking hoopla about everytime allegations surface about a famous athlete's misconduct? We want these guys to act this way, in fact we fucking encourage it - if we want them to start honing their minds with the same dedication as they hone their bodies, then we need a fucking overhaul of the whole system. If not, then everyone just needs to shut the fuck up..
..and I'm out, next time I'll give ya'll my Nba Finals preview.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Hueys' Rant Pt. 1 - "Bitches!"
As described in the previous post, this is the first in a series of rant's by Huey..
(*Disclaimer - There will be superfluous use of derogatory terms, curse words, and racial slurs.. but it is all for the sake of art and creativity. I really don't speak like this, actually I do but for the sake of being politically correct let's say I dont..and Oh..Black women may not like this first part)
Man, Deuce, I've had it for real. I'm done looking for the right girl; there just aren't any eligible, beautiful, intelligent, humble, afrocentric, and classy African American women out there. It's like they might satisfy one of the qualities I'm looking for, but they can never live up to the full spectrum of the qualities a good African-American woman should possess. They all seem to be about the same shit; they all own at least one trait that most niggas would consider negative, but still wonder why niggas treat them like shit. African-American women are actually starting to fit the profile of a fucking rap video - they are ego-centric, narcissistic, ignorant, promiscuous, weak-minded, shallow, materialistic, money-hungry.. and the list goes on. What happened to the fucking Maya Angelou's, Erykah Badu's, Taraji P. Hensons, the Michelle Obama's?? The only bitches I meet are hoodrats, skeezers, or bourgeios wanna-be fucking divas - and yeah, thats right, Bitches! They degrade themselves amongst eachother, will bump and grind to the lyrics "Bitch, give me dat pussy!", hunt for money so they can get new Louis Vuitton handbags, and rotate niggas as often as they change clothes - yet we are all meant to respect them and approach them like they aren't bitches, and ho's?! Fuck that, I only respect a woman who respects herself; call me a hypocrite if you want. I might as well go fuck with a white chick.
Riley's ignorant ass loves it; they cater to exactly what that nigga wants - a mindless female to do as he pleases. To hear that nigga talk about his girls' is like hearing Snoop's "Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)" on repeat all day. I can't even berate him for it; these women make it easy, it's like this nigga might learn something if these bitches would demand that he treat them the right way. I am in a constant struggle with my identity. I want to stand for my morals and what I represent, but it's becoming impossible, sometimes I find myself doing the same shit to women that Riley does. This diva shit particularly makes me nauseous; if I could count on my fingers how many bitches I've met that had the nerve to boldly proclaim themselves a diva, I'd need thirty fucking hands. You a diva huh? Then how come I heard you've satisfied more horny men than Heidi Fleiss??! It's like, shut the fuck up! Be humble, be secure, be classy - there's nothing wrong with exuding confidence.. just do it silently. If you were really a fucking diva you wouldn't feel the need to shout it from the rooftops; the finger-wagging and bobble heading is fucking unnecessary, all your doing is making yourself look like an imbecile.. You ain't fucking Beyonce.
I'm sorry, I just went on an impromptu rant. In all seriousness, contemporaneous African-American culture has typecast our relationships with each other to the acting out of three, equally ignoble roles - the pimp, the ho, and the trick. You've got your pimps - the Riley's of the world, praised by their peers for their bastardly, undignified behavior; defined by the degradation, and manipulation of our women. You've got your ho's; defined by their own insecurities, promiscuity, and lifetime of hurt at the hands of the pimps. Lastly, the tricks, who are there to fulfill the ho's sick desire for vengeance; endlessly, and blindly "trickin" on the ho's restoring their fractured self-worth. My complaint is about more than the demeanor, and lifestyle African-American women portray - it's about the system that has made this behavior so widespread and acceptable. I can't just blame the women, I would be downplaying the real issue if I did. The underlying predicament is the lack of intellectual, moral, and head-strong African-American men and women, looking for a significant other characterized by the same endearing virtues; and the plethora of pimps, ho's, and tricks. Until that changes, my search for the right woman will continue to be a discouraging task.
Alright I'm out, Riley's talking about going to the strib club and making it "rain more than Hurricane Katrina". I gotta go watch his dumbass, you know how he can get.
Huey
(*Disclaimer - There will be superfluous use of derogatory terms, curse words, and racial slurs.. but it is all for the sake of art and creativity. I really don't speak like this, actually I do but for the sake of being politically correct let's say I dont..and Oh..Black women may not like this first part)
Man, Deuce, I've had it for real. I'm done looking for the right girl; there just aren't any eligible, beautiful, intelligent, humble, afrocentric, and classy African American women out there. It's like they might satisfy one of the qualities I'm looking for, but they can never live up to the full spectrum of the qualities a good African-American woman should possess. They all seem to be about the same shit; they all own at least one trait that most niggas would consider negative, but still wonder why niggas treat them like shit. African-American women are actually starting to fit the profile of a fucking rap video - they are ego-centric, narcissistic, ignorant, promiscuous, weak-minded, shallow, materialistic, money-hungry.. and the list goes on. What happened to the fucking Maya Angelou's, Erykah Badu's, Taraji P. Hensons, the Michelle Obama's?? The only bitches I meet are hoodrats, skeezers, or bourgeios wanna-be fucking divas - and yeah, thats right, Bitches! They degrade themselves amongst eachother, will bump and grind to the lyrics "Bitch, give me dat pussy!", hunt for money so they can get new Louis Vuitton handbags, and rotate niggas as often as they change clothes - yet we are all meant to respect them and approach them like they aren't bitches, and ho's?! Fuck that, I only respect a woman who respects herself; call me a hypocrite if you want. I might as well go fuck with a white chick.
Riley's ignorant ass loves it; they cater to exactly what that nigga wants - a mindless female to do as he pleases. To hear that nigga talk about his girls' is like hearing Snoop's "Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)" on repeat all day. I can't even berate him for it; these women make it easy, it's like this nigga might learn something if these bitches would demand that he treat them the right way. I am in a constant struggle with my identity. I want to stand for my morals and what I represent, but it's becoming impossible, sometimes I find myself doing the same shit to women that Riley does. This diva shit particularly makes me nauseous; if I could count on my fingers how many bitches I've met that had the nerve to boldly proclaim themselves a diva, I'd need thirty fucking hands. You a diva huh? Then how come I heard you've satisfied more horny men than Heidi Fleiss??! It's like, shut the fuck up! Be humble, be secure, be classy - there's nothing wrong with exuding confidence.. just do it silently. If you were really a fucking diva you wouldn't feel the need to shout it from the rooftops; the finger-wagging and bobble heading is fucking unnecessary, all your doing is making yourself look like an imbecile.. You ain't fucking Beyonce.
I'm sorry, I just went on an impromptu rant. In all seriousness, contemporaneous African-American culture has typecast our relationships with each other to the acting out of three, equally ignoble roles - the pimp, the ho, and the trick. You've got your pimps - the Riley's of the world, praised by their peers for their bastardly, undignified behavior; defined by the degradation, and manipulation of our women. You've got your ho's; defined by their own insecurities, promiscuity, and lifetime of hurt at the hands of the pimps. Lastly, the tricks, who are there to fulfill the ho's sick desire for vengeance; endlessly, and blindly "trickin" on the ho's restoring their fractured self-worth. My complaint is about more than the demeanor, and lifestyle African-American women portray - it's about the system that has made this behavior so widespread and acceptable. I can't just blame the women, I would be downplaying the real issue if I did. The underlying predicament is the lack of intellectual, moral, and head-strong African-American men and women, looking for a significant other characterized by the same endearing virtues; and the plethora of pimps, ho's, and tricks. Until that changes, my search for the right woman will continue to be a discouraging task.
Alright I'm out, Riley's talking about going to the strib club and making it "rain more than Hurricane Katrina". I gotta go watch his dumbass, you know how he can get.
Huey
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Introduction "The Grown, Really Pissed Off Huey"
Since I've been back in Liberia I haven't been watching that much television, as you can probably imagine. Satellite television is nicknamed "fair weather tv" because it goes out when the weather is shitty, and Liberia is in its rainy season. Plus, television here sucks anyway, besides decent movies here and there and great reruns of Cheaters - it doesn't offer much else.. and no this post isn't about the incompetency of Liberian satellite television. I barely watch TV anyway besides news and sports news..unless I'm with my girl. I find myself developing a guilty pleasure for reality television such as Tough Love, For the Love of Ray J, and Tyson's Beckford's Make Me a Supermodel (I guess I should say No Homo after that..so, No Homo) because of her ass; it sickens me to my stomach.
Enough with the rambling. Point is, when my girl and I got bored the first week we were here before I started work, we watched countless episodes of The Boondocks. She recently bought both seasons on DVD, and it is one of the few times we both can mutually enjoy a television show together. We are both huge fans because we agree with the premise behind Aaron McGruder's inspiration for the animated series. See, McGruder hates his own people, but in a loving kind of way. As an African-American he wishes we all could see our potential; in the process he is highly critical of our present state. It is a social satire that I personally feel is ingenious; using comedy as a backdrop, McGruder manages to provide the most accurate assessment of the current ills, and plights of the African American community within the greater context of American society. My connection to what The Boondocks represents is what provided the inspiration for this post.
I am going to give you all a little bit of background info just to give you an idea of what this post is about. The series revolves around the lives of the Freeman family - ten year old Huey, eight year old Riley, and their grandfather Robert. Huey's character was named for the famous African-American revolutionary Huey P. Newton, co-founder of The Black Panther Party, and his personality is a reflection of his namesake. Huey is defined by his intelligence, contemporary Afrocentrism, and his support for any cause related to the struggle of African-Americans. He laments African-American pop culture popularized in the media for glamorizing excessive extravagance and ignorance. Huey narrates the show from a cynical, angry perspective, wishing his people would look in the mirror and see how mindless they portray themselves; He never smiles. Riley is the polar opposite; despite being bright and artistic, he loves "Gangsta Rap" and African-American pop culture and this influences everything in his life - from his choice of language, to his clothing, to his lifestyle decisions. Essentially McGruder uses Riley's character to display exactly what is wrong with the African-American community; Huey to demonstrate his own sentiment. The show is a battle between the conflicting personalities of the two brothers; Robert Freeman is there to reign in his grandsons.
Now with that background information in mind let's hypothetically assume Huey has grown up, is my age - the ripe old age of twenty-two. Nothing has changed in our community; Huey is still pissed off, but lets amp it up a couple notches. Ain't shit changed, Huey's angry, still cynical as ever - and I am going to take on his persona and give him a means to express himself through my blog. A guest blogger, if you will. Now, there you have it.. "The Grown, Really Pissed Off Huey", so let's get to it...
(If your into race-related humor check out the show, it's hilarious)
www.boondockstv.com
Enough with the rambling. Point is, when my girl and I got bored the first week we were here before I started work, we watched countless episodes of The Boondocks. She recently bought both seasons on DVD, and it is one of the few times we both can mutually enjoy a television show together. We are both huge fans because we agree with the premise behind Aaron McGruder's inspiration for the animated series. See, McGruder hates his own people, but in a loving kind of way. As an African-American he wishes we all could see our potential; in the process he is highly critical of our present state. It is a social satire that I personally feel is ingenious; using comedy as a backdrop, McGruder manages to provide the most accurate assessment of the current ills, and plights of the African American community within the greater context of American society. My connection to what The Boondocks represents is what provided the inspiration for this post.
I am going to give you all a little bit of background info just to give you an idea of what this post is about. The series revolves around the lives of the Freeman family - ten year old Huey, eight year old Riley, and their grandfather Robert. Huey's character was named for the famous African-American revolutionary Huey P. Newton, co-founder of The Black Panther Party, and his personality is a reflection of his namesake. Huey is defined by his intelligence, contemporary Afrocentrism, and his support for any cause related to the struggle of African-Americans. He laments African-American pop culture popularized in the media for glamorizing excessive extravagance and ignorance. Huey narrates the show from a cynical, angry perspective, wishing his people would look in the mirror and see how mindless they portray themselves; He never smiles. Riley is the polar opposite; despite being bright and artistic, he loves "Gangsta Rap" and African-American pop culture and this influences everything in his life - from his choice of language, to his clothing, to his lifestyle decisions. Essentially McGruder uses Riley's character to display exactly what is wrong with the African-American community; Huey to demonstrate his own sentiment. The show is a battle between the conflicting personalities of the two brothers; Robert Freeman is there to reign in his grandsons.
Now with that background information in mind let's hypothetically assume Huey has grown up, is my age - the ripe old age of twenty-two. Nothing has changed in our community; Huey is still pissed off, but lets amp it up a couple notches. Ain't shit changed, Huey's angry, still cynical as ever - and I am going to take on his persona and give him a means to express himself through my blog. A guest blogger, if you will. Now, there you have it.. "The Grown, Really Pissed Off Huey", so let's get to it...
(If your into race-related humor check out the show, it's hilarious)
www.boondockstv.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Public Service Announcement
I'm going to use these Public Service Announcements to put my boys on, and introduce ya'll to shit that I'm feeling. My boy Justin Leonard has been getting his feet wet in the poetry game, and since I'm a fan, and this blog was inspired by a book of poetry; I wanted to give him an avenue to share it with ya'll. So check it out, and let him know what ya'll think.
Thoughts to Ponder…
What would life be if mom and dad never split
and we remained a family?
What would life be if there was no self-expression
no true individuality?
What would life be if my eyelids shut blind
unable to see the worlds beauty?
What would life be
if I was born into a life
forced to live in poverty?
What would life be if everyday I woke
I witnessed tragedy?
What would life be
if all nations
lived in perfect harmony?
What would life be
if people forgot
the essence of humanity?
What would life be
if bombs scorched the earth
and our existence was lost in history?
What would life be?
Thoughts to Ponder…
What would life be if mom and dad never split
and we remained a family?
What would life be if there was no self-expression
no true individuality?
What would life be if my eyelids shut blind
unable to see the worlds beauty?
What would life be
if I was born into a life
forced to live in poverty?
What would life be if everyday I woke
I witnessed tragedy?
What would life be
if all nations
lived in perfect harmony?
What would life be
if people forgot
the essence of humanity?
What would life be
if bombs scorched the earth
and our existence was lost in history?
What would life be?
Sports Chatter
Allow me to re-introduce myself..! lol.
I'm back, I know it has been a minute. I was so busy catching up on school work that I procrastinated on all semester, preparing for graduation, graduating, celebrating(a little too much), moving out, moving on...etc, that I didn't really have the time to sit down and write like I want to. Now, I'm in Liberia for the summer - plotting my next move, working, studying for the LSAT, and mooching off my folks (c'mon, you know you all did it at some point). I've got nothing but time on my hands to search for inspiration and get my creative juices flowing - so on to the post..
I used to want to be a sports journalist - the next Michael Wilbon - until I realized to be successful it required more harassing, annoying, and pissing people off than I was willing to do (I've got this disdain for media types in general, definitely wasn't my cup of tea). However, my fascination with sports has not diminished at all. I probably spend more of my day looking up stats and reading sports articles than I do anything else (if you ask my girl she'll probably tell you that I spend more time on espn.com than I do with her..lol). This blog would be incomplete if it did not encompass my sports' obsession, so 'Sports Chatter' is my first foray into sports blogging - sports geeks should enjoy..
The NBA Playoffs has been dominating the sports circuit for the past month or so, with the prevailing topic of discussion being the anticipation of a dream finals matchup between Kobe and LeBron. David Stern is salivating over it, all fans (besides Nuggets and Magic fans) want it, and the media is begging for it. There is the vitamin water ads, the MVPuppet commercials, the countless atricles online and sports shows debating who's the better player.. really in the past couple weeks, I guarantee even if you hated basketball and avoided it like it was the bubonic plague you still have managed to see something pitting Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James.. and that brings me to the question.. Who is the better player?
Ultimately it's a matter of opinion, and if you ask any of the niggas who hang around me they will probably say my opinion is biased. So with that being said.. YES, I am a Kobe dick rider, and proud of it. If I was a white woman working at a hotel in Colorado and Kobe came in I would've willingly let him rape me, lol. At least I can admit it, some of my boys meat-ride LeBron so hard it borders on the fine line between heterosexuality and homosexuality, yet they claim to be just casual fans (Yes, you PJ....naah sike, you my nigga). I still feel like I can objectively debate the merits of the arguments for each player, so here goes..
See, The Black Mamba, is the definition of beauty on the basketball court. Bryant's work ethic, intensity, myriad of moves, impeccable fundamentals, and exceptional footwork is what seperates him from LeBron James and every other basketball player on the planet. I would argue that you could rank his footwork up at the top in terms of the best of all time. He has grown into an incredibly cerebral player, no longer just relying on his athleticism. However you want it, Kobe can give it to you. You can't resort to fouling him because he's wet from the charity stripe (Sidenote.. *Wet- lingo my boys and I use to describe just about anything.. a silky smooth J, how drunk we are - "Damn niggas was WET last night!", the degree of a female's arousal.. you get the point). To top it off, Kobe has the mentality of a mass murderer - he is Charles Manson on the basketball court. That killer instinct combined with his skills make him such a dangerous basketball player, ask just about anyone in the league who they fear most in games that matter and the answer would overwhelmingly be Bryant. He is as close to a lockdown defender as you'll get in an age of pro basketball defined by rules changes to boost offense (Even though surprisingly I think his defense is a little overrated - he roams too often, doesn't collect that many steals, and has a tendency to disrespect his man.. it's like c'mon Kobe these niggas are in the NBA, they can hit an open 12-footer. He's lockdown, but nowhere near lockdown in an M.J. or Scottie sense, or an Artest sense for that matter). Kobe's only weaknesses are himself and his sometimes questionable shot selection. His shot selection I can live with, I blame it on overconfidence; he attempts difficult shots because he feels he can make them (which a lot of the time he can), fact is though, that kind of shot selection isn't always conducive to efficiency on the basketball court. I can't live with his attitude; his attitude is what holds him back and gives credence to the arguments of his detractors. He has quit on his teammates, can become disengaged in any given game, and is quite frankly, universally recognized as an asshole.
Now on to LeBron. He is the only nigga who could tattoo "The Chosen One" on his body, and it literally be legit. It's as if God sat around one day and was like "Im bored, I'm going to create the prototypical basketball player - Jordan was an asshole, anyway". He is huge, strong, and fast as shit. Seriously, the man is probably 6'9" 270 pounds, and basket to basket with the ball in his hands might be fastest guy in the league. His athleticism is just fucking ridiculous - there is no way to even describe it, he's just a beast. Combine that with an incredible feel for the game, excellent court vision, unlimited range, and a love for the team concept and you've got the basketball Jesus. The man can play all five positions on the floor, defend all of them - and do it WELL. Everyone thinks I hate LeBron but I really don't (he is going to be better than Kobe to the point that it won't be an argument anymore, it's not a matter of if but when). He dominates games like we haven't seen since Shaq was in his prime. The easiest way to get a bucket is a dunk or layup, and LeBron can get to the hoop pretty much whenever he wants, making LeBron an incredibly efficient basketball player - Kobe doesn't have that luxury. However, I see it as a gift and a curse. LeBron gets so many easy buckets because of his athleticism that I think it is hindering the development of his overall offensive repertoire. While as when Kobe can't slash to the hoop to get easy buckets, he can kill you with his post game and the mid-range, LeBron can't do that.. and don't even get me started on the free throws (I just feel like for a player of his caliber it is inexcusable to shoot less than 80% from the free throw line..he missed five free throws in the fourth quarter of the last game, five! In a hotly contested game you can pretty much guarantee he'll start to brick them from the line, soon your going to start seeing Hack-A-Bron, you heard it here first). His offensive skill set is still somewhat in it's rudimentary stages.. his footwork definitely could use some development. His killer instinct is somewhat lacking in comparison to Kobe also - while LeBron treats games as if he is doing his own skit show, Kobe has the face of a gladiator in the coliseum. LeBron is by leaps and bounds a better teammate though, and can give you a lot more on the court than Kobe. He is a constant triple double threat, and will probably be the only player to even come close to Oscar Robertson's incredible feat of averaging a triple double for a whole season.
What the argument boils down to is the beauty or the beast, and in my case I've got to take the beauty. While you can attribute a lot of LeBron's skills to sheer athletic ability, the same cannot be said for Kobe. One game, One shot, One series.. in every hypothetical sense I'm taking Kobe over LeBron. But that's just me, the argument for LeBron is just as credible, and eventually at the end of his career we will be asking who is better Jordan or Bron Bron? ..but right now, The Black Mamba is still the king of the jungle.
What do you think? Check out this article, great in-depth piece, a couple of bloggers debating the arguments for each - http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-40-80/The-State-of-the-Great-Debate--Kobe-vs--LeBron-2009.html.
I'm back, I know it has been a minute. I was so busy catching up on school work that I procrastinated on all semester, preparing for graduation, graduating, celebrating(a little too much), moving out, moving on...etc, that I didn't really have the time to sit down and write like I want to. Now, I'm in Liberia for the summer - plotting my next move, working, studying for the LSAT, and mooching off my folks (c'mon, you know you all did it at some point). I've got nothing but time on my hands to search for inspiration and get my creative juices flowing - so on to the post..
I used to want to be a sports journalist - the next Michael Wilbon - until I realized to be successful it required more harassing, annoying, and pissing people off than I was willing to do (I've got this disdain for media types in general, definitely wasn't my cup of tea). However, my fascination with sports has not diminished at all. I probably spend more of my day looking up stats and reading sports articles than I do anything else (if you ask my girl she'll probably tell you that I spend more time on espn.com than I do with her..lol). This blog would be incomplete if it did not encompass my sports' obsession, so 'Sports Chatter' is my first foray into sports blogging - sports geeks should enjoy..
The NBA Playoffs has been dominating the sports circuit for the past month or so, with the prevailing topic of discussion being the anticipation of a dream finals matchup between Kobe and LeBron. David Stern is salivating over it, all fans (besides Nuggets and Magic fans) want it, and the media is begging for it. There is the vitamin water ads, the MVPuppet commercials, the countless atricles online and sports shows debating who's the better player.. really in the past couple weeks, I guarantee even if you hated basketball and avoided it like it was the bubonic plague you still have managed to see something pitting Kobe Bryant versus LeBron James.. and that brings me to the question.. Who is the better player?
Ultimately it's a matter of opinion, and if you ask any of the niggas who hang around me they will probably say my opinion is biased. So with that being said.. YES, I am a Kobe dick rider, and proud of it. If I was a white woman working at a hotel in Colorado and Kobe came in I would've willingly let him rape me, lol. At least I can admit it, some of my boys meat-ride LeBron so hard it borders on the fine line between heterosexuality and homosexuality, yet they claim to be just casual fans (Yes, you PJ....naah sike, you my nigga). I still feel like I can objectively debate the merits of the arguments for each player, so here goes..
See, The Black Mamba, is the definition of beauty on the basketball court. Bryant's work ethic, intensity, myriad of moves, impeccable fundamentals, and exceptional footwork is what seperates him from LeBron James and every other basketball player on the planet. I would argue that you could rank his footwork up at the top in terms of the best of all time. He has grown into an incredibly cerebral player, no longer just relying on his athleticism. However you want it, Kobe can give it to you. You can't resort to fouling him because he's wet from the charity stripe (Sidenote.. *Wet- lingo my boys and I use to describe just about anything.. a silky smooth J, how drunk we are - "Damn niggas was WET last night!", the degree of a female's arousal.. you get the point). To top it off, Kobe has the mentality of a mass murderer - he is Charles Manson on the basketball court. That killer instinct combined with his skills make him such a dangerous basketball player, ask just about anyone in the league who they fear most in games that matter and the answer would overwhelmingly be Bryant. He is as close to a lockdown defender as you'll get in an age of pro basketball defined by rules changes to boost offense (Even though surprisingly I think his defense is a little overrated - he roams too often, doesn't collect that many steals, and has a tendency to disrespect his man.. it's like c'mon Kobe these niggas are in the NBA, they can hit an open 12-footer. He's lockdown, but nowhere near lockdown in an M.J. or Scottie sense, or an Artest sense for that matter). Kobe's only weaknesses are himself and his sometimes questionable shot selection. His shot selection I can live with, I blame it on overconfidence; he attempts difficult shots because he feels he can make them (which a lot of the time he can), fact is though, that kind of shot selection isn't always conducive to efficiency on the basketball court. I can't live with his attitude; his attitude is what holds him back and gives credence to the arguments of his detractors. He has quit on his teammates, can become disengaged in any given game, and is quite frankly, universally recognized as an asshole.
Now on to LeBron. He is the only nigga who could tattoo "The Chosen One" on his body, and it literally be legit. It's as if God sat around one day and was like "Im bored, I'm going to create the prototypical basketball player - Jordan was an asshole, anyway". He is huge, strong, and fast as shit. Seriously, the man is probably 6'9" 270 pounds, and basket to basket with the ball in his hands might be fastest guy in the league. His athleticism is just fucking ridiculous - there is no way to even describe it, he's just a beast. Combine that with an incredible feel for the game, excellent court vision, unlimited range, and a love for the team concept and you've got the basketball Jesus. The man can play all five positions on the floor, defend all of them - and do it WELL. Everyone thinks I hate LeBron but I really don't (he is going to be better than Kobe to the point that it won't be an argument anymore, it's not a matter of if but when). He dominates games like we haven't seen since Shaq was in his prime. The easiest way to get a bucket is a dunk or layup, and LeBron can get to the hoop pretty much whenever he wants, making LeBron an incredibly efficient basketball player - Kobe doesn't have that luxury. However, I see it as a gift and a curse. LeBron gets so many easy buckets because of his athleticism that I think it is hindering the development of his overall offensive repertoire. While as when Kobe can't slash to the hoop to get easy buckets, he can kill you with his post game and the mid-range, LeBron can't do that.. and don't even get me started on the free throws (I just feel like for a player of his caliber it is inexcusable to shoot less than 80% from the free throw line..he missed five free throws in the fourth quarter of the last game, five! In a hotly contested game you can pretty much guarantee he'll start to brick them from the line, soon your going to start seeing Hack-A-Bron, you heard it here first). His offensive skill set is still somewhat in it's rudimentary stages.. his footwork definitely could use some development. His killer instinct is somewhat lacking in comparison to Kobe also - while LeBron treats games as if he is doing his own skit show, Kobe has the face of a gladiator in the coliseum. LeBron is by leaps and bounds a better teammate though, and can give you a lot more on the court than Kobe. He is a constant triple double threat, and will probably be the only player to even come close to Oscar Robertson's incredible feat of averaging a triple double for a whole season.
What the argument boils down to is the beauty or the beast, and in my case I've got to take the beauty. While you can attribute a lot of LeBron's skills to sheer athletic ability, the same cannot be said for Kobe. One game, One shot, One series.. in every hypothetical sense I'm taking Kobe over LeBron. But that's just me, the argument for LeBron is just as credible, and eventually at the end of his career we will be asking who is better Jordan or Bron Bron? ..but right now, The Black Mamba is still the king of the jungle.
What do you think? Check out this article, great in-depth piece, a couple of bloggers debating the arguments for each - http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-40-80/The-State-of-the-Great-Debate--Kobe-vs--LeBron-2009.html.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Confessions of a Martian, Part. 2
The martian is back, sorry for the delay. I've been experiencing what I would call "blogger's block" (really I've been drinking entirely too much in the past week to say anything intelligent, shout outs to Alpha Ball '09). What I really needed was some inspiration and I found it chilling with one of my boys last night, sipping on a couple of Olde English forties. In our drunken stupor we actually managed to have an incredibly deep conversation about the tension between African immigrants and African Americans. While trying to explain to him my passion for the word African-American and my disdain for the connotation "Black", he began an impassioned rant into why he feels the exact opposite way. The insight he injected into the argument was so eloquent and profound that it made me stop and think, "I've never really heard it put that way." - and I couldn't help but to somewhat agree with him. What I am going to do is provide ya'll with the gist of the conversation, so listen up while I drop some knowledge.
"Akata"
- a word derived from the Yoruba people of West Africa and it simply means "fox". It is widely used loosely by African immigrants to the United States to describe African-Americans and their descendants, and over time it has come to have derogatory connotations due to tensions between Africans and African-Americans. (I love wikipedia)
This word defines what many young Africans, like my friend, are taught to think of their African-American counterparts.. and if you look at the simple meaning of it, "fox", you can see where the derogatory connotation of the word comes from. Used as a verb "fox" literally means to deceive or trick. So essentially Africans are taught not to trust us, to look down on us. My boy, as an immigrant to the U.S., explained to me why he learned quickly to feel this way and only as an adult did he finally begin to quit being so naive. Growing up in the city, African-Americans did nothing but disparage Africans. They called them stupid names like "African booty scratcher", and wouldn't associate with them. The tension would oftentimes lead to all-out fistfights. In an effort to make an excuse for my people, I blamed it on ignorance; the media's unsound portrayal of Africa.. simply, most of us just don't know any better. They made my boy feel like I used to, like a fucking Martian.
Your probably wondering how all this relates to the "Black" vs. "African-American" argument, so here it goes. Frankly, I hate the usage of the word "black". To me, all it represents is nothing more than a color (if you ask a scientist though, he'll probably tell you black isn't a color), and I represent so much more than that. I have African blood, I am of African origin, I love African culture, I have African ties.. Why would I dare let you insult me by calling me something as mundane and trite as "black"?! We are descendants of a beautiful race of people, and our description should symbolize that; we should be proud to call ourselves "African-American". Therein lies the problem however, and this is what my friend brought to my attention - see, most of us, aren't proud at all. We don't give a flying fuck about Africa. We think they are nothing more than "African booty scratchers", tribesman, savages, weirdos... What gives us the right to use the term "African-American"? We are so ignorant that we do not devote the time to even learn about where we came from, in fact we disgrace it and disrespect it.
In my friend's opinion, we aren't deserving of the term. Growing up all he met were African-Americans who wanted nothing to do with Africa, who felt they were better than Africans - and you know he is 100% right. So fuck it, I can't even be mad at the term "black" until we all learn to embrace our roots; our heritage. Black is a perfect term - it's simplicity exemplifies our feeble minds - we want to be nothing more than that; nothing more than a color.
Think about it.
The Martian.
"Akata"
- a word derived from the Yoruba people of West Africa and it simply means "fox". It is widely used loosely by African immigrants to the United States to describe African-Americans and their descendants, and over time it has come to have derogatory connotations due to tensions between Africans and African-Americans. (I love wikipedia)
This word defines what many young Africans, like my friend, are taught to think of their African-American counterparts.. and if you look at the simple meaning of it, "fox", you can see where the derogatory connotation of the word comes from. Used as a verb "fox" literally means to deceive or trick. So essentially Africans are taught not to trust us, to look down on us. My boy, as an immigrant to the U.S., explained to me why he learned quickly to feel this way and only as an adult did he finally begin to quit being so naive. Growing up in the city, African-Americans did nothing but disparage Africans. They called them stupid names like "African booty scratcher", and wouldn't associate with them. The tension would oftentimes lead to all-out fistfights. In an effort to make an excuse for my people, I blamed it on ignorance; the media's unsound portrayal of Africa.. simply, most of us just don't know any better. They made my boy feel like I used to, like a fucking Martian.
Your probably wondering how all this relates to the "Black" vs. "African-American" argument, so here it goes. Frankly, I hate the usage of the word "black". To me, all it represents is nothing more than a color (if you ask a scientist though, he'll probably tell you black isn't a color), and I represent so much more than that. I have African blood, I am of African origin, I love African culture, I have African ties.. Why would I dare let you insult me by calling me something as mundane and trite as "black"?! We are descendants of a beautiful race of people, and our description should symbolize that; we should be proud to call ourselves "African-American". Therein lies the problem however, and this is what my friend brought to my attention - see, most of us, aren't proud at all. We don't give a flying fuck about Africa. We think they are nothing more than "African booty scratchers", tribesman, savages, weirdos... What gives us the right to use the term "African-American"? We are so ignorant that we do not devote the time to even learn about where we came from, in fact we disgrace it and disrespect it.
In my friend's opinion, we aren't deserving of the term. Growing up all he met were African-Americans who wanted nothing to do with Africa, who felt they were better than Africans - and you know he is 100% right. So fuck it, I can't even be mad at the term "black" until we all learn to embrace our roots; our heritage. Black is a perfect term - it's simplicity exemplifies our feeble minds - we want to be nothing more than that; nothing more than a color.
Think about it.
The Martian.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Confessions of a Martian, Part. I
This is the first part of what will probably be an endless series of my reflections on issues dealing with race, social stigmas, politics, and whatever happens to be on my mind. It's entitled "Confessions of a Martian" because you would think I was a fucking alien the way people look at me sometimes. . and this leads to the point of this post.. What defines being "black"?
It's a question that is often discussed among the African-American community, and we are quite distinct in that regard. We are the only ethnicity that places so much value on the authenticity of its members - in order to be recognized as genuinely "black", we must fully represent our "blackness"... and this "blackness" is something that we have quantified. Simply put, we must not act "white".
What defines acting "white"?
The way we tend to see it, it's speaking proper, sounding intelligent and educated. Authentic black folks don't do this; they speak in a sort of street jargon that is characterized by the frequent use of vulgarities and the word "nigga". It can be defined as being a Republican, because authentic black folks are Democrats (this will probably be examined in more detail in a future post). Hell, if your a Republican and a proud one, you can pretty much guarantee that a couple of your peers have labeled you an "Uncle Tom"... and boy you sure don't want to be labeled an "Uncle Tom" because you transcend from acting "white" to "kissing the white man's ass". The cross-eyed Republican strategist Ron Christie, who is always on some news channel, has probably been called an "Uncle Tom" more than any black man in the history of America. All of the words, expressions, and phrases we use to label an individual's "blackness" symbolize one thing - ignorance. It's crazy how we see ourselves as just as bad as a racist would see us.. but we make it a good thing. Why as a community have we placed so much bearing on ignorance? Is ignorance truly bliss? It can't be.
Is it the rappers' fault? Yeah they probably deserve some of the blame. I mean they did make it cool to murder, rob, and sell narcotics.
Is it an issue of parenting? Yeah, single parent homes and no good "baby daddys" couldn't be beneficial.
And no, I am not about to go all Bill Cosby on you. In my eyes, it is more an issue of two things: education, and history. Education is the vehicle to advance the mind; problem is, a great education costs money.. and with about 25 percent of all African-Americans living in poverty.. you see where I am going with this. A quarter of us live below the poverty line and the public education system in poverty stricken areas can be described in one word - despicable, just take a look at the D.C. school system. Combined with a history of oppression by the white race, you can see why it is so taboo to "act white". (the last officially recorded lynching was only 41 years ago folks, long time.. but not that long)
Here's my dilemma.. all my life the white people who haven't met me, are intimidated by me, because I am big, black, and I guess scary looking at times (if they only knew I was softer than a cupcake). The black folks question my authenticity - "He sounds white", or "He thinks he is better than us", or my favorite, "Oh, you got books, fuck you doin' readin' nigga?". Eventually I just gave up - I mean what can I do? I am big, black, scary looking to some, intelligent, well-spoken, different - hell I listen to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as much I listen to Jay-Z. Coming back to the U.S. was such a culture shock to me, I was always disliked by somebody. Only recently have I grown comfortable in my own skin - I could give a fuck how you feel about me now.
See my "blackness" isn't defined by ignorance - it is defined by my thirst for knowledge, my respect for my heritage, my awareness of the progress we have made as a race - and the progress that we still must make; my love of Africa.. shit, in my eyes, that's as "black" as it gets. Being "black" isn't acting a certain way, it is a state of mind - knowing your history, knowing that because of it you have to work that much harder than the next man, knowing that there will always be someone who looks down on you because of the color of your skin. Shit, "act white"! That is how we should be representing ourselves. This is why I am such a huge fan of the Barack Obamas and the Kanye Wests - they are making it cool to be African-American, intelligent, and different. We need that balance, to give young black children something else to aspire to be. Obama has changed the perception of what a black person can become and we desperately needed that. Even if you hated every one of his policies, you cannot deny his importance to us as a race (and you can't tell me that Obama isn't swaggerific).
Times are changing, but we still pigeon-hole ourselves into these off the wall definitions of "blackness". It has to stop - and hopefully we are in the beginning of a revolution to change the conception of what it means to be black. What do you think?
Alright, I'm sick of writing, and my stomach is begging me to feed it. Until next time readers. I'm logging out.
The Martian
It's a question that is often discussed among the African-American community, and we are quite distinct in that regard. We are the only ethnicity that places so much value on the authenticity of its members - in order to be recognized as genuinely "black", we must fully represent our "blackness"... and this "blackness" is something that we have quantified. Simply put, we must not act "white".
What defines acting "white"?
The way we tend to see it, it's speaking proper, sounding intelligent and educated. Authentic black folks don't do this; they speak in a sort of street jargon that is characterized by the frequent use of vulgarities and the word "nigga". It can be defined as being a Republican, because authentic black folks are Democrats (this will probably be examined in more detail in a future post). Hell, if your a Republican and a proud one, you can pretty much guarantee that a couple of your peers have labeled you an "Uncle Tom"... and boy you sure don't want to be labeled an "Uncle Tom" because you transcend from acting "white" to "kissing the white man's ass". The cross-eyed Republican strategist Ron Christie, who is always on some news channel, has probably been called an "Uncle Tom" more than any black man in the history of America. All of the words, expressions, and phrases we use to label an individual's "blackness" symbolize one thing - ignorance. It's crazy how we see ourselves as just as bad as a racist would see us.. but we make it a good thing. Why as a community have we placed so much bearing on ignorance? Is ignorance truly bliss? It can't be.
Is it the rappers' fault? Yeah they probably deserve some of the blame. I mean they did make it cool to murder, rob, and sell narcotics.
Is it an issue of parenting? Yeah, single parent homes and no good "baby daddys" couldn't be beneficial.
And no, I am not about to go all Bill Cosby on you. In my eyes, it is more an issue of two things: education, and history. Education is the vehicle to advance the mind; problem is, a great education costs money.. and with about 25 percent of all African-Americans living in poverty.. you see where I am going with this. A quarter of us live below the poverty line and the public education system in poverty stricken areas can be described in one word - despicable, just take a look at the D.C. school system. Combined with a history of oppression by the white race, you can see why it is so taboo to "act white". (the last officially recorded lynching was only 41 years ago folks, long time.. but not that long)
Here's my dilemma.. all my life the white people who haven't met me, are intimidated by me, because I am big, black, and I guess scary looking at times (if they only knew I was softer than a cupcake). The black folks question my authenticity - "He sounds white", or "He thinks he is better than us", or my favorite, "Oh, you got books, fuck you doin' readin' nigga?". Eventually I just gave up - I mean what can I do? I am big, black, scary looking to some, intelligent, well-spoken, different - hell I listen to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as much I listen to Jay-Z. Coming back to the U.S. was such a culture shock to me, I was always disliked by somebody. Only recently have I grown comfortable in my own skin - I could give a fuck how you feel about me now.
See my "blackness" isn't defined by ignorance - it is defined by my thirst for knowledge, my respect for my heritage, my awareness of the progress we have made as a race - and the progress that we still must make; my love of Africa.. shit, in my eyes, that's as "black" as it gets. Being "black" isn't acting a certain way, it is a state of mind - knowing your history, knowing that because of it you have to work that much harder than the next man, knowing that there will always be someone who looks down on you because of the color of your skin. Shit, "act white"! That is how we should be representing ourselves. This is why I am such a huge fan of the Barack Obamas and the Kanye Wests - they are making it cool to be African-American, intelligent, and different. We need that balance, to give young black children something else to aspire to be. Obama has changed the perception of what a black person can become and we desperately needed that. Even if you hated every one of his policies, you cannot deny his importance to us as a race (and you can't tell me that Obama isn't swaggerific).
Times are changing, but we still pigeon-hole ourselves into these off the wall definitions of "blackness". It has to stop - and hopefully we are in the beginning of a revolution to change the conception of what it means to be black. What do you think?
Alright, I'm sick of writing, and my stomach is begging me to feed it. Until next time readers. I'm logging out.
The Martian
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The Conception - An Ode to My Hero.
"words and hugs
were not my daddy's tools
life was about work
hands were made to think
he communicated like his father
silently erecting monuments of
pauses
even his gestures had commas
in his private workshop
behind a wall of resurrected TV sets
and engine parts
collected from the side of the road
he spent his spare time
polishing granddaddy's old saws
chisels and hammers
reconstructing junk and found objects into miniature antique furniture
and scale models of his dreams
just piddlin', he'd say
deflecting accusations
of creating something beautiful
no one ever called this man
an artist
no book spine whispers his name
yet everytime I open my mouth
I can hear him sing"
Frank X. Walker
It is amazing how much I resemble my father. His mannerisms, loner attitude, and bipolar outbursts have all become apart of my personality. Growing up I never realized the similarity. I didn't want to be like him, matter of fact I wasn't even sure if I liked him. He was nothing more than an authoritarian figure, and one who's authority I didn't respect. Everyone would always say, "Deuce you look so much like your father", and I would scoff at the notion. I wanted to create my own path, my own identity, show him that I didn't need to be like him. I was young, rebellious, and a champion of my own destiny. He was so consumed by work, I never understood why he couldn't just relax, kick his feet up a little bit, smoke a cigar, live the good life. The trips he made me take to North Carolina, working all summer or on my spring breaks - fixing up houses, cleaning the family cemetery - I saw it as his way of just making me do bullshit work, to keep me from partying it up like everyone else.
As much as I tried to lessen his influence on me, I ultimately failed - it was inevitable - it is innate in every son to want to please their father. The more time we spent together - the more I began to respect him. The more I heard people talk about him - the more I admired him. The more trips to bumblefuck North Carolina - the more I began to appreciate hard work and peace of mind. The more graves I cleaned - the more I began to appreciate my family history. There is a reason why Michael Jordan's sons play basketball or Archie Manning's sons are great quarterbacks. My father is no superstar athlete though, he's a hard-working man from a small town in North Carolina, who has earned all the good fortune that his come his way. He's a true rag-to-riches story, someone who was so poor yet wouldn't let that hinder him. He was driven to succeed like a mad man. Despite possessing no college degree, he can put a computer together from scratch. In fact he is one of the most intelligent people I know. He has never forgotten where he came from, always looking to help those who are less fortunate. He loves his family making sure to do whatever he can for his 107 year old grandmother. He loves his wife, quietly playing a secondary role, supporting her as her career has climbed to incredible heights. Everyone who has ever worked with him praises him. He doesn't possess a selfish bone in his body. His best qualities are diligence, empathy, compassion - How could I not have admired this man? How could I have been so blind?
As a kid I was so caught up in the fact that my father wasn't your prototypical "great dad". He was moody, unapproachable at times - it was difficult for him to express his emotions. I don't even know if he told me loved me until I was an adult. It distracted me from seeing his more endearing qualities - while not the greatest dad, he was a great person. I know he feels as if he failed me as a father sometimes, that perhaps I would've turned out differently if he had been able to develop a better relationship with me. The fact is though he was the best father a son could have. Why?
Because I want to emulate him. The great qualities he has, are all qualities I hope people see in me. Too many young black men have no quality father figures to look up to - I did, and I consider myself fortunate. I figured the best way for me to start this blog off would be to give you a little bit of insight into who I am and who I plan to be. I am Lafayette Masteen Greenfield II, and I plan to be just like who I'm named after. I am moody, unapproachable at times - but deep down a kindhearted person. I look down upon no one, and I will never forget where my family came from. I will clean up that cemetery until the day that I am no longer physically able to do so. I plan to work hard and value everything that is given to me. I am driven to succeed, failure is not an option. I love the country, there is no better place to achieve serenity of the mind - I may move out there someday. I want to be defined as diligent, empathetic, compassionate - just like him.
My Hero.
were not my daddy's tools
life was about work
hands were made to think
he communicated like his father
silently erecting monuments of
pauses
even his gestures had commas
in his private workshop
behind a wall of resurrected TV sets
and engine parts
collected from the side of the road
he spent his spare time
polishing granddaddy's old saws
chisels and hammers
reconstructing junk and found objects into miniature antique furniture
and scale models of his dreams
just piddlin', he'd say
deflecting accusations
of creating something beautiful
no one ever called this man
an artist
no book spine whispers his name
yet everytime I open my mouth
I can hear him sing"
Frank X. Walker
It is amazing how much I resemble my father. His mannerisms, loner attitude, and bipolar outbursts have all become apart of my personality. Growing up I never realized the similarity. I didn't want to be like him, matter of fact I wasn't even sure if I liked him. He was nothing more than an authoritarian figure, and one who's authority I didn't respect. Everyone would always say, "Deuce you look so much like your father", and I would scoff at the notion. I wanted to create my own path, my own identity, show him that I didn't need to be like him. I was young, rebellious, and a champion of my own destiny. He was so consumed by work, I never understood why he couldn't just relax, kick his feet up a little bit, smoke a cigar, live the good life. The trips he made me take to North Carolina, working all summer or on my spring breaks - fixing up houses, cleaning the family cemetery - I saw it as his way of just making me do bullshit work, to keep me from partying it up like everyone else.
As much as I tried to lessen his influence on me, I ultimately failed - it was inevitable - it is innate in every son to want to please their father. The more time we spent together - the more I began to respect him. The more I heard people talk about him - the more I admired him. The more trips to bumblefuck North Carolina - the more I began to appreciate hard work and peace of mind. The more graves I cleaned - the more I began to appreciate my family history. There is a reason why Michael Jordan's sons play basketball or Archie Manning's sons are great quarterbacks. My father is no superstar athlete though, he's a hard-working man from a small town in North Carolina, who has earned all the good fortune that his come his way. He's a true rag-to-riches story, someone who was so poor yet wouldn't let that hinder him. He was driven to succeed like a mad man. Despite possessing no college degree, he can put a computer together from scratch. In fact he is one of the most intelligent people I know. He has never forgotten where he came from, always looking to help those who are less fortunate. He loves his family making sure to do whatever he can for his 107 year old grandmother. He loves his wife, quietly playing a secondary role, supporting her as her career has climbed to incredible heights. Everyone who has ever worked with him praises him. He doesn't possess a selfish bone in his body. His best qualities are diligence, empathy, compassion - How could I not have admired this man? How could I have been so blind?
As a kid I was so caught up in the fact that my father wasn't your prototypical "great dad". He was moody, unapproachable at times - it was difficult for him to express his emotions. I don't even know if he told me loved me until I was an adult. It distracted me from seeing his more endearing qualities - while not the greatest dad, he was a great person. I know he feels as if he failed me as a father sometimes, that perhaps I would've turned out differently if he had been able to develop a better relationship with me. The fact is though he was the best father a son could have. Why?
Because I want to emulate him. The great qualities he has, are all qualities I hope people see in me. Too many young black men have no quality father figures to look up to - I did, and I consider myself fortunate. I figured the best way for me to start this blog off would be to give you a little bit of insight into who I am and who I plan to be. I am Lafayette Masteen Greenfield II, and I plan to be just like who I'm named after. I am moody, unapproachable at times - but deep down a kindhearted person. I look down upon no one, and I will never forget where my family came from. I will clean up that cemetery until the day that I am no longer physically able to do so. I plan to work hard and value everything that is given to me. I am driven to succeed, failure is not an option. I love the country, there is no better place to achieve serenity of the mind - I may move out there someday. I want to be defined as diligent, empathetic, compassionate - just like him.
My Hero.
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