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
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