Hueys' Rant Pt. 2 - "Wacko Jacko"

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)

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.

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?

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