The Black Man's Ignorance

I loved the Departed and even more so loved Inside Man.

But in both movies, one thing kind of startled me a bit: the use of the word nigger or nigga by white men. It was almost as if for a moment, they had committed a sin against me although it was just a film. For a hot second, I wanted to take Jack's head off.

Then I realized, this is real life. White people use the word on a regular basis. I shouldn't be upset, but instead understand that we are far removed from a colorless society free of prejudice and racial tension.

I don't know what should happen to Kramer, the Seinfeld character who got caught in a rant calling blacks niggers during a comedy routine.

But one thing that it told me is this. If we can look down upon each other, spew out that same venom (as we do) and it be okay, there should not be an uproar if Kramer does, too.

This issue has plenty of layers within my head, but I must say that I was proud to see that Jesse Jackson and Maxine Waters stepped up to some podium and announced their initiative to rid popular society of the word "nigga."

(Sure there's a major problem with our capitalistic society exploiting the word "nigga" and Black America for all it can, but that's another day, another, yet similar, topic)

I think it's rare that we, black people think about how the whites who brought our forefathers to America bred our ignorance by making blacks not use/forget their African language and by killing off the blacks who learned to read the English language.

Then they coined the term ignorant black or nigger/nigga, and some black was either so stupid or so conditioned to being called a nigger that he actually thought it'd be an OK idea to call blacks niggers or niggas. We still do it today with the twist of affection, some times.

Repeat, some times.

We think there's a positive connotation, but that's impossible when your ancestors who died for your rights are likely rolling over in their graves. Sure, there are words that have double meaning, but there are more people in popular society who use the n-word's "negative meaning" than the so-called positive one.

And right now, I'm trying to figure out what's positive or who would want to put a positive spin on being called "ignorant black?" Why not just say that's "my brother right there" and not "that's my nigga?"

White people made the word "black" - which is negro in spanish and niger in latin - have negative meaning in all of society, and at this stage we're just giving it wings instead of having allowed it to die with either the suffrage or civil rights movement.

I'm just glad someone realized incidents like the Kramer episode have no chance of ending unless we stop using the word ourselves. It's hard to be hypocritical of a man if you can't stop using the same negativism against your own people.

Now what will it actually happen? Will the Popular sector (Film Studios and the Music Industry primarily) stop usage of the n-word? Hell, no. Corporate America makes entirely too much money to give up the ability to use the word nigga. Shows make money even when they bleep the word out.

Put it like this, it still costs less than three dollars to make your favorite pair of Nikes. And we all know that cash rules everything around.

End of story. Period.

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The "Mo Potent Delivery"

Last Tuesday I went to Best Buy with a $10 gift certificate I'd had since May or so. I decided I wanted to support Jiggaman bka Jay-Z.

On the initial sampling, Kingdom Come didn't impress me. Then I started listening, and came to understand the essence of every Jay-Z album. There are three main themes.

1. "He hustled, he really ran the streets."
2. Jay believes he's the Mike Jordan of the Rap Game.
3. Hova feels that it's necessary to murder all naysayers and people he's left in the dust on wax.

These three things, along with his amazing lyrical ability has allowed for Jay-Z to sell millions upon millions of albums.

But I purchased Kingdom Come with greater expectations.

There is one track - it's titled Minority Report and about Hurricane Katrina - on Kingdom Come that has some social conscious. But even that joint offers no resolve for the situation aside from the infamous Kanye West clip that makes its way on the track declaring that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

That's it. It's a cool album. A good listen, not better than the Blueprint or Black Album. But more importantly, it's not the mark of a King or a CEO of Def Jam.

If he's Hip Hop savior, why not spew some venom at the ignorance veiled as "snap music" that's taking over the air waves? Why not teach somebody something? Why not tell kids to go to pay attention in class and get a degree in some form or another? Something?

This man has the pulse of - white and black - America at his lips and his wax. There hasn't been someone with so much of America tuned in since Bobby Kennedy maybe, and he continually talks about what? Hustling?

I don't understand what's so great about consistently bring up something that he did ten years ago. Say something positive. Say something progressive. Say something truly introspective consistently.

He could turn the America upside down if he desired with his music. That many "important" people and that mean "common" people listen to him just because. Seriously, there are some NASCAR fans who probably bought his album just cause Dale Earnhardt was in his video. Why wouldn't he use that power to say something that actually means something?

I mean at this point is it about "numbers?" No. Is it about a legacy? No. Reputation? No. It should be about purpose. A man's truth, not a selfish game. I'll be real, the album is hot. I absolutely love Dig A Hole, 30 Something and I Made It.

But if hustling what he's going to continue talking about, he needs to stop calling himself Hov, and re-name himself Scrooge, because he's taking the money and not giving much more than he has before.

In his own words, he still doesn't understand his "mo potent delivery," but he does "remember what these streets did to me."

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The BET Hip Hop Awards Report

I suffered through the BET Hip Hop Awards last night. Thank God that I did so with alcohol in my system or else I might have been cursing Deborah Lee more and laughing less.

For some reason, I decided to take notes and highlight the low points of this historic telecast. But first, I pondered the idea of having the BET Hip Hop Awards. I mean, we already have the Source Awards, the Vibe Awards and VH1's Hip Hop Honors. You'd think that would be enough, right? But you probably also didn't think that televisions belong in the back of car seat headrests, did you?

Anyway, to my notes/observations.

1. Puffy (I refuse to call him Diddy) gave out the first award for Hip Hop Video of the Year. But first he said he wanted to pay homage to two fallen Black stars. He said that, and, no lie, I immediately thought they were starting the Awards show off with a tribute to Biggie and Tupac, and their mothers were waiting in the wings. But he was actually lamenting about Gerald Levert and Ed Bradley.

2. T.I. won that first award, and who did he thank first? God. Infer what you will.

3. Lil Wayne and Birdman performed their hit song "Stuntin Like My Daddy." I had a problem with this because it conflicts with the idea that Hip Hop isn't inclusive. There is a not-so-photoshoped photo of these two kissing, and they admitted it on BET. How are they performing first? What's next? Is the remix going to be "Kissing On My Daddy" ???????

4. Did anyone else noticed that everyone of Monica's tattoos were covered including the hideous one on her right forearm?

5. Quote of the night: "Men lie, women lie. Numbers don't." ~Jay-Z while accepting the Hustler of the Year award. This is true. But it would be nice if Number didn't call black men niggas and black women bitches and hoes.

6. Why is there a promo ad for every hip hop album strategically placed somewhere on the stage?

7. Host Katt Williams aka Money Mike talked about how Flavor Flav ignored the teleprompter when he was giving out an award (or just running his mouth) with Delishshs (sp). No Katt, I think it's more likely that Flav couldn't read what was on the teleprompter.

8. What grown ass woman would allow for a man to name her Deelishis (i looked up the correct spelling), and be on his arm? Your name is not Deelishis, it is London Charles or Chandra Davis, whichever it is. It's wasn't a good nickname for a man when Cedric the Entertainer downed the name during the Kings of Comedy? What makes it good for a woman.

9. Did anyone else notice that during Young Jeezy's performance that there were women (presumably strippers) dancing on poles. Seriously? Are you freaking kidding me?!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Black Entertainment Television. I'm not going to say what I think of Deborah Lee for allowing this to happen. Martin Luther would not be proud of me.

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I Know, I Know ... yep ...

yeah you too.

Yes, I owe you. I'm over due. I just don't know if I feel like sitting at this computer and spewing my thoughts out via the diatribe vehicle. But I'ma try.

Thought No. 1: RIP to Ed Bradley. A black man (with an earring - notice that's singular) in the public eye who was really about something. I can only hope to be like him someday in some way.

Thought No. 2: RIP Gerald Levert. I found out about Gerald passing while driving home from the dry cleaners or something like that. I heard three Gerald Levert songs back-to-back-to-back and immediately texted my best friend: "I think Gerald Levert died." I had no confirmation, but three songs in a row kind of tipped it off. I was right.

Thought No. 3: I'm glad BET tried to tribute Gerald. Notice how I said tried. On Sunday, they showed episodes of The Parkers and The Jamie Foxx Show with Gerald making cameos of sorts. Why couldn't somebody work on Saturday and actually put together an actual tribute for the man, I do not know. But we must remember, this is Bojangling Entertainment Television. If you don't bojangle (i.e. shuck and jive), you gets no love.

Thought No. 4: I hate Midwest weather. Eighty degrees (when I tell that trick please) and sunny one day, 25 and freezing rain the next. You gotta love Kansas/Missouri.

Thought No. 5: I think I'm coming hard this week with a take on black males, guns and the word bitch. Stay tuned. It might be a poem or it might just be words. Who knows. But I'm feeling it.

Thought No. 6: Kevin Federline (I don't care if I spell this wrong) should be .... you finish the sentence. No, honestly, I think we should gather up every last one of these celebrity couples that wants a divorce, and throw them into confinement with their spouse until they either resolve their issues or until one kills the other. Then lock the other up for life. If you have all that they do, should you be able to co-exist in some way, shape or form? Can't you find that magic that brought you together in the first place? You shouldn't bitch about stupid shit. And if you're Britney Spears you shouldn't be dumb enough to marry a back-up dancer who left his pregnant girlfriend to be with you. You shouldn't be, but you are and any person who buys another one of your albums does nothing but prove that their level of intelligence doesn't even meet yours.

Thought No. 6: I got this in a forward, and thought it was interesting. I don't agree with all that said, but that said, I do concur with most of it. But I'll allow you to sift your way through it. ... Oh yeah, I'm not correcting what's wrong in the last sentence because i want you to enjoy its shear comedy.


Black People Who have embarrassed Black America
1. Flavor Flav and all the women that have ever appeared on the Flavor of Love (especially New York) - no explanation needed
2. Clarence Thomas - for having the audacity to desecrate the seat that was held by the late great Thurgood Marshall
3. Condoleeza Rice - self explanatory (but the fact that she was shopping for Ferragamo's when people were dying due to Hurricane Katrina was enough by itself to get her placed on the list.
4. Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown - too many reasons to count
5. Halle Berry in Monster's Ball - Billy Bob Thornton (need I say more)
6. DC snipers - Black people are not serial killers
7. Marion Berry - too embarrassing for words 8. Kobe Bryant - for snitching on Shaq (it's one thing to be a rapist, but to be a snitch on top of that is just taking it too far)
9. Rae Carruth - for having the audacity to hide his black ass in the trunk of a car in Nashville after having his baby mother killed
10. Terrell Owens - speechless
11. Mike Tyson - biting Evander's ear was enough to get him on the list
12. OJ Simpson - the Bronco ride by itself was enough to make the list
13. R. Kelly - pissing on little girls and having the audacity to record it
14. Puffy - cooning and shining and denying he's gay (DANG!) (and we not even going to mention the fact that he keeps stringing Kim Porter along, but his butt was crying over J.Lo)
15. The sister that cut the baby out of the pregnant woman and killed her other children by placing them in the washing machine and dryer
16. The entire Jackson family - Jermaine please let those fingerwaves go. Let's just take a moment of silence for Michael.
17. Armstrong Williams - for being on the GOP's payroll to praise No Child Left Behind when all it is doing is leaving children behind
18. Rodney King - "Can't we all just get along?"
19. 50 Cent - thinking he has enough clout to hate on Oprah. And for just being a punk and crying when someone talks to someone he doesn't like.
20. Wendy Williams - for always looking a Hot Ass Mess, and having the nerve to talk about other people
21. Dennis Rodman - too many reasons
22. Ice-T - for marrying a plastic Malibu Barbie named CoCo and swearing his old ass is a pimp
23. Diana Ross - for getting a DUI
24. The entire cast of Soul Plane - self explanatory
25. James Brown - beating his wife and that infamous mug shot
26. Jesse Jackson - for the love child
27. Bishop Don "Magic" Juan - for portraying every stereotype that white people believe to be true about black people
28. Snoop Dogg - for having those sisters on leashes at the MTV Music Awards and introducing the world to Bishop Don "Magic" Juan (and let's not even mention Girls Gone Wild)
29. Bob Johnson - for selling BET to the Man
30. The entire BET station and staff members - for giving us Un-Cut and for taking away BET news
31. Cuba Gooding Jr. - cooning and shining at the Oscars
32. Nelly - for the Tip Drill video
33. The Ms. Peachez videos - cooning and shining at its finest ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrqW3nx5HM or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GautSlgAsN0)
34. Terry McMillan - for going on the Oprah Show acting like she didn't know her husband was gay before she married him and then being in the hot tub with him after she talked about him so bad
35. Al Sharpton - for rocking a perm in the '06 and having the audacity to run for President while looking like a pimp
36. Black people that say that Biggie and Pac were assassinated. Martin and Malcolm were assassinated those two brothers were shot. (Chris Rock from Bigger and Blacker)
37. Tina Knowles - for giving us House of Dereon
38. Lil Kim - for being the black Pamela Anderson
39. Karrine "Superhead" Steffans - for being the Black Monica Lewinsky
40. Omarosa - she gave intelligent Black sisters a bad name
41. The Source and the Vibe Awards - for all the buffoonery
42. All the Black wannabe models on America 's Next Top Model that come on the show with a straight up attitude
43. Coral from the Real World/ Road Rules challenge always having to come on the shows portraying the angry Black woman
44. Vivica A. Fox for dating 50 Cent and then wearing the daisy dukes during Lil Jon's performance
45. Ron Isley for tax evasion and stealing from his decease brother's estate
46. Wesley Snipes - for To Wong Fu and then denying that he was the one that made Halle Berry deaf in her left eye

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Welcome ... Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back ...

I've been outta the mix for a minute. Sorry. I've been trying to clear my head of all of these negative thoughts. They say that if you don't have something positive to say, well, then you shouldn't say anything at all.

So I've shut my mouth for two weeks. Oh, I could have said a few positive things, but I felt like the negative overwhelming outweighed the positive. Thus you can surmise the rest.

But I'm back, and I've gotta brand new bag (not really) so you can call me poppa.

Really, though.

I went shopping for Halloween candy yesterday because I was told to do so. It was a simple request for the kids of the neighborhood, so I followed through. But as i started looking at the price's of the candy, I started thinking as if I were the father on Everybody Hates Chris.

These Snickers cost $4.53. Where's the Snuckers.

My next thought was ingenious as well. Why in the hell do we give kids candy on Halloween?

I asked one friend, and she said "because it's a satanic holiday."

Huh? Is Lucifer just passing out Skittles and Starburst in Hell then? I don't think so, and since no one could give me a good answer. I did what any self-respecting citizen of this generation would do. I went to Wikipedia.

It wasn't there, and if it's not on Wikipedia, you're assuredly not going to find it. So I thought to myself. Is this just another ploy to boom the sale of something we desperately don't need to buy that will inevitably cause us to have to spend more money in other streams of business in the world?

I bought $10 worth of candy, and as i checked out of Target the cashier told me that she had sold $300 worth of candy to one person.

Who in the hell has enough trick-or-treaters roll through for $300 worth of sweets? That's just insane. You could have put a down-payment on a Playstation 3 (please note the sarcasm concerning the fact that a PS3 will cost you about twice as much as 600 Snickers).

I walked out disgusted, and as soon as I got to my house, I found a permanent marker and a piece of paper and started to write:

"Leave us be. There is no candy here."

All of the sudden, something came over me. I couldn't be mean, and I couldn't stop writing like Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar.

"SIKE. That was the trick, knock for the treats."

I taped it on the door. it actually made sense considering our doorbell was function like the Cosbys during seasons 1 through the finale.

But I still don't know why we give candy out and I don't know why women think it's okay to dress all scantily clad for costume parties on Halloween either.

But I guess if we must accept one evil, we must accept the other even if one does ensure cavities in two weeks.

On another note, we (including myself) are all idiots for watching Flavor of Love, but anybody who is dumb enough to actually buy his album has definitely been brainwashed or Flava-Aided, and I feel sorry for you.

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