Time Machine

Last night I got up from the sofa in the den went into the bedroom and just stood there looking around…I had forgotten why I had gone into the room. This has happened to me a lot in the past few years and when I tell people about it they laugh it off and say I’m just getting old. To be honest it is kind of funny but also a little scary. At work I’ve taken to writing post-it notes with little reminders and putting them in my pocket. When I get home I dump out a dozen little pieces of yellow paper walk out of the room and of course forget to read them...it’s really frustrating. I’ve found that I actually prefer talk radio to music and when I do listen to music it’s almost always old school and is it just me or are Early Bird dinner specials beginning to sound appealing…to be honest it would give me time to get in that pre-sleep early evening nap. At work I zone out during conversations and meetings and find myself thinking of anything other than what’s currently happening. When I snap back I try to play it off but I’m sure I have a blank look on my face because I have no idea what’s going on. I stood up to walk away from my desk the other day and my knees cracked so loud people thought it was thunder and looked outside to see if there was a storm approaching. When I go out to dinner or a bar I drink at home first to save money…ok that’s just me being my cheap ass self. When going to the movies I prefer matinees as there’s the possibility I may fall asleep at an evening showing…which may or may not include snoring.  I’ve found I no longer have patience with stupid people and I have no problem letting them know…well that one’s actually a plus. Seriously, the only thing left is for me to yell out from my rocking chair on the porch, “Hey kid, get off my lawn!”

So you may ask, why all the concern? What’s the big deal, we all get old get over it. I agree completely, in fact on Saturday I’ll be celebrating my 57^th birthday (why is it that whenever someone ask how old I am, I have to stop and think really, really hard) and I’ve decided that rather than bemoan the fact that I’m now old enough for senior discounts, which by the way comes in quite handy at the movies (seriously, $4.50 vs. $9.00...matinee rates of course) I will instead celebrate the fact that I’m still here and reflect on the good things in my life.  Like the fact that in spite of my cracking knees, at 57 years old I’m actually in the best shape of my life. About 15 years ago I made a deal with myself to get in shape and embarked on a strict regimen of exercise and healthy eating. I shed quite a bit of weight which I’ve managed to maintain and I still get up every morning at 4:30 AM and head to the gym for my daily workout. Or how about the fact that at this age I find myself in a healthy, stable, constantly evolving relationship and growing old with a person I still find attractive, passionate and ever intriguing. Although my memory sometimes fails me I’m thankful for the recollections of my youth, which are full of good times shared with wonderful people most of whom I’m proud to say I still have as friends. And of course there’s Pepper the absolute sweetest, lovable and very likely most spoiled dog on the planet.

I feel so blessed to have lived long enough to learn to value and love myself for all of my faults and flaws as well as my attributes, I like the person I’ve become and no longer worry about what could have been.  I am thankful for the wonderful childhood afforded to me by loving and nourishing parents both of whom I’m fortunate enough to still have with me as well as my four siblings. I’m happy to have grown old enough to appreciate the silence of sitting alone in my own thoughts, not as an escape but to contemplate the magnificence of life and all it allows. I feel privileged to have known the many who traveled with me on various points of my aging journey and mourn those who never made it this far. I’m happy in the realization that I actually like getting old with all the aches, sore bones, memory lapses and hair growing out of places where I didn’t even know I had places…seriously can someone tell me why hair suddenly chose to sprout from my ears and disappear from the top of my head?  Finally, I’m so very happy that I’m still able to articulate and share my thoughts and ideas with my friends. By the way I know I haven’t written in a while and I really meant to, I really did but I kept forgetti…uh, what was I saying?

Out Of Reach

I gotta tell you, I’m tired of waiting. Ever since President Obama killed it winning a second term and demolishing old Mittens in the process, Republicans have been promising to reach out to minority voters. They insist that they’ve seen the error of their ways and will be a more accepting, diverse, inclusive party going forward. Unfortunately, all I’ve seen is the same message of greed, homophobia, and racist voter disenfranchisement. Prominent Republican politicians such as Michelle Bachman, Ted Cruz and Mario Rubio continue to spew hate, intolerance and bigotry. The party persists in its practice of pandering to the extreme right racist and tea party baggers within the party. So where’s the outreach?

Perhaps their idea of reaching means to reach out and hold back minorities, women and the elderly. Just days after the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down a key part of the Voting Rights Act, which had required certain states and jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination to clear all voting changes in advance with the Justice Department or federal court, the Republican legislation in red states such as Texas and North Carolina quickly sought to marginalize and discourage minority voting by attempting to enact restrictive Jim Crow era voter laws requiring I.D. to vote, slashing the number of polling precincts, minimizing precinct voting hours and slashing Sunday voting and same day registration provisions. You may recall the gargantuan lines created on Election Day in Florida and Ohio when they cancelled early voting resulting in voters waiting for up to eight hours to vote. Now, I know we all like to think that everyone has some form of I.D. but they can be very difficult and expensive to obtain for the poor and elderly. They may not have access to documents like birth certificates without incurring major expense, especially those who are over the age where all birth certificates were in an automated system. Then there would be the hassle of getting a state recognized photographic I.D. For elderly, handicapped people getting to all these offices can be exhausting if not prohibitive as well as expensive if they can no longer drive.

 But it’s not just about I.D. In Texas they plan to reduce polling places from 84 to 12! The predominately "white" area polling places will serve about 6,000 voters while the most "minority" polling places will be expected to serve 86,000. In North Carolina they went as far as canceling the program which allowed 17 year old students enrolled in high school civics classes to pre-register as voters prior to their 18^th birthday. They also are currently seeking to penalize college students with a bill to raise taxes on families with college students who choose to vote at school rather than at home, effectively discouraging college students from voting. In an effort to purge voter rolls for the 2012 election, Florida officials identified voters they suspected to be non-citizens and sent their information to county election supervisors who then mailed letters to voters requesting proof they were U.S. citizens. If no response was received, the voter was dropped from the rolls. Of course an excessively large majority of those identified were either Black or Hispanic. Way to reach out and touch Repubs.

At some point, the Republican Party must be held accountable for catering to the racists, the birthers and those calling the President a communist, socialist, Muslim, America-hating terrorist. They must also be taken to task for not denouncing those within their party who support and promote these crazy conspiracy theories and group based cultural generalizations such as the Limbaughs, Hannitys, Becks and O’Reillys. Oh, and let’s not forget the bigoted racist crackpots like Ted Nugent and Ann Coulter. If Republicans truly wanted to reach out they would champion economic issues that support the middle and working classes and they would actively promote the idea of equal justice for all people, which would allow them to cast a much wider net. Instead they continue to be in favor of cutting programs that benefit middle and working class families, adamantly oppose health care for the poor and elderly and can’t seem to stay out of the bedrooms of individual citizens or the wombs of grown ass women all of whom are completely capable of making decisions about the most intimate part of their lives. They persist in stereotyping, victim blaming and advocating the dismantling of programs that disproportionately affect the poor and minorities while keeping those that provide tax breaks for the rich and powerful. Their idea of reaching out appears to be keeping the poor, women and minorities in their place. They may as well just say it, "We hate you. We don't want you to vote. We want to cut out every government dime that helps the poorest among you cope with a grossly unfair economy. Now, why won't you stupid people vote for us?"

Terms Of Endearment

Ok White people let’s get this straight once and for all, you cannot use the N word just because you hear some Black people using it. The Paula Deen debate over her use of the word has brought to the surface some the most stupid ignorant arguments I’ve heard in a long time. Paula and her supporters claim to be confused as they say that they hear Black people using the word all the time. First of all, no you don’t. Contrary to what people may have you believe, in the black community the use of the N word is not as common as ants at a picnic and is a heavily debated argument. I don’t understand why you are so anxious to use the word anyway, are you a rapper or a wannabe thug? And come on, let’s stop playing stupid there is no double standard. You all know full well the offensive history of the word so stop trying to compare calling someone a white boy or a honky as being equally offensive as the N word. As far as the derogatory term cracker I have never used the word. In fact the first time I heard it used was when George Jefferson said it on an episode of The Jeffersons back in the 80s. It’s an archaic term from the early 20th century and frankly never received much use outside of the Deep South. Regardless, none of these terms carry the same weight or historical baggage as the N word.

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Rachel Jeantel who provided witness testimony for the prosecution in the Zimmerman trial, unsuccessfully attempted to explain the difference between the terms nigger and nigga. She stated that the term nigger was racist yet nigga was a term that could be used to describe any man, regardless of color…ok. Look, I know she was attempting to make a valid point and no offense intended but this woman has trouble articulating a thought to let you know she needs to use the restroom so why would anyone take her opinion as a statement of fact?  At any rate the poster boy for fat bigoted puffy faced racist white men, Rush Limbaugh, has decided based on Ms. Jeantel’s statement that he has a pass to toss out the word nigga like the first pitch of the World Series and did so repeatedly yesterday on his radio show. He also stated he would hereafter refer to the Chinese man at his Laundromat as his nigga beginning with his next visit and would use the term freely with any man he may encounter going forward…seriously, I would gladly contribute to a fund to have this man just disappear. And don’t get me started on the stereotypical racist implications of a Chinese Laundromat, it really must take some effort to remain that racist.  But you can’t blame him he’s simply fulfilling his job description, which is to exploit racism and white resentment and appeal to his racists listening base. Of course he says nigga on the air but if he’s so eager to as he says, “rightfully use the word” he’s free to walk into the middle of any inner city housing project located in any major city and scream it at the top of his lungs…no guarantee he’ll live to tell about it but that could take care of that disappearance fund.

Now I’ve been known to drop the N bomb now and then but I also understand the term discretion. I don’t walk into an office meeting with a room full of white people and holler to the lone Black in the room, “James my nigga, wassup?” I understand where the word came from and how it was used to demean and degrade Black people and to keep us in our place.  I’m aware of how those who fought and died for civil rights would cringe at how freely the word is used today among Black people. But I also know that not all Black people think alike as some would have you believe and there are differing opinions on the use of the word within the community. In fact attempts by the NAACP to officially bury the word brought about varying views but did nothing to extricate the word and the argument continues. What Rachel Jeantel attempted to convey is that my nigga, f**k you nigga, nigger please or damn, that nigger got game are often terms of endearment and are ultimately different when recited by a Black person. It doesn’t matter whether you think you can use it as a term of endearment as well because quite simply, you can’t. So, yes White, people there are words Black people can use that you can’t but you’ve got the whole white male, birthright entitlement, institutionalized racism thing down to a science…so get over it.

Murder By Numbers

Note to self: Do not walk alone at night anywhere within the state of Florida (under any circumstance). What would you do if you were being followed in the dark, in the rain, by a strange man? What if you decided to run and he continued to pursue? Would you wait for him to attack or attack first? Would you fight for your life, or would you stand there and wait for the unknown? To say that I’m disappointed by the Zimmerman trial verdict doesn’t begin to express my feelings. I’m disappointed, hurt, angry and fearful for the lives of young African-American boys as this verdict has deemed their lives less important than those of any other race. This jury has affirmed that if you are a young black child minding your own business an individual can stalk you on the street and if a confrontation arises, you can be legally murdered without consequence.

Apparently the defense was successful in their efforts to place Trayvon Martin on trial and convict him for his own murder. The one strolling home with a passion for Skittles, Arizona Iced Tea and wearing hoodies, is the one who was convicted. The one who was racially profiled and assumed to be guilty because of walking while Black was convicted. Not the one driving around looking for trouble hoping to create a confrontation in order to use his gun. Not the wannabe cop and self-appointed neighborhood watchman who was told to stay in his vehicle and not pursue. Not the one who was also told to let the police deal with it if in fact there was anything with which to deal. Not the one who after shooting an unarmed child rather than yell for someone to call for an ambulance or dial 911 instead for some strange reason, turned the victim over and spread his arms out. No not him. He was found innocent and blameless.

I’m also disappointed with the way the prosecution tried this case. How is it that a grown man stalked a 17 year old child against the advice of authority then after the child ran he caught up with him and when the child attempted to defend himself, he was shot and killed? I don’t claim to be a legal expert but it pretty much sounds like a slam dunk case to me. How in the hell is Zimmerman allowed to claim self-defense when based on his own assumptions of who Trayvon Martin was, he initiates the confrontation with his decision to ignore the dispatcher and get out of the car with a gun? At the very least it sounds like negligent homicide. It was Zimmerman’s reckless and stupid decisions which led directly to the death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was looking for a confrontation and when he couldn’t handle it he shot and killed an innocent kid. Why was this so difficult to prove? Instead the prosecution allowed the defense to make it all about the fight between Zimmerman and Trayvon and to paint Trayvon as the aggressor.

Still, I really would like to speak with the women from the jury. Regardless of their race I just want to understand how a jury of six mothers could come to such a conclusion. I’d like to know how they would expect their child to react to similar circumstances, how they found Zimmerman completely guiltless and lastly I truly would like to know how they sleep at night.

Chalkboard Blues

The fact that Paula Deen is a racist should come as a surprise to no one. Just last year during a televised interview with the New York Times the Food Network host and self-described Belle of the South pulled the “some of my best friends are black” card stating there was a young man she considered “just like family”…wow look at me I’m White and accepting, ain’t I magnanimous. According to her the young man was “black as a chalkboard” but she didn’t see color at all. She had him come out to be introduced and asked him to move from in front of the chalkboard so people could see him…crickets chirping. Now some may find this funny, I don’t, but if she’s comfortable making these jokes on TV why wouldn’t she feel comfortable making the same racist comments she’s accused of in the lawsuit filed against her and her brother. The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment and a workplace environment where racial slurs were allegedly tolerated and described as quite common.

In an ill-conceived attempt to defend herself, Ms. Deen stated that of course she has used racial slurs as she was raised in the South over 60 years ago when such language was not only accepted but was the norm for the times…apparently she and her family were unaware of that pesky old civil rights movement taking place at the same time. So this woman who was born in 1946 and went through her teenage and formative adult years during the 1960s and early 70s, felt it was ok to use racial slurs because of where she was from even though there were huge changes happening all around her. Perhaps her family simply felt all that freedom riding Martin Luther King, Jr. bus boycotting nonsense just didn’t apply to them. Look if she wants to use the N word and other racial slurs fine, but own it. Don’t use the, everybody else was doing it excuse. And to be clear, she’s not being sued for using racist terms in the past she is accused of creating and tolerating them currently in her business. Also of note, the woman suing her is White. Apparently Paula felt comfortable thinking she was with one of her own and could speak freely. Unfortunately for Paula the woman who filed the suit has African-American in-laws and felt extremely uncomfortable.

What I find even more disturbing than her need to place a pound of butter or lard in every single one of her recipes, no matter what she’s cooking, is that this old broad nostalgically refers to slavery as the good ole days. She wanted to have an old “Plantation Style Wedding” for her equally racist brother, replete with Black men serving the guest dressed up in their finest colonial slavery clothing. She said she wanted it to be like the Shirley Temple days when they used to tap dance around. She also tearfully tells the story of how her great grandfather committed suicide because the south had changed and he was going to lose the 30 workers he had on the books. Uh Gramps, those weren’t workers, they were slaves and what changed the south was the Civil War buddy. Wouldn’t it have been easier to simply make them sharecroppers and then bleed them dry for rent, supplies, food & clothing like all the other racist former slave holding plantation owners were doing?...just saying. Is it scarier that she tells black chalkboard longing for the days of slavery stories or that the idiot has no idea how offensive they are? Paula says she doesn’t tell “racial” jokes herself, although she’s sure members of her family have told jokes that contained the N word and her husband “is constantly telling me jokes.” When asked whether she was offended by her husband’s jokes she replied, “No, because it’s my husband”. So to be clear she stated in her deposition that she doesn’t tolerate racist jokes and degrading slurs but if it’s her husband and family its ok…my head hurts. Paula says the last time she can remember using the N word was when she was mugged by a Black man and related the story and his description to her husband. You know the same husband who’s so fond of those hilarious racist jokes. To be honest, I’m not sure if she thought it was ok to use the word because she had been mugged and was upset or because she really felt that was a valid feature of the man’s description.

Thankfully the Food Network acted swiftly and canned her fat grey haired old ass before she could continue her ignorant racist crusade further. Of course the “we’ve all made mistakes” and First Amendments Rights zealots were quick to defend her and to condemn the Food Network but here’s the deal. There’s no mistaking about anything she’s said and as I stated before I don’t think she’s even smart enough to know how offensive some of her statements were. A person who claims to not be racist yet acts otherwise is probably more dangerous than one who is blatant. Ms. Deen has the right to her opinions, racial slurs and offensive jokes and she has the right to make them public if she wants. But if the Food Network decides her exercising those rights could negatively affect the brand they’ve created, then they’ve got the right to terminate her employment…y’all.

Welfare Queens

It was recently reported that the CEO of Darden, the corporation that owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster is actively working to fight a bill in California that would thwart attempts by large corporations to cut employee hours to avoid the health insurance requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This bill would make it unlawful for a large employer to, among other things, designate an employee as an independent contractor or temporary employee, reduce an employee’s hours or work, or terminate an employee if the purpose is to avoid the obligation of the ACA requirements. This is in direct response to the so called Wal-Mart Loophole…you remember Wal-Mart that wonderful company which chooses to hire only part-time workers to avoid required healthcare costs for full-time workers.

Now I’m not an idiot, I know that companies are in the business of making money and I know that added healthcare cost hurt the bottom line but give me a minute. Most of the arguments I read against the ACA state that it hinders economic growth in that it burdens employers with the cost of providing health care to workers. Wrong! It doesn’t hinder growth it hinders profit. There are those who argue the added cost of required healthcare coverage would increase prices however, there isn't a company yet that has shown that giving their employees health care would make their products too expensive. None of these corporations complained publicly when their fuel costs increased or when their food costs increased or when their building costs increased. Costs fluctuate, businesses adjust it’s been going on since the dawn of commerce. These arguments usually come from conservative Republicans, the same conservatives that insist on lower taxes and oppose all forms of social welfare, the same conservatives that insists government stay out of their lives. The problem with companies like Wal-Mart and Darden hiring only temporary workers is that these workers end up dependent on Medi-Cal and other government sponsored social programs to make ends meet. As the costs for these social programs increase so does the cost to the taxpayer. In an effort by these corporations to avoid additional costs and increase their bottom line, the taxpayer actually ends up supporting their means to profitability…it’s the ultimate outsourcing program. When corporations put their workers' on government programs for food aid, housing subsidies, and Medicaid and the taxpayer picks up the bill it is they, the corporations, who are the moochers and the new version of the 1980s Reagan "welfare queens". They pay minimum wage (sometimes below for tipped workers) and expect the government poverty programs to subsidize benefits. So the argument from the conservative right becomes invalid as it runs counter to their party platform and these corporations become part of that whole Mitt Romney 47% who don’t pay taxes and live off the government thing.

So far most of the outspoken corporate resistance to the ACA requirements has largely come from fast food and restaurant chains, which I find a bit unsettling and I’m beginning to wonder in what reality these CEOs exist. These greedy people will do anything immoral or unethical to make a buck, including denying the people that work their butts off for them healthcare. Really folks, they’re saying they don’t want to be responsible for assuring that the people preparing and serving your food are healthy and disease free…does penicillin come with that shake? It’s real simple, people who are covered by health insurance and receive continuous, managed, preventive medical care are more likely to be disease free and provide constant dependable workers. What CEO in his right mind would actively seek to obstruct such a workforce?

The bottom line is that any business that requires government social program subsidies for its employees in order to remain profitable probably shouldn't be in business to begin with. Who knew that a great side benefit of Obamacare (ok, just this once) would be shedding light on these self-entitled corporate moochers dependent on taxpayer dollars to run their business model?

Choke Hold

I was a big fan of the Dave Chappelle Show when it originally aired on Comedy Central. His humor was often topical and usually spot-on. There were quite a few sketches which became instant classics, “I’m Rick James Bitch!” I remember one sketch in particular involving the comedian Wayne Brady. For quite a few years Wayne Brady had been the poster child for sell-out, Uncle Tom, white ass kissing Black folk. This dude was considered so white-washed he was once called the whitest Black man in America. In a hilarious effort to combat this image Wayne Brady appeared on the show as himself and pretty much kidnapped Dave Chappelle taking him for a terrifying car ride. With Dave as the passenger, he performed a drive-by shooting, broke a cops neck and forced Dave to smoke a crack pipe telling him, “this is not an option nigga, if you not smoking we have a problem.” Finally with Dave Chappelle literally shaking with fear they stopped so Wayne Brady could collect money from one of his Hoes who came up short resulting in what has become an infamous line. In a clam, direct and chilling voiced he asked “Now is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?”…in a hilarious aside Dave Chappelle screamed to her from the passenger’s side “Run bitch, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, GET SOME HELP!”

Well apparently here on my job some people think I’m Wayne Brady. It’s not that I present the white-washed Uncle Tom image but I am the sole black bean in a sea of brown and white rice and I stand out. I don’t speak Spanish and there have been many instances where I have no idea what conversations are going on around me or if in fact I may be the topic of derogatory discussions. I mean why else start a conversation in English and switch to Spanish mid conversation…just saying. So far I’ve given them professional, educated confident Black man. I don’t make waves but nobody runs over me either. However, apparently there are those who perceive my non-confrontational attitude as a Wayne Brady weakness. Currently I chair a committee which is working to update and streamline business procedures and processes for the company. Included on the committee are several supervisors who report to me either directly or indirectly. One in particular, a Latino man, seems to have a problem with me being his supervisor. He clearly believes he’s smarter than me and that I should in fact be his subordinate. We’ve had several minor run-ins and up until now I’ve pretty much written them off as him just having a bad attitude but this week he crossed the line. He sent an email to my boss complaining that the committee was ineffectual and a waste of time.  He also critiqued other areas of my work and pretty much made a bid for my job implying indirectly that he could do a better job. Now I don’t know what type of response he expected from my boss or if he thought he would be in his corner but what he didn’t know is we had already been in discussion about this guy’s behavior and job performance and my boss had suggested placing him on probation in preparation for termination.

So my boss receives the email forwards a copy to me and calls me to discuss. I won’t go into the details but he pretty much told me to handle the situation as I saw fit. This guy is universally disliked within the company and nobody would be sorry to see his ass leave.  I called him in and told him I was placing him on probation for insubordination and he was not happy about it. I attempted to remain calm as I detailed his rebellious, undermining attitude.  When I finished he says to me with a thick angry Spanish accent “That’s just jor opinion” so I told him, “Well in this case my opinion is the one that counts and in my opinion your arrogance is negatively affecting your job performance and if you keep heading down this road you’ll find yourself pounding pavement seeking employment elsewhere.” He mumbled something in Spanish under his breath so I told him if there was something he wanted to say he should do so in English to which he replied, “It’s not my fault joo don’t speak Spanish”…really, he said that. Remarkably I maintained my cool and I told him that English is not a second language at our company and if he insisted on addressing me in Spanish rather than English it would place a barrier on our working relationship and my ability to communicate with him, which could lead to termination. He had nothing else to say, in either English or Spanish. I had him sign the probation form and sent him on his way. Now I have no doubt that this guy is going to make it easy for me to terminate him just based on his attitude alone.  He’s got 90 days to screw up and I’m sure he will but I’m not sure how much longer I can maintain this calm demeanor. So I gotta ask a question, is Warren Barber gonna have to choke a bitch?

Big Deal

I’ve purposely waited several days to comment on the following because I wanted to fully understand the impact and to be sure I articulate my feelings accurately. On Monday in an article he penned for Sports Illustrated, Jason Collins became the first active U.S. athlete to come out as Gay in a major sport, specifically the NBA. I don’t follow the NBA closely enough to know his name but I now know it’s one I’ll never forget. Over the last several days I’ve read countless articles and op-ed pieces and although there were quite a few positive comments including one from President Obama, the negative ones were full of hate and to be honest pretty disgusting. As expected, Christian zealots were swift with their Bible tossing. Chris Broussard a commentator for ESPN declared homosexuality an "open rebellion to God" and stated he does not consider Jason Collins to be a Christian. Ok, so that’s his opinion and it’s expected from the Evangelical crowd, I just wouldn’t have expected to hear it on ESPN…and by the way, thanks for the Christian compassion buddy. Just in case you’re curious the question posed to Chris Broussard was “what does it mean for Jason Collins to play as an openly Gay person in the NBA?” not sure why it lead him to quote scripture. Rush Limbaugh was quick to defend Chris Broussard and boo hooed about the plight of the persecuted straight White male or some such nonsense, I don’t know I lost interest. (Note to self, stop clicking on stories about his fat ass)

Quite a few of the commenters stated they were sick of the Gay Agenda being forced on them and Gay people flaunting their sex lives everywhere. They wondered why Gay people couldn’t “just keep all of that to themselves”. Many stated that they watch sports for the game and don’t want to know all about the players’ sex lives and what goes on in their bedrooms. Okay then, I no longer want to read about any sports figure's engagements, dating habits, break ups, or marriages. I don't want to see them photographed with their supermodel, singer, or actress girlfriends while out having dinner. I don't want to read about what carat of diamond they bought and how the size of the diamond is supposed to make up for the fact that the man cheated. In fact, Jason Collins never detailed his sex life or what goes on in his bedroom. When a person states that they are Gay they are declaring their sexual orientation, if your mind immediately goes to a detailed sex act upon hearing the news, maybe you’re the one with the problem.

What really caught my attention was a theme running throughout the comments stating the announcement wasn’t a big deal and there were more important things going on such as the struggling U.S. economy. Some said big deal, so a mediocre NBA player at the end of his career is Gay or big deal how does some Gay athlete coming out affect my life. Of course the cynics came out in droves with accusations of a nefarious plot being hatched by Collins, who is currently a free agent, to get signed to a new team. So let me get this straight (pardon the pun) Collins comes out as Gay to get signed, yet he has no idea if his teammates will turn on him or refuse to share a locker room with him. He now has to deal with the taunts and hatred and wonder if some unstable individual or group will target him for a violent act and more importantly he now knows that no matter what he does for the rest of his life, this is what his name will be synonymous with. These types of comments can only come from those who have no idea what it is like to have to live a secret life or risk losing a career simply because of who you are. They have no clue of the emotional toll and the difficulty of coming out to not only his friends and family but to the world. And for the record anyone who for one second thinks that there are not more Gay athletes still inside the locker room is a fool.

So here’s the big deal as I see it. Nobody expects the world to stop spinning because of the announcement but if something doesn’t affect you directly it doesn’t lessen its importance and no matter what anyone may say to the contrary, this most certainly is a big deal. It’s a big deal because visibility is important. If some young child looks at Collins and is inspired and realizes that just because they may be Gay doesn’t mean they can’t grow up to be successful in their chosen field of sports, that’s a big deal. It’s a big deal to the isolated and frightened Gay school kids who have absolutely no role models and people telling them they can never be who they are or aspire to who they want to be. It’s a big deal to the kids who will be beaten and kicked out of their houses for being Gay, kids who will never talk to their biological families again kids who are told they are sick, perverted and in need of reparative aid. It’s a big deal to anyone who has the compassion to understand the loneliness of many Gay youth and the horrifying suicide rates among Gay teens. It’s a big deal to Gay people in all professions who face possible backlash from co-workers, employers, and members of the general public simply for being who they are. It’s a big deal because we live in a society where Gay people are still being physically brutalized and even murdered because they are Gay. It’s a big deal because it challenges the notion of the feminine Gay male and the negative stereotypical caricatures of Gay men in women’s high heels with purses as depicted on TV shows such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta. It’s a big deal because it leads us to redefine the terms of masculinity and exposes the world to the image of a strong masculine African-American Gay man. Yep, it’s a big fucking deal.

I look forward to the day when the declaration of one’s sexual identity is not a big deal but today is not that day. On Monday Jason Collins had the dignity, courage and conviction to break the barrier and come out of the locker room as the first openly Gay active professional male athlete and I applaud him for his inspirational bravery. I’d like to leave you with an excerpt from Jason Collins’ Sports Illustrated article, "It takes an enormous amount of energy to guard such a big secret. I've endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie." “I kept telling myself the sky was red when I knew it was blue, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful. I want to take a stand and say me too.”

Everybody Get Up!

Recently while driving and listening to music on the radio I had a conversation with my sister. We lamented on the fact that the song stylists of today don’t really know how to craft a lyric as well as those from the good old days. Even with dance music, all you hear now days is a repetitive techno beat or booty shaking music with unintelligible lyrics. (I dare you to decipher the monotone mumbling on any ‘Lil Wayne song) Now let me be clear, there’s nothing wrong with shaking your booty but songs from the past gave you relatable stories while you danced. For instance, Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give It Up. The song tells the story of a shy wallflower who ultimately couldn’t resist getting his boogie on. “I used to go out to parties and stand around, ‘cause I was too nervous to really get down”. You see although Marvin had the desire he was afraid to really let go. There was something holding him back yet at the same time pulling him in, listening to the song you could almost see him standing around watching others uninhibited enjoying themselves and him longing to join in. He continues, “But my body yearned to be free, I got up on the floor for somebody to choose me”. The call of the boogie is a strong one folks, try as he may he couldn’t resist the urge to dance and ultimately did Give it Up. He discovered that “As long as you’re grooving, there’s always a chance, somebody watching might wanna make romance”…classic!

The Temptations gave us Psychedelic Shack, “let me tell you ‘bout a place I know, to get in it don’t take much dough”. Just in case you were unsure about exactly what type of setting they were speaking of they provided the following, “It's got a neon sign outside that says, Come in and take a look at your mind, You'd be surprised at what you might find”. Apparently this was one of those establishments where one may find persons partaking in recreational mind altering substances...ok, they were getting high. Rick James introduced us to a provocative Super Freak. Apparently, “she’s a very kinky girl, the kind you don't take home to mother, she will never let your spirits down, once you get her off the street”. Umm ok but not so sure you should be too excited about someone you have to get off the street and to be clear apparently if you don’t get her off the street she will let your spirits down… just saying. Prince told us to “Party like its 1999”…sheesh, it seemed so far away at the time. He also detailed what would happen If I Were Your Girlfriend which in spite of sounding kinky was quite an ode to devotion. “If I was your girlfriend would you remember to tell me all of the things you forgot when I was your man? If I was your best friend would you let me take care of you and do all the things that only a best friend can?

There were tales of love, heartache and even surprise breakups such as the Gap Band’s Burn Rubber, “You told me to go up the block, To get you a strawberry pop, When I got back to the flat, You had burned rubber out the back” Damn, talk about cold she waited for him to leave and then booked, they even had the sound of the car peeling out. Just a small note here, when was the last time you heard the expression strawberry pop or red soda water for that matter. It was even possible to be romantically aggressive while dancing like when Teddy Pendergrass sang Turn Off the Lights…“TURN EM OFF!!” He meant that shit, if you didn’t turn off the damn lights your ass was in trouble. Women were rushing around turning off lights in rooms they weren’t even in. Of course Jody Watley was no better Looking for a new love, “Now other guys will have me, they'll appreciate my love, tell me, how does it feel? Wow, not only am I gonna sleep with other guys after I leave you I’m gonna tell you about it and then get all Oprah Winfrey on your ass and ask about your feelings. Damn girl!

Even when rap came along the story telling dancing continued. Who could resist the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Now what you hear is not a test, I'm rappin’ to the beat and me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet”. So this was no fire drill people it was the real thing and you knew exactly what their intentions were. Only a fool was occupying wall space as they continued, “Have you ever went over a friend’s house to eat and the food just ain't no good? The macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed and the chicken tastes like wood.”…come on in spite of the bad grammar you’re thinking about hitting the dance floor right now or at least avoiding that friend’s house with the Hell’s Kitchen reject for a mother (you know the one). Even Lady T got into the mix with Square Biz one of the first rap vocal performances, “Baby, what's happening entre vous Lady Tee I've heard a boatload of others ladies' raps but they ain't got nothin' on me, I'm less than five foot one, a hundred pounds of fun I like sophisticated funk, I live on Dom Perignon, caviar, filet mignon and you can best believe that's bunk. Here's what I'm talking, baby, Square Biz”. So Teena not only enticed you to dance she did so with a boastful arrogance that stimulated your mind adding a little French and some elegant dining suggestions as well. Classy.

At any rate, I know we can’t relive the past (except maybe on a good playlist) and to ask that things never change would be too much. So let me end with this, how about you Reminisce on the Good Times and how you still “Can’t get enough, of that Funky Stuff” or the nights spent Hollywood Swingin’, dancing with a Brick House and surviving through Joy and Pain. The fun you had with your School Boy Crush when you would Shake Your Body Down to the Ground like a Dancing Machine, break out in a Cold Sweat and then exclaim Let’s Groove Tonight all while riding the Mothership Connection, which was quite a Thriller. And don’t forget the Boogie Nights or how much fun it was to Cut the Cake. So tonight despite accusations that you may be Living for the Weekend, you know you’ve Got To Be Real so find the Reasons to Celebrate and Give up the Funk put on your Boogie Shoes, Shake Your Pants and Dance, Dance, Dance.

Ebony & Ivory, 2013

THIS JUST IN! LL Cool J has decided that African-Americans should let the knowledge of the horrors of slavery simply fade away and get over it. LL along with country artist Brad Paisley has released a single entitled “Accidental Racist”. The title alone is ridiculous enough to make you cringe, as if one is able to trip on a banana peel and fall into racism. Racism is certainly not ever accidental and most always deliberate and should not be confused with prejudice. Racism is a structured process by which one group has more power or exercises more power over another because of the color of their skin. To imply that any person can be racist accidental or otherwise is absurd. African-Americans and other minorities simply don't have the ability to systematically deny people of other races access to jobs, housing and education…especially not by accident. So according to these two scholars of racial acceptance we’re supposed to just forget the monumental events that lead us to the situation we find ourselves in today. We should just forget the institutional, economic and political power to crush the aspirations of African-Americans and other minorities. In the song the two suggest that the problem of racism is simply people not understanding each other and that if we took the time to get to know one anotherrrrrrrrrrr zzzzzzzzzzzz…sorry bullshit usually puts me to sleep.

I might be less critical if this were a sincere attempt to construct dialogue on an admittedly sore subject but these two idiots simply trade verses back and forth in an ignorant, uninformed, preachy tone…oh yeah, and stupid. Sample lyrics from Paisley: "I'm proud of where I'm from but not everything we've done, and it ain't like you and me can rewrite history". Really Brad? I think the state of Texas is doing a pretty good job rewriting the past with their revisionist public school text books that pretty much deny the existence and history of slavery in the United States. He also feels the need to explain his peculiar fashion choices in particular his desire to wear t-shirts emblazoned with the Confederate flag, “when I put on that t-shirt, the only thing I meant to say is I'm a Skynyrd fan, the red flag on my chest somehow is like the elephant in the corner of the south, and I just walked him right in the room, just a proud rebel son with an ‘ol can of worms.” Uh what now? What the hell does that even mean and what happened to inserting a rhyme or two in a song folks? Someone should inform Brad of the history of his “proud” rebel flag. Explain to him how the Confederate flag regained popularity during the civil rights era amidst the struggles against Jim Crow laws, lynching and forced segregation. Explain to him that his red flag is not about “Southern pride” it’s about symbolizing racism, oppression and white supremacy and only an uninformed idiot would pretend otherwise…dumb ass.

And Mr. Cool J is no better. He actually wrote these lyrics, “If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains”. WOW!!! Well, at least he rhymed. LL you should know that stereotyping a person for their ridiculous fashion choices is not something akin to the pain of being chained and shackled into forced labor and the comparison is both hurtful and offensive…besides, wearing tacky jewelry only hurts the eyes. But wait it gets better, “Dear Mr. White Man, I wish you understood, what the world is really like when you're livin' in the hood, just because my pants are saggin' doesn't mean I'm up to no good, you should try to get to know me, I really wish you would”…seriously what is up with this man’s fascination with fashion? If his pants are sagging at 45 years old somebody needs to check him. Dear Mr. White man?! Honestly if these lyrics were written by a 4th grader I would understand but this from arguably one of the greatest MC’s of all time? Later in the song he gives a shout out to Confederate Army commander Robert E. Lee, “RIP Robert E. Lee but I've gotta thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me, know what I mean”. Seriously, somebody needs to snatch this man’s Negro Card.

Amnesia is not the means to end racism folks and ignoring the past is an insult to those who lived and struggled through it. Slavery may have ended 150 years ago but the resulting effect thrives. Stupid ass let’s all just forgive each other, let bygones be bygones and get along songs like this suggest that there is some historical equivalence between blacks and whites. What the hell do Blacks need to be forgiven for? The fact is people continue to suffer from racism and oppression every day and it's insulting to insinuate otherwise. The way we can all move forward and just get along is to acknowledge and reverse the damage done by slavery not pretending it never happened. Coming up next, Accidental White Privilege.