Mind your business

Day 7 of 2012 and I’m feeling a lot more secure than I did a few months ago, and up until earlier this week. I came quite close to having a nervous breakdown. I allowed some untended business and personal issues to overtake me to the point, that I felt like just getting in my car and taking a long drive. I didn’t care where, just as long as it was FAR away from my responsibilities; I was straight. My thoughts were not suicidal per se, but nontheless, I was in deep anguish. As the tears dried and I stop having my personal pity party, I began to get angry. Very angry. Not at others, but at myself. Afterall, I am accountable for my actions/inactions. When I let all that truth marinate, I recalled a couple of sayings that I’ve heard before…which boiled down to three things:

1) Handle your business…before it handles you

2) Warning comes before destruction

and based on my personal religious faith (yours may vary)…

3) take heed to self-correct erroneous ways when they’re made clear to you

Numbers 1 & 3 are similar. The “business” to handle is usually apparent to everyone and may not be anything secretive. However, #3 can be something that people may not want to become public knowledge. So the Creator may want you to get your act together about something or follow instruction(s) he’s laid out for you, yet you decide to put it on the back burner or disobey/ignore Him completely. Just ask Jonah about #3. Some people just need to be dealt with. Not in the mob sort of way, but in the spiritual way. I can testify that nothing can get ones attention quicker than a comeuppance from the Creator.

I read somewhere that 4 out 5 people do not fulfill their New Years resolutions. As I previously posted, I didn’t bother making any. Instead I choose that starting this year, I will make decisions from a calm and thought out perspective. No more snap decisions based on fear, second-guessing or ignorance. I will embrace this life lesson like a long lost friend, and be grateful for correction.

Year of the Dragon

Another year gone by in a eventful blur. Sayonara 2011! I look to 2012 with great anticipation, exuberant expectation and wonderous excitement! I have a couple of projects on the burner; however, I was cautious not to grandstand with the New Years resis’, cause quite frankly I don’t want that type of pressure to perform, conform or any other “form”. I need to be free, I need to be me.

This year is the year of the Dragon. I’m a ’76 dragon. According to Chinese astrology, the dragon years are every 12 years. So I’ve decided to be introspective this year. Way more than I usually am. As I draw ever closer to my forties, I know it’s time to not only get it together, but keep it together — mentally, spiritually and physically. This year will be about goal-setting and accountability. It will also be about consistency and follow-through.

A toast to the New Year and another chance to master this gift called Life!

Cheers.

Obama 2012: Change happened, thought you knew

Aside from the four recent airline incidents, where a few geniuses attempted to sabotage a few flights, things have been somewhat quiet in the headlines. In particular, the Tea Party’s consistent hatred of President Obama. The man can’t even cop a squat, without them them raising some brouhaha. I mean, can he live?! For Pete’s sake, get off the President’s tip. There are people who just simply cannot fathom that an African-American man is the leader of the Free World. Let’s really keep it one hun’ned. If he were President Eisenhower, there’d be no uproar for him to establish proof of US citizenship. Or if he were President Roosevelt, he wouldn’t get hemmed up by the Republicans about Healthcare Reform. Everyone knows this, but no one is choosing to address it. Why is that?

It’s 2011, surely we can talk amongst ourselves about the long-term effects Jim Crow left on us as a nation. Can’t we? And when I say ourselves, I mean the nation as a collective, no matter the color. If commercials spouting the benefits of using certain sexual products for arousal or treating erectile dysfunction can be aired during prime time viewing hours, as well as, 50/11 reality (exactly whose reality?) shows; surely, there’s room for dialogue. Open and honest, cards on the table. Deep down everyone knows they want change. If you don’t have it in your heart to help change manifest, then kindly step aside. It shouldn’t matter who brings the message, as long as it’s brought.

The President Michael Jordan’ed on the Birthers too. Four words: White House Correspondents’ Dinner. President Obama put on the gloves and came out swinging. He went in on Fox News, Matt Damon and Donald Trump. I don’t know why they keep trying to fade him. Just stop it; really. The man was lightweight reluctantly given a nation that had been traumatized from eight years of forced indentured servitude. And like most of the sharecroppers back in the day, we’re still waiting on our 40 acres. However, I’ll take mine in the form of stock shares please, Apple to be exact; but I digress. There’s no way that he can fix the ruin that the Bush Administration left behind in just 29 months! In the immortal words of Ed Lover “C’mon Son!”

In the meantime, let my man finish out the rest of his term…President Obama has proven, at times in a clutch that he can show and prove. Don’t believe me? 2012…he got that!

1 step, 2 step

Ah, music. One of man’s greatest inventions. Nothing like a melodic tune to put some pep in your step. But what if said tune is not so melodic? What then? Every once in awhile my local educational channel broadcasts a concert of singing groups of yesteryear. Singing groups like, The Dells, The Intruders, The Stylistics, and Graham Central Station. These groups had charisma, style, stage presence and finesse. Their songs had lyrics that would put a smile on your face, long to see your love interest and emanate feelings of happy feelings in the air.

I appreciate those groups and how they paved the way for groups of today. They set the tone for the music that I grooved to, back in the 80s and 90s. I’ve always had an old soul and a special affinity for old school music, funk in particular. The toe tapping, finger popping, two-step sounds of Slave, Shalamar, Cameo, Lakeside to name a few. That feel good music. The songs that you may remember listening to while your parents made you clean the house on Saturday mornings. My uncle Joey (RIP) would’ve made an awesome DJ. It was through him that I first heard Lakeside’s Fantastic Voyage and Shalamar’s A Night to Remember. I remember rockin steady with the Whispers and if I close my eyes, I can remember the Rick James album cover, with him standing next to a streetlight, holding the guitar and rockin the flyest red boots. I smile when I think about Evelyn Champagne-King, Patrice Rushen and The Time. Again timeless music that still gets people to shake their rump. The 90s wave of Guy, Mint Condition, Troop, and New Edition. New Edition spanned the 80s and 90s! Word up. The lyrics were original and paired with well-executed dance sequences that would make any mother proud.

Yes, Generation X could cold rock a party. Then along came Generation Y. A unique group in that they are the trailblazers for the new milennium. And with trailblazing, in the literal sense, one can expect a lot of dust to be kicked up. But what happens when that dust settles? In all things art, history is being made. Whether someone writes a book, paints a painting or lays a track, it is forever immortalized. That #1 chart topping song or conversely, the one hit wonder will ring in the ears of many. So as I write this, one question comes to mind: Who are the Generation Ys’ gonna two step to when they get old? According to the playlists of today’s radio stations, things ain’t looking too good. There’s no hidden innuendos in today’s music, no musical foreplay. It’s all leave the money on the nightstand and leave kind of music. I can’t imagine who the line up will be for Generation Y. Some of today’s music doesn’t exactly scream classic. I can imagine a PBS special line up of Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, Drake, Gucci Mane and wait for it — Lil Wayne…thirty years from now. Really…EVERY girl in the world? Sit down Gramps.

I, Too, Sing Haiti

I’m guilty too. Of thinking that the people of Haiti should have constructed better quality houses, schools and businesses. That they should have more in life than what they have. However, at least I had the common decency to not denigrate them in their hour of need, like Paul Shirley, a has-been athlete who appeared out of obscurity to blog his un-eloquent and insensitive “letter” to Haitians. Whether this letter was in jest or not, the point was sorely missed. To paraphrase his insults, he blamed Haitians for their lot in life. You know what? I won’t paraphrase, I’ll paste the excerpt here. And it reads:

Dear Haitians –

First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?

Sincerely,

The Rest of the World

“The Rest of the World”, eh? Interesting. I consider myself a part of “the rest of the world”, especially if that means I won’t be associated with the likes of him! I wonder if Mr. Shirley (I am serious, and I did call you Shirley) ever read up on the history of Haiti. The Internet is a beautiful thing and chock full of information. Apparently Mr. Shirley was unaware of the injustices done to Haiti when France occupied them in the late 1700′s. Or familiar with the names Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles Leclerc.

To begin, the playing field has never been level. Let’s not sleep on that fact. Imagine having a homeland, existing in it and living your life without restriction. Then imagine a group of people invading it and forcing their ideals and agendas on you…not to mention killing and enslaving you along the way. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Except this story doesn’t involve a one-way boat trip across the Atlantic. The natives fought for their independence and eventually won, driving out the “tourists” who long overstayed their welcome. Flash forward to today, months after a devastating earthquake, hurricane, a cholera outbreak and recent political unrest. The torrential rain of struggle keeps raining down on the people of Haiti, undeserving or not, other countries are not exactly flying to their aid.

Ever since the 1980s’ Haiti has been portrayed in the media as a third world country, not the Republic that it actually is. Labeling their citizens as refugees. So much hate directed toward a country makes me wonder where the real issue lies. Perhaps it got buried in the sugar cane and cotton fields and graves of those that were brave enough to revolt during France’s occupation. Rather than bring much needed resources to a country that so desperately needs it, the world has been slow to respond to Haiti’s plight. Painfully slow. I often wonder if Norway’s ice caps were melting, would there be a world-wide, grassroots campaign to somehow try restore them? Most likely. Idiocracy at its finest. Again, why the slow response in helping the people of Haiti? Care to guess why? Anyone…anyone?…Bueller…anyone? I’d venture to guess that it is because the richer countries of this world operate on a “if we help you, what’s in it for us?” operandi. Afterall, the words of We are The World were just lyrics to a song, surely not to be taken literally.

Here lies Hugo Tale-Yax

The other morning, my 7 yr old son turned on the news. And to my disgust, I was appalled to learn that about a dozen people let a man die needlessly on the streets of New York. The video shows Hugo Tale-Yax (he had a name) walking behind a man who attacked a woman right in front of him; without regard to his own safety he reacted and intervened, and unfortunately was stabbed multiple times. After an attempt to chase after the attacker, Hugo fell to the ground. And on the ground he laid for just under TWO hours before medical personnel found him. Did I mention that all of this was caught on video? In front of an apartment building on a main street, with foot traffic?

The surveillance video shows various people walking past the man, a couple of them actually got close enough to possibly see that he was bleeding or at the very minimum saw the pool of blood on the ground…and one individual (I have a particular choice word I’d prefer to use, but I’ll refrain from doing so) even took a picture of the dying man on his cell phone! Who does that? Oh yeah, that guy! Now I’m no CSI expert, but I’ve watched enough Forensic Files, and other crime shows to know that sometimes people involved in crimes come back to the scene. Hmm, I wonder. But it’s pure speculation on my part. He could’ve just been so random idiot who thought it was _________ (insert whatever hip word youngsters use nowadays) to take a picture of what appeared to be some drunken homeless guy, lying in blood. Hee, hee. 

Now this is not a first for New York…nor for the borough of Queens to be exact. In 1964, about 5-1/2 miles from this incident occurred the murder of  Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, a woman attacked outside her apartment building after coming home late from work. A local paper initially reported that at least three dozen people who lived nearby heard her initial cries for help, yet did nothing. Psychologists of the day named the phenomenon the Bystander Effect, a condition which simply put means people can observe an offense occurring either a) right before their eyes or b) be within the vicinity of and for either fear, disbelief, not wanting to get involved or thinking someone else will call the proper authorities…turn a blind eye/ear to whatever is going on. Huh? Wow. I usually try to reserve all judgment, but some things people need to react to!

Human nature is a trip. And for a hot second hearing about this made me want to pursue a degree in Sociology — or some other type of “-ology”. Now since I’m casting stones, I will admittedly say that just three days ago I happened across an older man that appeared to be drunk lying on the ground about 25 feet from my car. I stopped long enough and looked at him to ensure that he was still breathing. He was. And as he didn’t appear to be in distress, just merely needed to “sleep it off”, I went on about my way. Do I know for a fact that the man was just drunk and hadn’t suffered a brain aneurysm, or stroke? No. But I will tell you this much, had I seen anything out of the ordinary…say, I don’t know…a large pool of BLOOD, like the people who passed, Hugo Tale-Yax, I would’ve without hesitation whipped out my Blackberry and dialed 911.

It goes without saying, aside from the usual overly-used saying of ”put yourself in that person’s shoes”, just on g.p., to see someone lying on the ground, well-dressed or not; your fellow man…unmoving and bloodied– to not kneel down beside them and take a moment to bestow some type of compassion is inhumane. Even if one doesn’t want to get too close for whatever reason, a “hey buddy, are you alright?” would even suffice. We’ve all heard horror stories of paramedics being slow to respond at times, I even had a 14 yr old cousin, Terrance get shot by mistaken identity in ’85 (in New York…but a different borough: Brooklyn) only to die in our aunt’s Carol’s arms because the paramedics took too long. 

There were even reports of a couple of people actually calling 911 to report the man lying there, but couldn’t give the police an exact location. Tragic. Exactly who failed Hugo is the big question. Some may venture to say that he should’ve minded his own business. But what if you are minding your own business and you get caught up in something that is happening before your very eyes? What do you do then? Fight or flight? Don boxing gloves or sprout wings? Take your pick. It’s apparent that Hugo chose the gloves. Was it Hugo’s upbringing and culture that prompted him to react? Maybe. Or it could’ve just been one human helping another. We can only wish for the likes of Hugo Tale-Yax, in our hour of need. And the only repayment to the brave souls such as he, is that we don our boxing gloves and fight to regain our humanity. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/nyregion/28laborer.html

Rest in peace, Hugo.

Window of Opportunity

So I watched Erykah Badu’s video “Window Seat” and at first, I’ll be honest. I did not immediately grasp the concept. After watching it for a third time, and really listening to the words, and thinking to myself, “Is she really disrobing in the street?” I immediately had a sense of respect for her. After doing some further research I saw that it was by design that she chose Dealy Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. The very same location where in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Some may have trouble pronouncing the word ‘assassination’ or even problems spelling it for that matter; however, when the word is uttered…the meaning is universal. To cut something off at the root; stifle; abruptly halt. I didn’t consult Webster, those are my own meanings. To paraphrase Ms. Badu’s ending monologue — society is so quick to judge. If one person dares to go against the grain, they are made to feel as if they are the dreg of humanity.

From an international perspective, the U.S. gives off a vibe of being the mecca for Individualism, just as long as said individual dares not to venture too far out of the groupthink box. This type of thinking, ‘groupthink’, is dangerous to say the least. A phrase coined in 1972, by Social Psychologist Irving L. Janis, quoted directly from the website, www.psysr.org states that “Groupthink…occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of ‘mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment’ (p. 9). Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making.”

The most easily seen examples of groupthink are cults and other extremist factions. They are the groups that operate from a modus operandi which simply states, “it’s not about you, the individual…it’s about us the group; if we feel wronged, you should too!” Emphasis on should. They pull the wool over their members eyes making them believe that they have no other alternative but to roll with the moral majority. But what if one lone member decides to think for themself? To courageously raise that solitary hand, and say I will not go with the flow. What happens then? As seen by the disparaging comments on various sites concerning Erykah Badu’s “Window Seat” video it’s plain to see what happens. As predicted by Ms. Badu herself, an assassination of character happens. An outrage results. Whether justified or not.

Ms. Badu explained her reasoning for doing the video, which I took to mean the shedding of the labels and assumptions that society places on people. And one coming to the conclusion that they are willing to expose themself and be freed from the sheep to slaughter mentality. Would I have chosen to get completely nude and walk the street to voice that? No. But that’s my personal prerogative. Until we as a society learn to look at the bigger picture and begin to dialogue about it, shifting the focus from the fact that Ms. Badu was nude, nothing can be learned from this experience. Although, Ms. Badu has been charged with disorderly conduct and a $500 fine. The irony of it all, is that one person out of the group of folk that witnessed Ms. Badu’s artistic expression came forth and voiced a complaint. Unbeknownst to this one rogue groupthinker, she is instrumental in driving home Erykah’s purpose afterall.