Cipher Unknown

Late, but I finally see it. The explanation for OX in Cannibal Ox – Ox Out The Cage is right there in front of me. I missed it. I'm slippin'. But, you don't know nothin' about Can Ox, I'm sure.

Watch Your Head

Cory Thomas' comic strip Watch Your Head is brilliant. It's the ongoing story of college students at a fictional Historically Black College. Their individual and collective stories are diverse, interesting and funny. If this comic isn't in your local paper, subscribe to it via email at GoComics.com.

I Might Not Be The Right One...

I'm really digging this cover of Daft Punk's Something About Us.

Wailing Winter Winds

Master of Death: [his jugular fatally slashed] Your technique is magnificent. 
[voiceover] 
Master of Death: When cut across the neck, a sound like wailing winter winds is heard, they say. I'd always hoped to cut someone like that someday, to hear that sound. But to have it happen to my own neck is ridiculous. 
[dies] 

Rent Asunder

This is a Valentine's Day graphic I did the year of my separation. This is a more accurate description of a broken heart.

What It's Like...

Nicely rendered, but inaccurate. A real broken heart isn't so anesthetically neat. A real broken heart is bloody and snotty and still beating and you have to keep living with its ragged edges and puncture wounds.

Physical...physical!

She's a skinny li'l somethin'...but, I like this.

I Can't Stop Laughing at This...

This is obnoxiously hilarious.

Dichotomous Revelations

GOOGLE SEARCH:

WM/BF interracial casting
About 419,000 results (0.36 seconds)

BM/WF interracial casting
Your search - BM/WF interracial casting - did not match any documents.

*smh*

Fuck this planet, I swear!

I'm honestly sick to death of unbalanced manner of casting interracial couples in the media. So, it's socially acceptable to show a White Male & a Black Female, but the only time you can show a Black Male & a White Female couple is when you're portraying a caricature of a Black Male athlete/entertainer or a neutered, paunchy, professorial type?

And my annoyance at this protosimian bullshit is because I'M unreasonable, right?

Get the fuck outta here wit' that bullshit!

Being Proud of Your Mate

It's popular and it's fashionable to maintain a cynical, sarcastic view of life as we know it. I know. I indulge my smartassed, darkly obnoxious sense of humor on a daily basis. It compliments my low opinion of the dismally low intellect displayed by the human herd.

Still and all, my Calvinistic viewpoint does not translate in certain areas of life. I get a kick out of seeing couples who are truly together in a loving relationship. The press and the public have this grisly feeding frenzy when couples in the limelight break up. When the rumors of the breakup & dissolution of the marriage of Will Smith & Jada Pinkett-Smith were rampant, people went absolutely nuts with rumors regarding the couple. The simian instinct to tear them down was frankly appalling.

Cleaned the closet and then golfed with my bff :) - J. Pinkett Smith

It did my heart good to see the photo Mrs. Pinkett-Smith posted of her favorite golfer. It was a photo of her husband. The cynical will sneer and claim that all such instances of projected affection & togetherness are merely window dressing, sleight of hand, and smoke & mirrors designed to fool the slow-witted. Yet, whatever the cynics say, that couple has remained together for more years than seems typical for "Hollywood couples".

The photo above shows the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton watching her husband from her current overseas assignment as he addresses the Democratic National Convention. This could very well be a photo opportunity orchestrated by the Democratic party to show 'family values'. I'm sure that's the idea upon the minds of many. But, when I look at her face, I see simple pride in her man.

That is a priceless look in a relationship. Gentlemen, disdaining all the games seemingly inherent in modern relationships and gaining that look legitimately is a milestone worth striving for and it makes your relationship worthwhile. Ladies, taking a moment to honestly look at the good in your man and seeing him with pride is something you need to take the time to do...to remind yourself of why you're together. That goes both ways.

Y'know, this is me talking to myself (as is the majority of this blog). As always, do what ya like. But, hard work & professionalism is what I look to bring to whatever I do as a matter of principle. Maybe one day, I'll have a woman who shares my photo and calls me her favorite 'something or other'.

Love this...

My Niece Asked...

"What's the Right Time to Get Married?"

I replied:

There's no number. Don't do it until you find the man that's going to love you more than you love him and that you cannot possibly live without. Don't do it until you find the man that wants to wake up next to you even after you're a li'l old lady. Don't do it until you find the man that you love despite (and maybe because of) his flaws. Don't do it because he's pressuring you. Don't do it because you 'think it's a good idea'. Don't get married if you figure you can just get divorced if it doesn't work out. 

Get married because you've found the missing piece to your soul and the two of you complete each other. Find someone you can marry for life. I tell you this from experience. Each break-up and divorce tears a piece of you away and after enough scar tissue, you can't feel the way you used to. Ask around. You'll see.

Tina Rivers

Tina was smart. Her conversation was always intelligent. Her voice was kind of earthy, always feminine but a little deep. It was sexy.

Tina was always a lady. She had a huge heart. She worked for a non-profit organization in New Orleans. She was professional and focused. Then, she'd get annoyed and say something about somebody getting on her nerves that was so profane. I'd always pause and replay the sounds I'd just heard to be sure that she'd said what I thought she said. Then, she'd giggle that Betty Rubble giggle.

Tina would get down sometimes. Then, she'd remember that she'd survived a miracle. That'd get her past a lot of the petty bullshit that office professionals deal with on a daily basis. Tina survived leukemia as a teenager. She'd received a bone marrow transplant and had a full remission. As far as she was concerned, life was too short to stay upset about a lot of the things we deal with.

Still & always, I miss you, Tina.

Tina got the sniffles. Then, she kept the sniffles. I nagged her like a li'l bitch about going to the doctor for two months before she went. She finally went to see the doctor. Her leukemia had come roaring out of remission. She was Stage 3, moving into Stage 4, already. She fought her leukemia, too. She fought it and did not give up. The Last Enemy won this battle, though.

Christina Rivers is my friend. Her death does not, will not, and cannot change that. This is not her birthday. This is not the anniversary of her death. I was just thinking about my friend today and I wanted to talk about her. She taught me to value the time that I have. She made me laugh at a time in my life when I didn't have much to smile about. She was a better friend to me than I realized for those lessons alone.

Getting This Off My Chest...and Moving On

I just stretched and popped all the kinks out of my chest.

* * * * *

Y'know, everybody wants different results but they don't want to change anything about what they're doing right now. This is ESPECIALLY true in employment and in relationships. I see and hear so many women complaining about the men they date. Three times out of four, there's a man to their right who loves everything about them and who wants nothing more than their love in return. But, he's usually not the type of knucklehead that she has her heart set on.

Taking my own advice, I think I'm about to find me a cute, fluffy chick who loves me as much as she loves her snacks. I know what I want. I want a pretty girl who loves her some me, who'll be my partner in building a LIFE for the two of us, and who won't give two fucks about the expectations inherent in our respective culture(s). I thought that's what I had. Turns out, I was the dummy. Yay, me!

I'm still really hurt about the way my relationship ended. I'm apprehensive about opening myself up to someone because I know the effort that I put into this relationship. I was very honest about myself and my life and my ambitions. I doted on her and put her above all. I supported her and really tried to communicate with her about the way she was feeling and the way I was feeling. I looked to her only and I stopped associating with all of the women who I used to talk to...to the point of completely cutting ties with some. She punted my heart into the stands and trotted off the field wearing a smirk.

You think that's hyperbole. I got hit by a car earlier this year. Not: my car got hit by a car earlier this year. I was a pedestrian and a li'l White girl whipped around the corner and into the crosswalk as I was crossing the street. After jumping airborne, I landed on the hood of her car. My ex-girlfriend hung up on me that night.  I wasn't arguing with her, mind you. I was honestly mulling over the fact that if I had gotten killed, there's no one in this godforsaken state who would even bury me. I told her that she should let my Dad bury me if something like that happens. He & I don't get along that well, but my father will always do the right thing. That was too much for her, I guess. She thought I was being a punk for considering my relationship with my parents.

Yet, when her family did some things to upset her...to the point where she was crying...I was there for her, letting her know that the situation would pass and that I had her back. I asked her if she wanted me to do anything for her. That's what I'm supposed to do for my woman, right?

Anyway...I'm done with all of that.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself. I think my next step should be getting my passport. Then, I can stop limiting myself to these borders and go make myself some money somewhere where they've never even heard of Love & Hip Hop.

Vainglory

It's interesting how this culture equates a man's parenting skills with how much crap he can put up with from his child's mother (and whether HE pays child support on time). "If he really wanted to be involved, he wouldn't let that stop him from seeing his child." May I please request that you push your head FARTHER up your ass to the point where it muffles your dumbassed mouth? The number of games that some parents play using their children as game pieces is staggering. Don't even think to pretend that women are not above using their children so.

The rule of thumb for you, my slow-witted friend, is this: Anything a man can think, feel, say or do, women have proven themselves just as capable of thinking, feeling, saying or doing. So, get off of that high, pretentious horse.

I have tried NOT to drag out details of my particular baggage because, "Hey! I picked her, right?" But, I will say that a man can get to the point where he wants to cut his losses in a situation...especially if the children are complicit in the duplicity. The promise and ability to "do what they want to do" goes far in gaining children's cooperation. After dealing with established patterns of behavior, enabling, deception and simple bullshit, I get to the point where I let them run headlong into the wall I see and they don't.

* * * * *

Professor X (X-Clan)

I've been told that I'm too serious. I don't have patience for some forms of bullshit. Love & Hip Hop (whatever city its filmed in) will never be something that entertains me. That show and those behaviors are some dumb shit. These types of folks are exactly who Professor X was describing when he said, "Vainglorious!" That you like the show says more about you than you're comfortable acknowledging.

When a person's sole criterion for judging the worth of an individual is their monetary net worth, they tend to deal with people who are devoid of real human emotion. You get people who treat other people, and worse: themselves, as objects.

Even if you realize that those behaviors are unhealthy, your viewership enables more of that type of programming to be greenlighted. "Ion't really like the show. I just watch it." *smh* That's what a rating is, numbskull. You increase the ratings just by having your TV on the channel.

I'd say that's food for thought, but whatever! Duwhutchalike...as usual.

Ever the fool...

• My ex-wife "kidnapped" my son. He visited for a weekend. I got a text telling me that he's moved in with her. I don't even know where she lives.
• My girlfriend broke up with me. Just dumped me and won't even talk to me now.
• The good ol' boy that I'm forced to work with under the restructuring of the company I work at takes inordinate glee in the twist he gives the knife that's perpetually lodged in my spine.
• I already have insomnia. Now, I can't sleep at all. I'm awake until I pass out, basically.

The Universe is up to her games of benign neglect, again. I relaxed a little with what I thought was a new lease on life and let myself forget. Lessons learned over ages, epoch, eras and millenia has taught her that the cruelest torture that you can apply to a man is to give him a glimpse of hope and then let entropy slowly rob him of everything he has & is...leading all the way up to him losing his life.

Let the Rain Come Down

What I like most about being in a relationship is the feeling of being a part of something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I thoroughly enjoy being able to talk to her and clear my thoughts knowing that she has my back and that she'll be there for me. I enjoy that because that's what I do my level best to do for her. I love HARD. I don't hold back. I'm wide open with my lady. Everything that I am, I give to her.

That's why my soul is rent, torn, and bleeding a steady, slow drip, right now. I'm having a really difficult time in ignoring this and forgetting about her, too. That's really what people mean by "move on", after all.

I promised myself that I was NEVER going to feel like this again. I was doing well, too. I was home, raising my children, minding my business, playing my PlayStation and not seeking affection or attention from ANYONE. Enough of that! Putting myself out there for the fickle affections of the 'modern American woman'? No, thank you! I'm good!

Then, here she comes! She's different. She's not like them other bitches! First words ever said to me? "Will you marry me?"

*smh@me*

Such a fucking sucker!

I keep hearing the lyrics to Prince's 17 Days in my head.

Fuck, I hurt!

Muckraking

The worst thing about the internet is the people on it. Gaw! Shut up, sometimes. Every news site has a comments section below its stories, now. If you want to see how stupid your neighbors are, then go read those comments. No matter what the story is, some knob is diametrically opposed. No matter what the story is, some jackass will find a way to turn it into an argument about Obama.

More Cute Kittens and other Baby Animals

Comments:
It's just a matter of time before ObamaCare forces you to eat kittens! These Liberals have their head in the sand!

-xXBlackOpsNeoConXx

*smh* Whatever, dickhead!

As my mother used to quote when faced with public assholism: Better that people think you're a fool than that you open your mouth (or click Submit) and remove all doubt.

Anyway, check this out:

Liberal

Moderate

Conservative

Both Liberal AND Conservative are political EXTREMES. The sooner you twats realize that, the sooner you can shut up. Sheesh!

---

RIP Sherman Hemsley

Sherman Hemsley's character, George Jefferson, was groundbreaking. We tuned in for years to watch his antics. He set the stage for many of the sitcoms and characters that have followed The Jeffersons.

RIP Chad Everett

I remember him from 70s and early 80s TV shows. We'd go over Big Mama's house. Big Mama was my dad's godmother. She was short and stout. She always had candy. Sometimes, she made gingerbread. My 6'3" dad would be reduced to a little boy when she baked.

Like a lot of old, black ladies, she had her shows. We'd watch Barnaby Jones over there a lot. Sometimes, we'd watch Trapper John, M.D., McCloud or Columbo. Chad Everett was that suave dude.

---

I'm at another crossroads in this existence. I struggled and pressed and worked to get to this level of management...only to realize it's just another level of sludge in the sewer of American Business.

My fucking Idly Rich Plan sucks ass, I swear.

---

Now that the hoopla has died down, I'm finally watching 24. THAT's what you monkeys were all goofy about? *smh* If ONE "good guy" did something smart, 24 would be 3. In this first season, every broad on this show is a fucking, useless hostage waiting to be grabbed. You think I'm being misogynistic, but you should save that accusation for the producers. The show's on Netflix. Every female character in the first half of the first season was a hostage at some point. Go stream it and see for yourself.

*This is the point when some knob says that it was the first season and it takes time for a show to catch its stride*

I'll keep watching until I get so nauseated that I can't suppress the rising of bile. But, uh, it ain't lookin' good so far. One reason for this insulting dynamic of 'girl hostages' is simple: Hollywood sucks ass...usually literally.

Hollywood fight choreographers, for the most part, have yet to accurately portray the dynamics of hand to hand combat. So, women in action movies continue to be reduced to caricatures. They're either hostages or they're ridiculous.

Weight classes exist in every major professional fighting organization for a reason. You can't ignore the physics of inertia, mass & force. A 5'7", 135 lb. woman beating a 6', 200 lb. man who has been fighting and training for as long as she has in a protracted hand-to-hand scuffle is stupid. While there are exceptions to every rule, on average amongst martial artists and fighters, there is a demonstrable difference in strength. Even when I'm training against a smaller man, I have to remember to use technique and not strength. (Side Note: Girls have been trying to knee us in the balls since we were six. Try that in a real conflict, you're just gonna piss him off and he's going to punch you as hard as he can.)

Wanna see tight, believable, beautifully choreographed fights? Watch Ecks vs. Sever again. Lucy Liu is "li'l bitty". Lucy Liu's character never matched mass or strength against her opponents. She was smart, fast and I never had to suspend belief to watch her in fight in that role.

Anyway, my business dive suit is hosed off and dried. Back to the muck.

Deuces...

What Me Worry?

I was pretty good when it was just me, PS3 and hip hop. Maybe it's time that I stop bumping my head on this particular brick wall. I'm only hurting myself, after all.

Roughnecks

“True artists were scarce—nailing him down by such a simple device as stealing his pants! He loved them for it and wanted to see more of them, as violently as possible.”

---

“We defined thinking as integrating data and arriving at correct answers. Look around you. Most people do that stunt just well enough to get to the corner store and back without breaking a leg. If the average man thinks at all, he does silly things like generalizing from a single datum. He uses one-valued logics. If he is exceptionally bright, he may use two-valued, ‘either-or’ logic to arrive at his wrong answers. If he is hungry, hurt, or personally interested in the answer, he can’t use any sort of logic and will discard an observed fact as blithely as he will stake his life on a piece of wishful thinking. He uses the technical miracles created by superior men without wonder nor surprise, as a kitten accepts a bowl of milk. Far from aspiring to higher reasoning, he is not even aware that higher reasoning exists. He classes his own mental process as being of the same sort as the genius of an Einstein. Man is not a rational animal; he is a rationalizing animal.

“For explanations of a universe that confuses him he seizes onto numerology, astrology, hysterical religions, and other fancy ways to go crazy. Having accepted such glorified nonsense, facts make no impression on him, even if at the cost of his own life. Joe, one of the hardest things to believe is the abysmal depth of human stupidity.

—Robert Heinlein, Gulf, 1948

Robert Heinlein was one of the best writers this world has ever seen. If that is hyperbole, it is only slightly so. His prose seems effortless. It’s sometimes even light and airy, yet the concepts he proposed in his works question some of the precepts that we hold dearest. Heinlein routinely asked fundamental questions about our culture, our future, and the nature of self that a good many people have lived their entire existence without ever considering.

This is one reason why I could gleefully kick Paul Verhoeven to DEATH for that abortion he created and named Starship Troopers. Verhoeven INTENTIONALLY subverted that written work of Heinlein's based solely on his own personal, sociopolitical beliefs.

"According to the DVD commentary, Paul Verhoeven never finished reading the novel, claiming he read through the first few chapters and became both 'bored and depressed.'" The film's Wiki supplies, "Verhoeven states the film's message: 'War makes fascists of us all.' He evokes Nazi Germany—particularly through its use of fashion, iconography and propaganda—which he sees as a natural evolution of the post-World War II United States." This is nearly the polar opposite of the movie's supposed source material. The Wikipedia article on the book states, "The overall theme of the book is that social responsibility requires being prepared to make individual sacrifice." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Troopers_(film))

Themes aside, Mobile Infantry Powered Armor in the author’s words resembled a "hydrocephalic gorilla". Some artists render it thusly: 

Now, consider how Verhoeven thoroughly corrupted the concept.

What Hollywood did to Starship Troopers was the artistic equivalent of giving a Bonobo chimpanzee some India ink and letting it paint directly on the canvas of the Mona Lisa. I’ll never NOT be annoyed by that. But, then, for some people “one of the hardest things to believe is the abysmal depth of human stupidity”. I definitely believe and understand this.

The Welfare Myth

Politicians love to bait voters with thinly veiled allusions to who's actually on welfare. If you read between the lines of their rhetoric, these politicians' statements imply that they will stop government assistance, codnamed "handouts", to people their constituency find undesirable. Historically, this has been poor minorities.

I guess, in reference to this particular article, a poor minority is 'receiving handouts'. I still wish the general voting populace would pull their collective heads out of their ass and try thinking for themselves. At well over $100,000 per year for the rest of their lives at retirement, federal congressmen, cabinet officials and executive politicians point fingers to keep slow-witted voters from realizing who's actually receiving handouts.

This dude is a doctor. Check out his story and look at the statistics of people with high-level (masters or doctorate) degrees who have filed for welfare assistance. So, folks just MIGHT want to consider a little compassion in their socio-political deliberation. It could happen to anyone.

Even A PhD Couldn't Keep This Man Off Food Stamps

Wait, Wha-?

'Anti-Racists' Attack White Heritage Group in Family Restaurant

So, wait? Anti-racists attack white supremacists. There's a...brouhaha (LOVE that word). Chaos ensues. But, everyone involved is White?

Did I miss a memo?

Post-racial FTW!!!

Urban American Culture & You

Bangalore Hip Hop Photo, Culture Picture – National Geographic Photo of the Day

I'm moved by a lot of what I see on National Geographic's website. People and their cultures are shown in vivid detail. The Your Shot feature allows readers to submit photos of their own for display on the website. National Geographic's efforts to study, showcase and savor humanity in its diversity can only be applauded.

I look for representation of my own culture, though. I've been seeking photos of the beautiful things in Urban American culture. So far, no luck! Maine...Nevada...Wyoming...even Alabama are all on photographs. Bombed out buildings in Afghanistan are even featured in shots of surprising complexity. But, Urban America? I've found one photo of some women in New York.

Hip Hop? NatGeo went to Bangalore to get a shot of hip hop. C'mon, son! Know what, though? That's not all National Geographic's fault. Those of us in & from urban environments need to photograph those things that we find inspiring & beautiful. There's no evidence that beauty even exists in the 'hood, yet NatGeo manages to find beauty in all other parts of the world. Step up, y'all. Don't just record shenanigans and dumbassededness for YouTube & WorldStarHipHop. Show some depth & sophistication by taking some stills of those moments that we know are there.

Priorities

Mbukushu Mother and Child Photo, Botswana Picture - National Geographic Photo of the Day

This photo just got me to thinking how much we take for granted here in the United States. People complain SO much about what they don't have and how unfair life is. Yet this woman is crossing a river ON FOOT and wearing a smile.

I'm taking a moment here to be thankful for what I do have.

Anything deeper than your knees...

...and you become a part of the food chain.

Shark Picture – Underwater Photo - National Geographic Photo of the Day

All In One Life

Sneaky...

*psy* I need another PS3. I'm not buying one until these kids get out, though.

Forget "Like A Man"...Just THINK!

People who know me will attest to this fact: Treating me like you think I’m stupid is one of the surest ways to get me to show you how wrong you are…usually in a manner that makes you look really simple. I used to tell my ex-girlfriend all the time, “Stop managing me.” I could tell when she was trying to use conflict resolution techniques to assuage me. Newp! Use your own brain! Even if the methodology of thought in which you engage me is one you learned, personalize it. The only textbook solution that will work on me is disengagement. In other words, go away!

Come to think of it, that’s the final conflict resolution technique that she used on me. I’m amused. Touché, pussycat!

---

It’s cold as a witch’s tit here today! Why the hell is it 50-some’n degrees in Atlanta, right now?

---

I watched Think Like A Man this weekend. It was ok: Happily ever after for Black girls, and whatnot. They’ll leave the theater feeling empowered. That’s important.

Meanwhile…in THIS galaxy…men with brains three feet above their pelvis remain disenchanted with the characterization in the movies.

There were too many characters in this movie. What did we really know about the women? Having a relationship with a woman without knowing what’s particularly squirrelly about her is usually a recipe for a lot of arguing. Experience and anecdotal evidence speak volumes on the subject. For instance, why did one of the characters sleep with men on first dates before she was so miraculously saved by this dating bible written by a stand-up comedian? Chris Brown’s himbo character could NOT have been SMARTER when he approached her initially. Think about it. So, what was it? Daddy issues? Was she molested as a young girl? Was she just horny all the time? Seems trivial, but each one of those issues has kept many a man up at night wondering what the hell was wrong with his woman? But, that was untouched.

That was just one issue in five. Youngest female COO in corporate history? What drove that? Naked ambition? Fear of failure?

Where was that li’l boy’s daddy?

The best-rounded man in that clique of doofuses was the married, white man. He was also the wimpiest. Dude dunked on him and he congratulated him. Testosterone replacement therapy is in order. Did it have to be portrayed that way? Newp! But, the perception in the dominant culture in American society is that a married man is a domesticated man. Minivans & helmets for the kids cuz that’s what she wants.

Regardless, the rest of those male characters were so one-dimensional and flawed that if they turned sideways, they’d disappear. Sistas SWEAR that that’s how men really are on their dating scene. “You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.” *shrug* I know there are a lot of stupid, venal, selfish men out there. There’s no sense in being defensive about that. Still, there are a lot of good men out here who are struggling to do the right thing in a society that continues to look down upon them and who passed on or who are viewed as 'undateable'.

Anyway…if you watch the movie and enjoy it for the sake of entertainment, who could find fault in that? But, if you take those scripted behaviors or the book that inspired this movie as some sort of behavioral guide, then you can probably return your brain to sender marked “UNUSED”.

Post-Racial - How Did We Get Here?

I was listening to Jon Connors “Saginaw Street Chronicles” off of his Season 2 mixtape. This was followed up by Big K.R.I.T.’s “Children of the World”. I couldn’t help but feel the despair of my little brothers. This “post-racial” world we live in is a trip. “Post-racial” apparently means insults, disparaging remarks and the continued systemic disenfranchisement of an entire ethnic group is ok as long as you show one of them in a beer commercial with the “majority”.


School systems steered little boys into positions where they could “make shit”. So, pipefitters, machinists, plumbers, painters, carpenters, mechanics, and other jobs of this sort were the jobs young men were encouraged to seek. Where I grew up, Detroit, working in “the plant” was the job a lot of dudes looked for. It was decent money. You could raise a family on it. And, industries in the area were not hiring young men from the city. Then, big corporations sent all those production jobs overseas and put the people in them out of work. Young men saw their fathers laid off and downsized after decades of doing what was expected of them.

Right around that time, the music industry corrupted & changed. In the 80s, when hip hop went public and became more than a fad, drugs were taboo and those who used them were shunned. Then, the industry gave a voice to drug users. Weed ("pot" to some of you, marijuana officially) is now viewed as the norm. Right around that same time in the 80s, crack hit the streets. The federal government’s tacit complacence, if not actual involvement, in the crack epidemic of the 1980s is a matter of public record.

A Zombie Apocalypse is some sort of cultural meme and a bit of a running joke for most people; but, I lived through Detroit in the 1980s. It was like Raccoon City up in that bitch at times.

So, “society” has steered generations of young men towards these jobs which were then taken away, stripping them of hope and livelihood. The popular music of the time shifted from themes of responsibility, camaraderie and fun to darker themes of materialism, violence and irresponsible sex. Language and music inform cultures. The worst drug epidemic this society has seen to date hits these same streets. So, you can make a LOT of money if you participate in the sale & distribution of these drugs, but to survive the most violent aspects of your personality MUST come to the fore. The other side of that coin is being a customer—using crack, looking for a high as good as that first hit. Anecdotally, some versions of crack were known as cumbomb. Your first high was so good, you’d orgasm. Seeking that elusive high is what created a rock/crack cocaine addict, also known as a “crackhead”.

The same society that stripped the people native to the continent they colonized of hope and their homes, shipping them/us (running joke or not, many Black Americans are the bastard children of two or more continents) to “reservations”, freely supplying them with a chemical addictive (alcohol in the case of Native Americans), used this tried & true methodology in inner cities in the 1980s & 90s.

The additional step of not only making possession of crack illegal, but making the penalty three times stiffer than possession of a corresponding weight of cocaine, made a further mess of things. Mandatory sentencing incarcerated thousands, then millions, of young, Black men. Incarceration became enculturation…along with the violence, misogyny, hopelessness and despair glorified in this newer form of hip hop. Language & music do as much to inform a culture as they are informed by it, after all. Then, the same "post-racial" society whose majority culture & systemic bigotry enabled this entire sad, sorry state of affairs, clucks its collective tongue, shakes its big, collective head and places all the blame squarely on the Black Man.

The hate affair that America has with the Black Man is deeper and even more insidious than what I’ve stated. As I wrote, the rabbit hole just kept getting deeper. Consider that conquerors have proven over the centuries that if you take the men out of the equation, if you can emasculate them either physically or psychologically, then you can do what you want with their women. Follow that thought to its natural end. I elected not to follow every branch of thought, however. There isn’t enough time.

Still, my brothas, you’re playing with a stacked deck. I salute each & every one of you who beat the odds and is trying to do the right thing despite the "post-racial" world around you. Keep your head up and be smart.

F'real, tho...

Paragraph upon paragraph, months later...

In the end, this why she mad:

...and, I wasn't even trying to play it like this.

If you know you're ultimately incompatible with someone, how long are YOU going to play pretend? Then, you tell them, without either being inconsiderate or mean, that this thing you have going on doesn't work for you. You tell them that you don't WANT them to change themselves. You just want/need to move forward.  That, after all, is the entire point of DATING. You're testing your compatibility with this person.

There was a period after the breakup where my sole concern was improving my life for my brats and for myself. I was completely unconcerned with dating. PS3 was all the entertainment I needed. It was during that time period that I ran into someone interesting. That is no slight on ANY of my exes.

So, please stop taking it like that. You know you couldn't deal with me or my bratz, anyway.

Tweet! Tweet! Rockin’ Robin!

I've done some acrobatically filthy things with eagerly willing participants. But…

*lost my thought*

---

Wassup, piglets.

---

I need a Mountain Dew. But, MD keeps weight on you like a diver's belt. So, my creativity must be internally fueled. I apologize in advance.

---

So, yeah…Twitter. Ever tried it? Tens of millions of people on it as you read this, but I know a few people who still think, "That's just a fad." Hell, my dad, who has sent me 800-character text messages, still thinks rap is a fad and hates my baggy jeans & boots. Meanwhile, my son rides a skateboard and dresses like a pre-1968 peace activist complete with "stovepipe" jeans, fedoras, and oxford shirts.

Anyway, I apologize for the digression. Back to Twitter. The more I interact with people on the basis of hip hop on this social medium, the more artists I find who are creating some great music without the backing or, more importantly, direction of profit-driven, commercial radio-focused major labels.

You've seen young Wiki, below. But, I've also found hard working, but relatively unknown, artists, groups and producers like Classified, Conrizzle, Clear Soul Forces, Droop E, Mike Mills, and Reallionaire Jream along with Hip Hop legends like Erick Sermon. I named these folks in particular because they have free music on the web…and, it's good music.

*shrug* I'm sure you'll do what you do. But, if you're open to suggestion, check Twitter out, you pseudo-Luddite. It might surprise you.

---

If a woman the same size as her partner picks a physical fight with him and he defends himself, is he an "abuser"? Women will say some crazy shit like, "She couldn't hurt him"...as if his skin is organic steel like Colossus. Or: He shouldn't have been with her in the first place. (Riiight. Cuz, prognostication & clairvoyance comes with the penis.) Or, my favorite: Men MAKE women act like they do. (I've heard that from a few women who didn't want to take responsibility for their OWN actions.)


Seen this yet? Rihanna Defiantly Refuses to End Contact with Chris Brown

There a reason why those two singers keep hanging out. Everyone condemned the dude, ignoring reports that their relationship was "volatile". "Volatile" is media for "She swings on folks". Now, look back at how that shook out. When she showed up w/black eyes, she wasn't talking. You ever got your ass beat after you started the fight? Your ass was quiet, weren't you? You knew you deserved that whuppin'.

Is domestic violence acceptable? No. But, I bet your mom's last paycheck that your reaction is different if a dude picks a fight w/his woman and she beats dat ass. You'd laugh. Everything in the reports about the night when she showed up looking like a speed bump said to me that she picked that fight...and lost. Now...look at yourself and compare how that agitates you. He was supposed to not defend himself, right?

The rule remains the same for women as it does for men: NO HITTING!!! Maybe they've grown up some and learned that lesson.

Meanwhile...you #GoSiddown

Objectivity & the Female Gender

I do objectify women. *shrug* I won't apologize for it. I'm genetically designed to appreciate female mammalian secondary sexual characteristics. For the uninformed those are those curves produced by the XX chromosome set that make babies & straight men want to nurse. (Ma-Ma!)


I mean, I see a stacked babe wearing something form-fitting or revealing and my brain automatically begins preparing Tab A or insertion into Tabs A-C. (Yeah, I know! I'm nasty!) This is merely idle speculation, mind you. My conscious mind doesn't even bother calculating the odds of success of each angle of approach any more.

Meh! Why bother?

But, my subconscious mind is still blubbering with a reaction that I hope to never successfully quell. My subconscious mind is slavering like chained hyena with blood somewhere close. ("Gottdamm!! She got a NICE ass!!!") Fortunately, my poker face is iron. There are women who I'd put a hickey on one of her asscheeks in the middle of the Rose Bowl parade. But, they'll never know it…and, neither will you…because I have restraint. Now, when I'm around friends that I trust, I might just admit that I find a woman attractive.

I say this because I realize that women live in constant fear of men and annoyance at men. Much of this reaction is because many men don't know how to compliment a woman and don't know how to approach a woman. Much of their reaction is because many women let fashion put all their goodies out where men can ogle them. There are no excuses in either case.

Fellas, even if everything about the woman makes you want to be Tarzan to her Jane, give it a rest. Unless she says, "Yes, I'll go home with you" or something equivalent, sitcho monkey ass down.

Women, know what you want, don't send mixed signals, and put on some damned clothes. Your behavior & clothing is never EVER an excuse for stalking, molestation or rape. But, some of these dudes just DON'T know how to behave.

Anyway…I gotta go.

Deuces

The Politics of Race & the Death of a Child

The more I deal with people, the less I want to. Some people cling to this shining hope that people can rise above their simian natures to attain something better as a species. *smh* That's…NOT…gonna happen. The internet, the very vehicle of communication on which you are reading this, gives all the proof you need or desire to see mankind's TRUE condition as venal, self-centered primates.

CASE IN POINT:

As you may see below, this is the time period after the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old boy slain while returning from a snack run. George Zimmerman, an armed 28-year-old man, after being instructed to remain in his vehicle, stalked, confronted and killed this unarmed teenager with a gunshot. What I stated here is not disputed by anyone. However, justification for this young man's MURDER is offered based on the fact that Trayvon is a Black teenager while Zimmerman is of mixed racial descent, White & Latino. Caucasian Americans have offered statistics on "Black on Black" crime in rebuttal.

HOW IS THAT RELEVANT?

What you're saying is that I should not feel outrage at this young man's death because of something that happened to someone else? You're excusing the murder of a child because of…racial politics? People's propensity to play saints & sinners in response to a tragedy is sickening.

George Zimmerman's father is a retired District Court judge. And, while you can't PROVE something like coercion or use of influence by their absence, what man do you know of that can get into a physical dispute with a policeman and the case just goes away? Don't let Zimmerman's undoubtedly shrewd defense team trick you into thinking about this case in the terms of race. Once you do, then they can plant seeds of reasonable doubt. That's legalese for, "Maybe he didn't do it." Or, "Maybe Trayvon deserved to die."

The bottom line is this: Zimmerman is NOT a police officer. This was NOT an undercover operation. Young Mr. Martin was unarmed and did not confront Mr. Zimmerman in his vehicle. Finally, there's this: If George Zimmerman had remained in his car, had followed police instruction, had not stalked and confronted this man-child, he may not be alive today; BUT HE WOULD NOT HAVE DIED THAT NIGHT AT GEORGE ZIMMERMAN'S HAND. That, and only that, is the basis for judgment.

The politics of race OBVIOUSLY needs to still be addressed in America.^* 44 years after the death of America's most famous civil rights leader, digression in the mindset of the majority and in their children is horribly evident in the incendiary comments and posts left intentionally scattered throughout this very vehicle of communication on which you are reading this. But, leave it out of THIS case and judge just based on the evidence.

^* A heartfelt plea to the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK is here: http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/04/02/police-the-race-game-and-a-request-to-the-cps/
A father's lessons to his son are here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/24/trayvon-martin-my-son-and_1_n_1377003.html?ref=mostpopular
Be sure to read the comments & responses to both. They might be enlightening.

I did this bugged-out photo shoot with some of the Ladies at Toys on Chains -http://toysonchains.tumblr.com/

I did this bugged-out photo shoot with some of the Ladies at Toys on Chains -http://toysonchains.tumblr.com/: I did this bugged-out photo shoot with some of the Ladies at Toys on Chains -http://toysonchains.tumblr.com/

R.A. the Rugged Man, one of hip hop's more original acts.

Inappropriate Test Response

My pen is in a goat.

I've seen adult chatters online who 1) haven't advanced past this level and 2) actually WOULD put their penis in a goat. *dead*

Pretty Picture

Wiki - Pretty Picture from Letter Racer on Vimeo.

I'd much rather listen to some real HipHop than the (c)rap on the radio. Wiki has got a great start here.

Wiki Speaks...

Wikispeaks - Wiki 1993 from Letter Racer on Vimeo.
Another kid about the same age as my son. Note the hoodies...

Look at this kid.

Now...look at my kid:

Both 17. Both with little brothers. The one up top, though, is dead.

My heart goes out to his parents, family and friends. Their pain is nearly unimaginable to me. I know that I could not be as calm as they are during this time.

As part of the national discourse on Trayvon Martin's death, people are using "Black-on-White crime" statistics to defend the police chief & Trayvon's killer, Zimmerman. I'm not posting links or references because it sickens me. If you have any sort of objectivity combined with any knowledge of search engines, then all you need to do is search. You'll see what I'm talking about.

The bottom line is this: An unarmed child on a parent-sanctioned errand was stalked, attacked and slain by an armed adult who outweighed him by 100 lbs. and who, subsequently, lied about his actions. In what culture is this acceptable behavior. Melanin, genotype and phenotype have nothing to do with this CRIME. We can disagree on this. It IS a free country. But, stay away from me if you think behavior like that is in ANY way acceptable.