Why Are Celebrities In The Top News?

People love celebrities. We breathe in what they do and say like it gives us life! Why the hell Paris Hilton is on CNN though, I'll never fully understand. It seems like we have to revert back to childhood doesn't it? Is CNN not a reputable enough news source that it doesn't have to put media spectacles like Paris Hilton in it's program? With all that's going on in the world of politics, foreign policy, society, have CNN nothing better to post than Paris Hilton's exit from jail? Did a story get pulled at the last minute for being to "brave" to be put on the news? So in the emergency filler time they cut to Paris Hilton?

If I want celebrity news, I'll turn to E! When I watch CNN I want to see more people of merit on the news. Now I'm not saying that all celebrities on the top news are misplaced. Some deserve their spotlight. I loved when Kathy Griffin hosted Larry King Live and had her special about the papparazzi because that's something that's important not only to celebrities, but to the people that look up to celebrities. Seeing your favorite celebrity in a compromising photo is like kryptonite to a fan. I loved the tribute they did to Bernie Mac when he died, I thought that was very well deserved. I; however, do not want to see Britney Spears' stories every fifteen minutes on my local news channel when there are so many more important issues going on in the world.

I love a good gossip story like any other person, but can we get back to the issues at hand please?

-Roderic

Racial Profiling Used To Help Capture Criminals...Are You SERIOUS?!

I recently read an article defending racial profiling to capture criminals. They say it's not about racism, it's more so about the fact that certain races are deprived economically and live in poverty and where you find poverty, you ultimately find crime. I say that's crap. It's true that people who live in poverty are more likely to commit a crime, but it's ridiculous to use race as a factor in trying to find criminals. There are people in poverty in every race, what kind of bull is that? Saying that okay these poor black, latino, or asian people may be criminals, but were going to ignore the white poor people because they don't usually commit crimes. I can see if you're going to use economi$c status as a factor, that'd be less offensive. I mean it's still BS to subject the less fortunate to such scrutiny, but that's able to be defended better than racial profiling.

Instead of viewing the poor and less fortunate as potential criminals, why don't we as a society try to help those who are less fortunate, therefore reducing the crime rate because we won't have as many people in the lower socioeconomic status. How can we as a people even defend using race as a basis to catch criminals. I could see that being possible if all the criminals in the world were a single race, but crime knows no race, creed, or sex. If you put ten people in a line there's a 1 in 10 chance you'll find a criminal. However, based on crime statistics, if you have a black male, you'll have a higher chance of finding a criminal.

They're building jails right now for 3rd grade african-american males. You think I'm joking? The government would rather spend money on a prison for 3rd grade african-american males, no more than 7-8 years old than to use that money for programs to help African-American males. I tell you what... find an old grandmother and give her that same money and I guarantee she'll use that money that was used to house a potential prisoner and produce a lawyer or a police officer.

Am I the only one outraged here? I have cousins in the 3rd grade, I'll be damned if I let you spend the money I pay every paycheck to taxes to build a prison for my cousins. Give me my money back!

-Roderic

Gay Marriage....GASP!

Okay, Here are my thoughts on gay marriage. I'm not homosexual, not that it matters, my points are still going to be valid whether I am or not.

Okay I believe that homosexuals have every right to get married. Hell, if a man and a woman that hate each other can get married, then two people that love each other should also be able to get married. We have people who get married after a crazy night in Vegas, very irresponsibly, and we have the nerve to preach the sanctity of marriage. We have Drive-Thru marriages in Vegas, how sacred is that shit? "Welcome to Chapel Hut can I interest you in our two for one special?"

Give me a break... what's the worst that could happen if we let them get married? They already have rights and can vote, what else could go wrong if we let them get married? Afraid all the guys and girls on the downlow are going to leave their boyfriends and girlfriends and get married to the same sex? Kind of like how people think legalizing drugs will make people more likely to do them. Trust me, I've never tried heroin or had sex with a man... if you legalize gay marriage or heroin I'm not going to try them that's the bottom line. (I'm not comparing gays to drugs or trying to subliminally say that gay marriage is equal to doing heroin either, just to clear that up for anyone who might get misconstrued there).

In my class I had a debate with a woman about gay marriage. She said that the gay's should just be able to live together and that should be good enough for them. I was like wait wait wait... so it's good enough for gay's to remain stagnant but not for a woman and a man? How many men have been pressured by their women to get married and the guy is like "What's the rush to getting married, we already live together, nothing's going to change". So it's acceptable for gay's not to have one of the most special moments in a person's life recognized? As much bullshit freedom we allow in this country? We're starting to become the same stuck up nation that our "founding fathers" left their old home for. We're all about eliminating persecution and religious freedom and blah blah, but we're quick to cite the Bible when it comes to issues we don't want to deal with. The Bible says a lot of shit. It says that money is the root of all evil, but we build banks and casinos like houses! People go to college so they can get a great paying job. The Bible says thou shall not kill, but it also says an eye for an eye. Thou shall not commit adultery... "You ARE the father!" or... Cheaters? Anyone? So let's not quote the Bible for that shit. What's the real issue concerning gay marriage? Are people just afraid? Like they were about giving blacks their freedom. You afraid that it's going to upset the established order? Well be a man or woman about yall's shit and say exactly what you feel... sure you may get impeached or fired, but I'd rather someone be a vocal bigot than smile in my face and talk about me when I walk by.

People also always claim that gay marriage may lead to people marrying animals. Are you serious?!? PETA would be all over that shit. You definitely wouldn't be able to abuse your spouse if you married an animal. And besides... who the hell is going to speak for the animals? Animals can't communicate with humans. There is not going to be a dog at a press conference saying, yes I love this woman and her peanut butter and we want to get married. So the argument for that is just ridiculous. There are no animals advocating to get married to humans so tell me how that's going to happen?

The children issue is another problem. People don't think two men or two women should raise a child, but more importantly two men. Look... I've seen a man and a woman fuck up a child. I work with children. Some kids there have a mom and dad and anytime the parents come see the child, they make the kid worse. Now... how bad can gay's fuck up? Parents molest their children, parents kill their children, parents neglect and abuse their children. One man, one woman or two women it doesn't matter, if you're not fit to be a parent you're not fit to be a parent! Do people think that gay parents will raise their children to be gay and eventually it will be the end of all humanity?! Well you know what... there are many threats to humanity... deal with it.

Well... that's quite the post, very controversial I should say. Have at it People!

-Roderic

Is Chivalry Dead?

Opening the car door for you, pulling out your chair, holding the door open for you, and putting his jacket on your shoulder when it's chilly. When's the last time a guy did this for you without you asking? Now for some of you, it's been awhile since you've dated someone, so your last experience doesn't really count as it's gonna make it seem like chivalry is indeed dead.

I'm here to say today... that chivalry is not dead! It's merely in hiding. It's so unool to be a gentleman today, it's all about what you have, material possessions, and how much money you make that guys and ladies don't sit back and appreciate the little things that attract them to guys. Forget the blinding pinky ring, all that's gonna do is blcok your vision and make you run into the door of the restaurant that he didn't hold open for you.

We need to reeducate the guys to let them know that the way to a girl's heart isn't through your wallet. I mean it would help a situation if the door you held open for her was to a nice restaurant and not Mickey D's. I know today it's all about being tough and masculine. The media has made it real cool for dudes to say "bitch get in my car" and by the way... you're gonna have to open the door yourself.

I think Farnsworth Bentley and Jamie Foxx have it going with this gentleman's movement though. It looks like that being a gentleman is coming back into "style" I should say. So we'll see if chivalry makes a reappearance.

The Time Is Now

The time for procrastination is over people. The most important election in our generation is coming up in November. Those who aren't registered to vote have until October to do so. I'm talking to all you 18 and over out there. If you don't know how crucial this election is then I suggest you talk to someone who's over 40 and see what they say. I was talking to my coworker today and he told me that he thought he'd never see the day where there was a possibility to be a black president. He thought he'd die never seeing the day that a black man had a serious chance at becoming president. So I'm doing my part to educate everyone I know to get out there and vote. I won't go as far as to tell you who to vote for, I wish I could, but I won't hate you as much as I would if you didn't vote at all.

Let's not have a repeat of 2000 everyone when the election was stolen. We definitely won't fall for that shit twice.

Let's not have another 43 presidents come and go before we finally start taking this seriously people.

-think... It ain't illegal yet

Do You Believe In Love At First Sight? Well Get Your Eyes Checked!

The all time argument, love at first sight. Does it exist? I say no, others say yes, but really... most people are self-conscious about kissing on the first date are you going to tell me that you believe in love at first sight? I definitely believe in lust at first sight. You can meet someone and instantly have that animal attraction to them that over time can develop into love and that's where some people make their mistake. I'm not saying you can't meet someone one night and then fall in love with them over a period of time, but just based on sight? Is there a vision test required to have love at first sight? What if you wear glasses? What if you've been drinking? What if you're blind!? Does the dog notice the person for the blind guy? Anyways... I've gone too far off topic. Back to my point....

So I don't think you can say you've found love at first sight. ALTHOUGH! Statistics show us that the number one indicator of lasting relationships is physical attraction. So... seeing someone that you find attractive will give you the fortitude to ask that person out and in doing so can lead to love. So maybe the saying should be changed to something else. I thought I was clever enough to think of a saying, but I'm drawing a blank. Oh how about "Love after first sight."

It's not catchy, but who knows...

Horror Movie Directors

I just finished watching black christmas and yeah, it was the worst horror movie I've ever seen.

I came to the realization that horror movie directors don't have black friends. If a horror movie director told his black friend about a horror movie he/she was making I bet the black friend would have alot to say about it.

Let's say there's a group of people in a horror situation like stuck inside the house while the killer is outside. Instead of everyone staying together wherever they go what do they do? Send one or two people to go find their cell phone or go turn on the power. A black person would be like nuh uh you can't do that cause I know damn well people ain't that dumb.

If you know there's a killer somewhere near you, why the hell you gonna go somewhere that's closed in like an attic or basement knowing the killer is some kind of brilliant architect and can navigate through the house better than you. I'd stay in a well lit room with a baseball bat, knife, gun, whatever I could find until the cops came. Or until it became daylight...why the hell you gonna try to leave at night? The killer can SEE you! Even if it's a snow storm at night, YES! he still can see you. Even though he has a mask that only has cutouts for the eyes he can still see you on the side of him.

Horror movie villains are supernatural! They have all the beastest (word?) attributes and never die like the first 3 times. I mean shit...Neve Campbell shot the killer in the head in both Scream movies and it still became a trilogy... the killers never die! how many times have people killed Freddy or Jason or Mike Meyers? Shit... Jason was still alive in the future after hundreds of years! It was like 2195 in Jason X.

I mean...even the black people that are in horror movies must know that they're gonna die. They killed Samuel L. Jackson, Jada Pinkett, Omar Epps, Brandy, and Mekhi Phifer in horror movies so you know if you're a no name actor you're history within the first 15 minutes of the movie. Like I know these actors/actresses only did the movie for the check because I know they had to have looked at the script and be like..."So....I'ma stand near a big ass pool of water knowing there's a shark loose? nah playa that's not me... I'ma catch yall around the way."

Like I know black actors hafta be mad too because they're the most cautious people in the movie and they still die! I know the white people are like "Shit jamal how'd he get you in that bank vault? I walked right to the noise and didn't get a scratch."

If there were ever a horror movie with all black people in it, they'd either all die within the first 5 minutes or have all they baby's daddy's come there and shoot the killer. The killers ain't stupid either, they know ain't no black person with a gun gonna be at "Crystal Lake". They know this and that's why they stay clear of black neighborhoods. There was one movie Leprechaun in the hood, but my blackness didn't allow me to rent that.

All that from one bad horror movie...

Politicians Aren't That Different From Rappers

So I'm sitting here listening to Nas' cd and just laughing at the comparisons that politicians and rappers have even though they diss each other all the time it could be because they're so similar that they're scared someone like me will come along and point out how alike they are, kind of like brothers who everybody says they look alike, but they always say they look nothing alike. Anyways, enough metaphors let's get into my argument shall we?

1. Politicians represent their respective states much like rappers. There's the southern rappers and politicians with their southern hospitality and there's the brash notherners, then there's the east coast and west coast politicians and rappers.
2. Politicians succeed by how many endorsements they have. Much like rappers who get pepsi or coke deals and influence another audience of people.
3. Rappers and politicians go on tour. Politicians visit around the world speaking their cause as do rappers. They travel around the world rapping their cause. The papparazzi love rappers and politicians too.
4. It's all about money and votes. Politicians are more successful depending on how much money they raise and how many people vote for them. Rappers are more successful when they have money and people buy their records.
5. Also, it's all about results. If a politician or rapper comes out saying all this stuff then they have to follow it up with a great product be it a hot album or new Bills being passed to help the people. The pressure is always on for a hotter album/ product too.
6. Politicians diss each other just like rappers. How many times have you seen the negative ads on television about McCain supporting high gas prices or Obama not having foreign experience. Paid for by John McCain or Barack Obama. Much like rappers dissing each other to prove that they're better than the other rapper.
7. The people ultimately choose who's wordplay is the best. If a rapper's album is better than another rapper's album, then that rapper will be the top selling artist based on how many people buy their albums. For politicians it's the people that vote for them to determine who's the best.
8. It's all about fly cars, helicopters, private jets, fancy food, and big ass houses. Think about it... every rich rapper claims to have a G5 jet, the newest Maybach, and a 30 room mansion. MTV cribs everybody! Look at politicians, the president has Air Force One, a limo everywhere he goes, and the white house has about 33 rooms. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw Bill Clinton on Cribs when he was President, that'd just set it off for me.
9. East Coast and West Coast Rivalry is like the Republicans and Democrats. (Think Biggie and Pac and McCain and Obama) But of course, there's always someone from your side trying to bring you down so that they can take your spot (Think Hillary vs. Obama). the coasts and politicians are only as strong as who they have representing them though. Remember after Pac and Biggie died how the rap world kind of fell back for a bit until someone new emerged? That's kind of how the last election was with Bush and Kerry. Alot of People didn't like Bush, but nobody really could get behind Kerry cause he wasn't charismatic enough.
10. Everything is about your camp, your crew, your party. Politics and Rap are very cliquish. The President's cabinet is nothing but his buddies, can anybody say Gggggg-Unit! Or Wu-Tang!
11. Rappers and politicians can't stand when someone threatens or hurts one of their own. Nas says that "If they take one of mine, We gonna take one of theirs, We'll never break the oath til the death I swear". This is similar to what happened with 9/11. they took some of ours so we went to war and took some of theirs.
12. It's also a fact that Politcians and Rappers can't resist groupies. Look at Clinton, Edwards, Kennedy, Spitzer. They all fooled around with prostitutes, interns, actresses, etc. Just like rappers who screw the video girls.
13. Finally, the friends of the rapper or politician reap all the benefits. Look at hypemen who get to go on the road, eat in fancy restaurants, wear the best clothes and sleep with all the women all cause they know that dude! Similar to politicians giving their friends high paying jobs or "pardoning" people who've been caught.

Those are some of the similarities they have, but again like rappers, politicians work the best when they collaborate rather than compete. Some of my favorite songs are collaborations, not diss records. People perform better when they have healthy competition rather than negative competition.

Think People!

It's Not Enough For A Man To Merely Own The World

No no sir! It's not enough for a man to possess the whole world, he has to make sure everyone else knows he owns the world.

Think about it. You don't feel complete if you win something unless you talk shit afterwards. What's the best feeling to a person who just blocked a shot in a basketball game? The scream afterwards! That sets everything off... When you feel that ball hit the palm of your hand and you slam it into the 6th row of bleachers, if you don't scream like you're trying to blow the roof off the arena, you won't feel fulfilled.

The point I'm making is that people love to brag. Whether it's about getting straight A's on your report card (which I did this Summer) or cleaning your plate when you're 4 years old and asking your mommy if you're a big boy!

People claim that they are modest, nobody is "really" modest, we all want to brag about something. Whether we're trying to prove we're better than someone, trying to humiliate someone, or just trying to prove that we're not worthless to ourselves.. We love to run our mouths about accomplishments, achievements, and promotions.

Také facebook as a prime example... Look a the past ten statuses from your friends and see how many of them are bragging about what they have or what they're about to do. Socially, facebook is a digital slap in the face for anyone who's done anything wrong to anybody. How many times have you dissed your boyfriend or girlfriend or best friend or worst enemy with a clever facebook status?? Don't be ashamed, I've done it too. We love to put people down and make ourselves look high and mighty to as many people as possible. It's not bad enough that your boyfriend was a jerk to you for no reason... No no you gotta let the entire cyberspace know that your boyfriend is a jerk and change your relationship status to single so people will know that you're pissed at him. It's not enough that you were right about something... No you have to write a note about how people are wrong and you're always right.

The people getting dissed are no better, we're glutton for punishment checking our facebook every ten mins to see if someone says anything about you. You can be asleep and wake up at 3 am and grab your comp. To see if someone commented on your status or note or if someone has said anything about you.

Here's an experiment... I am going to write something profane in my status and see how many people contact me about it... I should write like "people can be so inconsiderate...just pisses me off" and see how many people are like "omg rod what happened?!" Lol.

I may just do that...

Reminiscing About The Good Ol Days

Man, remember the good ol' days? The days of no responsibility. Those days when Summer came, you actually didn't have to worry about anything. Remember Saturday mornings? I mean the REAL Saturday mornings, back when Doug, Pepper Ann, Tom & Jerry, and Looney Tunes still came on t.v. and you'd wake up at like 8 a.m. and get that BIG ASS bowl of cereal you know that mixing bowl that your grandma used to mix cakes and stuff and sit in the living room and watch cartoons for like 3 hours. Somebody would always be like who ate all the cereal? Whatever happened to Looney Tunes anyway? It's been years since I seen a bugs bunny cartoon. What is this crap they show on t.v. now? Ben 10?! What the hell?! Only cartoon I like that's for the kids now are spongebob squarepants and fairly oddparents... but they ain't got nothin on some Looney Tunes!
Back then kids used to love to go outside and play. Kids today are too consumed with the internet and myspace to even step outside. My 12 year old cousin knows how to change the layout of her myspace page, but she don't know how to play freeze tag. Are you serious?!? Freeze tag and hide and go seek (or if you had enough girls, hide and go get it, lol) were the shit! How can you not appreciate the luxury of going outside when you're like 9-14? Being in the house all Summer damn near killed us and it didn't even matter how hot it was. We'd either spray each other with the water hose, sit on the front porch where there's shade and look at the cars drive by picking out which one was ours, or ride our bikes around the block.
Remember the freeze cups? Put some koolaid in a styrofoam cup and freeze it. When you ate it you always ate the whole middle part first and you had a big ass hole in the middle of the freeze cup.
Remember the parties the adults used to have? The ones where the lil kids couldn't come into the living room where the adults were, but it was okay because we were having our own party anyway! And we always thought our music was better than the adult's music.
Remember Saturday Night "Snick" on Nickolodeon? The big orange couch and it had Keenan and Kel, All That, and Are You Afraid of the Dark? on it. Are you afraid of the dark was the scariest shit in the world too. Remember the one about the clown in the funhouse where the kid stole his nose and the clown stalked him? That's why clowns are evil!!

Then came Sunday morning where you had to go to church and your grandma gave you 50 cents to put into the offering, but you always thought about keeping the money so you could get yourself some gum from the grocery store later on... Remember why you could never figure out why Sundays were so boring? It was like Saturday was the livest day, everything was on t.v., but Sunday nothing was on but sports... and you didn't really like sports back then so you just popped in one of your Disney movies like Aladdin or Pinocchio even though you had seen them 100 times.

Boy those were the good ol' days, back when Summer school was something you didn't have to do if you did good in your classes all year round. Back when you just got the mail and never had anything in there except those highlights magazines and you thought you were the shit every month when it came in the mail.

Now look at us... we wanted to get older so much, now here we are, in our 20s or 30s, looking back wishing we could sleep in on a Saturday morning and eat that big bowl of cereal, but we have work, bills, kids of our own who eat all the damn cereal before we can get any! Nowadays kids want ipods and cell phones for christmas, whatever happened to action figures?

Kids today can download an entire album before it comes out for free! Back in the day we NEVER got the whole rapper/singer's album. We had to tape the songs off the radio and hoped that the dj wouldn't cut the song off before our favorite part which was always at the end of the song. (Example: The song "My love is the Shhhh!" had my favorite part at the end, when it said "Don't stop, get it get it! Don't Stop" Don't act like yall don't remember that song).

Man...those were the days! Make sure you let your kids know how lucky they are wen you have them or if you have some already... let them know! Our parents tried to tell us not to act so grown that we'd miss being kids when we got older...but we didn't listen, lol. Remember the times!

What's The Weirdest Thing You've Gotten Beat With?

Black people you know we were bad as hell growing up and our parents whipped us with everything but the kitchen sink... Well maybe the kitchen sink too depending on how bad you was messin up. We got whipped with everything from belts to shoes to neckties (that's not a light whipping either i know you're thinking.. Necktie?! How bad could that hurt? Trust me... You'd run too if yo mama was tryin to lasso it around your neck and yoke you back.

Anybody ever been whipped with the christmas tree lights? Imagine how bad you must've been to get whipped while the christmas tree is up. Most kids are good around the holidays because they want gifts and whatnot, but to have yo mama snatch a row of lights off the tree and whoop yo ass with it? You must've been bad!

There's the household items like the wooden spoon that hangs on the wall, the flyswatter, the extension cord, the spatula, the rubber hose that yo mama used to wash her hair.

There's the makeshift items for the asswhooping on the go like the switch, the seatbelt that was in the middle of the back seat, the fanbelt from the engine, a rolled up newspaper.

There's your toys like your jumprope, hoola hoop, hot wheels race track, your playstation controller, your ruler (try doing measurements when your ruler only goes up to 5 inches)

What's the absolute worst feeling though? When you done screwed up at home and yo mama tell you she gonna whoop your ass when she gets off. Boy that's the longest day ever, you start giving up on your hopes and dreams, you write a will, start saying bye to people. Cause you don't know when you'll see them again. Your mama never gets home on time either, unless you do something wrong. Any other day your mama is like 45 mins to 1 hr late gettin home, but on ass whooping day she's home at 5:05 on the dot; weapon of choice in hand too. You try calling friends to see if they can come over cause most mamas won't beat you if you have company, but they WILL beat you if you outside in front of all your friends. You call people asking them to come over. One friend will be like yeah man i'll be there in 10 mins. You'll be like NO nigga 4 minutes!! I might not be alive in 10 minutes she comin! Oh lord she here... Stay on the line if you hear me screaming call 911!

Another thing that'll get kids a permanent tic is when you have to walk past yo mama to get into your room and you don't know if she gonna hit you or not. You try to hug the wall like you're scaling a mountain or like you're trying to blend in with the paint. Then as soon as you get that 1 foot in the door you hit the spin move and you always think you made it... But then SMACK! Right in the back of the head. Sometimes i wish i had the doors from star trek that slide close automatically so i could just dive in and escape.

No wonder kids are going to college at a higher rate, you can't help but be perfect cause you were scared to death that yo mama might ninja through the door and také you out at any moment! That's why kids today have so many issues cause parents don't bring that fear anymore. You think i would've had two or three personalities? After all my ass whoopings the other personalities would've just left talkin bout "this chick crazy...cmon elvis, you, me, and jesus need to find somewhere else to live.

It's not so much the beating that scares you though.. It's the lead up to it and the follow-up afterwards. Our parents could psyche our asses out good. They start out by causing the anxiety.. They always tell you they gonna beat you before they do it so you're already scared to death, putting on layers of clothes so it won't hurt as much, walkin around with pajamas under your sweat pants with a trench coat on in the summertime and you know we ain't have no a/c back then. Then there's the ass whooping portion, then there's the aftermath, when yo mama comes to you and talks to you and wipes your tears away and gives you a hug and apologizes. Apologizes?!?! I was gonna run away, but now i'm conflicted. Thanks alot.. I think that's where alot of parents mess up.. They don't do the follow-up they just send the kids to their room and go drink a glass of wine. Meanwhile the kid is building a bomb to blow up the house.

Wow that was quite the flashback, but i wanna know what's the weirdest thing you've been whipped with people?

Black History. Something Doesn't Add Up

I actually read that today. There was a little column in a magazine that said "Do the math, the first black child was born in America 379 years ago, but black history month has only been celebrated for 27 years...something doesn't add up" Whites were traced from the time they left England up until now. Blacks were talked about when they were in Africa, but when they became slaves, what did we hear about them?

27 years... that means for over 350 years, of this country thriving off of our ancestor's hard work... we didn't so much as to have a paragraph in a newsletter back in the times. Our greatest scholars and thinkers probably were killed before they could even get their feelings and thoughts out to help pass on to the next generation. Generations after that probably were too ignorant to get their messages out because black slaves weren't allowed to read or write and those that could and did, were killed. This could be reasons why our youth today don't like to read or look at other blacks who excel in education as sellouts.

It's like the Willie Lynch letter says... if we implement this plan for one year, they'll do it to each other for at least 300 years. We kill and outcast those that do good in life, like the slave owners did the slaves. The light skinned blacks and the dark skinned blacks were turned against one another which is why dark skinned people aren't really fond of light skinned people. They turned men and women slaves against one another. That's still seen today because it's so hard for women to find a decent black man and it's hard for men to be decent to black women.

352 years of non representation... I think we have the right to more than just one month.

Is The Strong Black Woman Dead?

I don't believe that the strong black woman is dead. There is definitely a shortage of them as are a shortage of strong black men.

I'm going to try to give my thoughts on this matter and I hope that i don't come off as offensive... The way i see it is that there is a split between strong black women and all the other black women. I mean it seems that being independent is more of a trend than a mindset. Destiny's Child come out with a song about being independent and it seems like all women are independent, but they're just claiming the title and not really representing it well. Some women will say they're independent until they get with a guy and just become subservient to him and give up on their dreams for him. I think that if strong black women were more united then their voices would be heard more. If women weren't just able to claim the title like it was something like a pair of Jordan's then women could really unify.

Another thing that's messing up the self-esteem of women is the media and I sadly witnessed this first hand. My ex girlfriend felt uncomfortable watching movies with me because she felt that I obsessed over the actresses and didn't think she was beautiful. I thought she was the most beautiful person, but in the back of my mind I was like... the actress is good looking. I had to have a wake-up call from her about that and I sincerely apologized for making her feel that way. It kind of messed up our relationship and is partially the reason we're no longer together. The media has made looking like a black women more enticing for every woman except for black women. While white women are trying to get thicker hips and lips to look like black women, black women are getting breast implants, botox, and nose jobs to try to look like white women. The media is such a cruel cruel being.

Myself personally, I can think of nothing more beautiful than a black woman who's passionate about what she wants in life and wants someone who's just as passionate about her as she is about him. I think that's another problem for black women. just finding a man willing to uplift them to be strong. Black women are put down so often, forced to raise children and households on their own, and paid the least. To bring back the strong black women, we need to start with the men. Teach these boys that bitch and ho aren't terms of endearment and if a woman doesn't want to have sex with you, she's not a snob.

I've said too much...sorry just went off on a tangent

When's It Going To Stop? When We ALL Change

What am I referring to you might ask? I'm referring to racism... When is it going to end and when can we all live together in harmony? I'm not only talking about blacks and whites here, I'm talking about all races together. Racism isn't going to end just because Obama gets elected as president because believe it or not, white people aren't the only racists in the world. To change the world, we all have to change. There is a kid I work with at the treatment center who's prejudice. At first I didn't really care for him, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized that it's not him that's prejudice because he can play checkers with me, play football with another black kid, laugh at another staff member who's black. So is he really racist? Or is it the way he was brought up? That's where a lot of people go wrong. They raise their children to be racist just because they're racist when in reality, the way things happened when they grew up is completely different today. My grandmother R.I.P. wasn't the fondest of people of the caucasian persuasion, but because I had friends that were white, she didn't turn their nose up at them, in fact I think she even gave one of them a hug. It's that kind of acceptance that is going to change the world. I wasn't hindered from who I could and couldn't hang out with, so I appreciated everyone for who they were and not for the color of their skin. How can people just hate someone for the way they were born anyway? I was born black... give me a chance to show you that the experiences you had with less than reputable black people don't apply to me and I'll give you the chance to show that my experiences with less than reputable people of other races don't apply to you.

People always say, never judge a book by it's cover and that's the truth because one of the best books I've read "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" I almost didn't read because of the cover. I thought it was a book aimed at the female audience, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's so much easier to like someone than to hate someone just because of a biological occurrence. If you're going to hate someone, at least have a legit reason to do so and hate the PERSON not the entire race. If a white guy killed your brother, then hate that white guy not all white guys. If you got jumped by a group of people hate that group.

I have to pound it into some people's heads because they're so stuck in their upbringing that they just are so bitter and they don't even have a reason why they're racist, they just know what mommy and daddy said. Well... I'm sorry, but mommy and daddy aren't always right! You can't say that when you're 7-8 years old though because in my house you would've gotten popped in the mouth, but when you're 17-18 and you have a mind of your own you can express and defend who you like to be around and guess what, your parents can't stop you... they can be mad at you... but who can be mad at their child forever?

I'm just saying, people need an eye opener and the time is now. People as a whole need to come together and get over the petty differences that separate us because whether you like it or not, the other races are here to stay.. so get over it!

-Hate the gift, not the wrapping paper

Money Can't Buy Happiness? I Beg To Differ

The age old saying is that money can't buy happiness. You know, material possessions and such cannot make a person happy. This is true... to some extent. I believe that if you're born with money, then money cannot buy you happiness because you're already able to have any and everything you want so material possessions no longer give you fufillment. People who have money already look for companionship and friendship because it's hard to find someone who likes you for you when you have money because you don't know if they like you... or what you have.

Now... on the flip side of that... if you're broke, and you get money, then money can buy you happiness. If you go from working a dead end job, to not having to work at all, from getting 2 vacations a year to vacationing all year, from living in the projects to living in a mansion, then I guesstimate that you'll be happier. If you can give your children and family all the things that you never had, then I wager you'd be happier. Not having enough money is the number one reason people go through what they go through. Women selling their bodies... i guarantee if you gave a hooker a million dollars, she'd be alot happier that she didn't have to sleep with someone different every night. I bet if a single mother working 3 jobs to take care of her 4 kids had a million dollars, she'd rest easier at night knowing that her children would be financially secure.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone who does not have money is unhappy and everyone who has money is happy, but being financially secure is less stressful because you won't have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, if you'll have enough gas in your car to go to work, or if you'll have heat in the winter and a/c in the summer.

Just my random thoughts that I figured should be written down.

The Story Of My Life

The story of who I am and where I've been...

Where to begin? I guess I can start back when I was five years old. I was just starting kindergarten and was excited to be around people. I was one of those kids that didn't cry on the first day. Kindergarten was awful...my teacher Mrs. Kee used to treat me bad and yank on my ears and all this crazy stuff. Needless to say that was not a great first experience for me.

Oh well right? Next year was first grade, I loved frist grade my teacher Mrs. Johnson was awesome. Everything was so peaceful and serene during this time, not alot of turmoil and choas. There was a lot of violence in my neighborhood though. My friends and I had to run home from the bus stop everyday to keep from getting beat up by the older kids, which led to us being some of the fastest kids in our class. I used to hate my neighborhood, having to sleep on the floor because people wanna shoot outside. The people below us used to shoot all the time. That didn't really help my disposition. I was a little troublemaker. I used to be afraid to fight people until my grandma told me she'd beat me if I came in the house crying again. It never happened again. I even hit a kid in the head with a pole to keep from getting beat up. I did what I had to do fuck that right?

Oh well...onto second grade. My academic prowess was amazing, but my behavior was a little impulsive. I had my first "girlfriend" during this period. She was really nice and I stole earrings for her from some store. I used to bring her all kinds of things that i had stolen, but they usually weren't expensive. They were little things. Now that I look back on it, it's nothing to be proud of, but what the hell right? I was like 7.

Fast forward to third grade, I had moved into the house I live in now. New school, new surroundings, I loved it. Until....I met this kid in my third grade class. He was really cool and we like chilled alot, but he had this grudge against some fifth grader named Bulldog, yes...Bulldog and he was just as big as his name implied. He tried to get me to join his gang against Bulldog's gang. Well I wasn't really the biggest kid...and I wasn't about to fight a kid named Bulldog! So I kinda distanced myself from all the guys in third grade. I kinda became an introverted person, my wild ass imagination came about around this time. I guess I have bulldog to thank for that.

Fast forward to middle school. Middle school was a time of firsts. I met my first real best friend in middle school. I found my first passion in middle school (band). I had my first love in middle school, which was short lived. However, there was a lot about middle school that I hated. This was the beginning of a decline that nearly consumed me. I hated myself in middle school. Certain people knew how to just hurt you for no reason at all. I was bullied nearly everyday in middle school on the bus ride home. I was shoved, pushed, flicked, spit on, and laughed at because I was the only kid that got off at my stop. I guess because of the neighborhood I lived in people thought that I thought that I was better or something so they fucked with me. I hated riding the bus so much that I had dreams of killing everybody on the bus. I loved my friends though, we could talk about anything at lunchtime and in classes. We had some good times. However, class was not always fun. What is it about young females that they just like to put guys down? these females in my middle school spanish class...I won't say names though, even though I remember ALL the names quite vividly. Used to just put me down, not that they could fathom the psychological effect it had on me, but they used to laughingly call me ugly and stupid shit in Spanish, like I wasn't the smartest dude in the class and didn't kno what they were saying about me. I hated it... Like I said, I had my first love in middle school. I had the biggest crush on her and my cousin hooked us up, but I was so shy that we hardly talked and that's probably why we didn't really last long. Hormones ran high at that age and she found another guy, and I just found regret. I still regret sometimes. I do remember a good time in middle school. I had the biggest crush on this chick named Bunnie, yes that was her name. And it was 8th grade prom and I was in an all white tux with a hat and cane. And she danced with me. It was like the best time ever. I was still having this major identity crisis though...I only fit in with my group of friends and was worried about losing them.

This brings me to HIGH SCHOOL! Another disappointing time, but also another time of great triumph and discovery. I followed my friends to Granby, I did not want to go to booker t and maury rejected me, thank god. I continued my love of band, which brought me to marching band. Marching band was difficult for me my first year and thats why i didn't march. Marching band brought me some of the greatest epxeriences of my life and some of the greatest friends that I'm proud to still call friends now (some of them anyway). Marching band allowed me to interact with a bunch of new and bright people. However...it's not like everybody wanted to talk to me. I didn't really become a popular guy in marching band until I became a good clarinet player. It was kind of backwards because people who used to overlook me, somehow became my best friend all because I could play well. Those that couldn't play as well as me, hated me and joked me because of it. It was kind of shady the way things worked back then, now that i think of it. I remember a good friend of mine telling me that I sucked at playing clarinet after I had beaten one of the better clarinet players in a challenge. He has since then apologized for it, but back then it kind of stirred me the wrong way. Lord knows marching band was my saving grace because the rest of high school sucked. I had a mixed group of friends for which I was always ridiculed for because I didn't hang with people that looked like "me" (meaning black people). Girls in high school were twice as cruel as girls in middle school. Girls in middle school would just laugh at you as they joked you and never tried to convey any feelings as that they liked you. Girls in high school played like they liked you all the while laughing at you. I remember this one time where these two girls walked by me, and I heard one of the girls say "I'll give you five bucks if you mess with him" and the girl came over there and tried to act interested in me and gave me a fake number and walked away like she had accomplished something positive. Was it worth five bucks to fucking crush a guy's spirit like that? Thats partially why I didn't date in high school. The girls I liked were either out of my league or they were ignorant. Or maybe it's because I always fell for the wrong types of girls. I'd look at the really popular chicks that I knew I'd never get with or have the time of day to talk to. I loved black women, but I also wasn't a picky guy. I'd date a girl that I thought was interesting. Back then, I wasn't a great talker either. I mean I'm okay with talking to new people now because I meet new people all the time and you kinda have to learn to talk to people. High school was a nightmare. I used to lie alot. I'd lie to make myself seem more interesting so people would like me because I wasn't confident enough in myself to think that people would like the real me. I'd pretend I was something I wasn't to get attention. I was a real mess and have since then corrected my behavior. I used to dread going to school, not for the classes, because I liked class, but to save myself from possible mental damage or heartbreak. High school was so damaging that I have had so many thoughts of trying to relive high school so I could get back at those people that wronged me. They fucked my world up and thought it was funny. How could people laugh at that? I was in a real dark place, I wanted to just die...or wish something could happen so people would feel sorry for the way they treated me. I know now that's not a healthy way to be, but damnit people didn't hafta treat me like shit. I also had alot of the racial tension going on in high school. I was the only black guy in most of my classes, so who do you think I made friends with? I was ridiculed for not being "black" because of how I acted and the people I hung out with. I'm sorry I didn't know blackness was a personality trait. I thought it was a race. How can people joke you when you're the only black guy representing them! I was in honors and AP classes for christs sake, wouldn't you wanna say, hey there's a black guy there, he's a positive role model not one of these street thugs out there on the street. Why was I always fucking pushed out? It wasn't fair! I hated black people for that in high school for the longest time. I had friends that were black, but they weren't the ones I hated, they were safe. If I had half the balls then as I have now I would've told so many people off. I was depressed as hell in high school I almost considered dropping out, I guess it would've made me a black guy...there goes my hatred again.. sorry I'm trying to work on it. I love black people as a whole, but back then...I frowned my face at black people for disregarding my fucking dream to be something as me not being what I was born as.

I can laugh now I guess...it still hurts from time to time when people tell you things that hurt you way back then and all those emotions come back. Now I'm more expressive though and have found an outlet for my pain. I mean...if I ever acted weird to you guys out there, I'm not blaming everything on my experiences, but they are majorly responsible for my shortcomings and my triumphs. I'm double the guy I was back then, and I'm gettin better at becoming the person I need to be. Myself and nothing but myself. People never appreciate you unless you're genuine.I had to find that out the hard way.

After high school came college, a chance for a brand new start, or so I thought. I made the mistake of going away for college, just because I thought I could handle being out there on my own. I wasn't ready to be on my own. I went to Virginia Commonwealth Univ. for my first semester in college. Needless to say I didn't enjoy it. I hated being away from the people I cared about. I spent most of my time in my room on the internet and playing video games. My neighbors though were really cool and invited me to a few of their parties. That's where another first occurred! I lost my virginity in college. I was 17 years old and lost it to an older girl. Well I don't know about everybody, but the experience was great for me, but not so great on the other end. I found out that girls in college are just older high school girls because she spread rumors about me to other girls in my dorm building. Oh well, screw her. That's partially the reason I didn't like VCU, another reason was because I missed all my high school buddies and since I was older than them, I graduated first. I hated being away from my family. luckily I was only an hour and a half away and could come back every weekend. Needless to say, I transferred back to ODU after the fall semester. I also met my second girlfriend during my times at VCU. Not going into too much detail with her, let's just say she was a BIG liar and a HUGE drama queen and made me nearly lose three key friends who I would never ever want to lose. We went out for about a year, then split!

ODU was great, mainly because I was home and could see all of my friends. However, it seemed like all my friends were branching out and finding new people to hang with and I was just staying stagnant. I didn't really get to know anybody at ODU, I didn't go to any parties as an undergrad. I went to school and came home. I hung out with family and my friends from high school mainly. Now, about 1 month after breaking it off with psycho ex, I meet my 3rd girlfriend. Seems like everything is going well, but nothing is as it seems. This time I actually lost a friend over this girl. At the time it seemed worth it, but now I know you gotta have your boys with you no matter what, bros over hoes! This girlfriend, let's call her "Janice" was in a real hell of her own. Had a bad family life. After a serious incident with a family member, this person moved into my home and stayed with my family and me. Things were good for the first 6-7 months, we had the usual fights couples have. Things got worse as time went on. We started fighting more frequently, mainly because of things I did or were accused of doing. I was always putting myself on the back burner and focusing on her wants and needs. I rarely went out with friends anymore, I had to constantly argue to justify having female friends, and I had a falling out with my family. My brother and I didn't get along very well, there was tension between my mother and I, and I spent most of my time at home, shut in our room with "Janice". Well Janice and I dated for 2 1/2 years, then after an awful fight, we ended our relationship. It may have seemed rash, but it was for the best. In the course of our relationship I graduated from college, found a new job in my preferred field, and started graduate school.

GRADUATE SCHOOL! Grad school is turning out to be one of the best times of my life. I met a group of people who accept me with my flaws and all and we actually try to better ourselves with each passing day. I'm attending Hampton University, majoring in counseling. So far one year has passed and I'm growing more and more as an individual and now that I am single, I'm finding out what I like and doing what I like to do. I'm sort of looking for the next one, but a part of me just wants things to stay like they are until I've recovered and is ready to put myself back out there. I can honestly say, I've hit an all time high and have never been happier, I love my friends, I love my family, I love my school, and I love my job. I'm a counselor at a treatment center for kids. I've learned so many things and have so many stories just from one year of employment. Right now, if I could describe how I'm feeling right now, I'd say 3 words: LIFE IS GOOD!

I'm not perfect. I'm angry, irritable, moody, impulsive, overactive, indecisive, unsure, afraid, nervous, neurotic, and immature. I should be in a mental asylum, but I'm here. I'm standing strong, and I'm trying to reach out to those to tell them not to be afraid, because I was there. Nearly everything they've been through, I have too. I've been bullied, insulted, hurt, heartbroken, laughed at, rejected, alone, afraid, and insecure. Through my beautiful friends and family, I have been rejuvenated and reborn. I'm not going to say i no longer feel those things, but I'm not as bad as I was. I know it's not a happy ending, but life normally isn't. You learn to live with past disappointments and look to the future. I may be alot of bad things but I'm also caring, easy to talk to, funny, intelligent, hard working, loyal, a good conversationalist, and 1/2 of the best spades team in the land. Hoo hah!

I'm not perfect...I just want yall to know me, for real...there are things I need to work on, I know, but I'm trying to be the best I can. Graduate school and all those personality inventories tell me that I still am suffering from some problems that plagued me back then. It's best that I get these feelings out and don't repress them. Thats just me.

Rising Gas Costs, A Plot By Environmentalists?

Is it possible that the rising gas prices are a product of environmentalists trying to save the planet? If you think about it, it makes sense. Less people are driving frivolously, people are carpooling more often, more people are riding bicycles or walking to their destinations, and car thefts are down. More people are buying hybrid cars that don't take as much gas.

At four dollras a gallon are you going to joyride around the city with your friends? Not unless they have gas money!

If you're going to a party, I guarantee yall are going to fuss for ten minutes before deciding who's going to drive because there's no need to drive 4 cars for 6 people.

If the supermarket is two minutes away driving, why not walk or ride a bike to the store if you only need to buy a roll of paper towels or something.

Who's going to steal a car with less than half a tank of gas in it? if you're going to put gas in the car, you might as well buy your own car. I'm sure the owner of the car will thank you if the police return their car back to them with a full tank of gas, they might not even press charges.

All these factors are contributing to the environment so i believe it's a conspiracy to save the planet by Al Gore and his posse. Don't get me wrong, I've actually cut back on driving and have opted to stay indoors and read a book or watch the news or even exercise. Could the rising gas prices be a blessing in disquise? I've actually begun walking places that are close to my house. I walk to the barber shop and sometimes to the store.

It makes sense if you think about it... bravo Al Gore, way to go.

Black People Are Outraged By It, But We Do It To Ourselves

I can't help but feel so bitter about some of the things we as black people are so quick to become outraged by, and yet our own people do it and nothing ever happens.

We're so quick to want equality and equal opportunity from the other races, but we're so quick to use race as a factor in the happenings of the world. We're all people, people steal, people cheat, people kill and that's just the world. However, if a white person insults, hurts, kills a black person it's instant discrimination, but when we do it to each other what is it? Natural?

We're so quick to want justice when white people kill black people, but we rejoice when O.J. Simpson gets away with murdering two white people. We praise the black lawyer getting the black man off with murder. Yet when the white policemen killed the 23 year old black kid we want justice. I'm not saying it's right, I'm outraged too... but I get outraged even more when I see Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson rushing to the aid of black people being wronged by white people and yet won't step their Stacy Adams into the worst neighborhoods to confront our misguided youth who kill other black youth damn near everyday. I mean... you don't have to be on television to save our race. You don't need to be in the limelight to get people to hear your voice. I don't want to see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton covering white on black crime, when black on black crime is still a higher killer of blacks in this country.

When I was in the 3rd grade, my cousin was slain by another black kid when he was 15 years old, and the people that killed him are more than likely still alive and out there partying. The police never even arrested the kid that pulled the trigger. That outrages me! That outrages me more than I can bear! Where was Al Sharpton then? My family didn't get a news story. Nothing in the newspaper about my cousin except his obituary. I don't give a fuck about Don Imus calling black women nappy headed hoes, especially when Snoop Dogg has been calling black women hoes since 1994. I'm not dissing Snoop, I love his music, but I'm just saying... you can't get mad at the white man when we're doing it too. We wanted equal opportunity right? Well we can equally get insulted, screwed over, and dissed. When Chris Rock screams "Cracker ass Cracker!" over and over again, we laugh and laugh. White people can't say nigga ass nigga on stage though... and get laughs. We're so quick to say that the man is holding us down. The man has TRIED to hold me down. I refuse to stay down. Some people are so quick to give up. "Oh i've been to 10 job interviews and nobody wants to hire me because I have a criminal record" Well you know what i say to that? Go to ten more job interviews if you really want to change yourself, you're going to have to work for it. I understand that some people get caught in the system at a young age and then try to turn themselves around, but there are people who will give you a chance if you fight for that chance and don't just chalk it up to the "man" trying to keep you down.

I'm definitely not trying to downplay anything, like I said... my heart drops anytime a man, woman, child is slain black, white, green, brick red, orange. When people die...it's a sad state of affairs.

Before we blame the "man" for our problems, let's look at the problems we have as a people. We're not so perfect that all our problems can be attributed to someone else. Some of our problems come from our own people. We need to fix ourselves BEFORE we try to fix others.

I Want It, But I Don't Need It

Too many people nowadays are so defined by who they're with or what their status is that they forget who they are. I'll admit, I've been that way when I was in relationships. Therefor when I became single I felt it necessary to repair any burned bridges that occurred while I was in a relationship. I've improved things in my life that I wouldn't have tried to improve while I was in a relationship. I've gotten closer to my family and I've begun to discover who I am aside from someone else. Its not healthy to move seamlessly from one relationship to another like its nothing because you have no chance to grow. Ill never understand why people can't enjoy the solice of being single. You learn so much about yourself and you don't have to censor or inhibit yourself;however, if you can find someone that you are able to truly be yourself with, that's a beautiful thing. A message to people before you complicate someone elses life...live and learn and of course love yourself.

My Ideal Love

What is my ideal love? Well before I begin I have to ask, what is love anyway? I don't think you can date someone for 6 months and say that you truly love a person. My love...whenever I find that love won't be "perfect". However, if I had to describe my ideal love, I'd probably say that... she'd have to be beautiful from the inside out. Looks don't mean much if you have the personality of a convict or even worse, an infant.

I'd never need the sunlight because my eyes would light up with the intensity of 1000 Suns just at the thought of her. It wouldn't mater if her %#&@$! were small enough for me to grip with one hand or large enough for me to sleep on, as long as she were a real woman. Outward appearance is something she'd never have to worry about around me because in my eyes she's flawless. However in the flawlessness she would be flawed because if I wanted someone with perfect breasts and a six pack, I'd marry a model. A woman with history is a treasure, if your body looks like it's never seen the world outside of the doctor's office... you're not real. Breast implants, lip injections, ass injections, botox, makeup for days, and hair weaves are the devil! I'm attracted the most to a woman if I wake up next to her without makeup, hair wrapped up, breath kickin! and can still think she's as beautiful as she is when she's all made up. Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly is to the bone. A beautiful face means nothing because you won't stay physically beautiful forever. I want a person with a beautiful soul. Someone who can smile at the thought of me smiling when I think about her.

I want a love that when we argue, people can't tell because we're so in love that our fights look like music. I want to be in the middle of an argument and then just laugh because I know whatever we're fighting over isn't stronger than our love and when we hold each other, our problems just dissolve.

I want my love to be secure in the fact that she can go left and I can go right and she knows that when we're finished, we'll meet right back in the middle.

I want a love that people write songs about. Then people get drunk and sing that song to their loves in karoake bars. I want my love to stand the test of time and beyond. My love will look at me on day 1 million the same way she did on day 1 because she knows I will be looking at her the same way. I want to love to love. I want our picture to be next to the definition of love. I want to be the poster child for love.

But...until i find that love she'll remain an ideal.

God Made Food For Us To Eat

God put food on the Earth for us to eat. People, there’s a reason why food tastes the way it does. It’s because God wants us to eat! He doesn’t want us to starve ourselves and be super skinny like magazines and shit. Who wrote magazines? MEN! Greedy Men...and greed is the root of all evil. Even Jesus provided his people with a buffet. He took one piece of bread and one piece of fish and let a crowd of people feast! That’s evidence enough right there. We all know that people are inventive, but who would’ve known that if you take a chicken...and put it over some fire, it would taste like that? God put that in our minds...that’s where it came from. There’s a reason why diet food is nasty as hell. That’s because diet food, healthy choice, lean cuisine are the DEVIL! People who have heartattacks and die early cause of food are just being rewarded by God, he’s bringing them home early. Meanwhile...people who’re skinny live forever...suffering from osteoporosis and arthritis. You can have good food and still be healthy if you’re inventive. Be inventive! People who discovered certain foods were inventive. Sugar started off as a plant! Maple syrup started off as sap from a tree. Some person mixed those two together and bam you got a topping for your IHOP pancakes. Bread also started off as a plant...people mixed bread and sugar and went crazy; from cakes, to cereal, to our coveted Krispy Kreme donuts.

Now now...people don’t mistake my words as an excuse to eat eat eat because as you know Gluttony is a sin also. I’m just clowning about the majority of the stuff so if I offended you I apologize, but there is some truth in my words. So be mindful that you can be healthy and eat foods that taste good. Stay Safe...

My Blood Is Red.. Just Like My Favorite Flavor of Kool-Aid

People often forget that everyone is human just like everyone else. People like to ridicule people for making mistakes that they've probably made in their life as well. No one is immune to making mistakes. People have this perfectionist mindset that everyone has to be doing everything by the book otherwise they get noses turned up at them. That's why it's so hard for ex-cons to get jobs because no one is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt like yeah...you made a mistake, what did you learn from you mistake? What can I do to work with you to ensure that you and I are on the same level? No one at an interview ever asks questions like that, they never even address the fact that a person has been convicted of a crime, they just say " we'll call you"

Ever have someone nearly run into your car on the interstate? Doesn't that make you mad as all? However, when you nearly run into someone's car it's like geez calm down I'm sorry I didn't see you.

It's like we praise celebrities for their talents, but when they screw up, we're quick to turn on them just like Michael Jackson, Michael Vick.

Don't you hate when someone tries to exercise power over you? like they control your actions or something? You're like..how can you have power over me when you're just like me, your blood is red just like mine. You can't have power over me when you're just as capable of making mistakes as I am. If you're going to expect pefection you have to be perfect too. That's why i don't know why parents expect so much from their kids and are so hard on them if they don't get straight A's, like they were Ivy League Scholars...it makes me sick. I know I was blessed with a gift and I try my damnedest to work as hard as I can because I know my family supports me, but I'd be damned if I'm gonna try as hard as I can and it still not be good enough. Like what do you mean it's not good enough? it's all I got! if my child gives their all and comes home with a B-, that’s fine I got a B- before. It’s going on the fridge. If my child comes home with a C, a C is fine, that’s average, it’s going on the fridge, but as a parent…I’m gonna work with my kid. If my child gets a D… it’s not the end of the world, I've gotten a D, but if I know they’re giving their all…I’m gonna find a tutor to help them out.
Don’t expect out of someone what you didn’t accomplish yourself and then punish them for not accomplishing it…it’s silly.

Yeah…that’s my rant for the evening…take it home enjoy it.

Notes On A Scandal

It was said to me once that geniuses (not just intelluctual geniuses, but those that can accurately use their resources to succeed) always had great scandals. I know I'm not Eistein or Newton, but I consider myself Genius-Like because I guess I believe myself to be truly unique. I wonder if I ever become famous or world renowned what my scandal will be.

Hollywood, it seems, has a personal vendetta to make every flaw or imperfection seem pervasive and to some degree they're accurate because they're like peeping toms who get off on getting every single angle of an entertainer's life, but who really knows what's true?

I have a theory that it all depends on how you turn out. That's how Hollywood looks at your flaws, if you're a good, decent, upstanding person that always helps others, then Hollywood would probably portray your imperfection as not entirely your fault, like you're a victim. However, if you're a serial killer or something like that, your scandal will be your downfall. Take two entertainers for example, Ray Charles and Whitney Houston. In the movie "Ray", Charles' drug addiction was seen as a way for him to suppress the pains he felt in life and make him more creative. For Whitney, drugs were seen as the catalyst that caused her downfall.

Like I said...it all depends on how you turn out, what will your scandal be? Only time will tell.

Knowing History Dooms Us To Repeat It

History really serves no purpose except to ensure that we don't forget our heritage. History never really repeats itself, there's always a handful of people each generation that are power hungry, that's just how it is. There will be another Hitler, Osama, Hussein, Dungh, Castro, etc. Doesn't matter how much you learn there's always going to be terrorists and threats to the U.S. because we're enemies with so many countries. It's kind of hard to let stuff go and rebuild the bridges we've burnt down when we're constantly reminded of why they got burnt down. Seems like we're more doomed to repeat history if we know our history doesn't it? That's just common sense, I didn't have to read that in any book.

I mean that's why there are still racist people because so many people teach hatred because it's part of their history and heritage. Think about it, Stereotypes, friends, enemies, etc it's all due to knowing your heritage.

How many people have heard this saying ''If she can't use your comb don't bring her home"? That's teaching our generation to be racist in a sense. Sure it's to "preserve our race", but we're always claiming that color shouldn't matter when we're trying to get important things done like get a job or get into a school, so why the hell does color matter when it comes to relationships? In a couple hundred years we're all gonna be gone anyway who cares about preserving the race, just be happy!

I mean..I'm not claiming that there's no basis for learning history, I know there are dozens of benefits to knowing our history. It can prevent us from reliving some of the past horrors by nipping them in the bud early. Diseases and the such are some examples.

I mean I can't say that learning history has no benefits because there are millions of archaeologists out there that get paid thousands of dollars to dig around in the sand looking for signs of early civilization...why? The hell if I know... what do they want to learn from someone who lived billions of years ago? We're so much more advanced than they were then anyway.

What? Do we want to know if humans evolved from apes? Who cares? Will that realization make us release all the monkeys from zoos and experimental testing under the assumption that they will one day become humans? NO! People are still going to live the way that they lived before this realization. It's not going to change anything!!!

We always are trying to get people to forget the past and move on...well everyone the past is the past stop trying to dig all the Earth up looking for signs of something that you never were! Just live your life people geez!

Racism is Funny

You know what's funny to me? Racism. That may sound kind of crude, but I'm not your ordinary guy. I'm kinda quirky if you haven't noticed.

I find it funny how people define themselves when they're racist. They try to keep other races out of the things that they believe makes their race. For example, a black person could see a white person with baggy pants and jewelry and be like "he's trying to be black." WHAT?!? I didn't know you could buy blackness in a store. Trust me young people, there's much more to being black than rap music, tricked out cars, and bling. That is what we call a trend, anyone can be apart of a trend regardless of race, age, or sex. Another thing that black people do is that they're quick to kick someone out of our race. They'll see a black guy and be like, "Look at him, going to college, dressing all neat, getting a good job with benefits, fake nigga." Again I say WHAT?!? That's what it takes to be a fake nigga? Well sign me up because last time I checked you're not supposed to be proud to be something that was once a derogatory comment towards your race.

White racist people are funny too. They treat races like they're a plague. Exterminate all that aren't like us...sure that'll make the world a better place. No more crime since there's only white people right? No more prisons will be needed right? No more wars will be fought right? Ha, how narrow their minds must be. Their minds are narrower than a virgin's vagina. Now that may be crude, but sometimes you hafta be crude to get your point across. Some white people will live in a "good" neighborhood and have a black family move in and they'll be like "there goes the neighborhood!" Thrice I say Word?!? You think black people are there to fuck up the neighborhood? I mean hell if I'm paying 2000 bucks a month I'm not there to stir up anything. I want this neighborhood to stay as pristine as possible. Black youth are another group that white racists love to pick on. Black youth are like all youth, they're mischievous. If you white people are in disagreement with me, I can name more than a dozen white youth that are more mischievous than myself or any black person I know. Kids will be kids, so don't think that one race is going to be anymore troublesome than the other. I'll bet if everyone treated every white kid like he/she was gonna shoot up the school some white parents would have alot to say.

So people please just be civil to one another, I'm not saying love everyone because everyone can't be Mother Teresa or Ghandi, but don't think everyone is going to do you harm because of their race because any color person can be crazy as hell. And I know I only spoke about white and black because that's all I've really been exposed to as a black male, but so all the other races feel well represented...

Don't be so judgmental, learn to love!

Humans Aren't As Superior As We Think, Here's Why

You know humans like to think we've progressed throughout history, but we haven't. We like to think we're smarter because we made the computer and can fly a plane and the sort. Sure our thinking may be broader, but we still rely heavily on technology to do our work for us. how many times since the typewriter came along has along actually handwritten a paper? I know people who don't even fill out envelopes when mailing a letter, instead they pull out their handy address label and attach it to the envelope. When's the last time you calculated how much change you'd get back from a $13.27 purchase if you paid with a 20 in your head? (the answer is 6.73, and I suck in math, but when it comes to my money I'll become Albert Einstein)

I think our generation of human is a lot weaker than back in the day. There were no fast food places to get a meal, back then, the meals really were fast food. They had to hunt and kill their meals. No guns either, by the way, they had to use a club or a rock, or even their own hands.

There were no doctors or surgeons to help you when you get sick. If you got sick back then, you rested, ate some crushed leaves and berries, and a "healer" shook beads inside a coconut tied to a stick over your body and if you lived, good for you and if you died....you died. There were no immunizations, which are supposed to help you from getting sick, but all they do are help viruses come back stronger and more deadlier. good job guys! We've succeeded in creating superviruses, don't be surprised if before long your zits whoops your ass for trying to buy a tub of Noxzema (family guy reference).

Want to know how I know our immune systems suck? Dogs...yes "man's best friend" are immune to the HIV Virus. Some best friend...huh? I guess being able to lick your own genitals keeps you from having sex with infected dogs. I can picture Rover now looking at a female dog like "Damn she's fine...hold up is she shedding hair? Nah...I'ma hafta take care of myself this time." *lick lick*

Don't get me wrong, immunizations are great in their own way, they cure syphillis, strept throat, and allergic reactions. My only problem is that the diseases are improving faster than the treatments/cures are. That's why there are about 85 strands of the flu out there. There are all these diseases that we're worried about, Bird Flu, Mad Cow disease, Salmonella from chickens, West Nile from mosquitoes. You know what animal doesn't get sick? Dogs....

And you can tell that the diseases are improving faster than the cures because the scientists are always worried to death about a smallpox or flu epidemic. Why the hell are we worried about a smallpox epidemic? We can stop that before it gets out of hand...or that would be the "Smart" thing to do. Speaking of smart...humans are being bested by single-celled organisms! bacteria don't even have computers or IPhones and they're already more advanced because they focus on keeping each other alive. They survive and they help other bacteria survive! People on the other hand, have other interests like yoga and Starbucks that keep them from surviving.

People have clouded judgements like greed, selfishness, and betrayal. You think there's not a cure for AIDS? There is, but there's a group of greedy bastards getting rich off of pills that keep the disease tame so that there's no "need" for the cure. Who cares if the poor get AIDS right? Survival of the fittest right? It should be survival of the society. If a bacteria ran for President, I'd vote for it, it wouldn't be like it'd be the first time we had a president without a brain!

Maybe that's just my opinion...oh well.

For My Grandmother

Someone once said, “It’s such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother, that’s why the world calls her grandmother.”
This is one of the truest statements I’ve ever read. The role of grandmother is certainly seen as a cornerstone in any family; however, whilst glancing at the dictionary one day, grandmother is simply defined as the mother of your father or mother. Even as I stand here today I find it difficult to put what my grandmother was into words, but I’ll try. I know everyone can relate to me when I say that a grandmother is every person you wanted to be in life. Her home remedies made her the best doctor in the world. No doctor at a hospital would prescribe a spoonful of milk to get a foreign object from your eye or a piece of salted meat to remove a painful splinter from your finger, but they always worked to perfection. The way she was never wrong made her the best lawyer in the world. She could win any case with any grandchild by saying “because I said so.” When those four words were spoken, she was the judge, prosecution, and jury. No matter how many years you went to school, you could never be as smart as her. It didn’t matter if you had nine degrees; there was always something new you could learn from her. She was never incorrect, and even if she was, you’d never correct her otherwise a quick pop would remind you of who was really right. She was also your best friend. When your mom or dad said no, there was always grandma who could never turn you down. She was the best chef in the world. I don’t care if Emeril Lagase personally prepared you a meal, nothing could be better than a home cooked meal from grandma. No one could beat her sweet potato pies, I must’ve heard dozens of people retract the statement “My mother makes the best sweet potato pie” when they tasted grandma’s sweet potato pie. The advice she gave to you was so good, you knew that if she had been given a talk show, people would be saying “Oprah who?”
As I said, she was every person we wanted to be all rolled into one. Losing her was like losing a confidante, a best friend, and a part of me. I believe that the dictionary should revise its definition of what a grandmother is because she is truly a person that is beyond definition.

This I Believe

I believe that ignorance is bliss. This must be the case because those of us that are conscientiously aware are less than blissful.
Each day I live in a constant state of disbelief; whether I’m watching the news or driving to work. There is so much ignorance in the world it’s just tiring. I’m not simply referring to educational ignorance, mind you; I’m speaking about racial, social, and financial ignorance.
I have seen thousands of displays of racial intolerance just from looking out the window. I’ve witnessed everything from robbery to discrimination. I’ve seen a public bus leave a black man running to catch the bus, but stop at unmarked signs for a man of a different race. The driver seemed blissfully unaware of his ignorance, while the rest of us who were immune to his frame of mind watched in disbelief. I remember when I’d respond to racism and racist remarks with anger and frustration; however, I’ve recently been called the “N-Word” by a man of a different race and I replied, “Why not find your own gimmick and stop borrowing them from your ancestors?” I gathered from the look in his eyes, that he’d never heard a comeback like that.
Social class intolerance is another saddening slice of reality I’ve been blessed and cursed with noticing. I notice segregated groups of social class everywhere I go. If everyone in the world were to speak to someone different from themselves, I’m sure their perspectives on the lives of others would change. I associate with a mixed group of people. I have friends of all races and sexes; each of who have opened my eyes to a new world with each conversation.
Spinners, billion dollar homes, and bling bling from head to toe are just some sickening examples of financial ignorance. I feel people are so consumed with fancy jewelry or an expensive home that they forget what’s really important in life and that is LIFE. I’ve pitifully watched celebrities on “MTV Cribs” displaying their mansions complete with six rooms and nine bathrooms. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, some live alone! I can understand why someone would want to have a nice house, but where do we draw the line? Many stars talk about the hard life they lead, and how it nearly destroyed them. Yet, some do have a positive message like, “I did it, you can do it”; however, many children out there may not possess the skill to rise to superstardom as they may have. Success stories mean nothing to those who aren’t like them. Help rid the community of drugs and guns so that the youth may have a chance to follow their dream. Besides who really needs six cars?
It seems that some people are just blank slates immune to the chisel of reality, not because they can’t be, but because they choose not to be. I’d choose to be a weathered stone over a smooth piece of marble any day.

I was talking about how all black people are considered African American, I'm not complaining about the title or anything, I was just wondering, you know...people from India aren't really thought of as Asian Americans, even though India is in Asia. Spanish people are considered Hispanic, not European American, though Spain is in Europe. Asians are divided into their repective subtypes...There are Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Phillipino, Vietnamese, and probably others too. Hispanics are divided into their respective subtypes, there are spanish, latinos, mexicans, puerto ricans; however most black people are just considered black people with the exception of maybe Jamaicans and Haitians. Here in America we don't really distinguish blacks whether they're from Mali, or Ghana or Kenya, or Zimbabwe, we just say African American. Now I'm not from Africa or anything...and I know that we probably don't really distinguish because of convenience or whatever reason the majority makes up, but I was just wondering why is that?

Another thing I was talking about...where are white people from? Have you ever seen Caucasia on the map? Is that a real place? How do white people just come and take over everything and they don't even have a home country. Where are yall from Caucasia isn't a place I've ever heard of, so where the hell did Caucasian come from? If they were from England, why not call themselves English or European or something? Where did "Caucasian" formulate? Inquiring minds wanna know.

Another thing...why are white and black people the only colors we use when talking about race? I mean if you call an Asian person Yellow, that's considered an insult, so why do black and whites continue to identify themselves as such? I mean...black isn't offensive to me, but in reality...shouldn't it? Especially for people who are like mixed or biracial. What do they think when they're called black or white or hispanic when they're a mix of two or more races? I've read about how mixed races feel forced to choose a race in order to feel accepted, but I don't really know to what extent because there is so much pressure on people to fit in, to be categorized...when you don't have to to feel included, just be you and you'll be fine.

My Problem With Bottled Water

So yeah...I have a problem with so called "bottled water"...

First off...water is freaking free! You actually pay to have water pumped into your house, why are you going to pay more money to get something you're already equipped with?

Second...who the hell knows where it comes from? They say it comes from a fresh spring in Michigan, but Coca Cola makes the water. There's a coke plant right near my house, for all we know they're just using their water hose to fill the bottles up, the water that they're paying for to be pumped into their warehouse mind you!

Third...why the hell would you want spring water? Do you know what happens in springs? Things live there! Nasty things! Things you don't want in your water when you drink it! I know people that won't even drink after other people! But you'll drink water that beavers, otters, fish, algae, bears, and other animals drink, bathe, and do their business in? You might as well go out to a puddle of water on the street and slurp it up!

Fourth... people make all this big deal because it's purified! So what? Because they purify it, it's supposed to make up for all the shit that's been in the water? Okay then...so you're telling me if they purified and bottled toilet water you'd pay 1.29 to drink it instead of your own water from your faucet? Give me a break!

Fifth.... As I've said, these waters come from soda companies, meaning this is the water that they don't want in their sodas! It's basically recycling rejected water...kind of like turning tampons into q-tips, you know where it's been...that's just wrong!

And Finally Sixth... if you're that heath conscious buy a damn water purifier for your own water spout, that way you can get the "purified" water you've always wanted without the hassle of buying bottles of water. Not only is it cheaper, but it makes sense since you already hafta pay for water, why not pay for pure water?

Think about how you spend your money please people!

The First of Many

Hello all you blog lovers out there, welcome to Roderic's world. Since this is my first blog on this site, I'd like everyone to get a little bit more familiar with me since I could only write so much in the about me section.

I'm 22 going on 23 years old. I'm currently in Graduate School at Hampton University in the counseling pogram. I hope one day to become a therapist who works with parents of problematic children. Right now I work with problematic children as a counselor, so it'd be nice to have the kids I work with be able to go home to their parents and live as successful a life as I have lived.

I'm not a great writer, but I love to write. I think I found out I wasn't a great writer in high school when my English teacher used my essay as an example of what NOT to do in an essay. Ever since then I've been trying to delete that memory from my mind, but that blow has made me into a more confident writer. I may not win any essay contests, but you can see my passion and dedication in my writings. I love social commentary. I'll write about whatever is going on in society at the time. I also love to preach my insane philosophies as if they're somehow true. I write about my personal experiences in life whether they be triumphs, failures, discriminations, or anything in between.

So you can expect a range of topics from this blog going from comedic to serious to tragic. As I said in the very first sentence, welcome to Roderic's world...enjoy!