Stereotypes

I hate stereotypes just as much as the next person. Stereotypes are nothing more than pre-conceived ideas about something, someone or a place that is never grounded in truth. When you find the truth, you should look crazy because you had your pre-conceived notions and you were proven wrong. Everyone is stereotypical to a degree, myself included. The difference between me and most people is I'm not ashamed to admit I have stereotyped from time to time but after getting to know something, someone or a place, I had the wrong idea but was too lazy to put in work. What burns me up more than stereotypes is people who live up to them. Stereotypes no longer become pre-conceived notions if they are backed up by facts and consistent behaviors. If you don't want to be stereotyped, DON'T live up to the notion. Why is this difficult to understand? Here's an example: Blacks (African-Americans for the politically correct crowd) are stereotyped for almost everything: killers, thugs & gangsters, morally depraved, etc. I know not all blacks fit the above but a vast majority do. It's the majority that make it bad for everyone. There are blacks that are law-abiding citizens but as with everything else, a few bad apples spoil it for everyone. Reminds me of when I was in school & one kid messed up but the entire class got punished. That's crazy but I understand because in order to prevent future destruction, the whole must suffer for the mistakes of the few. Again, I don't like it anymore than anyone else but that's life; one person can and will mess it up for everyone else. If you don't want to be labeled as a thug-don't exhibit thuggish behavior. If you don't want to be labeled as loud & ghetto, DON'T ACT LOUD & GHETTO. For every problem, there's a solution. The solution is to do the opposite of the negative behavior. You lose your right to complain if you feed into stereotypes. You may not be abusive or loud, but if you act in that manner and people notice, they will label you accordingly.

R.I.P. To Good Music

Good music has died. Yes, I said it; music has died a horrible death because it seems like everybody and their mama is putting out garbage. Artists don't care nothing about the quality of music, they're about the almighty dollar. I understand artists have to make money (which is fine) but at least put out halfway decent music. Nobody wants to hear the same formula: Cars, clothes & strip clubs. Too many artists sound like the next guy so one can safely assume that each artist is a cookie cutter of the next. It's no originality in music anymore and that's why other than Jennifer Hudson and Jill Scott, I don't listen to too many contemporary artists. I'm old-school soul & R&B all the way. Bobby Womack, Al Green, Four Tops, Curtis Mayfield and many others put it down back in the day. They were TRUE musicians because they sang from the depths of their soul. There were no autotunes, voiceovers and protune synthesizers like today's music. Today, all you need is a catchy hook & great beat and you can easily go 2x platinum with the right promotion. Back in the day, you had to rely on talent to become successful. Even if an old-school artist didn't write their song, they sure sung like they did! Old-school artists wrote and produced their own music because they had THEIR vision for what the album was going to be like. Today's artists have ghostwriters and producers who dictate their album for them. The artist has very little input on the album because record execs have to make money. They are financially backing the artist so I guess they can dictate the kind of material an artist puts out. I can drop a nonsense album & it would go 5x platinum & more because I would have great beats & hooks even though I have elementary lyrics. Old-school soul & R&B artists have much more talent than many artists today. Today's music has become watered down to where I don't listen to any contemporary music, even if it may be good. I've always been into the old-school greats, it's just recently I've started getting back into old-school music because you get tired of watered-down mainstream music that you want to hear quality music. You can tell an artist is passionate about his craft when he hits those high notes just right, has a soulful, raspy kind of voice (K-Ci is a good example). They just don't make good music like the old-school kind anymore.

Keeping It Real: When You Do What I Want, When I Want & How I Want

Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY likes to parade themselves as being so real. Keeping it real has become so cliche in society that you can almost guarantee that the person who is supposedly keeping it real has skeletons showing otherwise. Look, if you are real like you claim then you don't have to broadcast it. It would show in your conduct, character and you wouldn't have to prove to anyone how real you are. Actions will always trump cliches every time. I'm tired of people saying how real they are, yet turn out to be fake. It's pretty easy to spot the true REAL people and those who are faking it until they make it. If you have to broadcast how real you are, 9 times out of 10 you're not. Being real is acting the same whether eyes are on you or not. Being real is practicing what you preach and lastly, being real is NOT catching feelings when someone doesn't do what you want. It's funny that if you do what people ask of you, you're considered real in their eyes but if you start saying no, they get upset and run you down. So I'm flaw because I won't do as you asked? That's your problem & not mine. If my realness is questioned because I won't move like you want on your timeframe then I guess I'm not real. Let me tell you something about being real. Real is being down for someone through sickness & health and for better or worse. Keeping It Real is not folding under pressure when odds are stacked against you and last but not least, keeping it real DOES NOT entail stipulations that if you don't do this, that and the third for me then you're fake. THAT is what keeping it real is all about. If it's one phrase that needs to be retired is Keeping It Real. Yes, do away with that phrase altogether because it's been abused beyond recognition. Who's really REAL in society? What I mean by that is who is truly real that doesn't feel the need to broadcast their realness to the world? I'll tell you....NOBODY.

Memorial Day

Let me take this time out to say thanks to all military men & women who have served, are serving and our fallen soldiers. You guys have much respect from me because of the highest sacrifice you have made in fighting for our country. You are the real stars in my view. The original intent of Memorial Day was to honor our fallen soldiers and military men & women who have served or are serving in the Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force & Coast Guard. I salute you. Memorial Day has been desecrated into nothing more than an excuse for people to have cookouts (BBQ) and have a day off from work. Since when did cookouts become a staple for Memorial Day? To my knowledge, cookouts were never a staple in Memorial Day history. At most, people packed a picnic and paid homage to fallen heroes. Now, Memorial Day is nothing more than a 3-day weekend of cookouts and a day off from work. Most people don't bother remembering the sacrifices our military men and women have made, let alone those of our fallen soldiers. I'm one of the few people that honors Memorial Day like it was intended; to pay homage to those in uniform. You can have cookouts any time of the year but Memorial Day should be the one day where you honor those who have went before you. I have family on both parents side that have served/are serving in the military and I thank them every chance I get for their sacrifice. I'll remember touring a military base in Norfolk, VA for the rest of my life because until then, I've never seen a live military base. I got to meet several personnel, see a barrack that my uncle and aunt stayed in when they were serving and I saw a lot of combat planes and ships that are used in battle. People have forgotten about the significance of Memorial Day and that's sad. Most don't care or bother to learn but yet you can throw hotdogs and burgers on the grill for Memorial Day. This article explains how Memorial Day SHOULD be commemorated:
http://baltimore.about.com/b/2010/05/31/the-true-meaning-of-memorial-day.htm

Showing The Goodies For Christ?

I got a good laugh off this picture this morning. I got the idea for this blog topic from my dude Jerome Bolden who shared this on his facebook page. How can a woman expect a man to wife her if she's showing her goods for the world to see? As I was reading the comments, another person pointed out that she shows her goods in order to bring men to Christ. I've seen a lot of crazy comments on FB but that one took the cake. Really? Getting naked for Facebook and want to get wifed up? That's not going to happen because the first thing people are going to think is you're a stripper. If you want to lead people to Christ, that's not the way. You have to show genuine concern for others well-being and exemplify Christ in your daily conduct; doesn't mean you won't miss the mark (you will) but you should have consistent progress. I don't know what's worse..her comment or she ACTUALLY believed what she said. The truth of the matter is that no real man is going to respond to a woman getting naked for the Lord unless he has ulterior motives. At best, she will attract pervert attention and someone with bad intentions may try to do harm to her. The whole time she's showing her goodies, she's demanding respect but...how can a woman expect a man to respect her if she doesn't respect herself? That's like asking a thief to stop stealing but you make it so easy for him/her. If a woman wants respect from the opposite sex, she has to conduct herself in a worthy manner because a REAL man wants a respectful woman that he can take home to meet his parents, someone he wants to build a life with and someone that will have his back through thick & thin. I want to say the woman that shows her goodies for Christ was joking but honestly, she may be dead serious. If that's the case, then God help us all. The last thing a man is thinking about is Jesus when he sees female flesh, come on somebody.

Original Gangsters

Original Gangster is an elder gangster, someone who has made his mark in the streets mostly through criminality. This title usually describes someone who has lived the thug life since their teens or tweens. Many inner-city kids are raised by single moms that are already struggling to work full-time & go to school so they can better themselves and their child(ren). The only role models they see are the original gangsters. An original gangster is the highest ranking in the street/gang life. He's committed all kinds of criminal offenses ranging from drug trafficking to violent crime. Inner-city children see no wrong from him because he buys groceries, school clothes & pays the rent & transportation for the child(ren)'s mother. He's a father figure because he tells the children to respect their elders and parent(s) but at the same time, he's into the street life. I've watched many Gangland documentaries about legendary gangsters who have won fame & fortune from their city's ghetto criminal element and they share one commonality: In their later years, they regret that life because they realize the damage they inflicted on their community: the destruction they caused by the senseless violence and the Fallujah-like atmosphere they created in their 'hood. I respect OG's that quit the gangster life and want to do right by their community but at the same time, the damage is already done. The younger gangsters have no respect for the code & ethics that were laid down by those who came before them. Now, it's shoot first and ask questions later. Here's an example: Larry Hoover, the founder of the Chicago-based Gangster Disciples was well-known nationwide & in Chicago for his calculated, yet ruthless leadership style. Since he's been locked up, he's changed (hopefully the change was/is sincere) and the younger gangsters didn't appreciate it because they feel he's gotten soft. They wanted the old-school, shoot-em-up, calculating Larry Hoover and when he refused to go back to his old ways, they shot him. Since when did wanting to change your life become a crime? The original gangster that realized the error of his ways wants to right his wrong. If anything, he can teach these young brothers there is a better way and you don't have to make the same mistakes I did. Many ex-gang leaders are now mentoring at-risk teens so they don't go through what they (original gangster) did coming up. I think it's interesting how OG's are revered by inner-city youth for the flashy cars & clothes, the lovely lady on their arm and how they provide money for struggling mothers in the ghetto in exchange for overlooking their criminal activity.

Living Through Your Children

One thing that irks me is parents that try to live their dreams through their children. That's crazy because your child(ren) may have their own ambition and parents are going to hold their kids back so THEY (the parents) can relive their glory days? I hate that mess. You have fathers that push their sons hard in sports and want them to excel because deep down, he didn't excel like he wanted to in his youth so his son is his last shot of making it to the pros. Or how about mothers who enter their daughters in modeling and similar pageants so she can get rich & famous off her little girl's success. That mess gets my goat. If the time comes for me to have a child, I will push him or her according to their desire(s). I may give suggestions on what path they should take but ultimately it's on them. My advice is they will pursue their passion with all their might and most of all, they enjoy the hustle. Just because a parent couldn't cut it in high school does not give them the right to dictate their child(ren)'s lives. Those children will grow up someday & leave the nest. Once your children have left the nest, you can no longer dictate your path for your children because they will resist (and rightfully so). It's not a good look telling grown children what to do. They are married with their own family so parents need to cut the cord. Parents are always saying how they won't be with their children always and they need to stand on their own but when your kids get of age to where they can do for self, you don't want to let go. I know parents want the best for their children, that they don't want their children going through what they did at their age but there comes a point where you have to be secure in knowing you raised your children right and send them into the world to make their mark. That's what I plan on doing, should I have children.