The Remix

For those who do not know me, allow me to intoduce myself.....I am a journalist by trade, an investigator by nature and an expressionist on a whim. I write what I feel and I make no excuses for what I say. I state the facts and disseminate them as I please. I am a writer and I must continue to give voice to issues that go unnotices, address problems that need attention and tell you how I feel about things that should not get media attention yet it out shines real issues. This my dear is the remix. What started as a class project has now become a hobby. I have a voice and it must be heard. You have a voice and I want to hear it, so together, lets say what needs to be said......WELCOME TO MY BLACKNESS!



Friday, November 11, 2011

Black Exploitation and Humiliation, Why Are We Dehumanizing Our Own People?

I recently watched a YouTube video that really disturbed me. The video was of famous child star Maia Campbell at her worse. I was very shocked and embarrassed, not because of her condition, but because someone thought it entertaining to post such a humiliating video instead of trying to help her. Usually I link videos to my post to give examples of what I am talking about, but I refuse to give that video any more airplay than it has already gotten.
When did our generation become so vain and dehumanizing? When did we get so caught up on money and fame that we forgot our morals? We forgot our feelings for others? We forgot what it feels like to be demeaned? It saddens me that this video is being floated around for entertainment purposes and some people actually find it entertaining and that "our people" make such awful and off the wall comments about this young lady. Is this not the same young lady that you looked at as a goddess? Is she not the same young girl that you thought was beautiful and you supposedly respected? Why has her demise become the center of attention? The trending topic? The most searched article? She like many child stars have become exploited and thrown out as garbage and labeled as useless by not only the media industry but we as consumers.
Whoever shot that video should really take a look in the mirror at themselves because you would have to be sick, twisted and have very low self-esteem to think of this as entertaining or anything else. Instead of adding to her demise, why not try to help her?
I am so sick of this crab mentality that "my people" have all of a sudden developed. This mindset that it is okay to kick someone while they are down. That mentality that it is fine to "cash in" on someone else misfortune. That mentality that instead of helping each other to the top, lets "hate on them," lets "kick them while they are down," that "I didn't make it out, so I'm going to make it my business to ensure you don't either" When did we as a "black race" become so obsessed with fame and money that we will attempt to "cash in" on it at any cost.
We have talked so much about being oppressed by "the white man" that we have forgotten what oppression is. Well let me define it for you. Oppression is a form of bondage. According to Wikipedia, It is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions and anxiety. We have been oppressed so long as a people that we have adopted the oppressed mindset. If you are wondering what I am talking about, let me enlighten you. I am talking about how we have become our oppressors. We have now started oppressing each other. "The man" is not our worse enemy anymore, it's our own people. We have been dehumanized so long that we forgot what it means to be human.
To be human is to have compassion. To be human is to show love. To be human is to be of service and to help others. Stop have that "me" mindset and that "I got to make it by any means necessary" mindset because it is hurting our generations and future generations to come. You want to know why Mississippi has never has a black governor, why President Obama is catching "hell" in the white house and why our people are the ones in poverty, why we have the highest drop-out rate, why black men and women are the highest percentage of prisoners in the prison system, it's because we as a people do not stick together but rather have developed the "crab mentality" and forgot where we came from and how hard it was for our people to get the "limited privileges" we have. So the next time we choose to cash in on the demise of our own people, we should ask one question, "What if that were your mother, your sister and your daughter, niece, friend etc. in that video being exploited by her own race. What would you do? Now where the heck is Debbie Allen and L Cool J? One of you need to be going to Compton and searching for Ms. Maia to help her, enough of our people have been lost to the streets, LET'S NOT LET HER ADD TO THE NUMBER!!!!

Monday, March 14, 2011

My Black Is Beautiful: Angry Black Women...The Syndrome

My Black Is Beautiful: Angry Black Women...The Syndrome

Angry Black Women...The Syndrome

I have just come to the realization that a lot of black women have anger issues and these issues run deep down inside of them and it compromises their character and who they should be. Being an angry black woman is not something that just happens, it is something that is imprinted and embedded within them. It is my belief that  being an angry black woman is a plague, it is a disease and it is something that destroys a woman, therefore it should have a name, Angry Black Woman Syndrome (ABWS).

So where does this syndrome stem from? Is it something that a woman is born with? Is it something that is learned? Is it something they pick up from others? During this blog, I will attempt to explore and answer these questions as best I can.

It is my belief that for some people, this is a learned behavior, sort of like hatred. It is, in a way, a form of hatred that is inherited. Most black women are raised in a single parent household where they are constantly being told by their mother that black men are no good. Their mothers tell them that their fathers are no good, black men are no good, etc and this is where it begins. Because their mother experienced bad relationships, she embed in her child that she doesn't need a man, that men are no good and that child begins to believe them.

For some women, their fathers are the root of it all. Because they have absentee fathers, abusive fathers and so on, they think that all men are that way and their mentality is that by dating men of other races, they have upgraded. But the reality is, you are what you attract. Dating a white man, Asian man, etc will make no difference if it is something within you that attracts these types of men.

Another reason black women are angry is because they have angry friends. When you surround yourself with negative people who have nothing positive going on in their life, they will bring a good relationship into a negative one because they will always find fault in your relationship. They will hate on a good man because they don't want you happy because they aren't. Never surround yourself with negative friends and negative women because they will turn you into that same angry woman that they are.

Finally, some women attract bad relationships because that is what they want. They don't want that man who respects them wears fitted clothes, cares for them. The problem is they see that good man as only the friend type and tend to gravitate towards the thug type of man because in their mind he is what a strong man.

Now let be break it down for you...I came from a single parent household, however, my mother never talked negative about my father even though he was absent in my life. She never said black men were bad. She dated bad black men and good black men, but she still believed. I have dated all races and found that all men are the same regardless of color. It's not a race issue, it is a personality issue. I dated some bad black men because I was attracted to negative black men who were the thug, but now I have a good black man. He opens the door for me, he gives me his coat when it's cold. He respects me, he pays for our food. Don't get me wrong, he still  has flaws but a good relationship is give and take. Sometimes you have to learn your place. It's okay to be strong, but don't be so strong that it is perceived as aggressiveness and cockiness. Don't accuse a man of cheating and definitely don't make him pay for all the bad men you've had in your life. Finally, do something to show that good man that you appreciate him. Stop making a man have to work for your love. Love is an emotion not a job and it is give and take.. So while you're out there being an Angry Black Woman, you're missing out on all the good black men, because no man should and wants to pay for another mans mistakes or the hatred you refuse to let go....So thanks to all the good black men that are a constant reminder to me that being an angry black woman really has nothing to do with the man, but more so the anger within the woman...so let go of the ANGRY BLACK WOMAN SYNDROME you have acquired, it's not wanted or needed to be happy!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Sending troops to Lybia is a Bush move and we don't need this....

As I sat at this computer pondering what should be my next blog post, I can't help but notice all the controversy surrounding the fighting in Lybia. So I decided that it is my journalistic duty to speak on the issue....

We all remember the "weapons of mass destruction" mess with Bush and how we just had to go to Iraq and fight. We also remember how we began sending our troops over to Iraq to fight a war that was not ours to fight in the first place. What's the worst part of it all is that our government lied to us, they betrayed our trust and they allowed us to send troops to  fight someone else's battle. Now, I'm all for defending my country and my people, but why is it that we always seem to be fighting other peoples battles, yet we can never get anyone to help us with our own battles. I'm not anti-government or anything but I do have a problem with my friends and family being sent to a country to fight a battle that the people of that country don't even want our help with. I mean, if we are going to go to a country to help someone fight, we should not be receiving opposition from those people that we claim want and need our help.

It just seems like we have this "hero mentality" where we have to be super-save-a-country or something. So excuse me if I am for not going to Lybia. Excuse me if I am for President Obama and the fact that he is not gunhoe about going to Lybia and fighting. It's so funny how contradictory we can be; we got mad at Bush for sending troops to Iraq; we got mad at Obama cause the troops ara still in Afghanastan and Iraq; yet we are mad the Obama isn't moving fast enough for us with Lybia. It's like we want to kill our economy or something. Is it just me or is this war expensive as heck already. I mean we are technically fighting two wars right now, even if you don't believe it or the government doesn't admit it. But just being honest, we can't afford to fight a third war. Heck we are having problems paying our own bills, gas prices are killing us and our economy is a hot mess so why do something we don't have to yet! I know one thing, if things keep esculating, we may be headed into WWIII!

So now that you have heard my thoughts, I would like to create some open dialogue to see what other's are thinking...no racist talk and lets be respectable of other's on my page...I will delete all offensive posts!