Sarah Palin and Tall

After about a month long hiatus, I have finally gotten a breather to blog again. Clearly from the title, my aim is Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska. In a very transparent move to try and woo the disgruntled Hilary voters, John McCain decided to "pick up" Sarah Palin as a running mate. Now the question of why I have pick up in quotations may arise, so let me explain. In "pick-up" basketball, there is really no thought process involved in choosing who will be on your team. You simply choose someone based on their physical appearance at the time. While I'm sure Palin's physical appearance as a "milf" did not play any factor in her being chosen, to John McCain she was the best looking player on the team at the time. She has undoubtedly energized the Republican base (well, at least about two weeks ago she did) and brought in a very interesting dynamic to the race. In one sweeping motion, John McCain has single-handedly removed himself from the race for President. The two major characters of this campaign are Barack Obama and Sarah Palin and while some joke that McCain will not survive his first-year in office, it is remarkable how quickly he has become an afterthought in the campaign.

So why the title? Why the play on the Patricia McLachlan children's book? Well, quite simply, Sarah Palin is plain. There is nothing remarkable about her outside of her newfound celebrity "milf" status and her down-right ignorant view of the world. To believe that her experience as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska where the biggest event to come before her was the debate over the installation of a new skating facility. Compared to Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer on the Southside of Chicago, where he dealt with issues facing the actual livelihood of people, not their forms of entertainment.

And thats what Sarah Palin has become for a number of people: a form of entertainment. Tina Fey's SNL spoof was by far one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed, and I had the common sense to have the sound up, unlike some VP candidates. Her foreign policy credentials are sub-par at best. Barack Obama did a major tour around Europe and even gave a speech in front of thousands. Palin met with nine foreign dignitaries (one of whom was Bono) in New York City. My best friend, Gabby, is meeting with the President of Iran today. In New York City. Is she more qualified than Palin to run for VP or even President? (My honest answer to this question is yes. She's truly amazing) John McCain has run himself out of the race. Its apparent that even his own voters are more energized by his running-mate than him. Should we sit around and wait for John McCain to die, in order to reenergize the country via a VP pick who's presidency, as so eloquently put by Matt Damon (aka, Jason Bourne, who definitely has more foreign policy experience than Palin), would be "like a really bad Disney movie"? I think Walt is rolling over in his grave.

Musings on Change and Christianity

You got to make that change man
Cuz they don't come too often
And when they do come
You gotta be smart enough to know when to change
Like Sam Cooke say change gon' come nephew
And you better believe that
-Snoop Dogg in John Legend's "I Can Change"

I know that it has been a while since I last blogged, but as many of you know I'm making the move down to Atlanta tomorrow (CRAZY!!) . While I've been packing my things and reminiscing about my time at Colgate, I have continuously thought about the concept and idea of change. While I've been thinking about change, the quote by Snoop Dogg popped into my head. I never thought I'd be quoting Snoop in my blog but you never know when the quote fits. With that said, undoubtedly, the biggest change and challenge I am going to experience. First off, I'm moving to Atlanta. While I am definitely excited, I have been in upstate New York, for four year. I have been in the Northeast and exposed to the liberal ideologies which pretty much have had a huge impact on my thinking. So, going to the stereotypically conservative South is a major change that I will have to get used to. While the move is huge, I think the education that I am going for is probably going to be the most challenging part of this whole thing, so the remainder of this blog post will be dedicated to my thoughts on that and the Change I think necessary both within myself and in my prospective field. With change, though, you have two options, get run over or adapt. So like Snoop says, I'm gonna be smart enough to adapt.

Most of you know I'm going for my Masters of Divinity at Candler which is a great school. There are leading scholars that will definitely provide with the in-depth education necessary to be a leading scholar in the field of religion. But the decision to attend Candler does not come without some reservations. My biggest concern, as I have told Gabby numerous times, is that I am far too liberal for the degree I am pursuing. I have very liberal ideas about religion and Christianity and I believe they may conflict with the thoughts of many of my classmates (if you know me, you know what I'm talking about).

Outside of my liberal ideologies, I also believe that there may be some major contention between myself and so-called Evangelicals. In fact, I find myself to be totally antithetical to Evangelical ideas. In many ways, they scare me. If you've ever seen Jesus Camp , then you can understand part of what I mean. I have somewhat of a problem with a political Evangelical lobby as I believe that it directly violates the separation of church and state, as well as perpetuate a staggering dependence on Christian privilege that America has developed.

Therefore, so I don't sound like someone who complains all the time without offering a solution, I will attempt to explain some of my thoughts. First off, I feel that Christianity is offered as an option to any and everyone, but I don't feel that I have to approach people and tell them that they can be saved today. Since I use a lot of sports analogies, I'll use one here to further explain. When you're on a team, there are two types of leaders. There are the leaders who are always yelling and telling you what to do and essentially marginalize members of the team. When that happens the team gets divided and nobody accomplishes anything. On the other hand, there are leaders who lead by example. People who do everything right and people approach that person and they pull a team and country together. I imagine myself as one of the latter type of Christian leaders. So I would rather have someone approach me and ask me about my faith than to go and proclaim it to someone who may have an abject opinion of it after talking to me.

Secondly, I feel that Christianity's biggest message should be that of love for fellow humans. I feel that Christianity has a pretty bad habit of judging many different people who don't fit the traditional mold. In my life, I have met some very interesting people who I might not have met if I had prejudged them. So in my opinion love for fellow man should be a guiding principle for Christians.

Finally, my major point of contention is my personal belief that sin is equal. I feel like sometimes there are people who say that homosexuals are such a bad thing, but are cheating on their wives. People who condemn someone as a sinner and ignore there own sins. I feel that if people would consider themselves sinners as well, this world would be a little more compassionate and a little more understanding.

Well, as many of you can see, my idea of Christianity is a little more progressive than most. We'll see how it plays out once I get down there. But since I like feedback. I know many of you have an opinion on religion and Christianity and I want to hear your perspectives. So, thoughts?


P.S--Some people might find the picture above offensive. I'm sorry if it does. But I feel like, If you can't laugh at yourself a little, then you are missing out on life.

NaS' Masterpiece

About a week and a half ago, I became the owner of one of the greatest hip hop albums ever. Trust me when I say that I am not exaggerating. Nasty NaS makes a triumphant return with this politically-charged, controversy-laden polemic set to incredible beats. Everytime I listen to this album I get goosebumps. It has the feel of Hip-Hop is Dead, but its more raw. It has more emotion in it. Needless to say, NaS really brings it in this album but doesnt get the credit he deserved. Unlike a certain artist who sold "A Milli" on incredible hype and codeine-laced lyrics, NaS actually takes a stand against adversaries Bill O'Reilly and Fox News in both song and petition. In a time where we are on the cusp of our first Black President, but still at war and in need of a "Hero", NaS comes through like the Dark Knight.

I am somewhat upset at the media uproar over NaS' decision to change the title of the album from Nigger. I think there was, in many ways, an infringement upon his freedom to artistically express himself. I really dont believe, after listening to the album nonstop, that NaS attempted to title it nigger because he does a very good job at attempting to rewire the thinking behind the word. His album does not limit the term to simply black people but all oppressed people. I mean, there was not nearly as much of an uproar when Randall Kennedy published his book titled Nigger. It also does the same thing in trying to "defang" the word. Your thoughts?

Frenzy Friday - State of the Race

As promised, I begin my Frenzy Friday (working title) with this post. I recently watched CNN's Special Report: Black in America. While the special was only 4 hours total, I feel it gave a minor glimpse of of how it is to be a Black person in America, however, it is the responsibility of Black people throughout the country to provide our own voice. It is not CNN's responsibility to provide solutions to the problems of the community (although they did provide examples), it is our responsibility. With that said, I want to focus my thoughts on one segment of the show that I think is extremely important for our community to discuss: the issue of Black male/female relationships.

There is a pervasive problem in the culture with male treatment of women. Women are not seen in a very positive light by male members within the community and it seems to spread out into the general population. In watching CNN's special, there were three main areas that they focused on that I want to tackle. Issues of the Black Family, Dating and Relationships, and Portrayal in the Media. It is generally my practice, and probably academically driven, that I provide some history and for the sake of some credibility I will do so here, albeit less than I normally would.

Historically speaking, the Black Family was doomed from the day it set foot on this continent. It benefited slave traders to break up the family, so they did just that. Needless to say, the lack of men in the families, led enslaved women on plantations to lead an almost matriarchal society. The men married and had children on plantations and were shipped off to another plantation without any care or concern for the welfare of the family. So many men ended up fathering many families and wedding many different women on different plantations. So from a historical standpoint, its no wonder that there are 70% of Black women who are single parents. However, to place the blame solely on a historical basis would be irresponsible and wrong.

So this problem of the Black Family, and also the lack of men in these families, stems from the breakdown in the relationships between Black Men and Black Women. Some Black men who I have spoken to have said that Black Women are "materialistic", "too picky", "setting the standard to high". Personally, I believe that this thought process is what dooms the Black Male to the life that he lives, and in many ways is dooming the Black family and ultimately the Black race. In the CNN special, the 3 major factors that separated Black Men from Black Women were education, economy, and incarceration. In many ways the disparity begins with the fact that Black Women have an overwhelming command of the academy compared to Black Men (a 3:1 ratio). This of course leads to poorer economic conditions, which lend themselves to increasing incarceration. But is that the brunt of it? Black Women have been the staple of the race, being both the bearer of life and, in recent years, the bread-winner. So is that where the problems lie? Has systematic racism completely emasculated the Black Man and left the woman "in charge"? Or is the Black Man simply intimidated by strong, intelligent, educated, beautiful women who will challenge the establishment and status quo? Part of me thinks he is. Why you ask?

I remember thinking about the image of the Black Man in prison and the Black Man in school and thinking that the scholarly Black Man is an exception rather than the rule. I'm not sure how the stats reflect on that but its something that the majority of people undoubtedly believe. However, I cannot help but think about the fact that the majority of the images that the world sees of Black Women are them showcasing their assets on music videos with some rapper or other male in a power position. Yet, the stats actually show the exact opposite. Black women are effectively running the show in Black America. So, why is there a disparity in the real and the actual for Black Women?

I must admit I was asked to write this post by my best friend, an incredibly strong and brilliant Black woman. Her concern, which is the concern of Black Women from coast to coast, is what must or can Black women do to marry or even date inside of the race? My belief is that they keep being themselves. The problem isn't Black Women, its Black Men. Believe me, there are plenty of Black Men doing the positive thing and fighting stereotypes and making a way for themselves in legitimate ways around the country. But those stories are not being broadcasted and Black Boys have no legitimate role models outside of mediocre, misogynistic rap stars. They absorb the images of the Black man in dominate positions on TV, although those positions are often the result of some illegitimate activities. I used to believe that my difference in opinion came from my experience with positive, strong females in my life (read: My mother, sisters, aunts, friends). However, I have seen the exact same experiences used to explain reasons why they shouldn't respect women because these women are not their mothers, sisters, aunts, friends, and therefore are not deserving of this respect.

So where do the repairs begin? It has to start with Black Men. It has to start with us holding ourselves accountable and holding each other accountable for respecting ourselves and our beautiful sisters. We have to take responsibility for the plight of our people. Its only through us that we can make the change necessary.

Wow, that was a ton, but its definitely a discussion that needs to happen. So let's discuss. Your thoughts?

Quick Update

Just checking in to let you all know whats up. Some of you know about the "groundbreaking CNN Special Black in America" that debuts tonight at 9pm. Its a two day special with today tackling Black Women and Family and tomorrow tackling The Black Man. Needless to say, I have had this special on my calendar since I first heard about it and Im glad its finally here. I've read great reviews thus far, but I have read some skepticism from Black people. Im sure there will be some critiques and things of that nature.

But here's a quick rundown of what Friday's blog entries (Yes, entries as in multiple) will address:

-A review of the Black in America special
-A beginning to a discussion on Black Female/Male relations as requested by my best friend, Gabby.
-Also, seeing as how I'm going into Seminary (ETA in Atlanta: 20 days), I want to have a frank discussion about church issues, from my own very liberal standpoint and get some feedback.
-There may also be a review of two really good albums. Tryin to mix it up a little.

I'm tempted to do multiple entries that are really thought out every friday and I'm working on a title for it. Stay Tuned because this week ought to be good.

Check out The Blueprint!!!

Arkitekt and I joined up on a blog post to talk about Obama's recent appearance on the cover of the New Yorker. Its the first in what will hopefully be a good conversation series. Check it out here.

Self Reliance and the NAACP

Watching Bill O'Reilly and his talking points made me start to think about Barack Obama and the so-called "Self-Reliance" tour. There seems to be a disconnect by O'Reilly and many others in understanding Obama's message on self-reliance that he has delivered. Obama's message is one of personal reliance. O'Reilly, in his brilliance of No-Spin reporting, attempted to portray Obama's message of self-reliance as being something that only Obama could do in front of the NAACP. Excuse me for stating the obvious, but duh Bill. Barack is talking about personal accountability, specifically within the Black community of which he is a member. He has the right and, in many ways, the responsibility to preach personal accountability to the Black community. The personal accountability that Obama preaches should lead to holding our government to a higher level of accountability. Is not that what we need now? A government who the people can hold accountable. A government who the people can trust. We must start by trusting ourselves.