Patriotism and the Pin

As the campaign season has marched along, I notice the tiny detail of wearing a pin has become so very important. Barack Obama, like any other American does not wear the American flag pin everyday. So what! Millions of Americans do not. Is this a big deal at all? Not really. But in a campaign season when race matters, are we really surprised that the biracial black guy who tells us all to come together is look at as un-American and the guy who sent thousands of Americans to die in a unnecessary war is the standard of patriotism.

That brand of patriotism is the root of jingoism. Those people who define a feeling of Americanness are the people who share the same brand of patriotism that led to policies like Manifest Destiny. The aftermath of that aggressive"westward expansion" is the answer to the question Where are all of the Native Americans?

Since 9/11, the flag pin has skyrocketed into popularity. Sen McCain, a proud flag pin wearer and POW, is no more American than anyone else. In fact, his view on the War in Iraq will undoubtedly lead to more innocent American lives being lost. And is the vets do make it home, he wants to make sure that they are not given proper health care, veteran benefits or educational funds. But yet his constituency, poor whites are saluting him a the standard of Americanness. WAKE UP!

Yet another reason that we need CHANGE!

Where's Waldo?

Looking for a black face in this crowd is like looking for Waldo in a Where's Waldo puzzle. The political pundits have been continually saying that Barack will have a hard time getting the white blue collar vote. A picture is worth a thousand words.... You decide what you want to belive for yourself.

Reverend Wright's NAACP Speech

The reason for posting the Reverend's speech is to allow those who have not had to opportunity to listen to the speech outside of the sound bites provided by the news media to formulate their own opinions on it's content. DO NOT allow the news media to dictate what your opinions should be.

The Fierce Urgency of Now...

"..the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races." - Obama

It seems as if to be a black male is to automatically be considered a criminal. Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo are two black men murdered because they both fit the description of "the usual suspect." The verdicts in both cases seem to say that their lives had no value and meant nothing. To me personally it was very painful to hear about the verdict in the Sean Bell case. My immediate thought was toward the men in my life that I love and cherish and how they could easily find themselves in a situation similar to Sean. Tears rolled down my face out of anger at the fact that the law doesn't seem to protect all.
Both of these murders and the many others that have occurred are outrageous and must stop. The anger and frustration of unfair treatment of black people in this country undoubtedly continues. How do we get past the anger? The answer is this: It is time to take a stand and cease the passivity and acceptance of biased treatment of our brothers, our sons, our husbands, our fathers, our black men.

Let Love Rule:

Where's the love? He married her. They are rich. Happy. Successful and BLACK. Not saying they are perfect but Black love is a beautiful thing. Instead of pointing out all of the things that are wrong with the couple or taking bets on when it will end, just remember none of us had a chance! Shout to Mrs. Carter!

Hey Young World...

Is it me or have people lost their minds in the last month or so? This student is crazy for beating the teacher. But the behavior of the students who put the attack on YouTube and the principal (who reportedly allows incidents like this one) is just as egregious! While families are not what they used to be, I am still a firm believer in plain general sense. High schools students and grown folk alike should know that life is not a TV show. Rationalizing the attack of a teacher in a classroom as being the "norm" in Baltimore is unacceptable. Yes we all watched The Wire but I thought most of us got the point that we are all more than spectators. We are not only responsible for our own actions, we are responsible for rebuilding our communities.

Barack Obama - Speech on Race

BaDaBOOO!!!

This commercial is just excruciating to watch. It’s amazing to me that in this day and age commercials that create caricatures of certain cultures are tolerated. What happened to progression with respect to racial and cultural tolerance and respect in this country? This looks more like a regression if you ask me. That “Bada Bling” scratch off ad can be put on the same level with the old Mamie/Aunt Jemima ad’s of yester-year. Modern day dancin' and shufflin'. It certainly doesn't make me want to go buy a scratch and win game. It's an offensive and inaccurate depiction of not only the urban hip-hop generation, but also Italian Americans. What’s up with that??
Not to be funny but who says "Bling" anymore anyway. It seems that the Black culture has been limited to raunchy women, jewelry, and flashy clothing (literally and figuratively). While the Italian culture is always depicted as mobsters, ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Does that man that we will have a west indian scratch-off or Latin scratch-off maybe? And as far as the New York Lottery website goes there are no other advertisements for a specific race. Nor do any of the other scratch offs offer you an opportunity further degrade a culture by uploading your photo in order to "Bling" yourself out. It kind of resembles something from a hip hop video gone wrong. Go to the website and see for yourself. www.nylottery.org.


Notable Mention: Cablevision's Reggaeton Optimum Online Commercial...

I Do It For The Culture...

I'm just a hustler disguised as a rapper
In fact you can't fit this hustle inside of a wrapper...


Everyone's favorite Billy(scape) G.O.A.T. has a new job: Co-Chairman of Translation Advertising. Jay's partnership with Steve Stoute focuses on the marketing to the intelligent and "multi-cultural" consumer. However, do not mistake it- another day job for Hov is not a step backward. No, his latest corporate conquest is actually a sign of progress- for all of us. Despite the criticism of his lyrical ability, his age, his downsized team, his need to retire-AGAIN or his being a "pawn" to the powers that be over at Universal, Sean Carter has always been the archetype of the hustler. What makes him an authority on brand imaging and marketing, you say? What does not, I say?

We all lusted for champagne in the gold bottle and the platinum jewelry he rapped about. Dudes knew they had to cop that "4.6" if they even thought about a Range Rover? We all threw up the Roc sign like we were Deltas. His S. Carter sneakers set records for Reebok. Mitchell and Ness suffered serious setbacks when Hov proclaimed he didn't wear jerseys anymore. He added to his "it" factor by bagging the hottest chick in the game. In short, he talked fly, he looked fly, he rapped fly. Jay was, is and always will be fly. If you don't believe it, check the Forbes list.

While he sold off both Roc-a-fellas and Rocawear, his current list of investments -including Carol's Daughter, The New Jersey Nets, the J Hotels and the 40/40 clubs- is more more than impressive. His staggering $547 million net worth is sure to make him the first hip-hop billionaire in his lifetime. His business savvy has influenced the likes of 50 Cent, Nelly, Lil Wayne and Usher. Everyone is thinking about life after hip-hop.

Yes, finally someone has realized that corporations do need to tap into the 2+ trillion dollar buying power of minorities by break dancing or rapping in every damn commercial. We salute Jay from going from street hustler to corporate hustler. He is making sure we get a piece of the commodification of hip-hop culture.