Black vs Black - Bitterness amongst African Americans

I wanted to title this racism amongst blacks but after looking at the definition of Racism i decided bitterness was a preferable term. Ever since emancipation, black people seem to find ways (sometimes real coy and creative) to go back to what our leaders fought hard and tirelessly to end - the bitterness and evil that slavery and the vile it brought. Through elitism, African-Americans have found a way to mark distinction or better to speak, distinguish themselves from fellow blacks. The idea that I am better then you because my skin is lighter, i make certain $ more than you and live in special zipcodes has possessed the minds of several blacks down to the youngsters of this generation.  Click to read more.

My Paper on Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes contributed a tremendous influence on black culture throughout the United States during the era known as the Harlem Renaissance. The movie shows that he was and is considered to be one of the most prolific and most-recognized black poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was presented with a great opportunity with the rise black art during the 1920's and by his creative style of poetry, which used black culture as its basis and still appealed to all ethnicities. However, Langston Hughes was born into a well to do black family; of course, another Booker T Washington. He was sent to Columbia and was familiar with the white folk along with the benefits of a proper education and harnessing of his potential and abilities. Was this because he was from a line of light skinned folk? I wonder. Why was he not from the ghetto and picked cotton and tilled the farms with his hands till they bled and, then, write poems? This shows me the suppression and supremacy the whites still inevitably held over the blacks; picking and selecting whom was going to be who, where and when.  For Langson to have gained such popularity he had to have kissed the arses of so many white folk; however 'innocent' and much of a 'non sell-out' he claims to be or have been. I think of his work as hypocrisy; like what many of the young black folk nowadays do. They sing and rap of a neighborhood they have never known and will never know, claim to know the hardships and trials those who do reside in this hard neighborhoods go through and fill their lyrics with a bunch of media infested stereotypes and paint their videos with sheer ignorance for the world (Black AND White) to see, and of course in a latter effect - believe. Langston writes of black suffering and pain which of course he must have learned from the books, tales and by going to bourgeoise theaters to see the plays. Nevertheless black folk of the time (and still today) could not see past his facade and once he threw money here and there, was applauded for such an 'audacious' effort and 'inspiration' to the younger black generation. Let the young black children know ALSO where, when and how Langston made his fame, power and fortune. I was so disgusted to hear of Langston's version of discrimination towards him. While in grammar school  in Lincoln, Illinois, Hughes was elected class poet. Hughes stated in retrospect he thought it was because of the stereotype (I wonder what he knew of these) that African Americans have rhythm. "I was a victim of a stereotype. There were only two of us Negro kids in the whole class and our English teacher was always stressing the importance of rhythm in poetry. Well, everyone knows — except us — that all Negroes have rhythm, so they elected me as class poet". Perhaps this was one of the 'many' trials and tribulations Langston faced as a Black man in a primarily racist society. 

I appreciate the fact that Langston craved for the truth. He wanted more than the bed of roses his father provided him and wanted to know first-hand what his people (as he called the Blacks) were suffering. I appreciate that, now THAT is a bold movement. And of course, his 'elegant' father refused such 'mediocre thinking'. Possibly because a conglomeration of Langston's people would shade the light off the sky and cause an assembly of unbearably dark heathens, contrary to the immaculate light skin the white man's seed had fortunately doused on his genealogy of dark skin? I wonder.  I appreciate his quest to be 'black' by every means. Leaving Columbia for Lincoln (a historically black college), joining Omega Psi Phi fraternity Inc. (a Black Greek letter organisation), moving to Harlem (a primarily black neighborhood), 'appreciating' jazz (a black man's music), directing 'black plays' etc. I applaud those efforts, and who knows maybe the black folk of the time saw all this and decided to adopt him as a black man. Shall we undermine Langston's sexuality? Of course not, that would be an incomplete 'biography'. Still, the movie skipped Langston's sexuality. 'Maybe' just maybe his sexuality was not important to the history of his work. Of course not, it was not. We shall sit and play closed-eyes at short stories such as "Blessed Assurance" was about a father's anger over his son's sexuality. There were also several poems discovered that Hughes never had published related to his love for black men. Wait a minute, could Langston's father have been trying to protect him from the harsh criticisms of fellow blacks once they find out about his effeminity, thus wanting to send him to a primarily white school (altoghether wanting to send him abroad)? I wonder. But of course, we will have questions such as how do you know that he was talking about himself?he usally based his peoms on other people that he had meet. Or In "Same in Blues," where Hughes again expresses gender dialogue in the Black community, focusing on the frustration a man feels at not being able to fulfill the male-ascribed role of provider, because of racial and economic conditions: maybe to retain the respect and support of black churches and organizations and avoid exacerbating his precarious financial situation, Hughes remained closeted. Bravo to the most 'respected' man for not being so bold after all. Regardless, the black folk still needed brillaint minds like Hughes to argue their rights in higher places. Take for instance tin 1926, in the Nation, he provided the movement with a manifesto when he skillfully argued the need for both race pride and artistic independence in his most memorable essay, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.”  Who else would know such 'mighty deeds' than a man who has for himself witnessed The Ways of White Folks (a book by Langston Hughes, 1934)? I rest my case and in general applaud Langston Hughes for being courageous enough to take a stance for his people. 

I swear this internet is UNproductive - it's KILLING

I sit down at the computer, and I swear I'll be productive. Next thing I know it's 12 hours later. I've been on this damn computer since 11pm last night and it's almost dawn. I've checked my email, updated my Facebook status, browsed the trending topics on Twitter, read my RSS feeds, looked up stuff on Wikipedia, read all the new stories online, been on Wikipedia 20times, watch 3million videos, posted 5million comments on 3000 forums, updated my profiles, cyber-stalked all stalk-ables, been on Facebook 500 times even though I swore I won't (just like I said I'll be doing work but here I am BLOGGING!!!).

What I haven't done is WORK.

I've come a long way though, I've stayed off facebook for 3days in a row! (Yay me!!) and I've disabled my Chromed Bird for Twitter and I haven't been there in a minute (couple hours ago). I really should stay off the internet and so, that's what I'll be doing for a while now. I need to get into my school work, catch up with what's going on around me and make some useful contributions by working my brain where it needs to be WORKED. I'm gonna start taking trips to the library and sit WELL AWAY from a computer, I'm gonna stop responding to my Yahoo hit ups and maybe just go offline. I'm gonna try not to see who's on Oovoo or even LOOK at a #TT on twitter. No facebook (I've been good so far) and how 'bout back to the good ol days of reading ink on paper! Music?? I've got a damn radio and a pile of songs -- I can do without hearing what new bullshit is on the radio (Oh let's do it!!) My Tv isn't really a big deal cuz it's either on in front of me and I'm watching Family guy or it's just talking and I'm here - ONLINE. Text messages...oops someone just hit me up on Yahoo..two now...lol. I swear this is gonna be a marathon. Well, as I was saying Text messages, hmm, my phone's been acting up lately so I guess, God's giving me a helping hand there. Thanks a lot Father. My text messages blow up to 100% filled like in 3minutes, anyone who's close to me knows I've blown up my phone with constantly always charging it. The damn thing can't go up to 3minutes (no kidding) without a charger plugged in. What a whore for electricity..lol. I'm gonna try and bet it aint gon be easy.

So, if you catch me strolling aimlessly or wandering socially or trying to start a convo with you or just seeing my status as ONLINE ANYWHERREEE....hit me up to GET BACK TO WORK and I don't mean reading my inbox I MEAN STUDYING so I can get a degree and then a bigger sa-la-ry (Education -- Connection...lol. I tell u that damn commercial is annoying as fuck http://www.educationconnection.com/). You know I wanna be like DuBois or Thurgood Marshall or Douglass or Brooke you know, someone with ambition, determination and a spirit to lead. I guess online won't be my friend in the long run. When you see me, don't be a stranger, pat me on the back (especially if you are a studious one) and encourage me to skip parties and study hard and long, get scholarships, get a notable degree, advance and become a shining star.

  

Till I blog next time (maybe just right after a hot exam),


The Gentleman


o n yea, I'm trying to make my blog more about urban style, hip-hop, music, and of course forever - self improvement, so I'm open to ALL ideas. Just hit one of the buttons below and drop a line on twitter, FB, Oovoo, Yahoo etc.

10(+1) stuff I've learned.

1.
  I bumped into many “it seems there’s no way to get over this” moments in my life. They’re all in the past now.

2.
 Whatever you say to you into your mind, you will silently say to others around you. Treat yourself nice.

3.
 When you want something, go get it. Don’t fantasize about having it. (FAV!)

4.
  Happiness is a process, not a goal.

5.
 Somebody may hurt you at some point and you may hurt somebody. Pain is part of the game. Suffering is optional.

6.
 Everything you get, you wanted at some point. You only get what you want.

7.
 It’s ok to be loved by other people, even if you don’t love yourself.

8.
 Whenever you feel you can’t do it anymore, you can do it at least twice the time you did it. That’s a fact.

9.
 Believe your intuition. Just don’t let it know that, it will inflate with pride and lose accuracy.

10.
 You don’t need permission to be happy. Nor acceptance or validation. (FAV 2)

10(+1).
  Stop doing stuff. Start living your life. (FAV 3)


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I'm Black.

Wow, today was eventful. I'm chilling with a photographer when we get into the well known argument of
" Africans go back to your country". I'm telling the photographer[African] that he needs to go back to his country because he's taking up resources that might have been used to fulfill a "legit" American's needs. *insert my smiley face here* . Of course we are not enemies so fortunately we didn't get to the point of shooting each other or sending fists to faces. We are talking when I invite a fellow [A black american] to join (supposedly I intended for a light bit of entertainment *evil face*) so the Gentleman tells this black fellow about what my African brother had just said. What transpired I consider one of those things you consider Life Bookmarks(yes, you heard that term 1st on The Gentleman - so go on now and use it in your "deep" myspace and facebook statuses). On a serious note, homeboy SHATTERED my "beliefs" and stereotypes. Brotha got me thinking on how we as individuals sum up people just by what they do, appearance etc..earlier in the day my boss was telling me how my "pickyness" about cute girls was gonna be my downfall.. :( oops... and she explained how it is a phase of my life now but I should look for someone I can Reason with, Share my beliefs and values with and communicate with - All good points GRANTED she doesn't have to be a faux-Barbie. This fellow who works in my school went on with Socio-Politico talks, Racism agendas, Quotations from books, Spilling titulars from the times of MLK, Malcolm X to the basis of religion, justifying the laziness of the Black man by the ideology that the government has a hand in letting black people wallow in laxity. I was speechless for most of his "speech" and the conversation was mostly between him and the photographer. It let me see how shallow my thinking can be allowed to go if kept not in check. You would think (society playing the key part) that this fellow working his job and coming from the neighborhood he does would know naught of academia, society, politics and the economic situations/playings of the society. He spoke on EVERY subject the sun granted - religion, Obama, Politics, Racism, Life in the hood (in an objective logical and reasonable manner).

As much as I was astonished and intrigued, I felt a sense of pride. I could also tell he was proud of himself, his intelligence ans significant amount of knowledge. His voice grew in strength as he hopped from one topic to another, I had to stop both of them discussing and ask them WHAT, with all of their knowledge and profound , have they done to effect the plight of the Black Man in society and the fellow spoke of helping his street kids. I was glad for one more black brotha. I felt i could point my fingers and lift my voice and say YES, Black Men are not just what you see, your dope boy could also be THE scholar. I felt enlightened, I felt as though I was guilty - judging a fellow brotha unfairly JUST like everyone had. It showed me how easy it is to write off people because they look a certain way or have a certain history.

Be the judge.

You judge, who WINS? This was the 2010 Sprite Step Off Competition  for ZTA and DST. Who do you think brought the Best?

Fail! - Why you should never FRONT

LMMFAO....So by now the Ac transit bus fight must be old news - Y'all prolly seen the video clips everywhere, from Youtube to Dailymotion etc. In case you've been an internet slow head - Here's a link to the video with extra features -

Thug Wanna-Be gets the Bizness

I call this a BAD case of fronting. Cornrows + Played out tee + broke azz nigga on the bus + faded tims + loud mouth + sum downplayed kitchen knife DON'T = Thug especially when you run your mouth in the bus and end up doing THIS Michael "Bus Thug" Gives his comment - Pleazee. 

Thugs don't "e-apologize"! So next time, for all you Thugs, Thugettes and my Thug wanna-bes and Thugs-in-training...Next time you come to an old white man thinking you can run the shit outta ya mouth cuz you black and he white (and/or old). Make sure you done your thug fist training properly so u can take a GOOD BEATING - punk!












And in the words of ma lil nigguh Riley -  Nikka U GAE

Now , cuz y'all came to the Gentleman to get ya news on...i'ma show u an extra clip you missed out on...WHO? Same ol' Mikey the thug

Ethnic Notions - The Movie.

Ethnic Notions presented a review on how African-American stereotypes were formed – a history, chronicle and evolution. I was surprised to learn of the history of most of the stereotypes that cloud the African American race. Most of these stereotypes exist even till date. I have always been aware of the role the media plays in perpetrating views that wind up being the “pop” view but seeing this movie reinforced in my mind how strong these views can end up being. I can imagine the little white girl living in the suburban white neighborhood and never seen a black person before; her only encounter with the black race being the TV, comics, plays and billboards.                            

Time and time again she is constantly “reminded” that the black folk are an inferior race with huge lips, bulky round eyes, and mostly dullards (as portrayed by Sambos and  wide-eyed Pickaninnies).
These views extend past novelties of the black race (the whites) and even infiltrate the minds of the younger black generation. Consider the young black boy – constantly “told” (via the media and society) that all he is in fact, a jester, a clown for his “masa” and that the White folk would always stay atop in every facet and he in turn should pay homage to his “dear ‘ol kind masa” of the “ol days”. The images portrayed in these popular songs, children's rhymes, household artifacts and advertisements  constantly send a message of inferiority and a lesser complex to the child, which in turn establishes an atmosphere for mediocrity and a lack of spirit to strive for better.

 

I could not hold back my utmost detest and disgust for characters like “Mammy Yams” and the black man who took up a Scottish name and featured as one of the grinning coons. To believe that black folk would also contribute to pushing and promoting these images of dehumanization and self-humiliation is utterly disturbing. One might argue that the black man then was pressured to take up such debasing roles because he had to fend for his family by making a living through such acts. But my question to that black man would be: how do you explain to your young son that daddy is only “pretending” that such is the “way of life” of the black folk? I almost threw up in my mouth when I saw the scene of the faithful mammy singing “joyously” of how the heavens have blessed her with the grace and opportunity to pick up masa’s clothes from the railings and serve him faithfully. As much as these were perpetrated stereotypes in the media,

I do believe there must have been such an element. This brings up the question; are black folk really “inferior” in nature? Is there an innate element of vagary and barbaric in us? I hope these questions can be answered as I progress through life.