Sacrifice

I was at work on my break and I was reading the newspaper and I came across an article about a group of children in Haiti that died from malnutrition. A young boy, five years old, weighed 19.5 pounds another little girl couldn't stand so she was hung on to the scale. The children were literally skin and bones. Another article in the same paper talked of a man in Africa that doesn't sleep at night to protect his family's food. At that moment I realized what I have known for a long time my role in this world has to be to help the less fortunate of the world. when I read the article about the children I wanted to cry, I did inside. Americans consume many times more than we produce.I worked at a summer program that fed urban children during the summer, we threw away pounds of food everyday. I work at wal-mart now and they throw away food to make room for new food, or if it is one day bad. This food could feed so many. I have decided that I will not longer eat food on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday of excess. Don't get me wrong I am not putting down and saying don't celebrate cause I will be, but one American will possibly eat more in this one day than many people around the world will eat their entire short lives. This is how I will give thanks for the life I have. I will sacrifice food this day to show my gratitude for being safe at night, a warm place to sleep, at least two meals a day. leisure time and the many luxuries I own or enjoy. I have to help these people cause I truly hurts me that things like this are allowed to happen people should not have to live like that. What makes me so angry is that most people really don't care. They say that they have to look out for their own, but before you are an American, black/white/Asian/Latino,liberal/conservative, catholic/protestant you are a human being. How dare anyone turn their back to the plight of their fellow man. I have to help these people. I can start by making a sacrifice, as a token of goodwill that I will help more one day. A sacrifice for the greater good.

Post Election Racism

Wow it has been a long road, but we made it Americans, we have taken another leap toward true equality. I was so happy and proud when I saw the words PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA on CNN. I had joy in my heart and was thankful for the direction that our great nation was taking. I must tell everyone to hold President-elect Obama to the same standards that we hold President Bush to. Now to the subject, the day after the election I heard the story of Lindesy Boggs woman who goes to my University who made some very racist comments on her Facebook profile. One thing that this historic event did do that is good or bad depends on how you see it was to open up wounds and expose many people as the racist that they truely are. This hurt me to a certain extent, but I guess this could be healthy. Our nation has been very PC for a long time so it will be hard to see what people really feel. I believe that most racism today is institutionalized racism that is just apart of the culture, but is so tame that once educated would quickly fade, but then you have people like Lindsey Boggs who are just classically racist. Then I found a post someone made on Facebook that had a pic of people and racist statements that they made, I wish that I could link it. I can't do that cause it will tell you to sign in, but this is just sad. I really hope that President-elect Obama can begin to unite this nation cause we need it bad from what I have seen, but this could just and I hope is only a minority. Another thing whether it that a lot of black people are claiming that if you disagree with President-elect you must be racist. That is far from the truth. This is the same argument People make with if you disagreed with President Bush you were anti-American. Stupid! Then I was at work and someone said they were leaving the country cause Obama was elected, and a coworker said he was racist. This is the same thing plenty of people Black people included when Bush was reelected so are they racist. This needs to stop, please stop being so sensitive. Racism is stupid and it need to stop.

Though it seems Heaven sent, America isn't ready for a Black President

I bought a new iPod and I've been putting a lot of new music it, and I've notices something that I knew already. I realized that Obama has truly inspired and given hope to black america. Black Americans have for a long time felt that they were not actually apart of this country, that they were residents of this country, but not citizens. Pride in ones country was not an aspect of Black culture in America. Now I listen to songs like Black President, and My President, and it shows that people who typically have no interest or concern for the politics of this country and now interested and showing their sensitive side in a sense that they have a stake in the outcome of this election. You may not like this, but Senator Obama's nomination has validated Black Americans showing that they are apart of this country that they matter that they cannot be ignored as a force in this nation. Senator Obama win or lose has made history in this country and will forver be a Hero in the Black community. The sad part of this story is that if he does not win in November he will send Black America into a depression. They will feel that they put their hopes and dreams into this one man only to be let down by the same people who have been letting them down for years, because of the multicultural nature of this country we see things in that lense, and we now cannot see the importance of Senator Obama's campaign.

Dirty

I was on a break at work and I was listening to the radio and the Comedian D.L. Hughley was talking about the Dems. He said that the Dems need to start playing dirty, because the reps use fear and dirty tactics and they win. I hate Dirty campagins, but I had to think about what he was saying. Sen. McCain has been running an almost if not entirely dirty campaign. So I was watching the Democratic National Convention and they could not stop praising Sen. McCain. I can guarentee that you won't hear the at the Republican convention. The reps use fear to manipulate voters. Hughley said everyone uses fear it is how it is why you pay bills on time go to work on time and so on. The Reps are playing a game, McCain just announced that Palin is his runningmate The Governor of Alaska. This is a ploy to anger the Hilary supporters against Obama. It is basically saying that look I am man enough to choose a woman as my VP why isn't Obama. It is all a game to Reps, but what hurts me the most is the idea that the dems with their idealism are naive. Perhaps I am naive. Is it the only way to win, playing dirty. Are we so far gone as a people that we can't believe in hope and honesty. That an administration can treat America with respect. I don't want to believe that. Do you have to sell your soul to do right by this world? If you want to serve this world and the people of it do you have to give your soul to do so, the ultimate sacrafice. If so is it justified to do that? I am really confused by this.

God

I was talking to a a coworker about the the Rick Warren interview or whatever it was, and he said how this was like a step back. I agree what kind are we coming to when a Church official gets to question the United States Presidential Candidates. I know that the evangelicals vote so the candidate have to pander to them, but what does this mean for our country? The thing that bothers me the most about evangelicals, extremist, fundamentalist whatever you wanna call them they is that they feel that their way is the only way. Lately something else is bothering me. their view of God, The God they believe in is Cold, Unforgiving, not understanding, and Closeminded. This bothers me the most Living in the south I can't offer a different idea without being told that what I said was Blasphamy. If I met God and he was like this I think I would be disappointed. I just can't believe that God is so Black and White. They make it seem that it is this way and no other way and no way around it. This bothers me I just can't belive this I won't belive this. The God I believe in is Warm, Forgiving, Understanding, Wise and much more complex than anyone on earth can begin to comprehend. I just feel that God is more complex than what people portray God as a Man the first and ultimate being has a gender that is ridiculous. That is just one of the things that bothers me. People say that you have to give ten percent to the church. What does God want with your money! Then there is this whole idea that if you are not christian you are going to hell. well the years before christianity everyone went to Hell? What about native Americans who for years and years were never exposed to any version of Judao-Christian society all went to hell. I'm sure that all religions are a gateway to God. It just makes me upset that people are so Close minded especially about something as huge religion.

Audacity

I work at night now 10 P.M. till 7 A.M. so leaving for lunch would really not be in my best interest. So I read the newspaper, and there are a variety of papers who lean to the left and right. When I am at home not much is on during the morning so I watch the news and one thing that I keep seeing in the coverage of the Race is that Senator McCain is constantly using negative and demeaning tones when referring to Senator Obama. He handed out tire gauges to mock Senator Obama saying that good tire pressure increases gas mileage, then he talked about the Senator's views on the war by saying "The Audacity of Hopelessness" mocking the title of Senator Obama's book. I'm not saying that Senator Obama doesn't criticise Senator McCain, but he attacks his stance on the issues. Senator McCain does the same, but he seems to me to be demeaning, and putting the senator down as below him almost like a child. Neither Senator McCain or Senator Obama are children and have earned to be where they are. I just feel that there should be mutual respect among the two candidates. Senator McCain seems spoiled or arrogant to me every time he treat's Senator Obama that way. He acts like he deserves to be president like it is his right and that Senator Obama is a nuisance in his way. Any man who feels it is his right to be president obviously is not a man this country needs or deserves. Senator McCain in my opinion only gives off the feel that because of his time as a POW it is his right to be President like this country owes him. I am more that grateful for the Senator's service to our country and hate that he had to spent that time as a POW, but being President is another form of Service to this country, not a gift. I just feel that senator McCain needs a new approach, but maybe he is doing it just right for the votes he is targeting. Maybe it is just stand offish to me as a Liberal. Senator McCain is a conservative. The Ad comparing Senator Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears was out of line and in bad taste. We only two more months till the election It will most likely only get worse. I just hate negative campaigns. The Audacity of Senator McCain.

Expectations

Lately Sen. Obama has been on a whirlwind tour of the world. The Senator has been telling of all of what he plans to do once and if he is elected President. The media has also been hyping it up as well. What the main problem that I have with this is that Senator Obama and the media are pumping up what he will do if elected. So even if he does and excellent job if elected he might still be seen as a failure. As a people Americans are very biased against "Flip Floppers" they are themselves the most prime example of a Flip flopper. Americans will turn against a politician at the slightest possibility of a problem. So if on a scale of 10 he performs at an 8 his approval rating will plummet. People don't realize that the executive branch is only 1/3 of the govn't. Yes I disagree with president Bush on almost everything that he did during his presidency, I am also aware that it is not 100% his fault. President Bush has become the point of blame for all the ills of this nation. I often hear people say they hate Bush and this is all his fault and if it weren't for him everything would be okay. Some of the things honestly weren't his fault, but he still could have handled the situations a lot better. What I am saying basically is that is President Bush is this bashed where he had a conservative congress for half of his administration to boot most of the country leans conservative. What chance does a Democratic President have whom has set the bar extremely high?

Hero

The fact that random acts of injustice happens proves that there is no Justice

I was watching a documentary on the history channel called "Batman Unmasked" it was a study in the psychology of Batman and his rouge Gallery. I watched figuring that it would be interesting with the Dark Knight coming out Friday. As I watched my mind was blown, the show asked you to reshape the fundamental aspects of humanity and right and wrong. Batman is a man who needs a way to fight injustice outside of what is acceptable by contemporary society. It showed that his villains are also regular human being pushed to the extremes just in the opposite direction. The line between right and wrong, good and evil is very close, and very hazy. The asked who was the real person Batman or Bruce Wayne. An average person would say that Bruce the playboy billionaire is the real person, but what need would a man as Bruce regardless of the tragedies he has endured in his life need to do the things that Batman does. I learned that the true person ALWAYS is the masked person. The things that we do knowing that we will not be held responsible for are actions is who we really are. Bruce Wayne troubled man hurt by the death of his parents is a man who can and will fight crime and injustice in the world, but he can not do that as himself he has friends, family, and many was to be hurt by the men he fights in the dark. As batman he is free from this burden he can do what he feels as right and necessary. Thus Batman is the true identity. This made me look at myself I can associate with heroes perhaps that is why I am such a fan of Superheros. I lack purpose for my life in my everyday life I am not doing the thing that I truly believe need to be done I am not making the world a better place. I sit around and watch TV and go to the movies and hang out with friend and I am not making the world better. I want and need to make this world better I have to leave it better than what I came into. I watch all of the injustice and pain and suffering in the world and it truly hurts me I honestly want to fight against it some how. I need to help people and I am not. On the other side of that coin I do see the pain and suffering of the world I also don't see anyone who even cares to try and help these people everyone is so focused on themselves and their tiny seemingly unimportant issues that they can't raise a finger to help people so why should I maybe I should look out only for myself. In this I find my self associating with the Villains. So I ask myself if I could hide behind a mask who would I be Batman or Scarecrow. The fact that I have to even ask myself this scares me. Who am I behind a mask? I don't want to jump off buildings like Batman or roam the night, but I do want to fight injustice so in that the quote at the beginning can not be true justice does exist, but it is harder to find than I first thought. What makes a man evil and what makes man good I think that there is no answer the line is way too far in the grey zone for me to actually know except of course in extreme example such as Pol Pot or Hitler. The fact that it is so far in the grey also means that the line between good and evil is extremely thin much too easy to cross.

Black or African-American

I am just going to jump into this since I have been gone for so long. Barack Obama is now the Democratic nominee. This fits loosely into a conversation that I was having about a month or so ago. I was at a meeting for MSO(Minority Student Organization) and a question came about first it was about should the black community in America help out Africa more. I said that before we help Africa we need to help ourselves here in our own Black community. The Black community in America is in Chaos. Death tolls in some places are as high as war zones. EVERYONE WAS AGAINST ME. That was a short discussion it quickly changed to do you prefer to be called Black or African American. I said that I rather be called Black, seeing that I am not African, I have no close relatives in Africa nor do we share the same culture. This is what made them explode. I was quickly vilified for my beliefs. We went back and forth. I tried to explain that I have so much more in common with black people here in America than I will ever have with Africans. I was continually attacked no one came to my aid. Some people too this WAY TOO persona. I was asked why I joined United African American Men,and why I joined my fraternity.I was offended, but I didn't get too upset. I tried to explain to them that I joined because of what they stand for, and my respect for my heritage. Then I was attacked with "that is the same thing" I then tried to explain to them that it is not the same thing. Heritage is where you come from and culture is the customs and traditions of the society that you live in. We argued for a good five minutes while someone looked up the definition and I was proven correct. I later told one of my closest friends about the situation and he agreed. He also gave me a new insight. These people are SO Pro Black that they are blinding themselves can't see the forest for the trees. You have to take care of home first. If you child is starving and so is the little boy down the street, you only have money to feed one who are you going to choose? So I ask you African-American/Black people what do you prefer to be called. Non-African-American People what do you prefer to call people of that Persuasion?

100

This is my one hundredth post, I could tell a story about how it's been a long time, how proud I am and all that jazz. I am not going to do that. This post is my "black" history post, but I am going in a whole other direction with this post. I hate BET. This network is so horrible that it should not be allowed to be on during black history month. This network stand for the exact opposite of what we are supposed to be celebrating. All the deaths, beating, dog bites, water hoses, arrest, sit ins , marches. All of that was so BET could show videos that promote a lifestyle that main cause of all the despair and degradation in the black community. BET shows videos, and old stereotypical TV shows. Where are the quality shows? BET only shows negative images of black people, they are images that show black people as loud, ghetto, criminals, and just generally bad depictions of us as a people. On Fridays they show movies, they call the movies "Blackbuster" movies. The movies that are shown, almost always involve prison, drug dealers, and movies that are of bad quality. Why is this the representative of our community to the world. In the end BET is a hip-hop/rap network, these people cater to the populace. What about Jazz, or a news show. BET tried this but wasn't attracting the audience that they want. Black Entertainment Television, more like Black Embarrassment Television. This show is a slap in the face to Dr. King, Malcolm X, Garret Morgan, Frederick Douglass, Dred Scott, and all the others that fought for the rights of black people in America. These people also pushed forward the thinking of America as a whole for the better. BET is not the legacy we should leave for them. This network is shameful attempt at something good. I hate BET