Strive Better

I can be a sulking bastard.

Despite nearly three decades on this planet, I can turn into a pouting, two-year old when I feel wronged. I recognize this about myself, I try to correct it, but I keep failing.

I guess I just like to pout.

Consequently, I have sympathy for folks who have character traits they can't seem to shake. Human beings will always struggle with bringing their actions in line with what they believe is right. All of us fail to be the best human being we could be, and we fail daily. It's just a part of the human struggle.

The key is struggling.

Many folks seem to have lost interest in the struggle. The struggle to improve, the struggle to see the world a little differently everyday. The struggle to grow. I'll admit to losing interest in this struggle at times, but I always come back to it. I'm acutely aware of the fact that I'm not perfect. Therefore, the only true and lasting work in my life is trying to create perfection in all aspects of my life.

Perfection as a husband, as a father, and as citizen. It's a lofty goal that I will never achieve, but that doesn't mean it's not the perfect goal to strive towards.

When did so many of us become immune to this desire? When did we reach the point where we're ok wallowing in our own biases, when we revel in our hypocrisies and faults? Maybe it's always been this way and I never took the time to notice. But, lately, it's been grating on my spirit more and more how easily people have abandoned the idea of striving towards a higher purpose.

Notice, I didn't say we don't strive anymore. We want more money, a bigger house, a nice car and a better lover. Most of us have a long list of "wants" that we strive towards grasping everyday. They dominate our books, our televisions, and our bedrooms.

Yet, we all know this is pointless. These temporal things are nothing in the grand scheme of life. All that matters is our inner improvement and how we display that improvement in our actions. What we acquire can disappear in the twinkling of eye, and all we are left with is who we are.

Who are you?




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Damn Shame

So I've got one eye on the Michael Jackson memorial coverage today.

Anyway, I just heard an official from the city of Los Angles ask the fans of Jackson to go online and donate to the city to help defray the cost of providing security and whatnot for the memorial service. Apparently it's going to cost millions to deal with the event and California is one of the most cash strapped states in the union.

That's a damn shame.

Have we as a country come to this? First, we have a public entity, a city, asking the public to make donations so that it can pay police officers and other emergency workers to do something that is a basic part of their jobs. Second, the city has turned to panhandling instead of demanding money from Jackson's estate or from the event promoter who created the problem.

This is a microcosm of what's ailing America. We as a country have not been prudent with our money. Consequently, our public entities can barely afford to operate. However, when these entities see a shortfall, instead of demanding payment from the businesses or rich folks who have caused the shortfall, they turn to the general public to foot the bill.

Our priorities have been skewed for a long time. We have avoided making politically tough decisions for generations, and now we're paying the price. Did y'all know there is a cap on how much property tax California can collect? That's right, in the state with the most outrageous home prices in the country, the government can only tax folks up to a certain point on their property.

I don't have to point out to most of y'all that this directly benefits the most wealthy residents, but I'll point it out anyway. Basically, California has a welfare program for rich folks, and to finance it, they have to cut services to everybody else. That's a skewed system.

Did y'all know that when you or I have a memorial service or funeral, we're required to pay for the police details and other services that are needed to re-route traffic? Yet, when a multi-millionaire's family and rich corporations decide to have a memorial service, they are given a free pass on the costs. Once again, welfare for the rich, at the expense of the poor.

This country's standard operating procedure is to screw the little guy in an effort to protect the interests of the rich. We've waged wars, destroyed levees and violated human rights all in the name of the rich. And it's always the rest of us who pay the price.

Damn shame.




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Banks Too?

Can't a brother go anywhere without having to see the barrel of a gun?

It's bad enough that I'm in danger when I'm driving, or at the club, or walking down the street. But, it turns out I can't even go to the bank to handle my financial business without coming face to face with the business end of a police officer's service weapon.

Check out this story for more details on what's got me miffed.

As you can see, what we have here is another example of the dangers of being black in a public place. These two cats went to the bank to do some business, were deemed a threat, and came face to face with machine guns. Just a regular day at the office for a black man.

If I wanted to have a blog solely dedicated to chronicling cases of mistaken identity and racial profiling for black folks, it wouldn't be that hard. Everyday black people somewhere are reminded that they are deemed a threat simply because of the color of their skin.

It's an interesting tightrope black folks walk. We have to make decisions about our clothes, our cars, even our names, with one eye on the stereotypes associated with being black. It's not enough for us to strive to be comfortable and happy in our own skins because our skin is often the problem. Sure, everybody worries about their image, but it seems like black folks have a special cross to bear.

Some of y'all may have heard about the recent controversy regarding two of the characters in the Transformers movie. From what I can gather, the two characters embody all of the popular stereotypes about black "gangstas." The thing is, when some folks pointed out these problems to director Michael Bay, he basically said "This is the way things really are. We're just trying to do something that's real."

I see that mindset a lot. People justify the use of stereotypes by claiming that they are only being "real." They say if black folks don't want to be labeled as criminals, they should stop committing crimes. They say if we don't want to be considered freeloaders, we need to get off welfare. Everybody wants to shift the blame for their actions to someone else.

I'm tired of it. I'm tired of people refusing to stand up and be accountable for their own lives and choices. I'm tried of people thinking that stereotypes are acceptable if they're "funny" or based in some truth. I'm tired of people failing to see the forest because they are focused on the one pine tree in their paths.

There is a price to pay for racial profiling. Everyday, black people in this country pay that price. We pay with our time, our dignity and, sometimes, our lives.

I'm tired of paying.



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Homie, Just Shut Up

There are quite a few interesting race-based topics floating around the Internet these days such as the recent Supreme Court ruling on workplace discrimination, and the news that white folks on Twitter would prefer if it stayed segregated.

However, I want to talk about something related to matters of the heart. Namely, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his inability to shut the hell up.

Y'all know Sanford. He's the idiot who destroyed his marriage and political aspirations by carrying on an affair with an Argentinian woman, and basically disappearing from the face of the Earth to break up with her. If that wasn't bad enough, the good Governor has decided he would like to show every man in America how NOT to apologize to the world for being an adulterous whoremonger.

First, taking a step back, what type of dude is stupid enough to fly down to Argentina to tell his jump-off things are over? Really, homie? You couldn't just call her and say "Nah, I'm cool"? You had to fly down there for 10 DAYS to break things off and only came back once things got so hectic in the states that folks thought you might be dead?

You sir, are an idiot.

But, to compound things, when you got caught with your pants down, you decided to hold a press conference and volunteer personal information about your affair. And you were stupid enough to write love letters on your government email. Dude, what is wrong with you? Was this like a cry for help? It seems like you were begging the world to catch you and punish you.

Seriously, rule number one for every embarrassing press conference is to take no more than four questions if you take any questions. Remember how Kobe handled his press conference after he was accused of rape? Homie read a prepared statement, took no questions and made sure his wife had her new $4 million ring front and center. Yeah, he took some flak, but he wasn't sweating and stumbling as the vultures in the media asked him about whether he loved his wife.

Which brings me to my next point. Why is Sanford still talking to reporters and revealing information about his marriage, his affair or ANYTHING? The most recent news is that Sanford believes his mistress was his soulmate and now he will "try" to fall back in love with his wife.

I feel like punching him in the eye.

Dude, how are you going to say that out loud? Were you high? 'Cause if you were high, maybe I could understand saying something like that. But, if you were sober and fixed your mouth to say "I'll try to fall back in love with my wife," well you should be smacked by a pimp named Bubbles. And smacked hard.

Who would say something that stupid? In the annals of stupid comments, that ranks right up there with Bill Clinton saying "It depends on how you define sex" and O.J. saying "Well if I would have done it, here's how it would have happened."

I refuse to believe that any self-respecting woman would take back a man who said his jump off was his soulmate and then said he would do his best to fall back in love with her. I mean, that goes beyond forgiveness. It's just too far.

Does Sanford have any real friends? I'm guessing no, because a real friend would not allow him to keep talking to the media and a real friend would have let him know that calling your mistress your soulmate is stupid. Real friends protect you from yourself, but I guess all Sanford has are sycophants around him.

And that's why he won't shut up.


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