5. The adverse social effects of the instant gratification we have always known from our consumer products and machines

Part 5/7 of the series. It's amazing how the thoughts that you have in your head seem to come up from other sources in daily life, isn't it? I was just in my Business Ethics class, where my professor showed the class a video of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. (which I will post below). He then asked people about taking an ethical oath. Most of the students had a problem with said oath because they want to reach success and wealth as quick as possible, which leads me to the point of this post.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
MBA Ethics Oath
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Is it just me, or does it seem that no one really wants to put time and effort into what they do anymore? Laziness is a universal phenomenon, if you ask me (and once again, for the slow, if you're reading my blog you're asking me). I mean, we cut all kinds of corners, pull all kinds of stunts and tricks, and utilize all kinds of fine print manipulations in order to get over on one another. In fact, I'd say we spend so much time trying to get over on each other that hardly anyone has anything worthwhile anymore. We don't realize that good things come to those who wait, and that anything worth having is worth working hard for and investing time in. Nor do we seem to understand that with our work (no matter how menial or lowly the task) we make statements to society about ourselves. Therefore, it is best to take pride in one's work (once again, no matter how non-glamorous the job is). The whole thing reminds me of the movie "Click," where Adam Sandler's impatience (along with the technological advance of a remote control that could control time) caused him to miss the most important things in life.

It's the same thing with any MBA student (which I will be in a few more years). We want success, wealth, fame, and fortune to come IMMEDIATELY! The fact is that it comes with years of dedication, focus, drive, and hard work. So why is it that we want these things to come so fast? Where did all our patience go? The answer is that our patience went AWAY. It went away because we very seldom use it, and therefore don't seem to need it. I say that because for Generation Y-ers, there have always been certain luxuries and accommodations available. Personal computers existed all of our lives, as did calculators and microwaves. The world wide web took over while we were in grade school. By junior high, everyone had a cell phone. We love technology because it provides instant gratification, so in general we've never really had to wait very long for things. If you look at the state of morals and interaction in society, we seem to be suffering from the fact that we expect the same type of instant gratification from all aspects of life, including relationships.

Case in point, people are killing each other because they won't cooperate sexually. Like Lil' Kim's birthday party last year or the health club shooting earlier this summer. The culprit at Lil Kim's party (most likely dubbed The Jumpoff by her and her entourage) bludgeoned a lady to death because she had resisted his sexual advances. The culprit in the health club shooting was angry with women in general because he had only scarcely had sex and was not attractive to any of the ladies that he was attracted to. I'd say that things like this happen because we want instant gratification (and by that I mean IMMEDIATE SEX) from our relationships. It's sort of like the film, "A Beautiful Mind." Russell Crowe, who played the main character and Nobel prize winning economist John Nash, goes up to two women during the course of the movie (one who slapped him and dismissed him and one who became his wife) and said some variation of the following:

"Traditionally, there are a series of courtship and mating rituals that we both know will eventually culminate in the two of us having sex. Would you mind if we just skipped those traditional rituals and formalities and got straight to the sex?

I'm paraphrasing in the above quote because I could not find the actual lines in order to quote them here, but - if you've seen the movie - you know that's pretty much what he said. Those scenes in the film perfectly illustrate my point: we get everything else we want with the quickness and we want that to translate over to interactions with the opposite sex.

It doesn't stop there, however. Look at education. The fact is that the majority of students do not want to study or read for any class. I remember taking a sophomore Economics class last year. The policy for this particular class was that anyone who had over a 95 average after the last regular exam would be exempt from the final. I had a 100 average and was therefore exempt from the final. A girl came up to me after class that day, and asked for my help with studying for the final. I told her the formula that I follow to get good grades, which goes a little something like this: Come to class, take notes, define/know/study any and all terms, read all assigned chapters, study the notes days in advance, and ace the test. She replied, "You ain't gon' help me?" I answered, "I just did."
She didn't really want "help." What she wanted was some kind of quick fix to learn weeks and weeks worth of material for the final exam (an exam, mind you, which it had just been announced that I did NOT have to take).  My experiences having been in school for the past 15 years are an obvious indicator that the young lady is not alone.  Many of us don't want to put the time in to really learn, we're used to pointing and clicking. We want to download something or type in a code and have every answer to every question on every test.  We want A's without doing A work.  We want to come to class when we feel like it and retain enough information from that to ace any test while continuing to watch our favorite TV shows, go to every party, sip something before every "last call," and do any and all of the other things besides education that college has become known for.  It doesn't work that way, time and effort have to be put into studying and academics. Until we realize that, I shudder at the thought of the futility of even the most aggressive education reform.  I also shudder at the thought that some of these very slackers will be business owners, doctors, lawyers, etc. who want to put the same effort (or lack thereof) into their actual work as they did into their preparation for it.  Because all of us are clients or customers of these types of professionals at some point, the vast majority of us may be doomed.  I'd hate to say it like that, and I hope that won't be the case.  Furthermore, I know that there are many students (myself included) who are very focused on their goals, on academics, and being the best students and eventually professionals - in any field - that they can possibly be.  However, as I said to a friend the other day, I find it hard sometimes to understimate the depth of the ignorance of the overwhelming majority of this generation.  It's as simple and plain as that.  I don't know of another way to put it.

If we don't put time, pride, and effort into what we do, then no one benefits from what we do at all. We can't build fruitful relationships, develop substantial attention spans, actually retain information, or honestly (and therefore without consequences) reach the goals of success that we have set for ourselves without patience. I'm not asking anyone to throw away their laptops, iPhones, or any other technological innovations. I am, however, asking us all to demand more discipline and patience from ourselves on a daily basis. After all, we all deserve relationships, products, services - and ultimately, lives - that are worthwhile.

4. Either our inability - or perhaps, our refusal - to think things through and consider the consequences before making decisions

Part 4 of the series. It's been awhile since my last post, I know. I've been getting settled in and ready for the new school year. I've only been back on campus a few days, but I'm already disappointed in some of the things that I'm seeing here. Folks are wasting no time trying to get their party/freak on. It amazes me because I think about the hardship that families go through trying to provide a way for their kids to go to college. Some of these people may be first generation college students and whatnot, but their minds are not on the tremendous amount of hope that their families have in them. They're distracted by the booty, the (al, al al al, al) alcohol, and other vices.

Which leads me to this very topic. WE don't seem to be able (or wi

lling) to think things through and weigh the consequences of actions before we do them. If we did, we might think about the health risks that come with reckless freaking. We might also realize that condoms and birth control only do so much to prevent risks and that the only

risk-free way to go is abstinence. Better yet, we may realize the consequences of giving up on education and the subsequent road to self-empowerment. We may also realize the traps that come with lives of crime, using drugs, or doing anything by less-than-honest means.

How does the saying go? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Most of us have heard this saying before, yet we don't live by it. We see other people in our families, neighborhoods, schools, and graduating classes make the same mistakes and yet it doesn't deter us. What the heck is really going on? How can one have a friend that messed up his future with drugs and never have it occur to him that the same will happen to him unless he makes a different choice? Who's using their brains out there? Plenty of people are, I know, but we certainly don't seem to be the majority by a long shot.

The results and consequences of our actions are always pending. Always, no matter what. Some people call it karma, other people call it reaping what you sow. No matter what the name, the concept is the same. There is always a consequence for every action. Here is the requisite hip-hop quote. This one is from Nas's 2001 classic album, "Stillmatic" and is aptly titled, "What Goes Around." I couldn't really slice this one down to a neat quote, so I'll give you the whole last verse.

"This nigga Ike with the Iverson jersey, light-skinned with herpes
Fuckin' sisters in Harlem, Brooklyn and D.C.
This is the problem cause he never tell 'em he got it
from lettin' fags suck him off, Rikers Island in nine-three
Drives a Benz, hangs at all the parties, all the concerts
Backstage where the stars be, rockin' they shirts
in bitches faces like clockwork - what's your name, where you from?
Chain blingin', thinkin' girls everywhere is dumb
Takin' pride in ruinin' they lives
So they could never have babies, and they could never be wives
He never used a condom, give him head he got ya
Met the wrong bitch and now he dead from the monster AIDS
I contemplate, believin' in karma
Those on top could just break, and won't be eatin' tomorrow
I know some bitches who be sleepin' on niggaz dreams, they leave
When that nigga blow, she the first bitch on her knees
Knowin' dudes that's neglectin' they seeds
Instead of takin' care of 'em they spendin money on trees
I pray for you, deadbeat daddies
Cause when them kids get grown it's too late for you
Now you old and you gettin' shitted on
It's all scientific, mystic, you know the Earth and the stars
Don't hesitate to say you heard it from Nas
What is destined shall be
George Bush killer 'til George Bush kills me
Much blessings be healthy, remember..."

Now like the other parts of this series, this one directly relates to the others that came before it. The absence of fatherhood - if fathers were around to provide discipline and structure like only a father can, many of us may have already realized the truth about consequences and would be self-disciplined by now. The stronghold that the mainstream medi

a has on our culture and our desires to be socially accepted - we're raised by the televisions, our peers, our neighborhoods, and ourselves. These influences very rarely impose consequences on us nor provide structures or boundaries. Therefore, we don't look into the future and reason out the outcomes that our actions will bring. Stop snitching - why do they want you to stop? So they can do what they do with - you guessed it - no consequences.

We'd have to fix those problems in order to deal with those who are out of school. I think that one of the ways that we go about this is calling it what it is - STUPID. It is simply STUPID to do the same thing that so many others have done before us and think that it will be different when it happens to us. We have to oppose the forces that would have us believe that we should accept these things or that they are adequate lifestyles and decisions. They aren't. Not learning from the mistakes around you is stupid.

We have to expect and encourage our young people NOT to follow in the same footsteps as those whose lives have become negative influences for them instead of allowing so many of them to use their environments as excuses. Almost everyone who is anyone in this world had to overcome bad neighborhoods and various hardships. Those things are only excuses for those who allow them to be - for the most part. The secret is that sometimes you have to grit your teeth and refuse to fail. By that I mean that you refuse to stop working, stop trying, stop learning, or stop growing. Even when everything in your life is working against you. Instead of looking at those things as major obstacles, you should look at them as scenes from your life that will make your story more interesting for people to read (or watch on a film). We've all got to have drama in our lives to make our success stories all the more sweet, unique, extraordinary, and rewarding. No more excuses, it is time for us to realize the truth in those words and act on it.

Also, anyone who realizes that they messed up and wants to atone fo

r it should take neighborhood youths and young adults through a day or week in their lives. Such an exercise would have the purpose of allowing young people who think they want to live a certain way or make certain choices to see what those lifestyles and choices are really like. Not the glossy, big-screeen, glamorized version. I'm talking about the real, struggling, crying, "make me wanna holler" version that so many people are faced with because of bad decisions.

For those who are in school, I have another possible remedy: All students, starting in junior high, should be required to play chess and take lessons from chess coaches/experts. Why, you ask? It's simple. Because chess is a thinking man's game. In chess, the only way to win

is to think and plan ahead. If I move here, he could move there and put me in check. I

f I move there, he could move here and put me in checkmate. If I move here, I can put him in check. Then, of course, you go with option 3. I believe that the foresight and critical skills that can be developed through learning about and playing chess are transferable to life decisions, and that the youth overall (although not everyone individually, of course) would benefit and become better decision-makers. There would probably be less deliquents in our generation as well.

Philosopher John Locke once described those who refuse to think things through. In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke says,

"Sec. 10. Besides the crime which consists in violating the law, and varying from the right rule of reason, whereby a man so far becomes degenerate, and declares himself to quit the principles of human nature, and to be a noxious creature, there is commonly injury done to some person or other, and some other man receives damage by his transgression: in which case he who hath received any damage, has, besides the right of punishment common to him with other men, a particular right to seek reparation from him that has done it: and any other person, who finds it just, may also join with him that is injured, and assist him in recovering from the offender so much as may make satisfaction for the harm he has suffered."

That's fancy talk for you have the right to whoop the a-word of a person who acts like they have no common decency or sense and just wants to continue to commit crimes and infringe on your right to live and enjoy your own life and possessions. I say take his advice and fight back. In the meantime... play chess, ladies and gentlemen.

2. The stronghold that the mainstream media has on our culture, and our desires to be socially accepted at almost any cost

I know. It's been a long time coming. A really, really looooooooong time coming. In my first post, I said that I would do one of these everyday for a week until I had finished the 7 reasons I had cited (while acknowledging that there are more that exist) for the downward spiral that we are seeing in Generation Y and in our society as a whole. Things came up, stuff got pushed back. I apologize. Sorry. But I'm back on it now, so here we go.

The first reason was the absence of fatherhood. It ties directly into this one, because one part of the reason that we are "raised" by televisions is because parents aren't doing their jobs anymore. Many fathers aren't there in the first place, and many mothers work extra hard to provide for their children - who are left in front of the television all day. Mainstream media (TV, radio, internet, movies, etc.) directly affects us and how we think. Don't we all have people that we know who say things like "I know such and such is true, I saw it on TV!" People hear songs on the radio and think that the topics mainly discussed (money, cars, clothes, drugs, sex, and violence) are what hip-hop is all about (more on that at a later date). As the saying goes, "seeing is believing." I, for one, find it hard to believe what's on TV and what I see in actual life. Wonder why our culture is oversexed? What do they use to sell everything from records to clothes to phones to food products? Sex! Sex, sex, and more sex. It desensitizes us to the immoral and perverse. Plus, in the Black community, we see the same images of Blacks over and over again. Negative images that I believe send subliminal messages that carry sizable consequences. What do we see? We see the "hustler" (or "hustla" for the suffix protesters) that gets money by trafficking drugs to the community. This life is glamorized on all types of movies, songs (and the subsequent music videos), and television shows to the point that we have young men walking around who think they want to be this guy. The part normally left out is how the guy ends up living his life looking over his shoulder all the time, unable to trust anyone or actually enjoy the fruits of his "labor" (think Frank Lucas - his wife bought him a mink and he sat with the bigwigs to watch the Muhammad Ali fight which led to suspicions about his identity and next, his empire came crashing down and he was headed to do hard time). If not, they end up in prison for the rest of their lives. Worse yet, someone gets jealous of the money and popularity our dopeboy has received, and kills him. If either of the last two happens to anyone, that person is not living. Either you die, or you go to prison. Prison is no way to live. They sell these lies to us in such a smooth way, we've even started to believe them. Similarly, sex is promoted all over the media. Once again, they neglect to tell the whole story. Hot partner, sexy. Hot encounter, sexy. What's not sexy? How about syphillis, gonorrhea, herpes, chlamydia? Worse yet, what about HIV/AIDS? Teen pregnancy is not sexy, either. It's a really hard road - especially for someone who is still a child - to travel. No stable source of income, no education, and a young mouth to feed. Even more important, a child to raise without the benefit of life experience that provides the lessons and morals that we all should pass on to our children. Did I mention that it's not sexy? Ask any unmarried woman with a child who is trying to find a date. Not a booty call, mind you, but a date. Yeah. Thought so. You don't have to take my word for any of this. Ask Bristol Palin. Yes, the daughter of Sarah Palin who once said that she thought abstinence was 'unrealistic.' Now she's an advocate, speaker, and promoter, of abstinence. Having a baby is not fun because if you actually care about the life that you brought into the world, you have to put your life on hold. Very few friends stick by you during and after the pregnancy, either. Not fun. Not sexy. What of the fact that many women seem to be looking for "bad boys" these days that life is actually beginning to resemble the movies where the thug gets the girl? Criminals are glamorized and made to look incredibly "cool." Thugs, gangstas, drunks, weed-smokers - cool. Lack of discipline - cool. Lack of self-control - cool. Lack of integrity - cool. The negative effects of such images can be seen on the 10 o'clock news every night. Conversely, the smart and wholesome characters seen on mainstream media are usually shown to be uncool, unpopular, insecure, and lonely. It should soon begin to make sense that so many of us actually shun knowledge and learning - those girls never seem to get the guy or vice versa. Or if they do, it's because they "loosened up" and got drunk that night. Or they finally hit the blunt. Or some girl finally gave 'em some and now all of a sudden, their focus is completely on their social lives and any noble goals or focus goes out of the window. What do we expect from our generation, then? As is my custom, I have rap lyrics ready to prove my point. These particular lyrics are from Lupe Fiasco, on a song called "The Instrumental" which was featured on his first album, "Food and Liquor."

"He just sits, and listens to the people in the boxes
Everything he hears, he absorbs and adopts it
Anything not coming out the box, he blocks it
See he loves the box and hopes they never stop it
Anything the box tell him to do, he does it
Anything it tell him to get, he shops and he cops it..."

The point behind the title of this song is that those who control the images and messages transmitted in the "box" have taken away the voice of he who watches it, thus leaving only his instrumental. I've heard many Brothas from the Nation of Islam say about television, "They're telling lies to your vision." Farrakhan seems to have this one right, if you ask me. If acting and movies and music are all considered "art" and life is said to imitate art, then shouldn't producers, screenwriters, creators, actors, and others in the film and television industry as well as those in the music industry be more careful as to what they are willing to show? Better yet, who said that children should be raised by the media anyway? Isn't it time for parents to stand up and at least monitor and control what their kids can see? Here's the point. I wrote in an earlier post that the current trend of rap music that we hear on our radios relies on one constant: the continued oppression, stagnancy, and complacency of the Black community (the effects of which are beginning to spillover into society as a whole). If more women knew who they are, and that they aren't "hoes," they wouldn't dance to (or worse yet, buy and support) songs and artists that refer to them as such. If more young men really knew what it takes to empower and elevate one's self (knowledge, drive, education and integrity), less of us would fall privy to the dangers and allure of street life. More of us would be too busy investing, saving, or paying our bills to "make it rain". More of us would inhabit safe and prominent neighborhoods before, not after, driving a nice car. More of us would also father our children. Nearly everything that is depicted as cool or socially acceptable on television can and will lead to death and/or destruction. Crime, sex, greed, drugs, lack of intelligence/education, etc. They all lead to the prison yard or to the graveyard. Such is the point of the entire concept on which Lupe based his second album, "The Cool." The album follows Micheal Young History, a young guy who is seduced by The Streets and misled by The Game to be a drug dealer. He ends up poppin' tags and collars and whatnot, rides a nice whip, everybody knows who he is and he has a whole lot of money and women. Eventually, on a skit, a gunman runs up behind his driver's side window and shoots him while he is in his car. On the following song, "Put You On Game," Lupe embodies The Game, a personification of the allure of the glamorized lifestyles which in actuality lead to death or imprisonment, neither of which are glamorous.

"I am the safe haven for the rebel runaway and the resistor
The trusted mis-leader,
The number one defender,
And from a throne of their bones I rule,
These fools are my fuel
So I make them Cool
Baptize them in the water out of Scarface pool,
And feed 'em from the table that held Corleone's food,
If you die, tell them that you played my game
I hope your bullet holes become mouths that say my name,
'Cause I'm the... [gunshot]"

Can you see why I'm so excited that Lupe's gearing up to put out another album? If we ever plan to stand up and take our place as a respectable generation, we have to first reject what mainstream media tells us we should seek. We have to replace the destructive images with constructive ones. Replace ignorance, violence, drugs, alcohol, and sex with intelligence, peace, drive, discipline, and determination. Smart is the new gangsta. Articulate is the new sexy. I'll tell you what isn't sexy. That guy that wants to create children and not provide for them - not sexy. That girl who doesn't know her worth and flaunts her body as if she wishes to be passed around - not sexy. That guy or girl that does not realize who he/she is, what his/her talents are and what he/she wants to spend his/her life doing with them - not cool. The guy/girl that seeks validation from everyone and everywhere else except from within and above - not cool. We have to be the antithesis to what we see on television, to what we hear on the radio, and to much of what is seen on the internet. We cannot be living examples of it. In the Bible (John 10:10 to be exact), Satan's M.O. is described. "The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy," it says. It would seem that the Devil is using television to do it. Unfortunately for Jesus, people don't read anymore. Only one word describes the message of the mainstream media - propaganda. We have to dismiss and reject the propaganda and create our own stories, define ourselves, and create our own futures and destinies instead of taking our cues from those in posh corporate offices who are more concerned with ratings and profits than they are about the social effects and by-products of their programming (take notice of the word -a very fitting one). Don't be programmed. Be the resistance.

Guilty As Charged

My name is Christopher James and I have a problem: I have proven hypocritical (in more than just the usual ways) today. Let me tell the story from the beginning.

First of all, I criticize my generation a great deal. This is not because I think that I am better, but because I see the potential that we have, the advantages that we have been given, and the opportunities we waste on a daily basis. I often speak about this and about everyday occurrences that I think are indicative of some of the problems that we need to solve. One such occurrence is careless and inconsiderate driving (and the bigger issue of a lack of common courtesy), something that I think is indicative of the fact that we are only looking out for ourselves and our own interests - taking absolutely no interest whatsoever in what other people are doing, where they are going, or how we can make sure that we do not hinder or impede them. This is also clear on campus at USM when just walking around. Many students are trying to get to class and very few of them yield to anyone else. Many of us see people facing us, heading in our direction and walk straight toward them. Most seem to be thinking "the other person will move" or maybe, "the other person better move." Again, I think these things are indicative of bigger social issues. Many of us cannot see past our own motives and viewpoints to recognize that we are all similar people with similar goals - so we get in each other's way and refuse to move, making enemies out of those that we have enough in common with to make into friends. Don't think it's that serious? I'd argue that you're a part of the problem because it is that serious and we just don't realize it. Common courtesy and respect for others are essentials that we need in order to function properly because, as the saying goes, "no man is an island." Beyond that, the way that we treat each other when on our way to class or driving to our respective destinations translates into the way that we view each other in life. An example of that is murderous road rage - a mentality that says "I don't like the way you drive and think you are a nuisance, so I will kill you to rid myself of the irritation you cause" or, to put it simply, "you're in my way, so you have to die." So the way that we treat each other in certain situations is usually indicative of the way that we see each other in life.

What does that have to do with me?
Here goes:
I recently finished up working a dead-end summer job. Mind you, I do not refer to it as a dead end job because I am ungrateful for my employment. I simply recognize that there is no upward mobility at all, nor is there the potential for any. The work is simple and I make minimum wage working full-time, which is enough for me. Actually, I rather enjoy the job because it is a taste of exactly the kind of work I don't want to do for the rest of my life and provides an extra boost for this already driven young man to pursue his education, goals, and dreams with abandon.
I got my last paycheck today (yes, we have to actually pick them up, no direct deposit). I picked it up, and headed to the bank to deposit it. It was a pleasant drive, until I was almost at the bank. At that point, I came across a Mack truck carrying an oversized load right in front of me. It was going extra slow, and I was almost there. What did I do? You guessed it, I switched lanes, sped up, and cut the truck off to make my turn into the bank. The turn proved quite eventful being that I almost didn't give the truck enough time or room to stop, and actually had to coast down to the bank's second entrance to prevent being rear-ended by the monstrous vehicle behind me. The driver blew his horn, and in one instant it was over. I handled my business and came home, disappointed in my behavior. I talk about this all the time, yet I was the one guilty of it today. I was more concerned with what I had to do than with my fellow man (or the safety of either of us, for that matter). To make matters worse, I was almost at the bank when I saw the truck - which means all I had to do was proceed slowly behind the truck until I reached my destination, which only would've taken 10-20 seconds more. Instead, I put us both at risk. I know better. However, knowing without practicing doesn't do me nor anyone else any good. I have to do better as well. I could come up with all types of excuses for why I committed this ignorant and inconsiderate act.

• It had taken me a little longer to get my check, being that the lady that usually handles payroll was not in her office.
• I do not own a car of my own and drive sporadically, making me a little rusty in certain situations.
• IT'S FRIDAY AND I JUST GOT PAID AND NEED TO GET MY MONEY IN THE BANK!

None of these matter because any and everyone else on the road has a million reasons why they could choose to be inconsiderate and selfish. So does anyone walking to class on campus. We're all in a hurry. Anyone, and that includes ME, who chooses to act discourteously is saying that what they have to do - or the reasons that they are in a hurry - are more important than the next person's. Again, it's a rather selfish thing to do. I was selfish and inconsiderate and made up my mind that my destination was more important than that of the driver of the Mack truck. I do not know the driver and cannot apologize to him personally, but I can and do apologize here on this blog. I know better and pledge to do better from now on - whether walking, driving, or simply living.

**I know that someone may read this and say something to the effect of, "this dude is way too dramatic." It's not like I plan on grounding myself or resorting to some other drastic means of self-punishment. I'm simply acknowledging a bad, yet willful decision (not a mistake, we use that word too much for things that we choose to do despite better judgement) that I made. This type of decision is one that I criticize so many people for making because I believe, as written above, that it has certain social implications. We all make bad decisions from time to time and have to learn and move on. I'm doing both, and I'm certainly going to go on with my day. I simply chose to share the lesson with any and all who actually read the musings presented here.**

I'm Starting Not to Recognize My Own Town

I'm going to mainly focus on national issues on this blog, but I have to say something about my hometown first, which ties in to a much bigger issue. I am from Vicksburg, Mississippi (yes, as in Siege of Vicksburg for you history buffs). Vicksburg is a pretty boring town, where most people know most other people and seem to get along pretty well (once again, there's a lot of history to explore and museums and exhibits and whatnot, but for most people my age - and even some who are much older - history is not the most interesting subject, especially when most of us have grown up around it, more on that at a later date). Or, at least that's what it used to be. All around me, my town is morphing - literally changing right before my eyes. Common decency is getting harder to find, and common sense has begun to follow. Conflicts last longer, tempers and fuses are shorter. The most trivial arguments lead to fights, people getting jumped, stabbed, or even worse, gunplay. Not only that, but the streets are less safe. Robberies are occurring more and more frequently, assaults, break-ins, and even murders are following. Just last week, the Vicksburg Post reported that the rate at which city teens are being arrested has doubled from last year. Yes, the town seems to be in the early stages of a turn for the worse, and while I still feel safe most places I go and do not want to be overly dramatic, I believe that we have to take notice and take action now before things get irreversibly wrong. Teenagers and adults under drinking age seem to be the source of many of the problems plaguing Vicksburg right now - meaning that my generation is responsible for the unwanted change that I see in my hometown (which leads me to the national issue). Across the nation, Generation Y seems a lot more reckless and ignorant than we should be. Los Angeles is boasting astronomical juvenile crime numbers, Chicago has had nearly 40 teen homicides this year alone. We're beginning to spin out of control, and it's about time someone said something about it. No one can really hold us accountable for these things until we begin holding ourselves accountable first.
Nas probably said it best in his song "Purple" off his Lost Tapes disc:

"These hot-headed youngsters
always gettin' in trouble
reactin' before thinkin', they easily irritated
and murder's premeditated
it's a fact that we sinkin'
when we should be climbin
in a nutshell
it's just jail
Drug sales, liquor and diamonds, niggaz rewindin
instead of movin forward, to blow up so what's the science?
People shoutin, police pushin the crowd
And on the ground's a young soldier, with meat hangin out him
Am I hallucinatin off the hazin?
Or did I just see a nigga shoot another nigga's face in
It's a ugly nation, cops circle the block with mug shots
Photograph pictures of, suspect faces..."

Let's explore some of the reasons (not excuses or justifications, mind you, but explanations) for what we're seeing. These are in no particular order, by the way.

1. The absence of fatherhood in general, but especially in minority and low-income homes
2. The stronghold that the mainstream media has on our culture, and our desires to be socially accepted at almost any cost
3. The resonance and reach of the "Stop Snitching" campaign (not to mention the absurdity). Basically, the mentality is as follows: "I've been robbed, but I wouldn't dare talk to police because I wouldn't want them to possibly arrest the person and recover my stuff. Also, others might actually stop robbing people if they knew that victims would cooperate in efforts to bring the criminals to jail. Wouldn't want that!"
4. Either our inability - or perhaps, our refusal - to think things through and consider the consequences before making decisions
5. The effects of the instant gratification we have always known from our consumer products and machines and the fact that many of us are beginning to expect the same instant gratification from people, relationships, disagreements, and the like.
6. The fact that many of us shun knowledge, refuse to read, and neglect to value education or learning in almost any form
7. The older generations do a lot more talking about us than talking to us, which simply leads to more resentment and a wider generation gap. This, in effect, makes the problem worse and prolongs the development of a solution.

There are many more than seven when you think about it, but these are the ones that I will address. Once again, none of these are excuses and when it comes down to it, we've got to develop and keep higher standards for ourselves and make the right decisions. We're capable of so much better. So many legal and social battles have been fought and won for us to live in the unique times and have the special opportunities that we have today. Perhaps because we did not have to fight for them and never went without them, we fail to realize just how important and special these opportunities are and how fortunate we are to reap their benefits. We owe it to ourselves to change this, rise up, and reach our true potential.

This is getting pretty long, so I'll break one of the listed concepts down each day until I get to the end.