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.**

How Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Almost Became Radio Raheem

Yeah, you remember Radio Raheem.

Sad, sad story. The fact of the matter is that people are afraid of the anger of black men. Seriously afraid. Worse yet, many people like to act like there is no basis for such anger. I beg to differ. Anyway, when a Black man gets angry and the police are around, MANY police officers feel obligated to act with force. Being angry at a mistake (understatement) by the police force when being in your own home somehow merits your arrest? After presenting ID as a Harvard Professor and world-renown scholar? That's justifiable anger. Gates was arrested for that justifiable anger. He was well within his right to voice his objections in his home. Sgt. James Crowley conveniently moved him outside so that he could be charged with a public disturbance or disturbing the peace. Officials stepped in and said he had done what he was supposed to do. Why, then, were the charges dropped? Would they have been dropped without the media attention?

Here's Michael Eric Dyson and Kathleen Parker with their respective takes on the whole thing:

Here's mine. If the charges were dropped, it's most likely because there was no basis for them in the first place. Yet Crowley's bosses or colleagues don't seem to be willing to concede that fact despite the fact that Gates has been cleared. What else should I take that as instead of police officers sticking up for their own? I heard someone call into a radio station and say something to this effect: Many Black men are usually characterized as angry, immature, aggressive, and violent individuals by the media and many law enforcement officials (of any race) who have encountered them. What we do not hear about is the angry, immature, aggressive, and violent law enforcement officers who act out when they feel that their authority is challenged in any way. That's a lot of them. Not all of them, but a lot of them. I'm sorry. Remember Ryan Moats? The NFL Player that wanted to visit his sick and dying mother-in-law?


She died before he could get there because of his run-in with an insecure and slightly deranged police officer. Kinda reminds you of Abel Turner, Samuel L. Jackson's character from Lakeview Terrace, huh? So how do we fix the problem? I love the President. I also love the fact that he wants to bring Henry Gates and James Crowley together. I HATE beer. That's beside the point, which is that a one-on-one conversation will not fix the entire problem. Police officers, minority males, and the US Judical System are the only ones who can help bring about the kind of change needed in this highly tense relationship between Po-Pos and the Bros. Police have never really been punished for brutality. Amadou Diallou, Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Rodney King, the list continues. They scarcely lose their jobs for this kind of crap - which means they need to offer an apology, and more importantly, a genuine and concerted effort to see all criminals as human beings no matter what color they are, how bad their English is, or how they are dressed. Let me stop right here. Gates is a Harvard professor. He speaks impeccable English and was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks. It is obvious that some people see Black and cannot see past it. Others see white in a uniform and can't see past that, either. I don't know if either of them saw past the racial implications of the situation.

Secondly, more minority men need to try not to escalate situations with police and let them do their jobs. Impeding them in any way only makes matters worse and leads to more charges. The police are in authority and have no problems reminding you by any means necessary.
Finally, if we had judges and jurors who would prosecute and punish law enforcement officials in accordance with their excessive force offenses and as a deterrent for others who may act in the same way, the problem may have been a lot smaller by now.
Why hasn't this happened already with the judges and jurors? Because of a simple truth probably most eloquently put in the movie/book, "A Time To Kill." Mississippi lawyer Jake Brigance, played by actor Matthew McConaughey, said "... the eyes of the law are human eyes - yours and mine - and until we can see each other as equals, justice is never going to be evenhanded."
It's a problem, ladies and gentlemen.

As far as the president saying that the officers acted stupidly? I certainly don't think he owed them any apology. I can't see too many white men being arrested in their own home after reports of a break-in that home and the presentation of valid ID. There were probably pictures of Gates on the walls, too. The President, being biracial (which in America = Black and should show how far we have to go in race relations, another story) knows all about racial profiling and prejudice and it seems that he spoke from a very personal knowledge or memory. Somebody needs to say it. Law enforcement officers spoke up for their own during the ordeal. Why shouldn't the President? The police organizations that responded with outrage at his comments need to do the same thing I say about my generation in response to criticism. Take it, change yourselves, and turn the legitimate criticism into a false statement as soon as possible. Instead, they are agitated at what he said instead of what they did. Be glad I'm not the president - yet. If anyone gets mad at me for calling them like I see them, I stand my ground, support my argument, and refuse to apologize as the title of this very blog might suggest. It's time for a national reconciliation. That can only come when both sides acknowledge wrongdoing from incidents in the past and pledge their efforts to correct the problem going forward.

My Reaction to CNN's Black In America 2

They should've featured a story about me on it. The second part was more about the solution to the problem.

*Side Note/Random Thought Did you see all the Brothas with waves in Black In America 2? Duke, S-Curl, Sportin' Waves and Wavebuilder should've done some advertising during the special - they would've come up.*

Anyway, I saw a lot more about education on there. I'm a fan of that, so it was really great to see. Especially at the beginning, when they talked about Malaak Compton-Rock's program - by the way, Chris Rock must be glad that he made the right spousal selection - in which she took several underprivileged, yet unlimited in potential, students to Africa for 2 weeks. The program is called Journey For Change and seems to be based in New York. I certainly wish that Oprah or Morgan Freeman or Jerry Rice or anyone else with loot like that could send some Mississippi kids somewhere to participate in such an experience. Location, location, location - but I digress.
The young lady made quite an improvement, the two guys they focused on did not. I bet there was a young Black male in that program whose grades actually dramatically improved. We wouldn't know from the broadcast, however. I'm not upset, I'm just saying that it could have been more balanced.



Then there was the school in Connecticut, a really inspiring and promising segment about a man by the name of Steve Perry, founder and principal of Capital Prep Magnet School. He was very focused and passionate about sending young Blacks to college and supporting them all the way there and beyond. He demands a lot from his students as well as himself, and could be seen driving kids to school and showing up at their extracurricular activities. He got angry at the lack of parental support and participation he saw and beyond that, made what I'm sure will be considered quite a controversial remark about teachers. His remark was that students don't need summers off. He said that no other job gets to take summers off and that students need all the help they can get and need teachers that are committed to educating them year-round instead of those who desperately look forward to summer vacation (I'm paraphrasing, of course). Sounds like greatness to me.

Much of the same in the Harlem's Children's Zone, except they expect greatness and achievement in every aspect, including the physical. Children and adolescents are expected to be active, get exercise, and compete for a prize while learning and reading everyday. What else do these two stories have in common besides their devoted, urgent, and strong Black patriarchal figures as well as their standards of success and excellence? They focused on young black women in both programs. Maybe this was to balance out the images of the successful men I described above who run both programs? That's fine, but it makes one wonder. In such environments, is it truly difficult to find positive, young male academic achievers? I would think not, but I could be wrong. I'm not saying that the young ladies should not have been featured, I'm just saying that they should have had male counterparts, and they didn't. Do we have a problem showing successful young Black men who might turn their caps to the side every once in a while and might wear baggy jeans, yet act and think in the direct opposite of the stereotypical manner? I'll give CNN credit, they did show a young Black man from an affluent home who attended the Tuxedo Ball - a social dance and networking event exclusively for young and affluent Blacks - and came from a long line of Black achievers. He does like to rock his fitted caps, too.

Other than that, inmate Chris Churn left prison seemingly rehabilitated and part of a program for inmates. It got real very quickly, however. He had mouths to feed, a baby on the way, rent to pay, and his part-time job just wasn't cutting it. The brotha committed armed robbery and went back to jail. Another negative image of a black man on this program.

Next, there was the doctor offering medical consultations and examinations in the barbershops. A really good idea from a smart Brotha who is trying to help more Black men live healthy lifestyles and make healthy eating choices. I liked it, although I thought it kinda seemed as if every brotha was a pork eating, overweight, sparsely educated individual. Maybe those were just the Brothas who were scheduled to get their ears lowered that day.

Finally, there was Tyler Perry. Survivor of abuse, the young church boy began writing plays and the rest was history. He went against Hollywood when Hollywood tried to dictate to him how Black life should be depicted. He also went against Hollywood's description and definition of the Black audience. He has multiple number one box office debuts under his belt. An ever-extending catalog of films and plays, and television shows. He even has his own production studio sitting on 30 acres of land (he needs 10 more and a mule, and I'll be satisfied). He also owns the rights to his actual films and therefore profits off of the movie and DVD sales. That's the way to do business, people. Own your work, be your own boss, and the author of your own horoscope. Now that's a positive Black man for you.
However, success does not come without its haters. Certain individuals have the nerve to say that his characters represent the lowest common denominator in Black life. Professional (or broke and unemployed) individuals with their noses stuck in the air for some reason or another who probably identify more with Mitt Romney than Barack Obama. Here's my tirade:
First of all, are we denying that people like some of the more stereotypical characters in his plays exist? Seriously? If anyone denies that, he denies his history and his family. No one should be ashamed of either of the two. We all have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, or at least people that we know, grew up around, or go to church with that act just like some of Tyler Perry's most famous characters. Say you don't, and I say you're a liar. Period. That includes the black professor they interviewed, too. Get back at me whenever you're ready, Professor Snooty.
Secondly, what about all of the educated, wealthy and prominent characters in Tyler Perry's work? In "Diary of A Mad Black Woman," Charles (the abusive husband who ended up temporarily paralyzed) was a lawyer. The abusive fiance in "Madea's Family Reunion", played by Blair Underwood was a business executive. They were certainly flawed, but they were educated and upper-class members of society. What about the characters in "Why Did I Get Married?" We had a doctor, a lawyer, a business owner, an author - just to name a few. All of the characters in that story were upper or middle class? What's stereotypical or lowest common denominator about that? In "The Family That Preys," Sanaa Lathan played an accountant. In "Daddy's Little Girls," Gabrielle Union played a lawyer. What about Cicely Tyson's speech in 'Family Reunion?' Did that represent the stereotype? Was it 'lowest common denominator?' Imploring men to take their rightful places in the community, our young people to practice some morality and have some self-respect? I think not.
Finally, what about the messages of forgiveness, redemption, strength in adversity, and most importantly, the power of God that are clear, evident, and resonant throughout his work? There's nothing about these messages that says stereotypical or lowest common denominator. I didn't take time to get the Professor's name right. He's a nobody to me, and from what I can tell of his opinion, he's not important enough for me to know his name. Professor Snooty sounds about right for me. He can either put his own money up and create his own films, or kick rocks. Personally, I prefer the latter.

Overall, I thought Black In America 2 was good. It was mainly positive and I was proud as I watched it. I didn't, however, like the fact that there were no young Black men from working class families with their minds on education and making a drastic, history-altering, positive change in the world. Many of the adults and older men on the show whose work was being featured were positive. However, I would've liked to see more of a balance of coverage of young Black men and young Black women (of which several were shown) who are focused, driven, and determined to be successful. Not only do Brothas like that exist, but we are more numerous than television and certain people would have you to believe. I happen to know a brotha just like that. He goes by the name of - drumroll please -
Chris J The Genius!

Which brings me back to my original point. They should've featured a story about me on it. Tell Soledad O'Brien (with her fine self) I'm ready for my interview and close-up whenever she is. Until then...
Latino In America is coming, and I will certainly be looking forward to checking it out as well.

*By the way, when I say that Soledad O'Brien is fine, I'm observing - not coveting. That goes for the last post as well.*

My Reaction to CNN's Black in America

They should've featured a story about me on it. When watching it, I wasn't aware that there would be a Part 2. Therefore, I thought Part 1 focused a lot on the problem and reinforced a lot of the stereotypes that seem to be the norm in African-American life. Problems such as crime, prison, deadbeat dads, and the like. It also focused quite a bit on hip hop and featured one of my favorite rappers, Lupe Fiasco. In his interview, he talks about the fact that he is antithetical to the typical rapper with bling on, using broken English and unintelligent rhymes to say unintelligent things (yes, that is the norm in hip hop right now - unfortunately) and that he hopes to influence young people not to try and emulate the glamorized and glorified and fake lifestyles that are shown TV, through hip hop, to many young African Americans. Great stuff.

Also, Soledad O'Brien (with her fine self) interviewed one of my favorite authors, and a guy that I always end up sounding like when I sound off on the issues - most times without even realizing that he is saying or has said the same exact thing. I consider him a mentor and a kindred spirit, even though I have never met the man. I'm talking about Michael Eric Dyson. He spoke on the fact that, as I have said before, the industry of hip hop thrives on the minorities and youth of this nation continuing to struggle and be deceived (more on that later). All of these songs about sex and baby mamas? They couldn't exist if there were not so many of us - although NOT ALL of us - having kids before we can actually afford to provide for them financially and emotionally by being married and obtaining steady employment first. Songs about 'making it rain' and spending extreme amounts on clothes, shoes, cars, and jewelry could not exist if more African Americans looked at investing and saving more of our money. Someone might argue that many African Americans cannot afford to invest. I say, can't afford to invest? Fine. If that's the case, don't bling it out, either. If more of the hip hop audience was primarily concerned with education, less of the ignorant, violent, and stereotypical rap would be accepted. People would be more concerned with progressive rappers who have an actual message in their lyrics. In short, I think MED is right. See why I could've been featured?
Back to the point. Other than these two instances and one or two others, they reinforced quite a few stereotypes and I didn't think they did a good enough job of showing us the promise within our community. Fortunately, there was a Part 2.

LeBreezy, You're Doing A Heck Of A Job

Translation: "The ship be sinkin'."
Case in point:

Where should I start? Probably with the news that made the most headlines and waves across the sports world.

You guessed it, LeBron James got dunked on. He contested the dunk, and got it slammed all in his face. At his own training camp, the LeBron James Skills Academy. Wow. That's like somebody beating Tiger Woods at the Tiger Woods Golf Tournament. It's like Jay-Z being upstaged at his own concert (which very well could happen if Nas is a featured performer). Nobody likes it, but things happen. Every once in a while, someone gets one over on you. Allen Iverson crossed Michael Jordan up, and we all saw it. Remember?

They were both in the league, though. LeBron got embarrassed by a college student named Jamal Crawford. Yes, I said embarrassed. Why? Not because Crawford transferred to Xavier and therefore sat out the entire season this past year. Nope, that has nothing to do with it. Like I said, things happen and 'every dog has his day,' as the saying goes. He was embarrassed due to the way that he handled the whole thing. He reportedly had the tape showing this dunk confiscated by Nike personnel. Are we seeing a trend here? When does competitive spirit become unsportsmanlike and selfish bulljive? Hmm... At the end of his playoff run when he stormed off the court and refused to shake anyone's hand? Not only that, but he later gave an interview saying that 'he didn't understand' why he was expected to shake hands with those who had just defeated him. However, he seemed to have no trouble understanding or expecting those he had beaten to shake his hand on their way back home to watch the remainder of the NBA postseason on TV. Now, he has footage of himself getting dunked on confiscated. This is dumb for several reasons. First of all, we live in the information/technological age. Everybody's phones or other handheld devices have video capabilities and videos taken on these devices can be stored or sent in an instant. Anyone - and yes, that includes LeBron James - who thinks that he can somehow get rid of or confiscate any and all video footage of any event or occurrence which happens in front of a crowd of people in an audience is an idiot. Period. Secondly, these things are bound to happen if one plays basketball. Trying to hide it is like T.O. getting tackled and trying to have the hit edited out. It's like me walking around campus, tripping over something (maybe even my own feet - it happens) and then pulling a gun and swearing all passers-by to secrecy.

"Tell anyone I tripped, and I mean anyone, and I will put a hollow tip in your dome. Understand me? I mean it. Try me, you'll bleed!"

Make sense? Of course not. People will probably see it and laugh or talk about it for a few minutes. After that, it's pretty much over. But if you try to hide it, it becomes more of a story. This guy is taking the "King James" moniker bestowed upon him a little too seriously, is he not?
What, does he think that he is too good to be dunked on? If so, Jordan Crawford of Xavier put that one to rest. To make matters worse, LeBron actually has something to brag about in all of this. People get dunked on everyday. Every single day. 24/7, 365. They do not, however, get their names printed or remembered and Google searched like Crawford did. His buzz grew considerably. If I were LeBron, I would be saying something like,

"I'm the only guy you know that can get dunked on and make the other guy a household name. Behold the power of LeBreezy!"

He made a mountain out of a molehill by trying to cover the ish up. Dumb move. People were already getting over the LeBron honeymoon after he failed to reach the finals and live up to the muppets commercials.

It's four now, LeBreezy. Count 'em. One, two, three, FOUR! To your zero.
Plus he dissed the Magic after they beat him, as I mentioned above. Now this. Too bad it's not over yet. Now, LeBron's coming out with a book in which he admits to using marijuana and acting like a jerk in high school. His words. However, from what I can tell, his "jerk" days are far from over. LeBron recently paid a visit to my state. That's right. King James in all his glory and splendor came to Mississippi. Why? His teammate, Mo Williams, had a basketball camp here. Mo is a Jackson, MS native and played ball at Murrah High School. He does something for the kids every year, and this year he had a basketball camp that featured a highly-anticipated LeBron James appearance. Once again, as I have said in earlier posts, NOBODY famous really comes to Mississippi besides Morgan Freeman. Lots of celebs are from here, but they get the heck away. We don't spot or sight anyone famous or that we see on TV around here. So you can imagine that LeBreezy mania hit a fever pitch in Mississippi in the days leading up to his arrival. How'd it turn out? Like this:


Of course, a special shout-out and thank you to Scott LaPeer of Mississippi's WLBT Newschannel 3 for having the guts to speak up about this when many other people kissed butt and tucked tail.
Real men are standing up. It's about time. Let's recap for those of you who didn't or can't watch the video. LeBron comes through with his entourage and doesn't engage the crowd at all. He doesn't interact with the kids or even look at them very much. Instead, he took pictures with kids from each age group accommodated at the camp. So that it would look like he got around to many people, maybe? He then mingled and took pictures with those who had paid for VIP passes and whatnot to meet him. He spoke to the crowd for about a minute flat, and then did a shootaround which ended in an unenthused, anticlimactic dunk. No autographs or words of encouragement for the kids. He didn't even pick anyone up so that they could dunk. That's a must when you're playing basketball with kids. I do that with the neighbors and I'm not anywhere near the shape or skill of this guy. Here's an opportunity for one of my favorite NBA players to really do something memorable in the lives of so many young people who have no one to look up to, or at least not up close - and he blows it. All it takes is a little time, energy, and compassion. No money, probably not even any sweat. All we needed was for LeBron James to give a you-know-what. Obviously, he didn't. What gets me is that this guy acts as if he doesn't know that it's the FANS that made him who he is. If it weren't for adoring fans who are enthralled by this man's ability and kids who wanted to wear his jersey and beg for their parents to buy it, he wouldn't be a hot enough commodity to demand the amount of money that he does from endorsements. Yet he neglects to sign autographs? He'd better be glad that people want his autograph. I know a rapper that would probably kill to be asked for an autograph these days (hint: It's Murda!). The fans' adoration is a testament to the greatness and relevance of a public figure, relevance and greatness that celebrities' careers cannot survive without. I understand that celebrities often want their "space" and to be anonymous like normal individuals. They can't! Fame and anonymity cannot coexist. No one can be a public figure and a nobody. I understand that there are some drawbacks to public life, but when this guy signs contracts there are hundreds of millions of dollars... er, reasons that the advantages far outweigh the drawbacks. Fame and the requests and demands that come with it are a small price to pay, in my opinion, for such a privileged life. A life that is provided by the fans (either directly or indirectly) when you think about it. My advice to one of my favorite players is to grow up, grow some, and start acting like he cares about the people that he means so much to. If he doesn't, he may wake up and find that people just don't like him anymore. That has nothing to do with his skills, of course, but it will certainly dim the bright sheen of success already apparent in his career - not to mention the fact that it would decrease his overall popularity and therefore his jersey sales and endorsements as well. Thanks, LeBron. For arriving but never actually showing up. It's like going to a restaurant, paying for a meal, and not even touching the food. There's absolutely no point in making the trip at all. You could've stayed in Akron or Cleveland, on Jay-Z's nuts, or any other place you call home instead of screwing around with us. Once again, you are truly doing a heck of a job. Kobe's stock just went up in Mississippi big time. In fact, with all of Bron Bron's antics, I'd say it has risen tremendously at the national level as well. He knows his mama raised him better.