The Phantom Menace

I know you’re out there, I can feel you now.
I know you’re afraid, you’re afraid of us.
you’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future, I didn’t come here to tell
you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.
I’m going to hang up this phone, and I’m going to show these people what you
don’t want them to see. I’m going to show them a world…without you, a world without
rules and controls without borders or boundaries. A world…where anything is possible.
Where we go from there…is a choice I leave to you – Neo (The Matrix)

I was talking to my boy Black the other day when he came to my house to cut my son’s hair. We were discussing the Georgetown vs Duke game. As he knows I hate the Blue Devils with a passion we were talking about the difference between athletic (Black) players and non-athletic (White) players. He felt that Jon Scheyer would make it in the league because he can shoot the ball. I told him that he may be able to shoot but the League is different, he is not strong enough to finish at the basket or get his shot off there. Look at JJ Redick he can’t get off on the regular and Scheyer isn’t better than him. Then Black made a statement that made me question his sensibility, he said that JJ Redick is going to be in the league 12 plus years. My mouth dropped I was shocked at this absurd statement my boy had to say. He continued on and said that Redick is a system player and in the right system he could be a star and able to get his shot off. Black then said that Redick is going to come to the Knicks and in that system he’s going to score 16 points a game. As I sat there listening to him rattle off all the reasons for why Redick will have a lengthy NBA career, I started to think that my boy had been kidnapped by aliens. Black turned around after he finished speaking and from the stunned look on my face he could see that I wasn’t buying what he was selling. Then he said the dumbest shit I ever heard in my life; “Redick isn’t like any other white boy. He got nigga is his game”. Damn I thought to myself immediately after he finished speaking, that is the dumbest shit I have ever heard. Ain’t no mother freakin way he just said that dumb ass shit. I said Black I know Redick can shoot but that’s his only trick and he doesn’t do that consistently. He’ll get a coaching job soon because as the older you get the less athletic you become, and like the rest of his melanin challenged colleagues he isn’t athletic now so his time is almost up. You can’t continue to do the same things in the league teams adjust to you and they shut that shit down. So your boy will be back in Cameron Hall sitting next to his coach soon.
Our conversation started to lean towards the upcoming Super Bowl and who I was rooting for. I said I don’t know why you are even asking me that, I’m going with God. As if he didn’t hear my answer Black asked me again. I repeated myself and gave the same answer; I’m rooting for God son. Black gave me the puzzled look and then said what the hell are you talking about son. I’m talking about the Super Bowl and you are talking about God. I said my bad son I might be going a little too deep for you. I’m rooting for the team with the Christ Consciousness; they are going to win the Super Bowl. Black just looked at me and shook his head because he knew what was next; here you go with this shit he said. Now that I have your attention I say to him you know I’m rooting for the team that has the Christ Consciousness; you can’t beat God. He asked me who is the team with the Christ Consciousness none of the quarterbacks are black. I said the Christ Consciousness is a state of mind son. You have to gain knowledge of self to truly understand it but I’ll give you a clearer picture of it. As the quarterback’s of the teams are both white and that is an important part of the team. The quarterback represents the brain of the team, he controls the direction of the team and the team takes on the personality of the quarterback. It’s through the quarterbacks willpower and drive that the team wins. The quarterback is called an extension of the Head Coach. It is the head coach who instills in his team direction. In this case the head coach has the Christ Consciousness and that’s who I’m rooting for this weekend. You still haven’t explained to me what the Christ Consciousness is and what head coach has it Black said to me. The Colts head coach has the Christ Consciousness I say to him; it is through playing for a head coach who has the Christ Consciousness that Peyton has been able to reach his full potential. He had his best years playing for Tony Dungy; he won his first playoff game and his first Super Bowl playing for a black head coach. The Christ Consciousness was able to allow Peyton to develop the necessary tools to win and conquer professional adversity. Until he played under Dungy his career was plague by him coming up short in important games. Playing under Dungy he developed the power of understanding on how to carry his team to victory. He was able to discipline his mind to utilize imagination and visualization to get his team to believe in his ability to lead them to victory in every game they played. By listening to the word of God and obeying Peyton was able to channel Supreme Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding and learn how to command his team. That is going to be the difference in the game this weekend I told Black. He has learned to use the power of the Christ Consciousness and nothing can defeat that son.
Black looked at me and shook his head then said, I can never get a straight answer from you. I’m talking to you about basketball and you start dropping science on me. I say to Black son science and math are everyday parts of the world we live in; you just don’t apply it enough. You know football is 80% mental and 20% physical. Once you conqueror the mental aspect of the game the physical aspect is easy. That’s why teams are afraid to allow too many black head coaches into the NFL, they know that black head coaches are able to bring out the full potential of their players and that will soon translate to them taking over coaching in the NFL and then them moving up into upper management and possibly ownership. They can’t allow that to happen, they have to limit the amount of black head coaches. After this weekend three of the last four Super Bowl champions will be coached by a Black head coach. Sports are just a microcosm of life, Supreme Knowledge, Wisdom, and Understanding help you reach your full potential. By utilizing your mind’s full potential you have the ability to conqueror anything. The powers that be can’t allow that. They can’t allow people of color to realize that they have the potential to take over not the world not just in sports. So at the end of the day I’m rocking with the team with the Christ Consciousness, always bet on Black son.

Hate me Now

I love this song and video. This is the first NaS son I ever liked. This is the theme for 2010

The Bridge is Over

This is one of my all time favorite joints. The beat is timeless. I'm in an old school hip hop mood. Feeling sentimental this time of year.

Men lie, Women Lie, but Numbers don't

Men lie, Women lie, but Numbers don’t

Men lie, Women lie, but Numbers don’t. This is much more than a rappers slick innuendo towards record sales. It has more of a significant meaning to me. There is nothing more concrete and believable to any group of people than to be shown numbers and statistics. In light of the alleged sexual molestation charges against Pleasure P I wanted to bring awareness to a topic that is rarely talked about in the community of people of color and hip hop fans. There is no height, age, or weight requirement concerning sexual abuse. Social status is not required or a prerequisite; it doesn’t matter if you are rich, poor, working class, or middle class we suffer from this together. I have worked in the social services field for the last 8 years and the things that I have seen concerning sexual abuse has made me appreciate life and my family a lot more. I have seen the after effects of sexual abuse perpetrated against young women and men. I have witnessed young girls so full of life become hollow shells of themselves. I have seen young boys attempt suicide or engage in other self-destructive behavior because of sexual abuse. And the saddest thing that I have witnessed in my years in social services is; I have seen the victim become the perpetrator. The cyclical nature of sexual abuse has perverted our community and changed it for the worst. I have worked with kids, who have identified with the behavior of their attacker; internalized that same level of hatred and done the exact same thing to someone else, not only destroying their lives but continuing the cycle with a new victim. The statistics surrounding this are both shocking and staggering 1 in every 4 girls is sexually abused before they reach the age of 18. The numbers are similar amongst boys. 1 in every 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18. Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults occur to children ages 17 and under. You would believe that children would be safe in their own home around family but that’s not true. 90% of sexual abuse is by someone who the family knows.
• 30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.
• Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.
• Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.
• Only 10% are abused by complete strangers.

There is no direct age for when sexual abuse to occur: the median age for reported abuse is 9 years old but more than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8. An alarming statistic is that nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under the age of 12. These are just the statistics of the people who tell about the sexual abuse; evidence that a child has been sexually abused is not always obvious, and many children do not report that they have been abused. So many young victims may not recognize their victimization as sexual abuse; as is the case with Lil Wayne who openly bragged in his documentary about being molested by a much older woman at the behest of Baby. Then there are the victims who internalize it and never speak to anyone about it at all; over 30% of victims never disclose the experience to anyone.
There are so many psychological, emotional, social, and physical problems that affect survivors of sexual abuse. Children who have been victims of sexual abuse exhibit long-term and more frequent behavioral problems, particularly inappropriate sexual behaviors. Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to be sexually promiscuous than those who weren’t. Some women who reported childhood rape are three times more likely to become pregnant before the age 18. Some victims of child sexual abuse report more substance abuse problems; 70-80% of sexual abuse survivors have reported excessive drug and alcohol use. Close to 50% of women that are in prison state that they were sexually abused as children.
As it was not my intention to upset or to stigmatize anyone. I just wanted people to understand the seriousness behind sexual abuse. We have to take care of the 39 million survivors of sexual abuse. We failed them once let’s not fail them again.

Quote

When a race of people is oppressed within a system that fosters the idea of competitive indivdualism, the political polarization around individual interests prevents group interests.Each negro prides himself on his ability to reason or think as an individual.Therefore, any gains are to the individual and not to the group. So individuals join tribes or groups to further their own personal ambitions.It's one of the things that keeps us fighting ourselves instead of the enemy - H. Rap Brown Die Nigga Die

KOBE BRYANT AND LEBRON JAMES NIKE COMMERCIALS

Nike has created some of the more memorable basketball commercials since the Nike Freestyle commercials some years ago. Taking a page from the lil penny series from the 1990's they have made some funny ass commercials for Lebron James and Kobe Bryant

Neatherdals, Cave Women, and Troglodytes

As I sit here typing this entry into blogger. I am confused to the direction that I want to take. I want to react emotionally and call people names and hurl insults at them. But I also want to articulate my point and come across in all sincerity as an open minded individual. As a society we are losing control. We are losing control not because we are becoming uncivilized. Hold up let me retract that statement. We are uncivilized. We are acting like we have lost our freaking mind. Not all of us but some. As I have watched the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets second round playoff matchup I am stunned at the way that Denver has manhandled the Dallas Mavericks. They are quicker, stronger, and hungrier than the Mavericks. They are outplaying them in all facets of the game and in that equation the better team will win this series. The difficulty that I am having is the manner in which the Maverick fans and their owner has behaved. In the Game 3 loss to the Nuggets Mark Cuban was seen shouting at the mother of Kenyon Martin as he headed back into the tunnel. Now as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks he has the right to be angry at how his team was robbed. He however doesn't have the right to yell at someone's mother in the manner in which he did. Where is the NBA abmonishing his behavior? Where are all the sportscasters calling for an immediate ban of Mark Cuban for the remainder of the playoffs? Then in Game 4 Carmelo Anthony's fiancee had to send her young son back to the hotel room because of the aggressive nature in which the white fans were taunting them, using profanity and racial epithets. Am I supposed to be satisifed with the lack of response by the NBA. heck no. Let a player run into the stands because they feel that their loved one's are in danger and then you see everybody standing up on their soapbox talking about the NBA is turning into a thug league. The lack of respect for black women is obvious in this lack of response from the entire world. It seems we let people off the hook when we should hold them responsible for their actions, especially in this case. Let that had been some poor blond hair blue eyed white woman then the entire world would have been upset. But because it's someone who looks a little darker they feel that it is alright, no bump that. Sometimes it's necessary to make people respect what you represent. If you don't stand up for your women who is going to respect you as a people. We let Howard Stern slide. We let Emimnen slide. We let Asher Roth slide. and we let Rush Limbaugh slide. To take a page from Tupac's character Bishop in juice" When are we gonna start grabbing some collars and letting mofo's know we matter".