Playing Politics With the Rights of the Citizenry

A reminder that serious issues remain with respect to ensuring that all duly qualified citizens who have the right to vote are able to exercise that right...I wish and hope that people in the affected states are not asleep and allowing these undue restrictions to happen without a fight!

If You Are Interested in Recapturing a Long Forgotten Time...

I should be offended by this story, but I am not...It's just so damn stupid...It shows the sheer cluelessness of some in the  fashion industry (I don't want to denigrate an entire industry of people).  Truly, a "what were they thinking?" moment.  Additionally, I hate the use of the term "ethnic" when describing jewelry, clothing, etc.  What in the hell does that mean?  For me, the implicit statement is that there is some objective standard (read: white/European) and any deviation from that standard is "ethnic", when really, everything probably has some ethnic orign (ie., related to some ethnic or culture group). 

I am late to the game on this...Jon Stewart's take on the blowhards at Fox News who have lambasted Warren Buffet's op-ed piece...Honestly, there is not much more that I can say, the clips speak for themselves...

Part II

In fairness, I have to link back to this article from The Atlantic I discovered the clips (I am in the bad when Stewart comes on).

Snooze Alert

Far be it for me to judge how anyone uses his/her time, but I think that there are most likely better uses of social media than this---a flash mob at a suburban shopping mall (unfortunately, I have been to Strongsville, OH...maybe there isn't much else to do).  I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this cheap publicity stunt considering that this guy is affiliated with Bad Boy Records (do they even exist?).  Sigh and yawn at the same time...

Thank Goodness Someone Else Wants to Take Back America!

Looks like Van Jones has been keeping busy...His group is planning a big march on Washington.  I am glad to see folks on the left/Progessives doing something (better late than never) to combat the misinformation and out right lies being perpetrated by corporate media/MSM and the far right.  I really wish that I could go, but timing is off (maybe I am not sacrificing enough?????  That's an internal debate that I will have to resolve).  I wish them the best and I will be following.

Philly Mayor Michael McNutt thinks that the so-called "flash mobs" of primarily young blacks (and especially men) are doing a disservice to "their race" (Actually, I am really paraphrasing...He said that the dress and demeanor of some young black male youths is doing a disservice to "race", but the article that I linked to referenced the flash mobs...I think that they are related).  I have to disagree.  I think that the lack of self respect that these folks manifest (whether they are in flash mobs or are just generally unproductive) is a disservice to THEMSELVES [even if I am empathetic to some of the root causes behind this dysfunction]...Call me crazy, but I am just not going to accept everything that some black person does (whether it is good or bad) as an indictment or reflection on the entire race.  That makes absolutely no sense [to me, at least].  Its not an a matter of being black unidentified (or naive), its just a reflection of my thought process.

I wish I could explain how I feel, but this strain of monolithic black essentialism is incredibly troubling to me (and, its not something that's new).  I think that is part of the tendency to see a black person who has "achieved" some level of success in American society and want to translate that "success" out to the larger black community irrespective of whether the community actually benefits (which, generally speaking, they do not).  I understand the importance of symbolism (which is a separate but related issue).  I felt it the night that President Obama was elected.  At the same time, I have had a realistic perspective on what he could actually achieve (and, I recognized that he was not quite as progressive as I would have liked).  Similarly, I have just taken the position that I am not going to extrapolate the behaviors of individuals across the black community as a whole...This may not make much sense and it may appear to be two disparate strains of thought...But, in my warped mind, they are one in the same.

Random Thoughts to Close Out the Evening...

I am watching "The Last Word" (Melissa Harris-Perry is substituting for Lawrence O'Donnell) where they featured some interesting clips on Rick Perry...I am not surprised by any of the fact, but I hope that people who don't know take some time to read up on this guy...Its almost like GW II (maybe its just the Texas accent)...


Additionally, I downloaded to my Kindle Professor Randall Kennedy's latest tome, The Persistence of the Color Line (one review here)...so far, so good...Surprisingly, this is the first book by Professor Kennedy that I have read (but, it won't be the last), which surprises me since I tend to gravitate toward books by law professors that analyze and critique social issues...I can't explain why I have been sleeping on this guy!