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To The Empire

I absolutely love Empire and the first season was such an amazing masterpiece. Lee Daniels wrote a superb script, along with the other writers, and it has been absolutely refreshing to see a show about Black folks and the actual real life struggles that encompass the Black community.

As this season is starting to come together I’m glad the Lee and company have gotten back to the authenticity of the show and having amazing storylines filled with drama and action and twist and turns. I have a great appreciation for the dynamics he’s presenting. How much Lucious sees himself in Andre and nobody actually knows it. It now makes so much sense as the show continues to develop.

To see Lucious rule like a king is very intriguing and funny. He often refers to himself a God, but in a times of crisis you see him defy the stereotype portrayed and remembers that his seed is important. I was shocked that the photographer went after the boyfriend and damnit Kelly Roland is doing an amazing job portraying the mentally challenged mother of Lucious.

How this show and series will play out is anyone’s guess but I do love that they address mental issues, homosexuality and homophoebia. There is also the dynamic of the power struggle of the mother and father that want power and control of their families. But you also see how when things are rough they will always come together for the betterment and sake of the family.

All I can say is that I hope people truly understand how ground breaking this show is. Lee Daniels has managed to tackle so many of the issues confronting the Black community. From gangs and drug dealing to family turmoil and traditions, and all things inbetween. Please remember that before this show it was always the happy and pleasant Black families. We finally see the true issues: church, a gay family member, a rebellious son, a strong black woman, a crazy black man. Imagine how much better the world would be if everyone took the time to take the lessons from this show and try to put themselves in the shoes of the characters.

Would our world be better off? Hmmm…. what do you think? Drop your thoughts, I promise I’ll respond

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The Hier Apparent

OK, so I know in my last post I released most of my inner irritation with the Donald Trump clown show, but I think it’s also fair that I dish my displeasure for the nominee for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton. And before you stop to ask am I affiliated with either party or am I an Independent, or a nonvoter, I want to say that without doubt and hesitation, I am a staunch Liberal and true blue Democrat. I have given my support to President Obama, voted for him twice and Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.

I have and will continue to defend the first African American President in American history. Not only does he look like me, but what he’s done for this country is nothing short of amazing, given all the bullshit he’s had to put up with. Ha, now that I’ve taken a little time to plug my favorite President of all-time, let me get back to Mrs. Inevitable. Don’t get me wrong, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Hillary Clinton. She was definitely one of the smartest first ladies in history and she was a very dynamic and influential Senator and Secretary of State.

That not withstanding, I have to be honest and say that I’m very uninspired by her message and speeches at this point. I do think she lied about the email situation and I don’t believe she is speaking about issues that really close to my heart and generation. I think she has flip flopped on positions more than Trump himself. I think she is a comforter rather than a trend setter. She hasn’t taken the lead on anything. If you press her about any of her positions hard enough or the public sentiment changes strong enough, she will switch quicker than you can change your pants.

This is a battle of the old people. And no, I’m not prejudiced to older Presidential candidates, but the reality is that both Hillary and Trump are more in the twilight years, than youthful fresh faces of their respective parties. I also think that the media has suffocated her competition in order to make sure she winds up as the nominee at the convention next year. Quite frankly, I think they were shocked, stunned and in total disbelief in 2008 when Senator Barack Obama launched a campaign that completely destroyed the “Clinton Machine,” enroute to winning the nomination and becoming President.

See the narrative then was much like now, that Hillary was unbeatable. She has this massive war chest and organization power. She was the one who was going to rewrite the Democrats legacy because a Clinton was returning to the White House, and she was bringing arguably, the most popular President in history, with her as the First Dude. You just knew that his policies and his people were going to be all around her cabinet. But something amazing happened. The impossible became possible. The media ugly duckling became the media darling and Obama rode to victory.

This time there is no narrative like Obama’s with Hillary’s rivals so naturally the media has decided to gravitate to Mrs. Clinton and once again usher her in as the inevitable candidate with the stones ready to take on and defeat the men. I only hope her policies are as strong as the media is building her up to be. I can’t forget that her husband signed that God awful Defense of Marriage Act into law, without any arm twisting needed. He was not an advocate or supporter of same sex couples, and since I’m a very openly gay man, that is something that I always remember. So Mrs. Clinton you and your husband can say you’re for the gays, thanks to VP Biden and Pres. Obama, but many of us haven’t forgotten the actions taken by your husband and championed by you.

So yes I think the media has hand picked their candidates. Bernie Sanders is good television fodder and makes for great ratings. A candidate like Martin O’Malley, who really has some awesome points and accomplishments and objectives, well he can’t get any t.v. time because he’s talking too substantively and would really be the candidate to derail Hillary if given the fair chance.

So I will vote for Hill and Bill, but I hope that the new guard of Democrats are lining up waiting for 2024 or 2020 to make a run and stop the media control of the process.

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The Trump Bubble

So as anyone knows I am one the biggest Presidential politics junkies out there. I love getting caught up in the process and watching the process as both parties fight it out to arrive at their nominee for President. That being said, I think this is the first time I can remember that the media is practically picking the nominee from both parties. Yes, I know in the past the coverage of candidates that television media favored helped to shape the nominating process, but tell me when have you seen it be this obvious and apparent.

Donald Trump is the prime example. If he wasn’t a guy who has been all over national t.v. for the past twenty years or so, the ignorant and bombastic shit that he’s said out of his mouth would have had him completely out of the race for President by now. But because he is a Reality TV star and a fairly successful businessman, the American right seems to have fallen in-love with the idea of having a blowhort like Trump represent their party.

See how you know that many of their voters are a bit off their rocker, is this is the same man who said that President Obama was not an American citizen; he is the same man who said that we should deport ALL illegal immigrants; the same man who said that a woman should not have the right to choose what to do with her body. Let’s also not forget that he is the same guy who thinks that just because he’s done some business deals, he is equipped to go toe to toe with foreign leaders who don’t like America and hate everything we stand for. And I promise that has nothing to do with having a Black man as the President of this country.

I’ve never been a real supporter of Trump. And the only time I can remember supporting anything that he’s done is when he was on WWE feuding with Vince McMahon. LOL, I know that’s funny as hell but it’s really true. I think that he is nothing more than a cartoon character. If we thought that having President 43 was torture, if by any sheer chance Trump is the Republican nominee and gets elected, he will be the biggest puppet President in American history.

I really wish the American electorate would wake up and realize that Donald Trump is not really the man you want running this country. But the media loves him because it means ratings galore, because of the asinine things that he says. I also have to temper myself slightly because, I do remember when Sarah Palin and Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and Michelle Bachmann were all front runners for the Republican nod in previous elections before selecting a more respectable candidate. This shit is going to interesting, sad and funny all at the same time. Have fun Republicans. Poor Jeb and John, who are the two candidates who would probably scare the shit out of Democrats.

Gotta love political season right…

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So much has happened in my time away…

So, first and foremost I got a promotion on my job that I took at the end of August. I’ve been going through the training process and it was a BITCH. Not in a hard way, in a no structure, no plan, poor planning, boring bullshit. I have never before worked for a company that’s  a Fortune 40 company and their practices are as conflicting, disorganized and crazy as this company. But I thank God for the fact that I have a job at an amazing company that does take good care of their employees.

Now in that same vein, I’ve been giving much thought to the possibility of changing careers and entering the world of fashion and modeling. And yes, it would be a big shift from what I do now and I know I recently got promoted, but as I’ve been doing some thinking I really feel like it may be time for me to move along and embark upon the next phase of my life and career. Plus, if you knew me well, you would know that I have a major love for fashion and my looks are perfect for modeling..HeHe.

Additionally, I finally went on my first real vacation ever and damnit it was amazing!!!!!! Royal Caribbean Cruselines are awesome and I’m so thankful that we chose to select that cruise line because the service was amazing and they really make your experience one that you will remember and also to make you want to return and cruise with them. Thank you Jesus I really and truly needed that vacation. Although, I got black as night and found out that I have a beauty mark on my lip that shows up when I’m tanned as fuck.

Just know that I may be showing a few of the photos from the vacation and I may decide not to..LOL, as you know I’m very much so crazy and unpredictable. Now this will end my broadcast day as I’ve gotta get up in the morning and get ready to talk to these crazy ass folks on the phone, but I will be in rare form tomorrow. I’m going to tackle Trump, Hillary, Sports and Relationships, so get ready I’m going to be dropping a lot of content over the next few days as I clear my mind from all the busy things that I’ve been doing and events in my life.

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Should the Whistle blower be Punished

Please understand that I don’t care who agrees or disagrees with my opinion, it is just that.. My opinion and matter how controversial I will still give it.

I was watching Outside The Lines this morning and they were profiling former Rutgers Basketball coach Mike Rice. If you don’t know, google his name and you will see the videos that surfaced when he was coach at Rutgers. He verbally, mentally and physically abused his players. He used insensitive gay slurs and it was extremely disturbing.

But one part that really blew my mind is when they did the interview with the “Whistle blower” talked about how disturbing it was and how distraught the players were. To the point of seeing Psychologists and contemplating suicide because of the coaches harsh treatment.

Now while I don’t doubt that he was completely overbearing, in fact I’ve watched the videos and it pissed me off. Partially because I’m a gay man who hates the use of the word Faggot and also because I despise seeing those in positions of authority bully and belittle those they have the control over.

But let me be expressly clear, this “Whistle blower” is a bitch. I want him to face penalty just the same, because you were there to witness this action every day. You were the recorder of this footage and you chose to wait to make it public why? I guess you were benefiting from having you job as an assistant, right?

How much participation did you have, and caused you to finally come forward? Let me be honest, once the first instance was displayed I would have come forward, once the first kid voiced those troubling and heart breaking feelings, I would have been on the first tv show, in the Athletic Directors office with the proof, screaming to any and every one to get them to see this bull shit.

But this man didn’t do that. And once he finally did, he wants to portray himself in line with the victimized college students in this matter. I’m sorry if I seem pessimistic about this whole situation, but I feel that all of them need to be banned. Why do I want to now do an interview with a man who continually allowed this to happen, knowing the reactions of these athletes.

My opinion is blow the whole damn thing up and stop using these Whistle Blowers and heroes. If they participated in such allows long term, and allowed them to happen until their “moral compass” caught up, I say tell them thank you for your information now go away or else you will be prosecuted with the rest because after all, unless you were the mail guy or janitor that stumbled upon a conversation and told what you knew, you were and are complicit in matter.

I’m done now, I’ll let this sit here and let it marinate.

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The Loneliness of Growth…

I’ve had to sit back and think about what growing up really means and how growth can often times leave you lonely. In talks with my best friend though, I discovered that it’s a nationwide, global situation that seems to occur in blocks of time in your life.

This seems to be one of those blocks and it’s very interesting when you realize it’s happening and the different reactions of those you associate with. From close friends, to mere acquaintances the reactions to the changes occurring are of shock and dismay a bit. And for me it’s one of volatility and uncertainty.

I’m learning what it means to grow into yourself and how to cherish the real and dismiss the imaginary. It’s ironic that when you allow yourself to be stuck in a drama filed, chaotic, messy lifestyle and being surrounded by the same people, you have more “friends” and “fun.”

Finding yourself in a world that still has a lot of prejudice towards Black men and Black, Gay Men is extremely difficult and if you don’t have a strong sense of self or a strong inner circle, you can believe it’s enough to make you question your relevance. I’ve had numerous internal conversations with myself lately trying to figure out of I’m doing the right things and making the right decisions.

Making sense out of reality can be tough. Accepting that people will use you for what you have more then they will befriend you what you share in common is a hard thing to accept. When you know that you are authentic and real, giving and honest, but that only gets you the leeches before it gets you the same type of person in return.

A big part of growth is knowing your self worth and not allowing those who are only appreciative of your physical or monetary gifts to ruin that development process. It is the hardest thing to do, because most of us as people like being accepted and moreover like being around people. But what you learn as you grow is you have to be careful of the people you are around. While all people can serve a purpose and can help you have a good time, most don’t have your best interest at heart and being in that circle can have negative consequences.

So as I sit here this morning, struggling with the loneliness and doubt of what I’m doing, I think I actually take solace in the fact that I see myself growing and I see the changes I’m making. The decisions are more rational and the outcomes are more positive. But the facts still remain, finding those friends that are truly friends and want that same success you do is tough. Leaving behind those who are stuck in the past can be trying, but it’s necessary. And growing out of usual patterns into new habits is difficult, but a requirement.

Growing up sometimes is lonely and continual growth can often lead to lonely times, but hopefully the end result makes it all worth it. Just some food for thought.

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The Greatness of Serena

For as long as she has been a professional tennis player I’ve been following the career of Serena Williams. From the innocent, rough, young lady from California; to the dominant, amazing Superstar that she is today. And I can only imagine did she think that she would this great and spectacular.

If she never wins another major championship, Serena will still go down as one of the greatest Tennis players in the history of the game. And if that accolade is not enough, she’s doing so with her big sister alongside. Venus has been atop the mountain in Women’s tennis just like her sister. And while she hasn’t been as dominating, she is still a multi time singles champion.

Despite all the personal drama that Serena has dealt with, she still has managed to be the dominant force in women’s tennis for more than a decade. She is going for her second “Serena” slam and is trying to win the Calendar slam for the first time in her career. What must that pressure and expectation be like?

Watching her yesterday play against a crowd favorite and native Brit, you saw just why Serena is the best in the game. How many others do you know can play against an overwhelming crowd favorite, lose track of their game for a set and then finally find a way to win such a difficult match. She may not have the typical personality and demeanor that most in the tennis world would like, but she damn sure has the game.

For all her shy and reclusive demeanor off the court, on the court she is as confident, cocky and brash as they come. Oh, and before anybody tries to act like she shouldn’t do that or needs to do that, remember that all of the All-time greats have that element. It’s what sets them apart from all of the rest. It is what allows her to get down and not look like she can win, only to find herself and find that way to win again.

If you are a Tennis fan, just take the time to appreciate the fact that we are watching one of the greats of all-time in an era that has seen three come along. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. I’ll leave you to think about that.

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Loss of Opportunity..

You know I have always been a supporter of The View. Yes I know it’s a bunch of middle aged women talking about current events, but listen they have very lively and engaging debate. They have cohosts with varying views and it always provides a chance to hear opposing views on the days or weeks hot topics.

Well, following last weeks historical decisions I fully expected the ladies of The View to have robust discussions about these life changing decisions. But to my surprise there was not one word uttered about these decisions in the two shows that followed the landmark cases. And that is the  most shocking thing that I’ve seen on this show.

For a show that can have Donald Trump and open discussions about the race card being used during President Obama’s presidency. From talking about all the shootings and massacres, to all of the topics in between. This show has been known to not have the same Conservative boundaries as some of their counterparts. And maybe that has changed.

Barbara Walters is still an Executive Producer of this show she created and I find it hard to imagine that she would not want the ladies to talk about Healthcare and Gay Marriage. For Whoopi and Raven to not even mention it, well that’s really shocking to me.

I guess there comes a time in everything where you are disappointed in something you thought was solid. Now, I have mines in the View. I know some may think its trivial, but when you think about how many controversial topics they’ve discussed, to miss the opportunity to deeply discuss two of the most hot button issues of our time, they took a giant pass. I guess I just want to know why.

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The Great Black Divide

Now listen most of what I’m about to say is nothing new and probably been said before. My hope that my framing of it will cause you to think a little harder, reflect a little deeper, respect each other a little better, and cause some unity, if only for a moment, to advance the cause.

I’ve seen all over social media since the historic decision on Friday, a call to arms of all different groups. From White Conservatives, to Black Conversations, to liberals of all persuasions and I can’t forget the moderates who keep the whole damn world sane..LOL

But there is a schism that exists in the Black Community that’s preventing us to really achieve more the unilateral improvements we all wish for that we see occurring for other groups. The primary reason for this is because we aren’t able to come together long enough and in large enough numbers to truly affect things and bring change.

See we are so controlled by the damn dollar and being distracted by trying to look like White people in order to beat White people that we can’t ever come together to get things done. We love to run and hide behind “traditions” as our reasoning for so much, but I challenge you to tell me what traditions you speak of that are inherent to us. Because if you take a few moments to think, what you’re really talking about are the White conditioned traditions that we have gravitated towards.

The Black Church has become a Capitalistic vessel because it decided to lay in bed with the White Mans money, rather than continue the work to uplift its people and champion the causes that lead to equality. We as a people became so fixated on the division within the Church once the pastors starting preaching exclusion instead of inclusion, that we too turned on each other and stopped looking our different skin tones, unique accents, alternative lifestyles as opportunities to learn and unite, and instead used them to divide and tear down.

We must learn that it’s not up to President Obama to make the way for us. It’s not up to Politicians, who are just trying to keep their jobs, to make the way for us. It ultimately is up to us. We have to learn how to take queues from my LGBTQ community and come together enough to affect change. Don’t think that our community is peaches and cream because we spend more damn time tearing each other down and fucking up own images than we do building them. But, we do know how to come together for a cause as well.

Black people we gotta stop being so damn gullible. We must learn that we are all beautiful and amazing despite our different skin tones and accents and choice of clothing and lovers. We must realize that we have so much power in our midst that if we just stopped fighting we could have so much power. We are our biggest detractors. We are our biggest road block. We are our own worst enemies. Instead of us embracing our differences and coming together around our commonalities, we spend time bickering about which section of us is right and which is wrong.

It’s a shame that religion has torn us apart because so many Black Christians hide behind destructive religious teachings instead of learning the text and its context and meanings for themselves. We are damaging ourselves so much that we just accept the endless hurt and killings. We kill each other over drugs, money, men and women, but won’t come together to make sure we can be power players at the table to increase our access to the money so we don’t need to kill over it.

Black people wake up, where mom or dad is there or not, you are a strong person with power in your mind and heart. There is power waiting for all of us, if we step up and just accept the call to arms instead of deferring it to those who need to profit in order to speak for us. Gay or straight, thug or geek, athlete or business person, we are all one people fighting to advance. Lets join together and make some shit happen.

Wake up

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Symbolism.. Why it’s so important

So I’ve been listening and watching about the events in Charleston, South Carolina. I had to sit back and think about all the horrific sights and the devastated hearts that followed as a result. You know now that those souls are laid to rest and the conversation is as strong as ever about race relations and the Confederate Flag, I think its time for a little more perspective.

I’ve been watching as social media has been running the constant comparisons of the decision the Supreme Court handed down on gay marriage and the inequality that still exists for Black people and White people. And make no mistake about it, there is still so much to be done but these moments need to stay separated and I will address it more in my next post. For now lets just focus on the symbolic nature of this killing and actions of the families following.

As anybody who has talked to me knows, I’m not very effusive in my praise for the Black Church, because for all it has stood for throughout history and continues to stand for today, there are so many outdated and ancient practices in the church that has kept it from continuing to be the rallying point that it once was. Not to mention the drama and histrionics of those wanting to have “stature” and “power” in the Church community. The Church has been torn apart by greed and money and it’s a shame.

But, lets still remember that the Black Church, for as long as they’ve existed in this country, has stood as a symbol of power and togetherness for the community. It was the place that launched the career of Dr. King, the church is the place Malcolm X became such a demonstrative figure. The church is where refuge was sought during slavery and slaves quest for freedom.

The Church was the place that we went to in order to recharge and hear a word to uplift you in times of struggle. The Church was the place that groomed young men and women for the world. It was the place that when the rest of the world told you that you weren’t good enough, it told you that you were. When the world told you that your pigmented skin was ugly and not humane, the Church said it was beautiful, unique and amazing.

See that radical, racist, prejudiced White man, went to the symbolic place to try and incite another Civil War. For all the bull shit that his people trying to “defend” him put out about him being mentally unstable, the reality is this man was very sane, stable and rational. He knew that if he went to that historic church and executed those people it would cause outrage and he hoped that it would lead to war and to further expose Black people, in his mind and the minds of others, to be out of control, angry, violent people; not worthy of being considered equal.

He said as much on his social media rants. He wanted to go to a place that symbolized the strength of the African American community and cause emotional and physical scars that would paralyze a community with fear and hatred, leading to violence and slaughtering of countless men, women and children of color. See for all the rush by some in White America to paint him as unstable and mentally challenged, it is the opposite in fact that’s true about him. He knew where to strike  Black America, he just didn’t expect the reaction he received.

I must applaud that Church and the parishioners and family members of those in that church for their reaction to this tragedy. Another racially charged terroristic act. Yes, I will call it that because that’s just what it is. See we have to realize that while we damage our own cause by stupidly killing each other, we also give rise to those who truly hate us to kill us and use the veil of Black on Black killing as justified comparisons for what they do.

Symbolism folks is just as strong, if not stronger at times, than the act itself. Because it’s the symbolic images and emotions that people illicit from these tragedies that spur actions. Now all across the deep South, politicians are rushing to remove the Confederate Flag because they feel convicted by this latest massacre. But maybe what really got them is they realized the negative, destructive, and contentious symbol that the Flag represents and finally they say no more.

Keep this debate up, equality comes from courage, conversation and numbers. Power is in the masses ability to come together.