I Wish We Could Coexist

Excuses are like [cough...cough]; we all have them, and they stink; so are stereotypes. They make our lives easier, and free us from the responsibility of thinking. “Thinking is the hardest job there is…,” perfectly said by Henry ford. Granted, some of the stereotypes have some degree of veracity. On the contrary, they don’t encourage smooth coexistence. “One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel alright,” are words of the great Bob Marley. It is possible that we have a better world.

I wish racial scars were never open sores, and religious strife never birthed. I wish the poor weren’t exploited and the hungry had food. I wish treaties were never breached and promises never broken. I wish politicians never lied, and their opponents never slandered. I wish wars were never fought and battles never waged. “No more broken promises, no more call to war, unless its love and peace that we’re really fighting for. We can destroy hunger, we can conquer hate. Put down the arms and raise your voice, we’re joining hands today,” sang John Legend. I know there is no utopian world out there. But, we can do better.

I wish all Muslims are not seen as extremists and terrorists, and all Christians are not seen as holier-than-thou. I wish we don’t always see (religious) beliefs foreign to us as evil. “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion,” said Steven Weinberg, an American physicist and Nobel laureate. So please, do not use religion as a justification for discrimination. Religion or spirituality doesn’t breed segregation, tradition does.

I wish all South Americans are not seen as Mexicans, and all Mexicans not seen as illegal immigrants. I wish Lou Dobbs could stop seeing immigrants - South Americans especially - as evil and Americans as “most holy.” I doubt he’ll quit even after quitting.

I wish men don’t picture all women as complex and sex objects; and women don’t picture all men as dogs, and untrustworthy. I wish they could live together, and without such problems that lead to about a 50% divorce rate in the US. Men, whenever you’re in argument with your lady, you must always have the last word. I know I just got some ladies upset; “What?!? He must be crazy…He doesn’t know what he’s saying.” A congressman from Texas told me what the last words should be, “yes ma’am.”

I wish black wasn’t seen as negative. I wish blacks weren’t labeled with chicken and Asians with rice. For, there are KFCs in North Dakota, as well as folks of other races that consume enormous amounts of rice in various forms; even though rice is native to South Asia and Africa, and China consumes the most... Well, if China has a huge population of about 1.3 billion people, that’s expected.

In the same line, there are sects other than Hispanics that eat corn and corn products, and also groups other than Indians that eat curry and curry products.

I wish the un-tall, un-lean, and un-athletic, as well as homosexuals are not always victimized.

I wish football wasn’t called Soccer, and “soccer” wasn’t so unpopular in the US.

I wish girls above 6’0” would stop wearing heels. I wish athletes at all levels could stop acting so high-up, and geeks stop acting so snooty. Pretty ladies too…I could go on and on.

I don’t mean to toot my horn. I’m no saint. I am African. I am Christian. I am straight. And, I wasn’t born tolerating folks that are not like me. I do occasionally fall short, but I’m learning with all willingness. In similar manner, I implore you to at least start the learning process. It’s worth it. I promise.

It is possible that we coexist smoother; Black, White, Red, Yellow, Brown, and everybody in-between. Woman, man; young, old; short, tall; fat, skinny, and everybody in-between can coexist. It is possible for gay, straight; Muslim, Christian; Protestants, Catholics; Africans, African Americans and everybody in-between to coexist. It is also possible that countries like Israel, Palestine (not a country), India, Pakistan; United States, Mexico, and teams like Manchester United and Liverpool coexist.

Don’t blame the society for your close-mindedness. “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds,” sang Bob. You can’t continue to live that way; in that mental cage.

obama can fend for himself...

Yes I saw this cartoon by the New York Post.
http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/postcartoon.jpg
Yes I thought it was offensive, and Yes I also think that African Americans have come too far to allow this to be the cause of a protest.

Everyone knows that the image of an ape serves a big racial slur to the African and African American man; but if we are going to protest, if we are going to rally, if we are going to get 5,000 people together for a cause, is this what we are going to rally behind? Do we really need to protect the most powerful man in the world from racism?

Obama doesnt need an increase in Al Sharpton's blood pressure over this; he doesnt need Black leaders to hold a news conference exhibiting their disgust, and he definitely doesnt need any stretch in Roland Martin's media outlet over this.

I know this is Black history month, and this is the month where nobody gets a pass for not respecting the history of all that is black, but should we not be holding better discussions about the decadence in our streets, the ills of the black community as a whole and not be too opportunistic to point out our own insecurities. Making too much fuss about this just points out how much we really are over slavery. Its like a bad relationship. LET IT GO.

If we are looking for a change from a dysfunctional past, let us go ahead and make histories of achievements and accomplishments while celebrating this month. Isnt that what Black history is all about?

So, Yes: I am mad at the cartoon, but I gat better things to worry about. I dont know about you.

I call bullshit on February. Make black history everyday, I dont need a month.

They say Rosa sat, so Martin could walk, so Barack could run, so we can all fly. Thats true but remember spaceships dont come equipped with rear view mirrors. So if you are gonna fly, you need to use the past as a proppellant for future greatness and success, not as something to be enslaved by.

And thats my word...just 2 cents.

The Significance of Today (01.20.09)

About 233 years after the Declaration of Independence. About I46 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. About 80 years after, a great leader; the preacher from Georgia was born. About 46 years after the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. About 41 years after that ordinary man with extraordinary vision, died. That vision never died. The dreams of a people still lived on. And today, that check that once came short, is inching closer to the well deserved amount.

Those self-evident truths; that proclamation of freedom; that little Georgian baby that was born with a purpose; that dream deeply rooted in the American dream, is beginning to realize. His life and the lives of those of all races and creed, who marched, violently and non-violently, those who bled, and those who ultimately died, were not wasted.

Those words said by parents to their little black kids not really knowing if it was true. The age-old lie, in different variations, passed on from generation to generation - You can be who you want to be – is becoming true.

Why I use the phrases, “inching closer” and “beginning to realize,” are to stress the fact that we are not there yet. There are still traces of segregation. There are still folks falsely seen as inferior. There are still ghettos and slums. There are still children close to uneducated. You may call me negative. But, far from it; I believe I’m just egalitarian. Even as we still see these traces, I believe that we will prevail; we will get there.

Yes, the preacher once thought that his dream might have evolved into a nightmare. But, as we well know, it gets the darkest before dawn; it gets the roughest before better times. So, for those falsely seen as inferior; for those at the receiving end of this financial crisis; these darkest hours, today is your day. Keep on pushing; keep on working hard. “We shall overcome.”

In a lot of ways, those old enough to remember, will breathe a sigh of relief of how far we’ve come. This is not only because of the beginning of the realization of a dream, but also the inextricable link of destinies that Dr. King talked about is very evident today. The realization was indeed sped up; “…black men and white men [and women], Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics” indeed joined forces to make this possible.

Once again I use the phrases, “inching closer” and “beginning to realize,” because even as the not so young folks breathe a sigh of relief, and begin to feel vindicated, I know they still hope for better. I share that hope with them; the hope the younger folks, the folks of our generation and those to come, see this significance too and are able to build on it. I hope we are able to stand on the shoulders of President Obama, who stood on the shoulders of Dr. King, who stood on the shoulders of the likes of Gandhi and Mandela and numerous other pioneers (Parks, Lincoln, JFK, LBJ…lots), to propel ourselves beyond our wildest dreams. I hope.

I hope because I know it is possible. It is possible.