I am very full right now. I just finished watching Beast Of The Southern Wild and all I could muster was ‘Wow’ as an emotion. The film was great and there were so many little moments that lead to big revelations in my spirit. None as potent and important as the dynamic of what “Fatherhood” looked like in this film for me. Without looking up any commentary or interviews from the director/producer/writer I’m not sure if that was the intended element to shine through or if a good film will allow whatever is in the viewer to be touched…

Wink played by Dwight Henry was a very powerful character through my lens…I saw myself. I saw my Father. And though I have never met and my Father has never met him I feel like I saw my Grandfather and his Father as well. There was something in the desperation, indignation, and unapologetic acceptance of what from the outside can read as an impossible situation that I found a profound love in…

“I’m your Daddy and it is my job to make sure you don’t die (take care of you)”

A very simple declaration, yet what it means is often misinterpreted and reduced to one of the most meaningless aspects of parenthood there is in financial support. Of course a child needs the basic human needs provided. That is a given. But hungry, hurt, or hapless children cling to those who provide them with a more indispensable form of nourishment and shelter in love.

I have two daughters right now (3 and newbie)…My eldest daughter clings to me due to my love and more importantly despite it. No one loves perfect and money has never loved anyone. We all try to do our best and as a parent you try to leave the best pieces of you with your children to give them the best armory to deal with all the things that will come their way to conquer. She forgives my flaws with such a fluidity that there are times when I’m at my peak of frustration that I can only smile. That forgiveness is the fruits of Fatherhood that all men should know.

I’ve always said, “you show me a man that knowingly is not part of his child’s life and I will show you a truly miserable creature.”

Not all men run from their responsibilities and not all men that “run” do so in pursuit of a better life for themselves. There is a pain that comes with manhood for some of us that is unexplainable, yet it is inexcusable to submit to as you need to be even more pursuant of planting those seeds of love. We live in seasons…no matter how hard the winter of life is for you the spring is always on the way for your children (if blessed), so you better get to planting those seeds of love, because as a Father you truly do reap what you sow.

What a BS comment if true…MJ forgets that Grant Hill use to dominate his later Bulls teams…Andrian Dantley was a dominant physical post player at 6’5”…His own teammate Scottie Pippen was considered a mismatch or an oddity as a point forward and exploited many mismatches…Same with Oscar Robertson (6’5”)…Magic who is the same size as LeBron and way less athletic controlled games routinely…LeBron is better than all of these prominant players…easily.

Goes to show once again Michael Jordan outside of his individual greatness fails to see the game correctly…He is stuck in MJ land. Rings don’t make talent…that is a team accomplishment, but people keep believing that lie.

Also this misnomer that the closer a guy is to James Naismith’s era the higher their basketball “IQ” is total crap as well. Today’s game physically the guys are bigger, stronger, faster…mentally they move within the game faster…they are playing bball at a younger age and at a higher level faster…sure there are knuckleheads that make in the L on shear physicality and they are very bright, but please believe the JR Smiths and Gerald Greens of the NBA today would be considered virtuosos in past eras…

Let’s not forget…I love him, but Doctor J (Julius Erving) was a dominant talent with absolutely NO jumpshot and very suspect defense, but he ran that break and finished like no other…But LeBron wouldn’t be “as successful”?

MJ C’mon Son!

 Whore to lust, whore to entertainment, whore to money, whore to ego, whore to religion, whore to your flag, so on and so on…Taking a step back to see where time/money/passion is invested and spent (personally and otherwise)…don’t want to be part of the sickness more than the cure…

Why Would Django Evoke Outrage?!?

Slavery is a fact of life and WAS a part of this country’s history and still has lasting effects in the people in this country and around the world. Ignoring it or treating it as this sacred mystical deity that we shall never speak of or we will be doomed in some way doesn’t help in addressing it.

I look at this like I look at Amistad, Roots, Rosewood, Mississippi Burning, etc…All these films make an attempt to show an aspect of American lineage that was ugly vile and unjust in a way that is entertaining or provoking…America has a bloody, ugly, unjust, inhumane past. There is a lot of scar tissue yet to heal from this.

I personally can’t stand depictions and prevalent perceptions that would rather cast Black people as these poor downtrodden insufferably sympathetic figures who had absolutely no pride, will, resistance, or personal agency to change their circumstance physically or mentally.

It is more disappointing that Quentin Tarantino made this film before a Spike Lee type. Also let’s not act like there isn’t a lot of “simple nigga” shit in Spike Lee films. If you personally find it hard to see images and hear the topic of Slavery being played out then you need to deal with it. Shutting it out and crying out in “victim speak” will not make that ugly legacy of Slavery disappear.

I’m not sure where the issue is with this fictitious piece of blood lust wrapped in a love story against the backdrop of 19th century America…where Slavery was prevalent. Would you rather they made the movie in that time period and just act like the Slaves weren’t there or like the slaves were content?? I guess I don’t get it.

Hell I say make as many images and media items that show slavery in as many facets as you can…Especially if it is going to make people feel “uncomfortable”! F your comfort is how I feel about it…deal with what it was. Answer for your parts in it and heal your mind and spirit of what pains you about it now.

Slavery should never be made light of or dismissed, but acting as if it shouldn’t be shown or spoken about is exactly doing that…again DEAL WITH IT. Have a conversation about it. Craft a quality argument about what in this movie you found offensive or disturbing…Saying “I don’t like it” or “Slavery is not joke” is childish at best and cowardice at the core.

When have turning your back on a problem ever resolved it?

I don’t identify with being called an African. I hold know ill feelings toward the embrace of such a rich and meaningful title, but I just don’t ‘feel’ it. To truly be African and know first hand how it feels, smells, and taste on a spiritual level and in my soul I’m sure would be an amazing thing, but that isn’t my reality. Why should I feel lost or empty for it? I don’t and never have. I embrace my misfortune of being an American in the skin I’m in and use it to empower the person I am and to treasure the strength of those who bleed to allow me to walk in any room with my head up.

I have yet to see Africa shed a tear for my condition, though I’ve heard some touching stories where there are some Africans that call us “The Taken Ones” that shall come home one day, but I can’t see that right now. When I meet Africans I enjoy the dialogue and seeing the different strenghts and struggles they have, because there is a kinship there. I appreciate them and their representation of their African culture, but I love what I am as well. Not what was or what’s to come, but what I am right now and hope to show more young men and women how to do that for themselves. It isn’t about integrating with “The Man”, but being able to look in the mirror and say all that I am and all that I get I deserve…the good or bad is on you.

I am growing everyday and live to accept all people for who they are. I respect people love and passions for what they believe and try not to judge them for the things that enforce positivity and their truth. I don’t see the Black man in America as some lost vessel floating adrift awaiting the hands of Motherland to pull him to safety/sanity. I see the Black man in America as symbol of the brilliance of resilience waiting to be claimed. There is a power in our condition that when put to task is and has meant freedom for people all over the world. We are truly are bearers of the scars that many others where saved from.

That is a very powerful concept to embrace. My forefathers where beaten to death (physically, mentally, spiritually), so that people all over the world could breath a little easier. Take it or leave it…It is a truth that I hold to heart. Black men can be promoted as the dirt of the earth, but from the dirt is soil and their is life. I choose to claim that possibility of life. Cultivating that soil and placing it in the proper conditions hopefully will one day bare the fruits of our collective labor.

If you can’t love you right now, then how can you treasure the past or truly value your future. Black in America is not a curse and it is not a gift…it is just a reality. Not loving who you are is a curse. Loving who you are is a gift…

Jrue Holiday is an All-Star…He is NOT even in the top five in salary on the Sixers’ team…try bottom five. You got to love the business of basketball. This the jewel of “disproportionality” that make average GMs seem great. I say do away with Bynum and take the OKC/Heat route. Use the money to get one or two big men that are freak athletes with talent enough to run with core.Keep Hawes and develop Moultrie.

A few names to pursue that won’t sale tickets, but produce wins in 2013: Josh Smith (not for close to max $, sign and trade Thad and something else to make it work), Pekovic, Mozgov, Robin Lopez and stealing Varejao from Cavs somehow…

PUT BYNUM OUT YOUR MIND SIXERS FANS…The team can/will be better without him and have more big man production for less money with the combination of two of the pending free agents…the Guru has spoken…

Lupe Fiasco’s “Bitch Bad” should be getting a lot of attention period. Great use of imagery in this video to compliment very direct, sharp and pointed lyricism. This is Lupe’s staple…he has the ability to wrap consciousness into the simplicity of what a great song is. The topic matter is of major concern and should be of major concern to all. Not just Black people or poor people, but all people. Our children are bombarded with images everyday and have to process what they all mean.

Many of these images as adults we don’t notice and have already consciously or subconsciously filed away in our minds and emotions to the point where we don’t think twice about them. We definitely don’t think enough of them to know to analyze and establish some sort of sensory armor to keep them for digesting the poisons that come with consumerism, marketing/branding, and just life. I love this video, song, message and the type of artist Lupe Fiasco continues to be.

He has a Grammy nomination for Rap Album of the year for whatever that means to people. This will be my go to song to share with young(er) people to spark conversations around self image and how they see the world they live in.

Incredibly inspiring display of what the human heart is capable of..wow

Native American’s won a $3.4 billion settlement. This was being reported on some outlets in reference to reparations, but it is not a reparations settlement. This is a long fight (17 years I read) with regards to a mismanagement and misappropriation of land dealings that worked to disadvantage Native Americans resulting in them being “low-balled” on the land the owned…more a business settlement through litigation than a government admitting and attempting to repair a gross “Sin” to a people via financial or other means.

Not quite reparations for Native Americans as that would probably be 10 times more than this total to even began to right the wrongs suffered there, but a great victory nonetheless…But is $1000 checks to 350,000 people associated with the original lawsuit and 1.9 billion on land consolidation the best way to maximize the this 3.4 BILLion dollar victory??

I guess if the efforts and identified issue was surrounding the issues with land ownership and management then this is the best way to make what was once wrong a little more right.

Congratulations to those who fought the fight and was able to live to see the victory.

And yes I’m not going to use this as an opportunity expound on the African-American plight in the U.S. as this is a victory of a different kind…but a valid admission of guilt by a Government that is very much against that recognition…but maybe this talk about “change” has some weight to it…

While this isn’t a new sentiment by Dr. West, his latest assessment on the election results have garnered more attention on this growing divide. The divide isn’t necessarily in Black America as it has long been divide. The divide seems to be more concentrated in what was once the epicenter of the Black Intellectual Movement. This is truly a sad state to be in.

Growing up I received my own intellectual birth, of sorts, watching Dr. West, Dr. Dyson, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Angela Glover Blackwell, Rev Farrakhan, Dr. Julianne Malveaux and quite a few other experts in their field moderated by both Tavis Smiley and Tom Joyner…It was an amazing sight for my young eyes and nascent intellectual sensibilities. I clung to these symposiums and watched them relentlessly repeatedly. My desire to be informed and integrated into the understanding of what truly was/is the Black Condition in the United States of America.

They didn’t just put on a show in the tradition of the Black Church where you charge admission hoot holler and profit off the spiritual uplift in the moment then just move on…they took that Black tradition of call and response, spiritual uplift, and added some depth to it. They came armed with facts, statistics, a history of actions and inaction with the resulting consequence. EVEN bigger they took it a step further and used their collection of brilliant minds, not just preachers and activist, but professors, economist, lawyers, business minds along with grassroots activism and constructed A Plan! This was supposed to be a transformative act. And it was…for a while…while the access across the table was the same at least while the Bush Administration was in office.

The Black agenda was held up by all at the table…was contributed to by all at the table…this was a type of unification of thought into real actionable steps that has never been as localized and publicized in history. Then Barack Obama made a splash at the DNC…conversations around race in America started to change a bit. The tone was more hopeful…this talk of Change started to gain momentum.In short order The Chicago Senator a proud and vocal African-American that lifted up his white mother and grandmother’s love and efforts in raising him was the prime candidate of Change in America.

Early on there wasn’t the 90+ percent support by African Americans, but then his message started to get more traction all over and he landed Iowa, then his brilliant run took off. That wasn’t all that took off as expectations and heartfelt hope was soaring at an all-time high. Finally a person has emerged to fulfill the implied or imagined prophecy that “The Dream” shall be realized. President Obama is the change ‘We’ have been waiting on…

I lay all that out to paint the source of this seeming discontent from the West/Smiley “faction” to which ideologically I am aligned, but going the way of ugly which in effect muddies the dialogue I am not party to. I get the frustration that lies in a mix of disappointment and feeling duped by your own disillusion. But to muddy the dialogue with ugliness only works to overshadow the issues, which should always be the priority. Cool, you think President is a “Rockefeller Republican” (moderate/center-right) in disguise…fine, but why Blackface? That doesn’t add or even apply to what the dialogue should be about…it makes the response personal therefore petty…

Dr. West is better than that and the people he represent should expect better. We don’t need to tear each other down to lift up our community.I don’t think it will change in such a way that the two sides will join hands and have meaningful and needed dialogue on the issues around prison profiteering and providing greater paths out of poverty (financial and environmental). This seems to be another example of where the elders are not being mindful of where they should be the examples of putting ego to the side to elevate the agenda. Leaving the youth one less stable place to get their bearings.

There are too many leaks to plug to be using a free finger to point at what the next man is or isn’t doing.

Do Better ~

Okay people I did it…cool. Voting is great idea. I tip my hat to all those who feel 10 ft tall by doing it and shed tears of joy for a “winning” result. I am truly all about acknowledging that dynamic…

But really attacking those that don’t vote or even those that don’t vote the same way or with the same enthusiasm  as you do does nothing to help.

The question of Why “Black” people are so nonchalant about voting litters my timeline and bothers me for two reasons…one it is a generalization that is inaccurate about the myriad of perspectives and personal values that exist within the “Black” community and also it is just a underdeveloped thought turned questions:

Why nonchalant? Hmm…let me see…Because black boys are being killed this very day with little to no urgency or action by the electoral body…because African-Americans in this country across the board suffer 2-4 times more in every poor category in this country regardless of the legacy of putting their lives on the line just to exercise a so called right to vote…hell even live with the dignity any human deserves…Yes things have changed over the last 40 year and even some during the last 4, but not for everyone…

It isn’t about what everyone else feels if you aren’t going to acknowledge it or deal with it to change it…just be encouraged by your state of mind and being then be determined to spread that wealth of spirit through your connections…people are what they are…always have been and always will be…until they are “touched” and feel connected.

There is a pathology deeper than many care to acknowledge…not an excuse, not victimhood, but a real issue that many people have to suffer with alone that looks like disenfranchisement, but is really a sense of worthlessness. Either care enough to get out and change it or stop pointing fingers…There are people who could care less if they live or die in this world you would chastise them about a vote? LoL…

What a concept!  BE a Spiritual Philanthropist not a finger pointer…open your mouth to encourage not speak down upon…

Oh yeah…”Vote or Die” people…isn’t that a bizarre and absurd message?

“oh, there are pictures.. I keep them where I need the most cheering up.”

For those who don’t know the story behind this:

Before Maggie was born, Homer Simpson worked at the Nuclear Plant because he needed the money to pay for all the debt. Once Homer Simpson finally payed the debt, he quit his job to work at his dream job at the bowling alley. When Homer Simpson found out that Marge was pregnant with Maggie, he became depressed that he had to quit his job at the bowling alley because the salary couldn’t support them. When Homer Simpson begged Mr. Burns for his old life back, he put a plaque that reads “Don’t Forget: You’re Here Forever.” When Maggie was born, Homer instantly fell in love with her. When Lisa asked Homer where did all Maggie’s baby pictures went, Homer explains that he keeps it where he needs it the most.

Exactly…Tips cap to all Fathers grinding the right way to raise their babies…

These Uncle Drew commercials are my ABSOLUTE favorite!

s/o to Kyrie Irving…he is killing in the NBA more than I though he would and he found a hit in this commercial concept and he isn’t even 2 full years into his career…just great.

They poop it and so many eagerly grab forks and spoons to scoop it…