King In My Own Mind

There is one major component that doesn’t get touched on in this article and it is education, which goes back to the Federal level. President Obama kicks off this ariticles purpose by asking the very question that previous Presidents have ignored for years, because the fat cats were eating good. This idea or LIE that the GOP actually used in their “rebuttal” via Mitch Daniels of the US being the place of the “haves and soon to haves” is ridiculous. The great lie of America is that all you need to do is work hard. There are plenty of displaced and lost hard workers in this country. The federal government isn’t innovative in anyway. How many new initiatives and ground breaking actions to improve inefficiencies have come over the last 30+ years??  

You keep seeing “Mid-skill” level referenced. This country has been so committed to this model of filtering youth to being politicians or service professionals in the sense that you go to college and no matter what you study (Engineering to English) you can function as an Agent of Service. This does NOTHING for need to INNOVATE and create change to a outdated model for an OUTDATED BRAND called America! These examples where a factory like FoxxConn gets it and builds systems of efficiency and quality all over the world is something the US has had the means to do years ago, but FAILED to execute on, because the “leaders” fell asleep at the wheel and because as stated before…the fat cats have always ate well. If GREED or GOOD is your measure of value you lack value. If CASH over CONVICTION is your mission you have no true mission. If PROFIT over PURPOSE is your position dammit you will always lose your spot. The foundation unlike what President Obama was saying last night in need of great repair. I understand he is speaking to a need to see the bright side, but the reality is we’ve been doing that so long the ugly truths that needed attention was lost in the dark. Now when we go back to try to address them we are stumbling in the dark as we trip over every item some dropped and walked away from. A President shouldn’t be a janitor, but the government on whole is supposed to be working for the people and they just haven’t been doing their job. And for people to fall back on the “well if you vote it won’t happen” are way off. I contend voting is more like carnival game than an exercise of knowledge and action!!

So essentially the lore and lust of instant gratification produced retardation in growth as well as the desire to forecast with the purpose of long-term prosperity. 

Onajé Malik Lott

Skin-Dread Emotions Run Deep

The article posted above was really poignant. 

I really file stuff like this away…Even now I tell my daughter how special she is and how unique she is. These are things that make her beautiful, not blending in. I keep he around people that enforce that. I remember growing up watching people slyly abuse their darker skinned children for no other reason, but what I deemed was self hate. The darker the worst African Americans tend to be toward a person…it is the lead joke or insult, but never the lead compliment…

If most people were honest they would admit and address this ugliness in them. You can be light or darker skinned and have these same thoughts and action. The handsome/cute “to be dark skin” thought process needs to die. It is ugliness worst than the psychological disorder that is racism, because it is SELF Hatred. To hate your self is lowest existence you can exist in. The first woman that called me chocolate sparked that in me…Hell who doesn’t  like chocolate?? This along with Dr. Joy DeGruy’s breakdown of the male self hatred and how it destroys us had me crying in the middle of a crowd.

I know running from painful things mentally has been the communal approach we’ve taken on to “adjust” to being in a space where hatred was/is home…It is past time that we all check ourselves and make sure we believe it if we are going to teach it to our children. Self Love has to be first mission otherwise how do we expect values and any lessons of decency to stick? Rarely can you find someone who love themselves destroying themselves, who love their community destroy their community, etc…

Good piece and an even better topic that needs to be addressed and played out in all homes one one level or another. Re-educate or Reinforce, but don’t ignore it. 

Do you have Skin-Dread or know someone that deals with it?

Onajé Malik Lott (King In My Own Mind)

Blog that displays Black Women as their naturally beautiful selves. Nothing better than seeing a woman take her natural god given features and working them with full confidence. Incredible site.

I love to read about professional athletes actually being professional and trying to better themselves. I don’t know why more young players don’t enlist the services of these retired veterans and learn who to maximize their talents as well as grow a pair. Working with a skills coach is one thing, but to go toe to toe and learn how it feels to execute those skills with someone that knows how the game is played and feels is another. Spencer looks like a different guy and even better for the Sixers he looks like a factor on the court. 

George Lucas, creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, has funded and produced a film telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen who entered into battle in 1943. Lucas says he has been waiting to make this film for over 20 years not because of money or interest, but for the technology to highlight the true skill of these brilliant pilots. He also has spoke on the difficulty in making a film that is seen as “All Black”.

Studios didn’t want to put up the $35million or so to cover print and ads for the movie, because they say these films don’t make money…which is true. This all together was $90-100 million dollar film. “I plan to prove that Black can mean Green…” says Lucas.

I plan to support it and take some young folks with me. My wife is a teacher and had her school sponsor a trip for 70 students to go see the film as apart of their curriculum. The 1995 Tuskegee Airman film was great as well, so to be able to see this with the money behind it should be a treat. There are some familiar names in the film as well as some fresh faces:

Actors: 

The leading star is Cuba Gooding Jr, who also stared in the 1995 film Tuskegee Airmen with Laurence Fishbone about the same group of black fighter pilots

The cast also includes Terrence Howard the actor singer and rapper who had his film break in Mister Holland’s opus. starring along side Richard Dreyfuss and the iconic Olympia Dukakis

Bryan Cranston who is best known for his role in the T.V. smash hit Malcolm in the Middle.

A side note whilst at college for a part-time job Bryan became a ordained minister .

Other actors include  Nate Parker who played Henry Lowe in Great Debaters directed be Denzel Washington also signed up are David Oyelowo, Tristan Wilds, Aml Ameen, Cliff Smith (aka Method Man).

Check it out! 

Jay-Z put something together for his baby girl. The question was asked would his first child direct his music…I guess this a great example of why the hell wouldn’t it…HipHop is not some teenage adolescent searching for guidance. HipHop is informed, raw, flawed, gifted, grown energy. And its always growing. 

This article is pretty loaded. It pulls lyrics of Jay-Z to try to support its slant. It could have been a good article on one of the best to ever do it in Hip-Hops potential impact on the Black family dynamic. He is married with child. If he advertises that message the way he once advertised the hustle, then growing past street hustle to boardroom hustle, to no being your own man it will be of great benefit to all his followers. Instead they take the easy way out and just toss out a question and lyrics with no real direction.

 I think he is a man just like everyone else who dare to live up to that title. The evidence would say that yes he will change and adapt his approach, because he always have. Rap music is an art. If Steven Spielberg decided to do a violent film, would that make him violent? If Ron Howard does a film where the lead character is a pedophile, does that make him one? These songs are but one short scene in library of feature full length films…to judge on single scene and not the entirety of his work is faulty and not worth the time or validation. He has a family, so as most men who aren’t afraid of manhood do he will exhibit that in all he do. 

Onajé Malik Lott (King In My Own Mind)