Sometimes when I’m reading and watching the news I wonder, ‘HOW CAN YOU MISS THE POINT!!!’
Phoenix Teacher Wins Harassment Injunction Against Unruly Student
My brainwashing – I saw a stressed out white female teacher dealing with loud, foul mouth, toothpick chewing, cap wearing, jeans dragging black male students. First reaction, good for her. Somebody needs to straighten those kids out. Second reaction, I wonder if she’s overreacting. White folks get spooked over the most ‘no biggie’ things. Third reaction, I need to work on myself. Why did I make the teacher white and the students black males.(the student was actually a Hispanic male)? Because there’s a lot of reality to that picture – some media manufactured, other based on experience.
Let’s not pretend we have not encountered young black people you would beat down for their behavior if you weren’t afraid they or their trifling parent would kill you. Yes they’re angry. They have a right to be angry, but I’m angry too and I, nor my friends, act like this … all the time.
From 1997 to 2001, teachers were the victims of approximately 1.3 million nonfatal crimes at school, according to the National Center for Education (Christian Science Monitor, 4/23/04).
Most schools have a ‘no touch’ policy (you can’t even hung a kid) so teachers are afraid to discipline out of fear of being sued by angry parents.
Even to suspend or expel a student takes mounds and mounds of paperwork – in New York City, the form to start a suspension is 100 pages!!
This is jacked up.
Some of these kids will turn out okay. But only because something or someone strong intervenes in their spiraling out lives.
Don’t know the solution but if the injunction got this kid’s attention, and allowed some other kids to learn … their lessons or a lesson, hip hip hooray.
But we need to check out both sides.
American Idol: Diva Jennifer Hudson Voted Off
She’s not shocked. She’s gone through so much to be and stay in the contest.
America is shocked, at least the sane ones.
The judges were shocked. Ryan Seacrest was angry. And poor George Huff was apoplectic. Child just bounced on over to the divas knowing they were the top 3.
Surprise. Surprise.
And the question everyone still asks is why?
1. Supporters of the divas grew complacent and didn’t vote.
2. Fox played with the numbers to create drama.
3. Racial. The top 3 definitely weren’t black.
1 is the popular answer among whites. 3 is the popular answer among blacks.
The right answer – It doesn’t matter who (black, red, yellow, green, disabled,) votes and who doesn’t. If folks voted straight up, Jennifer would still be in. American Idol is a talent contest. Talent. T-A-L-E-N-T. Talent is not popularity.
So who you like, who’s your friend, who you want to sleep with, who’s cute, who has boobs (Chris), what the judges say, and the color of the contestant doesn’t mean butkus.
Your vote should be based on TALENT.
The 3 divas – Fantasia, LaToya, and Jennifer – are the best talent. And anyone who disagrees, bring it on. Let’s do a face off, song after song between any of these 3 women and Jasmine, Diana, and John. Blindfold the listeners. Let them see. Don’t care.
Vote straight on talent, leave all that other ‘who shot john’ in the toilet, they win.
So how clear are y’all consciouses now it doesn’t matter who votes and who doesn’t. If folks voted straight up, Jennifer would still be in.
Pat Tillman: NFL player who Enlisted is Killed
A hero? No more so than the others who fight.
Psychotic? More than a few of us wondered when he voluntarily enlisted, putting his lucrative NFL career on whole (Doesn’t matter if he was good, Simeon Rice, he was paid.), and his life, which he did lose, on the line.
But a part of me, although sick when I heard the news, also thought of Martha Stewart. When life affects someone famous, we pay attention.
After 9-11 most of us wanted to hurt someone, anyone, who we felt was the enemy. From this anger, many enlisted.
Pat Tillman did not make his choice in anger, but consciousness and conscious.
He neither wanted to be a martyr or a hero. He just wanted … freedom.
But his death has to make us think about what we’ve gotten into, why, and when to get out.
People are dying. Innocent people are dying.
Yet we can’t find Osama.
The war is costing more and more money. A lot of miscalculations were made.
And our soldiers fight on.
Because they were asked to.
In honor of those who ask not why but when, the least we can do is honestly answer the question and hold those accountable who choose not to do so.
The FCC Defines Decency
The Supreme Court has said obscenity is in the eye of the beholder. We don’t know what it is, but we know it when we see it. The FCC knows decency when they see it.
Or so they legislate.
A breast is obscene, if not exposed in the context of the program – i.e. The Learning Channel.
Fuck is obscene, when used as a verb denoting sex, but not as a noun or verb to buzz off.
A Victoria Secret lingerie show is obscene. Swimsuits in a beauty contest are not.
Howard Stern is obscene. Oprah is not. Okay I agree with that. Most of my friends do not.
It’s all in the eye of the beholder.
The media supplies what we want to see.
The media influences what we choose to see.
They’ve pushed the envelope. The FCC is closing it.
I can lick my own stamps … and change the channel.
Tennessee State University President Receives Support of Black Leaders
Last week I quoted the cardinal rule, ‘blacks don’t sell out other blacks.’ But sometimes …
TSU’s president is accused of 1) spending school funds to renovate his personal abode, 2) taking Super Bowl tickets from a supporter, and 3) giving nonexistent university foundation funds as student scholarships.
Don’t you hate it when the accused doesn’t deny the accusations but falls on the sword of ‘why y’all pickin’ on me?’
And then black folks jump up screaming ‘This is a good man/woman. What he did is no worse than others. Look at the good he’s done.’
Well think on this …
- What I did yesterday did not fly with my mama today.
- When we play the pity card too often, it loses its special credibility. Remember Peter and the Wolf?
- When we support every Tom, Dick, and Dante no matter what they did, without holding them accountable, what message do we(you) send?
TSU’s president screwed up. Maybe partly for altruistic reasons (the student scholarships), but renovating his house?? Accepting Super Bowl tickets.
The cardinal rule is still the cardinal rule. But when we have situations like this and the accused is looking for community support and getting upset if he/she doesn’t get it, let’s just remember who sold out whom first and collect that debt first.
