American Ideals and the Constitution are George Floyd’s greatest asset. After George Floyd was killed on video and controversy and civil strife ensued stories began to circulate around social media about George Floyd’s past. But in the eyes of the law a person’s past doesn’t matter once they have served their time. The Constitution states that suspects are presumed innocent until they receive a trial by jury.
Presumed innocence and a trial by jury are rights granted to US Citizens. That’s what George Floyd has going for him. It’s not his strength of character which is questionable to put it mildly. That’s why I find it ironic that so many Black Americans try to disassociate themselves from their Black American identity. A lot of the men that have been victims in high profile police misconduct cases only have the rights granted to them by citizenship to fall back on. Because most of them have been less than model citizens.
If you disregard the Constitution and what America is supposed to stand for. If you disregard civility and the service that police are suppose to provide. If you disregard the Christianity that most Christians claim to observe. It can be said that George Floyd met up with karma.
He was found guilty of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He and five other men broke into a pregnant woman’s home and held her at gunpoint. George Floyd served five years in prison for that crime. He also had brushes with the law involving drugs. And he had several children within relationships with different women.
However, if you believe in what this country is supposed to stand for then there is no valid argument to defend the police officers that killed George Floyd. Police officers are supposed to defend the Constitution. They are not henchmen or street executioners. Suspects are entitled to their day in court and a trial.
The rights given to American citizens by the Constitution are what the fight against police brutality is about. And Black Americans need to understand that Constitutional rights are what give all of us a defense. A case can be made against anyone’s character and righteousness is subjective.
Why are so many children in America’s cities dying? I’m specifically talking about children in the inner city that are killed by gunfire. Children are being shot at baby showers, in their living rooms while watching TV, at church cookouts, in the back seats of cars and in their sleep at home in bed. It’s because they are surrounded by men that lack integrity and don’t value Black children and families.
I’ve seen numerous online arguments where men’s common response to criticism is that women do it too. Not in this case. Inner city killings are almost always committed by men. So boys and men in America’s big cities are the focus of this post.
Over the last ten years it has become common for children including toddlers and infants to be killed by gunfire. What’s going on? Why is this happening? Concern for others would dictate that you don’t shoot into a house not knowing who is inside. A reasonable person would understand that that kind of carelessness will lead to harm. And it just seems like a waste of time, effort and ammo to fire a gun in order to settle a score and not be certain that the person you want to shoot is in the cross hairs. It’s as if there are men that simply want to incite terror.
A generation of boys has been raised to be primarily concerned for themselves and to only care about their own survival. They are taught that they are valuable by people that have low expectations for them. These boys are pandered to and treated as if they are pets. Meanwhile they aren’t taught proper boundaries.
It’s a recipe for disaster and we are seeing it play out on the evening news almost daily. There is also a lack of respect for Black womanhood. Any culture or organization that does not respect women and value healthy relationships with women is going to have problems and abuse.
I believe that there are predatory gangs that dominate the streets of America. They take advantage of young men and make them subservient. They demand loyalty as if they are a cult. Predatory gangs strip children from broken homes of their humanity and moral compass in order to use them as tools for chaos. The chaos is a screen for their inadequacies.
Without boundaries, integrity, responsibility or care for others we have communities where babies are becoming collateral damage of street battles between men. Black American children are dying in strollers and car seats before they have the opportunity to start kindergarten. It’s tragic and things are progressively getting worse.
There are several factors to inner city gun violence but I believe in controlling what one can control. Citizens can not regulate gun availability and factors such as unemployment, underemployment and racism. But we need men to lead boys to become productive men and set boundaries of decency. Men need to teach their sons, young cousins and nephews integrity. They also need to recognize it if they don’t have it themselves and develop a stronger character.
Conflicts, armed or otherwise need to stay between men and the conflicts should be dealt with in an honorable fashion. By honorable I mean deal with disagreements and offenses face to face. Men need to try talking or even fist fighting. I’m not unrealistic and I understand that violence occurs from time to time.
There is no reason to involve innocent people particularly children in their rivalries. The behavior that we are seeing on the evening news is that of cold blooded sociopaths. Men in the community need to take a stand against it or it will continue and all efforts to improve the Black community will be futile.
Men that live in the big cities of America need to stand for integrity and set proper boundaries within their own neighborhoods. Cowardly behavior like drive by shootings and groups of men jumping one men need to end. Blaming women for everything needs to stop. If men want to be respected as leaders the buck needs to stop with them and they need to hold themselves accountable for the death and destruction in inner city neighborhoods across America.
That’s where true change will start. Men need to stop the senseless violence that robs children of their chance at life and makes communities unlivable. Men need to take a stand for their families and communities. No one else can do that for them.
Fourth of July weekend 2020 has come and gone. It was a very somber day for me this year. Generally I don’t do a lot for holidays but they usually put me in a good mood. This year Fourth of July was depressing. Independence DAy was melancholy due to the state of America and the uncertainty of our future. Our nation’s leadership is corrupt, there is economic uncertainty, a plague is filling hospital emergency rooms to capacity and racial tensions has emotions on edge.
This Fourth of July, like in past years many Black people made social media posts letting the world know that they have no plans to observe the holiday due to past and present racial oppression. That’s their choice and I appreciate and understand their opinions but I see things differently. I’m a proud Black American and I’m proud of our history in this country.
I have two Black parents and four Black grandparents. I studied my family tree on both sides and I can document that we’ve been in this country for at least four generations. My identity is not tied to any other race or country. I’m Black American and completely comfortable with that and I take pride in my place in human history.
I have no desire to think of myself as a Moor, or a Hebrew Israelite nor do I believe that Black people are indigenous to North America. All of those are theories that Black people that want to disassociate themselves from the history of Africans in America share on You Tube. I believe that those people are ashamed of their heritage and envy White people.
I am one generation removed from a southern sharecropping family. My mother is one of nine children from rural Arkansas. She grew up in poverty and began working as a young child picking cotton with her family. They were paid for their labor by the pound. The cotton they picked was weighed and they were paid mere cents by the pound.
My mom left Arkansas after high school moved to Detroit, Michigan got a job at the phone company and married my dad who was an auto worker from Detroit. His parents were from Mississippi. The too left the agricultural South for the Industrial North for greater opportunities and freedom.
My folks divorced when I was young but I had a happy childhood where my needs and many of my wants were met. I went to college after high school graduated and later on earned two more degrees. After many years I got my foot in the door of the career I wanted. Both of my parents are enjoying retirement.
My family’s story is one of hard work and achievement. I’m proud of it. I’m glad to be an American. A high price was paid for me to have a stake in this country and I’m grateful to everyone that came before me that gave me the opportunities that I have today as a Black woman in America.
America has the biggest economy in the world and to be born here is a blessing. There is always an opportunity to make money in America. It may not be a lot and life is hard everywhere but survival is not precarious here as it is in other nations.
I’m a working class woman but I have a nice car, diamond rings, designer purses, a closet full of clothes and shoes and a full refrigerator. I’ve been on great vacations and have dined in hip restaurants. Life is pretty good and I won’t complain.
America has a fascinating history and is a beautiful country. There is a lot to do, see and experience. Many think it’s unhealthy but I enjoy the go getter culture. I also enjoy America’s materialistic, flashy nature. It’s what makes our economy great.
But America is far from perfect. There are glaring injustices. Overall this is indeed a racist, White supremacist country. I’ve been overlooked for opportunities and discriminated against because of my race. The saying that Black people have to work twice as hard to get half as far is true and I’ve been in the American workforce long enough that I’ve seen that principle in action.
I’m a tax paying, law abiding, citizen but I do not see police as friends or protectors. I prefer to keep them as far away from me as possible because an interaction with them could be unpredictable. I could end up hurt or dead. A simple misunderstanding can be fatal for Black people and their actions would most likely be excused by other Americans and the court system.
But I believe that Black Americans need to stand up for what is right in this country like we have done historically. We need to continue to hold the United States to its promise of liberty and justice for all. We need to continue to support the Constitution and Bill of Rights as citizens that have a right to pursue happiness. Our ancestor pour blood, sweat and tears into this country. Stand up for what is yours and remember that no one has given us anything. This is my country too.
America’s has a lot of great things going for it. But we have a lot of work to do in order to create a more perfect union to be enjoyed by all. I’m not going to give up on what America could be because of what it currently is and was.
America has been in violent turmoil for more than a week after the death of George Floyd. The catalyst for the tumult was Floyd’s gruesome murder by a former Minneapolis police officer that was captured on video by a bystander. After a few days of the suspects no being arrested and outrage in the media Americans took to the streets in protests. Some of the demonstrations were peaceful but there was also property damage, looting, injuries and deaths.
Once the protests became violent and the president responded with the threat of more violence there have been calls for unity. But unity is not the answer. I live in Kansas City, MO and there is a Unity March scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The mayor and police chief will be there along with demonstrators. This is simply an opportunity for a photo op and a heartwarming headline and hashtag in the media.
The Unity march that is scheduled in an area Kansas City park tomorrow is an attempt to appease White people’s feelings. Whenever there are racial tensions in America White people call for unity. However they want unity on their terms. Calling for unity in America is not genuine because White Americans typically flee diversity in order to concentrate their resources in their communities. Those in power want submission, not unity.
The words unity and coming together are used to pacify Black people and silence frustration and anger. Americans love segregation and Blacks shouldn’t forget that. The mayor and police force know what the problems are. They need to get to work, find solutions and implement policies. They have been empowered by citizens to do so and they shouldn’t be wasting time at picnics while the country is in crisis.
Black Americans also need to focus on getting our houses in order so that people outside of our community don’t matter as much. Fortify yourself, your family and your community spiritually, financially and physically. Taking care of ourselves and families will make us less vulnerable and we’ll be better able to defend ourselves.
Black Americans often seek out White validation in order to gain social standing or take advantage of opportunities in other communities. We need to build our own opportunities and wealth. We need to seek validation from each other. We need to learn to value one another. In other words mind your own Black business.
I’m not saying there is anything wrong with having a relationship of any sort with any person who is not Black. We live in a multi cultural society and friendships, romances and work/business relationships will develop. But if you are a Black man or woman that is confident and proud of yourself you will more of an asset in any liaison with any race.
White supremacy is not going to change. If anything it is going to become more extreme. Black people need to learn to rely on themselves and develop a stronger infrastructure within our own community. Start small and set small financial goals for yourself such as getting$x in the bank, cleaning up your credit or maintaining good credit and repaying debts. There is no need to make a spectacle of it. Quietly secure your future and mind your Black business.
I hope Black people don’t fall for the okey doke about the ruse of unity. Don’t hug or cry to cops. Don’t make having a White friend group or lover your goal because you think it will increase your social standing. Be confident and proud of who you are. Value your own culture and your own family. It will make you a better friend or lover to whomever you choose. Move quietly and secure a future for yourself and your family.
I have no interest in fighting racism. I am interested in seeing Black people develop their own economic engine and vibrant social network. This would make us less vulnerable to attacks and gives us more leverage to fight attacks against us. Mind your Black business and build prosperity for yourself and your family. That’s the only way to fight the power. Unity with racists helps the racist. It does nothing for you.
Today I was browsing target.com and I ran across a pair of gold toned, chunky, bamboo earrings. I was kind of floored to see them. I remember that style of earring being popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Big, bold, gold hoops were once only popular among Black and Hispanic women in urban areas. They were lampooned for it. Big hoops were thought of as ghetto, uncouth and too flashy to be chic. So are they still ghetto now that suburban soccer moms and hipsters will be wearing them?
I’ve seen this before. I grew up in the 80s and 90s outside of Detroit. The fashion industry has promoted styles within the last ten years that I remember inner city women and men wearing thirty years prior. Back then that style of dress would have made a person unemployable. So it’s interesting to see urban styles marketed as chic and trendy when the fashion industry is actually decades behind the trend.
I ran across this article a few years ago in Lucky magazine a few years ago.
Sorry but Zooey Deschanel is the last person I think of when I think of nail art. No celebrity comes to mind when I think about nail designs. The popularity of nail art has grass roots. Grass that sprung up in between slabs of concrete. Nail art has been a fashion staple across America’s big cities for decades. It was hood until Zooey Deschanel and Lucky magazine said it wasn’t.
I’m not one to get angry about cultural appropriation because I live in a multi cultural society and cultures rub off on each other. But it’s unfair the way that anything that is associated with Black Americans is looked down on but a White stylists or buyer copies an urban fashion, brings it to the White masses who think that it is something new and all of a sudden it’s a new trend and it’s origins are forgotten. Then people tell African Americans that we have no culture and some African Americas seem to agree and wait for the White mainstream stamp of approval.
We have culture but we often turn our noses down at it in order to assimilate into the dominant culture. Instead of Blacks passing it down to our own children another ethnic group ends up selling our culture back to a different generation of Black Americans. It’s honestly our own fault and we should know better by now. But we keep falling for the okey doke. This cycle also happens in music and the restaurant industry.
Black people need to appreciate their own creativity and originality. Stop joining in the chorus of folks labeling something as ghetto in order to fit in to polite society. Something is either tacky and uncouth across the board or it isn’t. The marketing is the difference. Black people should protect their culture and proudly claim it. Don’t wait for a White reality star to make you chic. Learn to market your own culture instead of complaining when someone else figures out a way to make a buck off of it.
I’m sure glad that I saved my gigantic Turkish link gold hoop earrings from the 90s.
I am Black and a bit of a social media junkie. Social media outlets have pretty much figured out that I’m Black and they suggest pages, channels, people, places and things that other Black people frequent. I follow them as do others in my demographic. It creates little virtual communities and there you have it, the Black social media sphere. It has been fun, entertaining, and educational in good ways and bad. Black social media can be a useful and entertaining tool. But it can be very toxic.
I’ll start off by saying that Black people are not given enough credit for being so witty and creative. When I was a big Facebook and Twitter user my brothers and sisters would absolutely have me cracking up with their unique takes on various hashtags. Some social media users reminded me of the glory days of hip hop when being a little street or ghetto or whatever you call was meshed with intelligence and insight. We don’t get to see that much in the media anymore. I miss it.
Black social media users have also brought attention to injustices in America such as police brutality and racism in common places. Cell phone video and social media has given justice to many Black people that never would have gotten it otherwise. I think that is wonderful and heroic.
But I’ve decided to not follow a lot of Black social media pages due to the nature of the speaker or his or her followers. I blocked The Shade Room on IG years ago and my quality of life immediately improved. I stopped following the 1990s rapper David Banner because I got tired of being a defender of the faith. I blocked The Amazing Lucas on You Tube because he is trying a little too hard to prove that he is a conservative Black man. It’s sad to watch a Black man pander to people that way.
It’s difficult to build a social media following unless you already have some sort of claim to fame, an amazing talent or you fit a particular beauty standard and decide to flaunt your body for the sake social media popularity. I’m guessing that it may even be more difficult for non celebrity Black people to build a large following because I rarely see Black people discussing things that wouldn’t be considered a Black interest on social media. I’ve figured that the best way for Black people to gain a social media following is by being controversial within the on line Black community.
I think Black men have it the hardest in the social media world. It’s a little harder for them to find their social media niche. Many Black women and feminine Black men have gained social media notoriety by creating celebrity gossip outlets, make up and hair tutorials.
But I don’t see many Black men creating channels that aren’t about dissecting matters in the Black community. It seems to me that the easiest way for a Black man to gain a large social media following is by talking about such matters and blaming Black women for them. Some of the most successful Black You Tubers that I’m aware of are men that think that Black women are solely responsible for every single problem in the Black community. Like, seriously every – single – one. The mental gymnastics these guys do is impressive. Actually buying into it is a personality disorder of some sort.
I’ve never followed members of the He Man’s Woman Haters Club but men that follow these ideologies show up in the comment sections of other vlogs such as gossip channels or a channel that is talking about current events to a Black audience. They drop nasty remarks about Black women’s appearances, marital status, “attitude” or whatever. They even put Black women down for going to college and pursuing careers. I would like to think that most of these remarks are coming from trolls in Moscow but I know my people and this can’t all be blamed on the Russians.
It’s like some of these guys (to be fair, I’ve had Black women make rude remarks about my appearance, especially my hair as well) know that Black women are trying to avoid them so they come to where we are in order to insult us in some way. I’ve made what I thought was an innocuous comment and have had my personal appearance attacked by my fellow social media users. People like that are usually hiding behind an anonymous profile so I can’t be sure of who they are but I’m guessing a lot of the insults based on skin color and hair texture are coming from people with similar skin color and hair texture.
After degrading Black women these gentlemen go on to put fairer skinned women on a pedestal. I don’t understand why they didn’t do that in the first place and just left us out of it. No one needs to justify their dating and marriage choices to anyone. And you shouldn’t have to put someone else down in order to express your love for someone else. Black women return the vitriol. They too have set up channels and make comments tearing Black men apart. There is no way to have a community if men and women hate each other.
Another topic that’s caught a lot of traction on Black social media is “woke” Black people telling Black Christians to stop believing in Christ. I had to block the 90s rapper David Banner for this reason. People like him are arrogant and patronizing and always use the same two or three reasons to justify their opinions.
Their reasoning displays their ignorance about the Bible, geography, human history. This “woke”, afrocentric community are the ones that believe in a White, European Jesus. Not those of us with the understanding that Bethlehem isn’t in Europe. Once again, all they need to do is follow their heart. There is absolutely no need to degrade someone else in order to justify a personal choice. Leave us out of your personal choices and I’ll leave you out of mine.
I ran across a You Tuber named The Amazing Lucas one day and I decided to follow him. After watching a few of his videos I blocked him. I don’t need anymore of his videos. He’s a young Black man that would probably describe himself as being conservative. But after a while I guess he had to work harder to prove himself.
He’s too emotional about things that aren’t that big of a deal such as the political opinions of NBA players that he’s never even heard of. Lucas is of the belief that racism is all a figment of Black America’s imagination which I find to be a very condescending and delusional view point. The Amazing Lucas doesn’t seem to understand that racism is an economic and sociological matter.
I don’t know who runs The Shade Room but they are a horrible human being and their followers are complete morons. It’s hard to find a dumber group of people on social media than what you would find on that IG page. I blocked them a long time ago because they were on there making fun of Simone Biles body. That’s right. They body shamed a world class athlete.
People that enjoy The Shade Room only like women that look like strippers. It’s all they care about or respect. They absolutely love people from the Love and Hip Hop Series and various young rappers that I’ve never heard of. But they trash an Olympic champion because she’s not so called slim thick. They trashed Gabrielle Douglas as well. I believe they came for her because she mentioned something about women should dress modestly and they went berserk. I don’t share the values of most people in The Shade Room so I had to block them.
The death and funeral of rapper Nipsey Hustle and the trials and tribulations of TV personality Wendy Williams have dominated Black social media the last few weeks. Meanwhile three Black churches in Louisiana burned mysteriously and the son of a police officer was arrested for the crimes.
I was on a You Tube channel yesterday that fashions itself after a news broadcast. The host discussed the church fires and people in the comments section were talking about their disdain for Christianity, especially Black Christians. They are clearly missing the point. But if they are that stupid why bother talking to them. I blocked the channel. I think we need to shift our values a bit. Our community suffered a terrorist attack and
I understand that the death of Nipsey Hustle is yet another urban violent tragedy but last weekend six were shot at a baby shower in Chicago. I haven’t heard Black social media say a word about that. I didn’t know who Nipsey Hustle was until he died so his death is no different than all the other murders that happen in the Black community.
I think that we should use the powerful medium of social media to discuss that to the point of beating a dead horse like we do stupid topics like fake hair, inter racial dating and twerking. And men that are obsessed with women that they don’t like need to be the ones doing the talking instead of blaming everything on single mothers.
I wish that Black social media communities would just stop trying to tell others in their community what to do. Stop thinking you know what’s best for someone else. If we all do our part, Christians, Israelites, Agnostics, LGBT, feminists, etc. we can all make improvements to build a better future for everyone. But this intra racial at least snarkiness and at most hatred should stop. We need to learn to respect each other more. I don’t feel like Black people appreciate our differences.
Some of these conversations that take place have been going on for years and we have come to no conclusion or made no progress. They are trivial matters anyway so we should just move forward. I think there are a few things we should be able to agree on such as if you’re mad at someone you shouldn’t shoot up their baby shower and let’s discuss those matters. The rest of if is all just drivel and a huge waste of time and I refuse to participate in it anymore.
International Women’s Day was Friday, March 8. I thought nothing of it on Friday because I don’t know how to observe the day. Do we go shopping, bake a cake, have a parade or what? Beats me.
But over the weekend I ran across a video on YouTube of an Air Force service woman complaining about her subordinates having bad attitudes.
The soldiers post is bad enough but as always the comments underneath the video were far more extreme. I read dozens and dozens of comments expressing disdain for and superiority to Black women. YouTube is a haven for those who hate Black women. Insults to Black women can be found underneath videos that have absolutely nothing to do with Black women. I read this stuff and I’m like, sheesh can I live? I’m just minding my business and trying to live here.
There is a YouTube host by the name of Tommy Sotomayor that has been preaching his hatred of Black women on social media for years now. His success has inspired copy cats and their sentiment is repeated all over YouTube and Twitter. I’ve come to the conclusion that the easiest way for a Black man that isn’t a celebrity to gain a large social media following is by degrading Black women.
Tommy Sotomayor
Stereotypes are usually based in truth but I still don’t find the perceptions that people have of Black women to be fair. I am familiar with “Black attitude” and have encountered it. I’ve dished some out. So I’m not saying that “Black attitude” doesn’t exist. I’m just saying that it is misunderstood and sometimes justified.
Hostility towards Black women has been very open in the media for years. As I pointed out before it is all over the place and the Black community is not even a safe place from it because Black people often hold the most hostility and do a lot to perpetuate the harmful stereotypes.
Black women are often described as terrible mothers, terrible domestic partners, terrible people and ugly. I’ve seen numerous social media posts telling Black women that we are the so called bottom of the barrel women. With so much negativity aimed at Black women I don’t understand why anyone is surprised that they would have attitudes or feelings of bitterness and resentment. It is inevitable that all of the negativity would affect the image of Black women and girls.
Black women are often put down for the way they present themselves. A lot of Black women wear hair weave around the world. In countries outside of the US skin bleaching seems to be common. Men that enjoy degrading Black women by telling them that they need to learn to love themselves.
What people choose to ignore is that European features are the standard of beauty globally and women of African descent that alter their appearance to look more European are trying to compete. They are competing for economic opportunities and the affection of men. Black women often feel that they need to make themselves look more European to gain the attention of Black men.
Black women are human beings and like all human beings they are seeking out validation and love. Black women are fighting to gain economic resources in this modern economy. Most of us are raised to believe that we need to alter our appearance to look more European in some form in order to do that. Anyone that says that looking more African and less European in this world is an asset is not speaking the truth.
So that covers the why of some of the actions of Black women but that’s not where the bias stops. I admit. Some Black women have an attitude and are easy to trigger. But so are a lot of other women that aren’t Black. Why aren’t those women stereotyped as having bad attitudes? In fact, when certain races of women have temper tantrums men think it’s cute, sexy and exciting.
If you take a gander at my profile pic you can clearly see that I am a Black woman. I think I’m a pretty nice and easy going person. I don’t like to be at odds with people or have conflicts. But I’m not afraid to stand up for myself. And I’ve noticed as a Black woman there are times when I have had to struggle to be heard. When I don’t stand for being treated poorly or I feel the need to make myself clear so I can ensure that I am being heard and understood people often like to act is if I am the aggressor and they are the victim.
All a Black woman needs to do is stand up for herself or assert herself and many people will be offended by it because the woman that they deem as beneath them or bottom of the barrel is asking for fair treatment. Others actually enjoy the nasty stereotypes of Black women. It gives them a fool to laugh at and someone to make them feel superior. I have had problems in the American workforce for not fulfilling the Black woman stereotypes. A Black woman will be left in peace if she plays the role that others thinks she should play.
I grew up in the Detroit area and now I live in Kansas City, MO. I’ve always lived places with sizeable Black populations. So indeed, I have met unpleasant Black women but I’ve also met a lot of sweet as pie, smart, professional, family oriented, hard working, feminine, full of personality and drop dead gorgeous. In fact, I think that most Black women are lovely people. Most of the people that I have been close to and supported me in my life have been Black women. I have absolutely no reason to put down Black women or try to put a different race of women on a pedestal.
Black women are like everyone else and should be judged as individuals. Give us a break. And no, I’m not pleading with anyone to like or love us. That is a personal matter. But I don’t think that we deserve the constant degradation that we receive. It’s not even as if we are being accused of pulling off mass shootings or drive bys. Even if you buy into the stereotypes we still really aren’t all that bad. How can we be? Black women don’t hold much power in society so we aren’t even able to hurt anyone. I don’t understand how we became the boogeyman.
As far as the soldier that made that video I have some theories about why she has a problem with her subordinates but I will keep that to myself. My hypothesis is not politically correct and would do nothing but hurt feelings and spread negativity. I know when to keep my mouth shut. I only know what this soldier shared in her profanity laced tirade which said a lot about her.
This woman clearly loves drama because there are other, less public, more professional and mature ways that she could deal with disrespectful subordinates. I’m sure the Air Force has some sort of disciplinary system in place to deal with valid complaints. And this lady said she wanted to fight the Black women that reported to her. For goodness sakes that’s not lady like at all. Is violence really necessary? I’m thinking that she is the problem here.
So anyway the world really needs to back off of Black women and girls. We don’t deserve the hostility. We’re just trying to live our lives. In the past year or so I’ve heard of about three stories of elementary school aged girls committing suicide because of bullying at school. One news report said that a girl was being teased because of her hair. She looked like an average little Black girl with two Black parents to me. This negativity has consequences.
The mainstream American feminist movement rarely addresses the concerns of Black women. Body positivity and other modern feminist causes exist to improve the conditions of affluent White women that only seem to have cellulite to worry about. So in honor of International Women’s Day please, give Black women a break. We’re having a hard time out here.
Today I tried to log into my Twitter account and I received a message that I had been reported. I was told that I wouldn’t have access to my account for twelve hours. In order to begin the countdown I needed to provide Twitter with my phone number.
This is the damning tweet that I made in reference to a story about the Covington High School students. In order to clarify I want to say that I think that those boys exhibited disrespectful and thuggish behavior. I’m appalled at how they acted in our nation’s capital and the way they treated a man three times their age. I still believe that the ring leader of the incident would have been deserving of a punch to the chest.
I would never give Twitter my phone number due to privacy concerns. I tried to give them the land line number at my job but they wouldn’t accept that. There is no way I’m going to give Twitter and the FBI or whomever the opportunity to track my moves through my cell phone. So I guess I’ll never use my account again.
I really enjoyed Twitter. I got a kick out of being a part of mass viewing parties of sporting events and reality TV show broadcasts. A lot of Twitter users are quite clever and I enjoy the way they create their own entertainment.
There are Twitter users that I wouldn’t call friends but I have enjoyed my interactions that I’ve had with them over time. I feel like I’ve gotten to know a few people a bit. At times I’ve thought of deactivating my account in order to avoid some of the stupidity and nastiness but I decided that the good outweighed the bad.
I’ve been banned from Facebook as well. I made a remark that some snowflake didn’t like on a video that was posted. It involved a White man with a gun bullying a minority. I don’t exactly remember what happened in the video. I must have said something about the man needing his a$$ beat or something. I don’t recall.
When I got into trouble with Facebook they locked my account and asked me to send them a picture of a government ID. Nope. There was no way I was doing that. Facebook is clearly in cahoots with law enforcement and I don’t need the FBI thinking I was a part of some sort of pro African American insurgency. Honestly I wish I was but I’m just another insignificant person, opinionated person on social media.
It seems to me that large social media platforms are more likely to censor African Americans than they are Whites. I remember a time when there was a shooting on or near a college campus in northern Florida at a historically Black college. Lives were lost. I was looking at the schools Facebook post about the incident. An anonymous racist account was on the page heckling the incident. I reported the remarks to Facebook and they quickly responded that they wouldn’t do anything about the racist and mean spirited posts.
My remarks were not racist because I was giving my opinion about an individual. Both of the individuals in the social media conversations that I mentioned were being arrogant bullies. I can’t stand arrogance or bullies. I also enjoy seeing people get what they deserve. I don’t think I said anything wrong and I’m not sorry.
Honestly my account is not bad. I avoided using profanity and I didn’t say anything vulgar. I know I may have said things that are objectionable but I didn’t demean anything while saying it. It’s a surprise that my account would get blocked meanwhile there are accounts showing porn, people committing suicide and the aftermath of bloody car accidents that are functioning.
With that being said I can’t think of a time other than the person that was heckling the Black college after a mass shooting that I’ve ever reported an individual. Usually I just block objectionable accounts and move along. It hasn’t occurred to me many times to prevent someone else from broadcasting or viewing what they choose.
But I learned long ago that the world does not really like to hear the opinions of Black women unless you are a clown of some sort. I’ve also noticed that the fastest way for a Black person to gain a social media audience is to market themselves as pro Black and go on to degrade other Black people or glorify Whites. I’m not interested in making that kind of presentation.
Perhaps I’ll be better off without Twitter. I got a kick out of it but it also drove me nuts at times. And being an avid social media user is kind of like being schizophrenic. There are a lot of voices in your head. Well, at least I still have WordPress. For now. And maybe now I’ll have time to get through the stack of books on my nightstand.
I think we are witnessing the last days of the NFL. I don’t think it will die out in a year or two or even five. I say give it ten to fifteen years and the NFL as we know if will be history. I don’t think any boycott on either side of the national anthem debate will hurt the NFL. They are way too big for that and I doubt the sincerity of those that claim to be boycotting.
I think the demise of the NFL is going to come about because of today’s young athletes. When I say young I mean 10-17 years old. Children are always listening and they are hearing and seeing the conversations adults are having about the flag, patriotism and police brutality. If football doesn’t fascinate an American boy in his youth the passion will probably never be there and that will affect the fan base and NFL recruitment.
I grew up in the Detroit area and I have vivid childhood memories of Detroit Lions games being viewed in my home. I recall one game when I was around three that I was watching with my dad and he threw a shoe at the TV. (If you know anything about the Detroit Lions you can understand my father’s frustration.) My mother was a Detroit Lions fan when they had their 0-16 season. And I remember many Thanksgivings being ruined because of the way the Lions performed on national TV. These memories never leave a person.
I live in Kansas City now and I’ve developed a fondness for the Kansas City Chiefs but the Lions are always going to be my team and the Chiefs are my backup team. But if the adults around me as a child weren’t interested in football or were angry at the NFL I don’t know that I would have much interest in the sport as an adult.
As a Black woman if I was the mother of a young son I don’t think I would encourage him to play organized football. I’m not sure I would encourage my son to play any sport for anything other than exercise and socializing. I’ve felt this way for years due to the rough nature of football and the fear of my son suffering permanent brain damage due to concussions. But I don’t think that pro sports is a good career choice for Black men anymore. Despite the money, fame and passion for the game I don’t think it’s worth it.
Black men in the sports world are treated terribly these days. Cam Newton is one of my favorites and he has been treated like garbage by fans and the media. My favorite Chief Marcus Peters gets dragged on social media after ever game despite being a key player on a 5-0 team. He has consistently sat down for the national anthem this season and does not explain his reasons for doing so. I think he’s smart for that because he would be criticized for anything he said.
I’ve read stories about high school athletes being kicked off of their football teams for taking the knee. I saw a different story about a high school student that protested during the anthem and he was bullied on social media for it. I see no reason to encourage a young Black boy to participate in organized sports. There’s nothing in it for them unless they swallow their pride and become a prized animal of sorts for another man. It seems that America wants its pro athletes to perform for them, take the pictures but keep quiet like one of the horses in the Kentucky Derby.
I saw a documentary on TV once about football and concussions. An expert on the program said that if a small percent of American mothers refused to let their sons play football it would change the game. I can see many American mothers refusing to let their sons play football because of the national anthem controversy regardless of the side they fall on.
But if Black women refused to let their sons play ball or if Black boys decided to take interest in the arts or choir or horticulture the NFL as we know it dies. It will not survive. In ten years I will be fifty two. I will probably still be alive and completely coherent. I will remember men, athletes, performers named Neon Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, Megatron, Tyreek Hill and Odell Beckham that lit up the football field.
The field of athletes that feeds into the college system and into the NFL will be weakened if American Black boys are disinterested in or hold disdain for the NFL and their fans. There won’t be many if any exciting, charismatic athletes like those I mentioned earlier in the future. And even if there are a few they may not have much competion which leads to the downfall of America’s favorite sport.
There are some good White football players. There are some great White quarterbacks, some good defensive players, kickers and punters and then there is Gronkowski and the man who makes my heart go pitter pat, Travis Kelce. But the NFL’s personality, style and soul has come from Black men and they aren’t going to find it again outside of Black Americans.
Without African Americans the league will be much slower, more reserved and honestly dull. No one, not even the fake hillbilly patriots are going to watch that. But the NFL juggernaut will go down without a fight. They will do something to try and reclaim their brand. In the future the NFL will probably be like gladiator matches in ancient Rome. They will probably release wild tigers into the stadium in order to speed up the slow pokes.
Or perhaps they will draft athletes. By that I don’t mean “Yaaay, I’m a first round draft pick so now I’m gonna buy my mama a house!” I mean please show up to this office at the appointed time or face consequences Marquiese. Marquiese will probably end up wrestling tigers too. In an ever increasing callous society that is infatuated with violence and doesn’t love people I think it could happen. At that point the NFL will be desperate for ratings and will do anything to recoup lost revenue.
I’m sure the NFL is at the end of its golden age. I’m going to enjoy it while I can and watch it’s slow downward spiral. I can’t be alone in having resentful feelings toward these controlling racists that demand that Black men salute “their” flag. I can’t be the only person that is appalled by the way so called fans talk to athletes on social media. Even with the promise of fame and riches it seems like a dead end and I wouldn’t want any son of mine entertaining hateful Neo Nazis or aveage Americans, it’s getting hard to tell the difference, while sacrificing his body. Nope, I’d rather my son be a dentist.
I’ve always enjoyed sports because it’s objective. There beginnings, religion, political and social connections were irrelevant. Athletes earned their spot in the NFL because they were the best and the team managers wanted to win. Now athletes are getting picked off because of their beliefs. The league won’t be as competitive and everyone that actually knows the sport will be aware of it. The NFL, just like American democracy itself is another institution that is suffering because of America’s commitment to racism and White supremacy.
This week America celebrated the Fourth of July. I don’t do a lot to observe the holiday because I do not have a lot of family in the area and I don’t have much experience cooking on the grill. I don’t have children so I don’t buy fireworks. But I did enjoy the day off and even when I have had to work on the Fourth of July I enjoyed the holiday pay.
This year on social media I saw numerous posts and tweets being circulated encouraging Black people not to celebrate the Fourth. Some of the social media messages even criticized Black people that do observe the Fourth of July. I found these memes to be annoying and arrogant. “Woke” people on social media often come across that way.
Look. I get it. I totally understand why so many Black people feel the way they do about the Fourth of July. Blacks were enslaved in 1776 and the freedoms that this country is supposed to offer her citizens were never intended to be enjoyed by Blacks. When you consider the culture of America when the Bill of Rights and the Constitution exposed how hypocritical and callous this country is towards Africans.
But despite what Blacks have faced throughout American history we are the greatest patriots of all. America as we know it would not exist without Blacks. The U.S. has the biggest economy the world has ever seen and it was built by Black labor. In history class American students learn the phrase “Cotton is King” which refers to the juggernaut which was the cotton industry in the 1800s. It wasn’t savvy business decision that made cotton king it was slave labor and brutal, savage force that made cotton king.
The cotton industry of the 1800s supported the textile industry of the early 1900s which was closely related to the northern Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution gave opportunities to European immigrants in the North East. Without Blacks immigrants never would have had an America for which to come.
African Americans are only about 12% of this country and we only live in a few areas but we have influenced the culture in many ways even though we often don’t receive recognition for our contributions. Blacks have influenced American music, cuisine, sports, fashion, politics, fine arts and sciences. Without us American culture would be bland an utterly unrecognizable.
I’m not sure that the world had ever or has ever seen anything quite like the American Civil Rights fight of the 1960s. A group of people that have been reviled and thought of as farm animals in the land where they were born stood up to the U.S. federal and state governments and won in mostly peaceful demonstrations. People that have had their features mocked and ridiculed proclaimed that Black is beautiful and the said loudly that they were Black and proud. That took bravery.
Since the 1960s other groups have mimicked the Black civil rights movement. I don’t believe the feminist, LGBT or immigrant civil rights movements would have ever taken shape without the Black movement first. Once again we provided inspiration for others in this country. As far as immigration is concerned Blacks once again paved the way for the way for the next wave of newcomers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Most of these immigrants come from brown countries and they would not have stood a chance if African Americans hadn’t stood up to White racism first.
We’ve been here trying to make America great all along. No one really has tried to hold America accountable for her actions they way Blacks have. We believe in the Constitution and Bill of Rights more than anyone. Because we actually support all Americans having the same rights. So if you don’t want to celebrate the Fourth of July then don’t. But if you see other African Americans enjoying fireworks, a cookout or a day at the lake don’t judge and spare us the self righteous “woke” routine.
My family has probably been in this country about seven generations now and they sacrificed greatly for me to have the opportunities that I have in this country. I’m proud to be an African American and the Fourth of July can be seen as a day to salute patriots and freedom fighters such as Harriet Tubman, Malcom X and Angela Davis.
We deserve to be protected by police instead of targeted by them. We deserve equal opportunities and access to quality jobs and education. And se deserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in this country that those that came before us suffered greatly for.
Tommy Sotomayor
Shannon in Kansas City YT: KC Bible Study IG: @showmeshannon Twitter: kcshannonlee1 