Plantation 2010

I wrote this in December but I think it's fitting to post it today.  Please, let's live up to the dream that cost Martin his life.  Get off the plantation, people!






It’s 2010 and we’re still slaves. Yeah, we’re still slaves. The whips are a bit different, but we still jump at the sight of them. We still run in gangs held together by chains. We’re still wrapped up in picking cotton under white folks names. Still slaves. They say we’re free- but we still choose the plantation. Still choose the comfort of darkness because we’re ignorant of the light. Still pick tobacco like there’s no other option. Worshipping spirits like we aren’t the closest things to God. We defile our own temples. We’re still slaves. Still coonin’ and shuckin’ and jiving’ and tommin’ every opportunity we get. Still bought and sold, still lynched. Still think white is always right, so you make her mother earth. Still dancing to make it rain and killing kids because we can’t protect them from “massuh”. Still running in circles because we can’t see a way out. We wait to be fed from the scraps of their tables. Are we slaves? We’re afraid to show our strength, our intelligence. When we do show it we use it to further THEIR cause. We live like paupers so they can live like kings. We wait for some proclamation of our emancipation when God said we can just claim it. Instead, we claim whips and chains and a chance to move in the big house. We are some different kinds of slave.

Plantation 2010- another Tasha creation

"I freed thousands of slaves.
I could have freed thousands more
if they had known they were slaves." -Harriet Tubman

It’s 2010 and we’re still slaves. Yeah, we’re still slaves. The whips are a bit different, but we still jump at the sight of them. We still run in gangs held together by chains. We’re still wrapped up in picking cotton under white folks names. Still slaves. They say we’re free- but we still choose the plantation. Still choose the comfort of darkness because we’re ignorant of the light. Still pick tobacco like there’s no other option. Worshipping spirits like we aren’t the closest things to God. We defile our own temples. We’re still slaves. Still coonin’ and shuckin’ and jiving’ and tommin’ every opportunity we get. Still bought and sold, still lynched. Still think white is always right, so you make her mother earth. Still dancing to make it rain and killing kids because we can’t protect them from “massuh”. Still running in circles because we can’t see a way out. We wait to be fed from the scraps of their tables. Are we slaves? We’re afraid to show our strength, our intelligence. When we do show it we use it to further THEIR cause. We live like paupers so they can live like kings. We wait for some proclamation of our emancipation when God said we can just claim it. Instead, we claim whips and chains and a chance to move in the big house. We are some different kinds of slave.

Call A Doctor!!

Heyyyy!!!

Helloooooo!!

News flash: Our community is ailing.

We are in desperate need of some healing, some TLC.

Not quite on life support, but definitely ICU status.

The symptom that is most disturbing is apparent in our interactions with one another. As my BMF (best male friend), Reese, puts it, “Black folks don’t know how to be social anymore.” (Reese is a genius, by the way.) Before anyone crazy enough to be reading this gets their panties in a bunch, allow me to explain. Take my favorite hangout, Roxxy’s, as an example. I know, it’s not exactly a scientific control group but it works for me. I engage in two of my favorite pastimes during the countless hours per week that I spend there- people watching and ear hustling (I am almost a professional at both). So, using Roxxy’s as a microcosm- a fishbowl of sorts- of the surrounding community I can positively assert that we are in trouble. If I were speaking to Houston, I’d say we DEFINITELY have a problem.
The issue? Women and men find it extremely difficult to positively interact. What happened to the days when men asked women if they’d like to dance? When did it become socially acceptable for men to impose their will on unsuspecting women like rabid dogs? Why do women who want to gather male attention feel that it is necessary to engage in female-on-female pornographic dance moves? Why are we so intimidated by one another that we resort to outright disrespectful behavior in public? These things happen because the community is trying to live with its illness rather than seeking a cure.
Part of the solution could be returning to the behavior of previous generations. Would a woman be asking too much if she desired to not be referred to as a “bitch” or “ho”, especially when the reference is made by a man who is trying to convey his interest in her? I’d find it pretty hard to believe that my grandfather spoke this way to my grandmother.
Is it terribly difficult for women to “inspect what they expect”? Would your father have stepped to your mom if she was at a Mississippi juke joint “bumping uglies” with another female, much to the delight of the men who were just too cheap to go to the strip club? Better yet, would he have wanted to make her the mother of his children? It is implausible to demand to be treated with respect when you carry on in a disrespectful manner. We should not be so starved for attention that we accept negative attention. It is counterproductive to what should be our collective goal- to be recognized as queens by all who come in contact with us.
Men need to step to ladies correctly- that means your underwear should not be in plain view (including your white tees). I’ve never seen a picture of Martin or Malcolm in which I could definitively answer the question “Boxers or briefs?” Dress the part. Get some real shoes. Wear a shirt with some buttons, or a collar, or a message. Take your time getting to the good part- “You got a fat ass” or “Damn them some big titties” can hardly be regarded as successful pick up lines. (Trust me on this.) When a woman is approached in this manner, she should respectfully check the brother. That can go a long way towards curing his ignorance and he may one day thank you for it.
Brothers, begging for drinks, food, cigarettes- from ANYONE- is so unattractive!! I don’t mean harmlessly asking a friend- I mean going from person to person literally begging. How can a woman view you as a man if you can’t support your own habits? If you can’t provide for yourself how in the world could anyone expect you to provide for them? Have a little pride. If you can’t buy your own drinks you may need to reconsider stepping out.
I feel like having a “School Daze” moment. (I’ll give everyone a moment to channel their inner DVD player to remember the relevance of this particular Spike Lee Joint.) You know, just running through the hood ringing a bell and yelling “WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!” If these things are regular occurrences at Roxxy’s we need to smell the coffee. The writing is on the wall. My research shows that the symptoms I have shared with you continue to be spread throughout the community. I suppose Reese and I should currently be working on a vaccine.
I am making the situation sound hopeless, maybe even a little funny. It’s not. I do know some positive brothers and sisters who, while they battle their own demons, don’t step on the toes of others. I am a positive sister most of the time and I can admit my own failings and strive to be the best me I can be. I yearn to be the neighbor that I want as my neighbor and my circle is filled with like minded individuals. And I suppose that this attitude is the vaccine that our community needs. We need to treat one another as we desire to be treated. The greatest Biblical commandment- love thy neighbor as thyself. It worked for our grandparents and great grandparents. So, we need to go back to what worked in earlier generations. The illness is not terminal.

Moving On- An Original Poem by Me!

Moving on is not as simple as I thought
Because my thoughts are consumed with you
And all the things we ever did and never did
(Except in my fantasies).
All the conversations we ever had and never had replay in my subconscious with HD clarity.
All the places we’ve ever gone and never gone take on the persona of one of the wonders of the world.
How do I move on when I feel as if we’re just getting started?
So many things left unsaid and undone
Coupled with what I’ve said and I’ve done-
Our business is unfinished.
Add to that things you’ve said and you’ve done, and we have quite the conundrum.
How am I supposed to move on when I’m haunted by shit we could have done and should have done but didn’t?
I’m constantly confronted with shit you needed to say and wanted to say while I was saying too much.
I’m pissed knowing what we could be and should be while I watch you pour the energy, that could and would build “us” up, into bitches who don’t appreciate all that you are.
Your hope is she will be and can be me. She ain’t me.
I gotta move on cause the shoulda, woulda, couldas add up to nothing.
That’s what makes this so hard-
Where do you go from nowhere?

Why I Always Fall for Your Type?

 

 

 

So Drake has this song that says it all...

 

 

Can I, can I save you from you (yeah)
Cause you know there's something
Missing and that champagne you've
Been sipping not suppose to make you
Diffrent all the time.

It's starting to feel like the wrong thing
To do (yeah); 'cause with all that recongnition
It gets hard for you to listen to the things
That I must say to make you mine.
But if boy, have some fun boy. We'll be fine
Trying to convince myself I found one
Making a mistake I never learned from!

I swear, I always fall for your type (yeah)
For youur type.
Tell me why, I always fall for your type (ohhohh)
For your type.
I just can't explain this shit at all!
I just can't explain this shit at all!
I just can't explain this shit at all!
I just can't explain this shit at all!
Never believed in people like you!

I am officially unplugged from the "love" matrix. Deuces!!

Is "The System" Responsible For the Condition of Black Men in America?

"I've been in the city and the dichotomy of the women and the men in the minorities, there is a difference in the fact that most minority women, either the single parent or coming from a poor neighborhood, are motivated more so than the minority men," Reynolds said, when asked what he would do to increase diversity at state colleges. "And it's a pretty good reason. Most of the women who are single parents have to find work to support their family. The minority men find it more lucrative to be able to do drugs or other avenues rather than do education. It's easier." (source- Huffington Post)

Recently, during campaigning for a senate seat, Tea Party candidate Al Reynolds stated that Black men in Chicago would rather sell dope than get an education. This comment sparked heated debates all around the nation from break rooms to barber shops, radio stations to bar talk. In one such conversation on a nationally syndicated radio show, Reynolds’ “opinion” was followed by the question- is the system responsible for the condition of black men in this country? First of all, to follow Reynolds statement with that question lends some type of credence to it. Do we really buy into the hype that an entire city of men prefers crime over education? Further, do we believe that the majority of black men in America are in a “state” that reflects poorly on our race? Well, here are my thoughts on the subject.
Once upon a time, not very long ago, “the system” had power over black people throughout our country. During those times it was known as Jim Crow, segregation, and any other term that indicated that black people were less than our white counterparts. Our predecessors fought hard through tragedies and tribulations for our generation to enjoy equal rights in this country. Segregation became a thing of the past and we all began to live happily ever after. “The System” became an urban legend to a lot of people, people too far removed from the way the world was in that era.
Blacks in America have access to educations, careers, opportunities that would never have been afforded to our grandparents and in some cases, our parents, and that reflects some growth in this nation.
So, if a black man is not living up to his potential in America who is to blame? Do we blame his parents? Quality of education? Do we place the blame squarely on his shoulders?
I say, blame the system. Wait, the system no longer exists, right? No one quite knows who is involved in the system. We can hardly identify the role of a system in the world, how can we blame it? Truth is, the system to black men is like the boogeyman to little children. As long as you believe in him and fear him, he has power over you. There are men who have no fear of the system who have achieved a measure of success in this country simply because they can’t be held back by a principle they don’t acknowledge. But, if they don’t acknowledge it, how can they be sure it has not held them back? There are men who believe that the system controls every aspect of their life and it stifles their growth into successful men. But if that were the case, there would be NO positive examples of black men.
The system exists, in the hearts and minds of people- both black and white. Al Reynolds believes in the system. He and his Tea Party cronies are picking at the scabs of the wounds left by Jim Crow and racism. We can’t allow them to convince us that the boogeyman has power over us. We can’t view one another with consternation and condemnation. What happened to the spirit of brotherhood that we displayed when racism was more overt? Those of us who achieve a level of success could mentor our brothers who believe the system holds them back. Then there are brothers who use “the system” as an excuse to be intentionally mediocre. Those guys should just go and ask Al and friends if they can be poster children for the Tea Party movement- if you can’t beat the system, may as well join the system.

Propagandized

History dictates- from the earliest of times- that when a person spits too much truth in too short a time his reward is a loss of life (e.g. Jesus Christ, MLK, Malcolm, JFK).  Too much undiluted truth is poison to the plans of the few.  The "powers" may find a need to water it down a bit, so they put tiny bits of the truth out there but envelope it in nonsense.  All of this is an attempt to make these truths seem implausible.  Then there are agents of disinformation-  they spread lies from a reputable mouth.  In other words, if that person sleeps well at night and doesn't fear for his life, he is likely the worst kind of Judas.  A disinformation junkie.  Some of what they say is fact, but the lies are so colorful that folks are thrown off the truth's scent.  We are charged with the task of filtering through the bullshit to obtain the pearls of truth.  Rarely can we take much at face value.   Satan, or Lucifer, has been called the father of the lie.  He was (and is)  known to use scripture to support his lies and deceptions.    He takes the utmost in truth and perverts it.  Since this approach works more often than not, it serves as a blueprint that those in power have carefully adopted.  They follow it nearly to the letter.  Whether they acknowledge Satan's handiwork or even his existence, he is the architect of their grand design.  My challenge to all of America is to WAKE UP.  Do not blindly follow a leader, political party, even religion.  Study.  Make conscious decisions.  Be vigilant and process information independently.  Most importantly, when a person shows you who he is, believe him.