Thursday, January 22, 2009

AT FIRST GLANCE...

Take a look at this video from that ever present den of madness (no pun intended [you'll understand later]) YouTube...



After seeing that video, what was your first impression? Were you dismayed, appalled, disgusted, and/or entertained? Is this another example of black folks acting like niggers (something that we definitely do not need in this exciting yet perilous era of a new America)?

How did you feel about the young lady verbally abusing the elderly woman? Did she seem like your average hood rat acting a fool in public? Was she on drugs? Was she just another part of the criminal element terrorizing an honest law abiding citizen?

Well, before you make any further judgments on this matter, I would like for you to take a look at two other videos that are related to the one embedded above.






After seeing these two videos, have your opinions changed on the matter?

You see, I had already formulated the title of this very blog post ("Niggers in 'Post-Racial' America" if you were wondering) when I went on YouTube to search for other videos and comments in response to the first one posted above. That is when I ran across the two other videos that forced me to change my whole program and take a hard look at myself.

I was all ready to label the woman who according to her family suffers from a very real and very serious mental disorder, as a representative of every thing that is ghetto. She was even singing the Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s one (and hopefully only) hit “Crank Dat Soulja Boy”. It was perfect! She was the poster child of what was wrong with our urban (i.e. black) youth. I did not even consider that there may have been something deeper going on with this young woman (maybe I didn’t even want to). In my mind, the young lady was either A) Ignorant or B) on drugs, there was no option C.

Now knowing that this you lady may be suffering from Bipolar disorder, I had to rematch the first video with a new perspective and thus had to change the title of my blog in order to reflect a judgment of myself rather than a complete stranger.

To be honest, I’m glad that I was shown to be wrong and “ignorant” of what was really going before I had actually published this post. I’m really thankful that this video (oddly enough) gave me some incite on myself and how I am not above prejudging others (like everyone else), convinced that the qualities that I project on to them are the correct ones (whether I’m wrong or not).

I don’t know about you, but this Noface still needs a lot of work. Thus, I should refrain from judging others while I search out and deal with my own faults and shortcomings.

-Noface

Monday, January 19, 2009

Poetry Session #3




View From The Mountain Top

We stand as a witness, man in all shades of American
Coming both male and female with belief that we can
Overcome and indeed overrun the dysfunction of the old ways
That sought to deny the causes of freedom rides in the old days
That corrupted the ballot when it could not use the bullet
When change came from the courthouse and the pulpit
When our lightning rods were struck and a movement got stuck
A social conscience deadening and threatening to self destruct
Turmoil that seems ages ago, but all true sages should know
That the story is not finished for we still have pages to go
This has been a long time coming, but it is here now
I will not say that we have arrived, but we’re near now
Closer than ever before because never before have we seen
A clearer representation of the incarnation of a King’s dream
A dream too long deferred but at this moment much preferred
Over a nightmare with but a single flare of hope, burning undeterred
Seen from the mountain top by a prophet and revolutionary King
As bells in the valley of the Promised Land sound with freedom’s ring
It’s a view from the mountain top that we can all now see
The visible truths infused with the palpable power of “we”
Swirling around Uncle Sam’s first black son
A view from the mountain top of a people as one

-Noface

Sunday, January 18, 2009

MY PRESIDENT IS BLACK!

The following song has a refrain that we can all sing along to, come Tuesday...




Have fun celebrating folks and remember to be safe out there.


-Noface

Thursday, January 8, 2009

IT'S '09 AND WE STILL CAN'T TRUST THE POLICE!

Wow! What a way to ring in the New Year (with gunshots sending bullets into the back of another unarmed black man)!




The video speaks for itself (pffft...so did Rodney King video and look at how that turned out)!!

Sometimes I wonder if the boys in blue are using us as target practice. Now of course, I'm not saying that all cops are like that *insert expletive here* BART Cop in the video, but as a black man, one never knows which kind of officer he is going to encounter when the cops come by. From the video, the victim, Oscar Juliuss Grant, appeared to be doing everything he could to show that he was not resisting and not a threat to the police yet he was still pinned down and handcuffed. Even after that this *insert multiple expletives here* BART Cop just steps back and murders (yes, murders) him execution style. The saddest part is that a little girl lost her father on New Year’s Day because of the actions of those who are sworn to protect and serve. Be safe out there folks and watch your backs (literally).

-Noface

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

BURRIS BURNED!!!



Well, it looks like Burris was not allowed on to the Senate floor to be sworn in with all the other senators. At least he didn't make a big scene (that's always a plus, right?). You can read the full story here.

I'm not going into a long tirade about ethics, proper conduct, the injection of race, or anything else that is seriously irrelevant to the Burris Situation at THIS moment (they certainly were important before today and will be relevant again tomorrow). At this moment, it’s all about the law. As it stands (as far as I know) the Senate has no legal basis or authority to deny Burris the seat formerly held by President-elect Barrack Obama. This move by the Senate was a bold one, but ultimately it may not work (because of a little thing called the law).

So what happens now? Well, I'm reminded of those old Looney Toons cartoons where Bugs Bunny manages to get Daffy Duck's bill blown to the back of his head. The little black duck rearranges his bill back to its proper position and declares, "Of course you know, this means War!" This does indeed mean war. If Burris had the moxy to accept an appointment from a Governor(whom by all accounts, he barely likes)under investigation for corruption concerning that very same appointment, travel all the way to D.C. from Illinois, walk up to the capitol building, and attempt to be sworn in; then I'm sure he's not finished with this issue just yet. Indeed, as I said before, this is a matter of law and this is going to the court (Supreme Court if all bets are sound).

Should Burris fight for his seat? I personally feel that Burris should have never even accepted the appointment and the fact that he did points to a flaw within himself that makes him unfit to take Obama's former Senate seat in this manner(a little extreme and judgmental I know, but that's how I feel and Burris has not done anything to change my disposition about him). Despite my feelings about what Burris should have done, I also want the law to be respected and authority (or lack thereof) to be recognized. Yes, Burris should fight for his seat and obtain a small victory in what I predict to be a long defeat (only so that a precedent will be set and that the boundaries for the Senate concerning this matter are clearly defined).

-Noface