Foot In Mouth Disease, No One Is Immune!

I was hoping and praying that when I reach an age of maturity I would be immune to making poor decisions but as far as I can tell, even age isn't a buffer against ignorance.  Case in point is 77 year-old Don Harris, who is the current leader of the Phoenix chapter of the N.A.A.C.P, also known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  This guy went on record to speak about an incident involving six teenage girls use of "nigger" at a school function.  Sometime during his conference, he turned to a female reporter and said, "nice tits!"

Now, I know this is shocking, considering this is a senior citizen, former attorney and well respected in the community, but honestly I was more shocked when I looked at the article and discovered that Don Harris is, wait for it...Caucasian.  Yes, I said it.  He's an elder white man.  Am I missing something here?  Is there a shortage of Negroes and Hispanics in Arizona, that it was necessary for a white man to lead a historically minority based organization?  I digress.

Anyways, even at the ripe old age of 77, people are still putting their feet in their mouth.  This doesn't give me any hope of reaching a "magical age" where I don't have to worry about what I say or do.  I thought as a senior citizen I would have earned the right to say whatever I wanted to, but that obviously isn't the case.  Obviously, no one is immune, BUT, this is a totally preventable disease.  One just has to think before they speak!  Sounds so simple.

How Black Do I Have To Be To Be Black!

A lot of you probably don't realize how hard it is to be and stay Black, (just ask Michael Jackson or Sammy Sosa).  I never thought of it as being an issue until my Blackness was called into question.  And of all people to call my Blackness into question, would be other Black people, imagine that!  Isn't it bad enough that I endure constant adversity simply because of the color of my skin, and now I have to be questioned, ridiculed, chastised and mocked by people of the same race?

I swear, ignorance is a killer, but unfortunately it's a slow killer as witnessed by the many ignorant people that walk this earth.  I mean, how ignorant is it to be divisive amongst your own race?  How can one win the battle against racism when racism is interwoven in the minds of the very people that suffer from it?  Seems nearly impossible and one can definitely see a supernatural influence on these events.

Anyways, I have been called, coon, uncle tom, show monkey(lol), house nigger and the list goes on, all by, wait for it... other Black people.  Crazy.  I never respond negatively to these comments because, as I stated previously, names don't move me.  Call me what you want, just don't call me late for dinner.

It's interesting that sometimes I feel compelled to try and appease my doubters and do what they would consider "black" actions.  However, before I do that, I always remember that I don't give a f*ck what these dumb muthafatha's think and therefore all I have to do is stay Black and die!

What's crazier than Black people hating on other Black people?  Non-Black people emulating Black people.  Man, if there was only one thing I could advocate to people, it would be, "be yourself!"  I have way more respect for the man that is his own man than the dude who is trying to be "like Mike!"  Be proud of who you are, Black, white, red, brown or yellow, most of us bleed red!  To my Black doubters:  If you question my blackness, just ask the police, they'll tell you who and what I am!

Woe Is Me! Someone Called Me A Name!

Sigh...How long will it take you people to grow and mature?  I've only got 74 more years with you, so time is of the essence.

Let's get started.  Recently some young girls took a picture at school that had a racial slur printed on their shirts.  Their shirts spelled out "NI**ER"  and because of it they are going to be disciplined.  They say they did it because they wanted to "spark dialogue" about the word nigger and it's use.  Well, they certainly sparked something, more like ignited an already explosive situation but that's neither here nor there.

When are people going be comfortable with themselves?  When are they going to grow outside of the small frame of their skull and free their mind from meaningless drivel?  It's a hard and sad life to live when you are hindered by self-imposed limitations especially like those as childish as name calling.

I don't know about you but I pride myself on the ability of not being able to be defined by others.  How would I feel if I let every Tom, Dick and Barry have a piece of my peace?  Do you know what my name is?  Then call me by it.  Any other name has no power UNLESS I GIVE IT POWER!  Come on people, this is kindergarten logic.  How can you be in a full-grown body and have a child's mind?  Sigh...I digress.  Let's try to expand our minds by first understanding that we control ourselves.  The power is ours, no one else!  That being said, if you're offended by names then essentially you are the name that has offended you!

I'm Stupid!

      It's official, I'm stupid.  Now for all of you positive, "don't talk bad about yourself" people, calm down.  It's o.k. to critique yourself, honestly.  Actually, it's necessary in order to continue to grow and better oneself, so just hear my logic on this one and you'll soon understand where I'm coming from.

    I just came to this slow realization of my stupidity a couple of days ago.  You know, it's very common that stupid people don't know they are stupid and I am no exception obviously.  Ever since I can remember, I've prided myself on my intelligence, so it was a sad surprise to discover my stupidity but it's been enlightening.

     So what caused my epiphany was some comments made to me by a person close to me.  The comments themselves weren't anything spectacular but it was the realization of how this person feels about me that awoke me from my slumber in grandiose.  To my face, but under their breath, this person called me a dumbass, twice, and then later in the same day this person said they would be embarrassed to put me on speakerphone if they were at work.  Again, these statements in themselves really aren't a big deal, UNTIL you put them into context, which in this case the context is, this person and I have known each other for well over a decade and I thought this person respected me as I do them.  This obviously isn't the case and the really really sad part about this is, I've known this for probably as many years as we've known each other.  I guess I wanted to believe this person didn't really think of me as a piece of shit, but I've finally realized from all these years and all the negative stuff this person has said about me to others and to my face, this person has no respect for me.  And that's how I discovered I was stupid.

     There's a saying I like that goes:  When people die, they don't know they are dead but it affects the people around them, the same goes for stupid people.  Stupid people rarely know they are stupid and this is what separates me from the rest of the stupid people.  I realize I am stupid and because of that, I can kill my stupidity with the birth of my newly found knowledge!  KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!!

     "Apparently you actually have to have a little intelligence to know you're stupid. I, for one, am smart enough to know how dumb I am, and I'm okay with that. I'm still smarter than all my friends." ~ John Cleese