You know what I think?...

You know what I think?.... I think a "nigger" f****d Kramer's woman, or Kramer's woman left him for a "nigger." I'm not even joking, I'm so sincere...

Borat

Okay, so you know how you say all the time that you're too smart to fall for slick marketing, and clever advertising right? Of course you know. I have said it myself a million times that I'm too smart for that. And I would like to think of myself as a prettty smart person - not Cornell West smart, but smart enough. And no fancy jingle, or original commercial could control my behavior, making me want to spend my dollars on some product or service. Does this mindset hit close to home with you as well? I'm sure it does. For me I learned an important lesson in marketing. Of course I have known that much of what goes into marketing is psychological - to make you feel cool; to make you feel accepted; to make you feel young; to make you attract women; to make you attract men, blah, blah, blah. But what I have learned that is more important, is that no matter how much control you have over yourself(or think you have over yourself) when it comes to marketing, if you wait long enough, eventually some thing will come along in marketing that will seemingly be specifically directed to you as an individual or part of a sub group, compelling you to act. So along comes this movie called Borat. Now when I first heard of this movie, which was either in a trailer or commercial, I'm thinking to myself, "Yakov Smirnoff Redux." I'm not really feeling it. Doesn't interest me at all. Of course, being the movie connoisseur that I am, when I hear favorable reviews from critics on a movie(be it a film in any genre), it makes me perk up my ears a little bit. After all, if I decide I want to see a certain movie, I would like to feel my money won't be wasted. So this movie called "Borat" opens in 837 theaters and makes 26.5 million dollars on it's opening weekend. That is OUTSTANDING! There are big time Hollywood productions with big time Hollywood stars that don't hit that mark on opening weekend. But what you have to understand is that many big Hollywood films open on an average of 2,500 to 3,300 screens, depending on how "big" the movie is. Pound for pound, Borat opened in excess of 80 million dollars. This is something I learned after the fact, so this is not what drew me in to see Borat. What made me want to see Borat, was a commercial for the movie after its opening weekend, stating "Could he [Borat] have made the funniest movie of all time?"...Excuse me? Did that commercial just say what I thought it said? The funniest movie of ALL TIME! If you're with me, you know where I'm about to go. "Of all time" is a huge, HUGE statement to make, number 1. And number 2, and this is where the marketing applies to me - there's NO WAY any comedian can hear that, and restrain himself from seeing what's up with that, never mind any other person besides a comedian. A bold statement as such, would naturally be challenged in the eyes of any comedian, because you're putting it in the company of movies such as Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and Trading Places (and we all know who starred in those films). So I have already in my mind decided to see this film. Add to that, I was talking to some of my Aikido buddies, I find out that this Borat guy is actually a character, done by Sacha Baron Cohen. If you don't know this name, maybe you know another character he does, Ali G? I had seen this Ali G guy a couple times through the Ali G show, but I really didn't know he was supposed to be a character. I just thought he was some kind of lame wannabe. So the fact that there's this small cult following of this guy, or at least of his characters, I want to know what's the big deal...so today I go see Borat. From what I understand, the movie was shot documentary style, meaning that subjects in the movie, didn't know that the Borat character, was just that, a character. So supposedly, supposedly, these people are responding with plausibility to the wild, crazy antics and statements made by Borat. I don't know how true that is. If there are any unscripted moments,I think the movie makers do an excellent job at blurring those lines between what is real and what is scripted. Nevertheless, there are funny moments in the movie as Borat explores America, delving into among other things, southern conservatism, American idolotry, the role of women in society, and influeces in our country from "da hood"(Purposeful digression: it's always funny how when there's a camera around, that seems to be an excuse to say the word "nigga." Quentin Tarantino likes to drop it like it's a release for him, and Borat says it, although he says it only once. Oh well, if you dish it, you should take it). There are moments where the movie is out there. And when I say out there, I mean OUT THERE. And there are moments where the gag is either tedious, or it fails - there are much more funny moments than not. Now, for that funniest movie of all time thing - I will say this. I will say that Borat may arguabley lay claim to the funniest scene of all time in a movie. If you haven't seen the movie, I won't give it away. I'll just say, if you see the movie, you'll know it when you see it. But I wouldn't give it the funniest of all time for this reason: because the notion of exploring what may be taboo in our country is nothing new or creative, whether it be a broadcast journalist, a man in character, or any other means of execution. Borat does however push the edge, exploring in a ballsy way, and the movie even makes a statement at the end, however small it may be. I can say that I enjoyed the movie and found myself laughing a few times. If I had to grade that, I would give it a B+...but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how this Borat guy was able to get away with some of the anti-semitic material in his movie, and this being a Fox distribution, and NO outcry from the Jewish community. How the hell did that happen? It wasn't until I had come home, where upon stating to my Jewish roommate that I think Borat hates Jews, he clues me in stating, "dude, he's Jewish." Ohhhh, okay. No wonder. I wish somebody would tell me about these things...

(Bitter)Sweet November

Okay, so it's November, and the year is almost over. Can you believe it. Years fly by when you're a grown-up. When you were a kid, a week till Christmas was forever. But now that you're a grown-up, time is measured in a different way. If you're anything like me, time is internalized by paycheck to paycheck. You know that for every second paycheck you get(or every fourth, depending on how you get paid), you know that's a month right there. And it's always about getting to the next payday...anyway, since the year is almost over, it seems appropriate, at least for me, to look back over the year that is almost gone, and reflect - to take some of those personal experiences and more or less, see what life has presented you in those ALMOST 365 days...I happen to be an aficionado of contemporary movies. I don't care what genre, as long as the story and production are good, I'm into it-even if it's a romance movie. Hey, I'm a film production major. We live for the story. Anyway, one of my favorite movies happens to be Sweet November starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in one of films before she officially "blew up." It's not the typical romance movie, like Titanic or Love Jones. It's quirky, I guess you could say, so it fits me and my personality. If you like romance or just like a good story, I highly recommend it. Without saying much about the story, it's about realizing the important things in life... Of course, anyone knowing me, it comes as no surprise that I lost my father this year. Losing my father has been without a doubt the biggest and most regrettable experience this year. Sweet November was bittersweet, and though the death of my father was the hard crunchy bittersweet outer shell of life, there have been a few days of my life this year that have presented themselves as the small sweet inside filling of that bitter crunchy outer shell. So I have decided to call this blog Bittersweet November...I have thought about my father many times since losing him in March. And of course there have been times where I just wanted to pick up the phone and call to talk to my father. To me one of the worst parts of losing someone is that you can still hear their voice clearly in your head, feeling almost like you just talked to them a couple days ago - and it stays there I guess forever. I guess that would be obvious since people are there your whole life until...I guess someone's voice just becomes more distant over time, given I think of other people who are now gone, and I think of them on occasion. Not so with my father...Sometimes I think about what I'm supposed to take from this experience of losing my father. There are lots of times where I can be cynical and say to myself that it was my turn. They say into every life, a little rain must fall. People die everyday, and it was just my turn. Why not me? Call me cynical, but call me a realist... Still I feel that my father got shorted. There are so many men and people in general that will never live their lives as honorable and upstanding I felt my father lived. When he left, the world didn't know this honorable man. As I write this, we lost two black men this week - Ed Bradley, and Gerald Levert. The world will remember who they were and mark this occasion if even only for a week or a day. However, as far as I'm concerned, because I am alive and as long as I am alive, the world too, will know who my father was. They will know his strength through me. They will see the result of his sacrifices through me. Though my father will not be alive to see, I owe it to my father to take my life as far as I possibly can. In my mind, I share with him the success I intend to have, with whatever hopes and dreams he had for himself, never mind me...On the last album he did(The Black Album), Jay-Z has a track where he pays homage to his mother. On the track he states, "Ma, you made the album. How crazy is that?" To that extent, the same could be said of my father - he already made the album, I just have to make the track...November has gotten me to look back at a bitter pill that I have had to swallow this year. Nevertheless, I would be remiss to not acknowledge and give thanks to God for the things that came together for me this year, and as the year closes out. My giving thanks is for new place that I was able to move into this year...for a new job that I got...for passing my kyu exam... for the continued breath of life...for making strides out here in California...for.......

Why ignorance(and racism) still exists...(editorial)

(this blog was originally started September 4, 2006...)

Okay, so yesterday I had to pick up my roommate from the airport, as he was returning home from a friend's wedding in Baltimore. As we're returning home, I am playing Donnell Jones' cd, "Where I Wanna Be." Anyone familiar with the cd, knows it's a coo cd. As we're driving home, my roommate proceeds to turn down the music, and asks me a question to the extent of why that particular artist(of course, he didn't know who Donnell Jones was) was able to get away with singing songs that he deemed "pussified." I didn't understand what the hell he was getting at. I thought that he was trying to say that Donnell Jones was gay or something. Clarification of his question, led to him to state that he thought black men were supposed to be "hard", and that the type of singing that Donnell Jones was doing, was against the image of the black man. At first, I thought he was really joking around. Really. In jest. But I soon realized that he really believed, and bought into some of the stereotypes of black men, pumped by the media into our country. I guess because what is being shown in rap videos, what is being shown on COPS, or whatever else in entertainment and sports, has presented itself as the "black man image" to those persons that aren't black. Apparently, as he saw it, or as it has been "brainwashed" to him, all black men are supposed to be "hard", amongst other things that he probably feels that black men are supposed to be like, for sure. I had to correct him on black men (and our race in general) having strength - not to be confused with being hard. Black people in my opinion (and any other black person would agree, I'm sure) are the strongest people that God ever created. Period. We had to be, in order to have survived the greatest crime of the perpetration of genocide, rape, and forced servitude, committed by one race against another. And that was just slavery. Never mind our civil rights struggle. And WE came through that. And the fact that we came through that to still produce the best inventors, doctors, educators, leaders, scientists, politicians, religious leaders, fill in the blank, gives us a strength that is incomprehensible to others. We wear our strength, our legacy, with pride. But there is a difference between having stregth, and being "hard." Strength is what got us through those four hundred plus years of slavery, and those numerous years of civil rights struggles. Hard is something that unfortunately, has been allowed by SOME males in our community to define what a real black man is. Hard gets people killed. Hard gets people put into jail. Or if you're The Game, a rap career(by the way, only a real man knows what a real man is. Only a real black man knows what it is to be a real black man). What is most unfortunate, is the fact that the notion of what is "hard" to few, is taken and promulgated as the image of what a black is(or isn't for that matter) by the media. Mind you, blacks own very little media, of any form. So as a black man, I was bothered by the statement of my roommate. What also bothered me was the notion that a black man singing, instead of rapping, got deemed as kind of soft, gay, or pussified - which is a slap to the face of our song. That part about our culture that allows (has allowed) us to express our beauty, our joy, our pain, our hopes, our dreams, our love, our story - and it goes back to the drum. In order for me to get my roommate to understand the ignorance in the statement he made, I asked him if he knew who Smokey Robinson was? Marvin Gaye? Would you dare to say that those men were "pussified?" Or gay? Or less than a man in any way, even though they are two legendary soul singers? Because a statement as such towards a black male soul singer, is insult to those greats, and countless others. Do I think he is racist? No, far from it. He is a good person and intelligent. Too intelligent to be a victim to the ignorance that pervades our society about our race. I'm not sure, but if I was betting man, I would say that I'm probably one of few black men(if not the only one) that my roommate knows as more than just an acquaintance. And I just happen to be a black man with a master's degree and no kids. I don't sling or do drugs. I don't have ANY criminal record. I'm not "hard", and I'm not gay. Where's the promulgation of that African-American image? Probably buried under the booty shaking video of yet another rapper. So where do we as black people start, in order to change the images of us that are held by more than a few in our society. First of all, if you're black and you're reading this, we all know that is still racism in our country, and that there are mamy ignorant racists that are open about the ignorant ideals, and creeds they believe and follow. Though black people appreciate their out and open honesty(because the worst racism comes in the form of a smile), these people are generally not worth the time, effort, and energy for helping or changing. Beyond that, you do what you can as a person, within the means you have. If you have white friends, and they make ignorant statements, correct them. What they say, might be maddening at first, but more than likely, they are a victim to not knowing any better - or believing the hype. Once corrected, let them know. Think about what they say out their mouths around black folks. The next time, the wrong(or stupid) thing said, could garner an asswhooping, or unwelcomed looks. Besides that, we need to take control of the images presented of not only black men, but black people in general. Of course I understand that we're not all Puff Daddy's(or whatever he wants to call himself now), Oprah's, Cosby's, or Jay-Z's. I say that to say that our black royalty have the power, and financial means to help support and promote more positive images in our community(again, realizing that we don't own to much media). Obviously they can do that to extent greater than the "average" African-American. But if you are an "average" African-American, it is possible to help as well. We can start by refusing to support movies like "Soul Plane." Start telling our kids to be the owner of the label, or the team, instead of the rapper, or ball player. Stop fighting each other and hating on each other's successes. Start helping, and caring for those that are misguided and need direction or help. I could go on endlessly about how we begin to take control of the images presented of us, and thus what people think about us. The point is, as an individual, it starts with one. Collectively, it starts and ends with us as black people. We CAN NOT rationally expect some other group of people to do our cause...there is a scene out of the movie Malcolm X, where Malcolm X is standing outside on the grounds of a university. A white female student approaches Malcolm X, and expresses her interest in things he has said after having seen him speak. She asks what she can do to help, to which Malcolm X replies, "nothing." Malcolm X had it right. It is up to us, and us only to address the concerns of our community. We must answer the bell that tolls for our action. If nothing else, we owe it to our ancestors that died so that the true image and strength of our people could live on.