Write Havoc

I've been thinking a lot about our part as citizens in this country and how incredibly apathetic Americans have been for over 50 years. Since then there have been baby steps toward banning together in an organized fashion to initiate change and demand respect, but most attempts fall short of getting people excited and then letting them down. What happened J? However, recently there has been an influx of passionate causes that are no longer sitting down and allowing for "whatever happens happens, man."

OMG IT'S THE 1950s

For many months, I mean, years, mainstream media has been an overwhelming disappointment in my eyes. Convincing me that not one single journalist can uphold the ethics and principles of journalism, I had but given up on watching the news and drifted selfishly into an ignorant oblivion. On occasion I would peruse the NYtimes when events were happening around me that I wanted to better understand, like the rise of the tea party and the embarrassing remarks about the mosque being built in the city. Recently, I have decided not only is this "blissful ignorance" unhealthy, but it's a detriment to what it is to be an American. All over the globe Americans are seen as being brainless, self-absorbed cretins and I was feeding right into that prejudice. Although, today a few articles I read reminded me of my aversion to media. Last night I had a conversation with some friends about where politics in this country are going and who/what political thought is at the forefront. One friend believed the country was mostly moderate and the media was exploiting only the two extremes in this country for ratings and possibly a hidden agenda. However, I don't have such a hopeful view of my fellow Americans, no. The Tea Party has brought me to my knees with their exhausting dogmatic claims and racist overtones. It reminds me of an era in this country where xenophobia was a spreading disease that encompassed many "American" minds.

image from newamericanmedia.org
These last few months have been a reprise of history and today I read a few articles that made my stomach queasy, because of the word choice used in them and an underlying mockery of race relations. This article in the NY times about black democrats losing their power after the recent election: Election Diminishes New York’s Black Democrats. was questionable. Though some of it factual, the way it's presented sounds cult-like and that decisions were made solely based on race and not on general equality. This other article is what really made me want to write today: Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected There are ways articles like this should be written. There are obvious sociological implications as to why this deficiency exists. In the beginning of the article Gabriel insists it may not be because of finances due to poor white boys still fairing better in these proficiency tests than poor black boys. It doesn't take a scholar to know that the world looks at these two types of boys differently therefore their family's income level obviously cannot be the only reason for their educational differences. Though he (barely) touches on it, Gabriel does allude to the necessity of having a conversation about the myriad factors of why whites and blacks have different educational backgrounds and histories. DUH! Alright. My rant's over. I gotta get to work.

I'm out.

You know what? Rent IS too damn high! Jimmy McMillan (J-Mac)

(photo via ny mag)

Thanks to my more informed, brainier roommate I was lucky enough to be exposed to one of the most amazing political figures I have ever laid eyes upon. I'm not quite sure if he could be considered a political figure quite yet, but my goodness he is SOMETHING. While on my daily mull over facebook's newsfeed, I stumbled across this article posted several times by many people from Gawker, brightening my day tremendously. Please take the time to watch the absurdity/hilarity that ensues after Jimmy McMillan is introduced in this debate for governor of NY.
He is certainly a character, with the most amazing facial hair I have ever seen, and he has a point: RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH. Not aw man, rent prices are a little annoying. Not eh, it could be cheaper. Not, well if I just buy four lokos instead of beer I could afford the apartment. It surpasses all of the above. RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH- ENOUGH SAID.
Although, after reviewing his party's website I noticed a few curious things. For instance, the auto-tuned music where Mr. McMillan is talking (what could also be characterized as rapping) about his political party- Flag 1. His merchandise- yes, he has merchandise. One might venture to say, the price of that pin is too damn high. He is also selling cds. Why the hell is he selling cds?! -Flag 2. Then, there's barely anything written in the numerous links on the top of the page. When you click on them there are only videos connected to the links or strange, incoherent ramblings about something or other- Flag 3. These videos, some of which include him driving around speaking about "vital" topics, and, my favorite, the endless amateurish-powerpoint-presentation-like ads with horrendous graphics and confusing rhetoric add to the theatrics of his persona. He's baffling and outlandish... in a good way? I have no idea.
I can't possibly take him seriously, though I truly want to believe he has the people's best interest at heart. I can't help but to inquire, what's in it for him? No doubt he's been riding this media boom and probably making bank off of those ridiculous t-shirts (yes, I bought one and I'm having it rush delivered- KIDDING) and seducing people to sing-a-long with him in his auto-tuned voice about the abominable state of rent prices, which leaves me wondering just how dedicated J-Mac would be to our fight to live. Not to mention his uncomfortably palpable assertion that "damn is the word of God." J-Mac even whips out passages from the Bible to argue his point. He was quite offended to find that the word is not used so um, freely when it comes to professional politics, unless, of course, you're Nixon.
Running for governor is not another way to launch your stardom, it's a serious office that can have a considerable affect on lives. A governor should have, at least, an iota of knowledge about how the government works. Ah, who am I kidding, it's all a popularity contest. There have been so many jokers running for assorted offices for as long as these positions were forged into practice. Who will ever forget when The Governator ran? I know I NEVER will.
As long as J-Mac doesn't steal all of my money, I guess I wouldn't mind throwing him into office for a few years to see whose plans/schemes he could possibly foil. Think about it. There are so many people in office that supposedly know what they're doing and systematically perform poorly. At least with J-Mac we know from the get-go that it's going to be a bumpy ride, and it's going to take all of us to get through the two years without the entire state burning to the ground. Maybe he'll bring out the humanity in city-dwelling New Yorkers we all know can't possibly exist... but maybe it does. Maybe he'll be that catalyst that turns cold, stubborn New Yorkers into lovable malleable hippies. Who knows? I do know one thing, no matter who wins for governor in New York this proclamation is infallible- RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH.


I'm out.