Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Every year I make a point to comment on the ridiculousness of this holiday. In general I dislike traditions that have become consumerist parasites that eat away at our society. By now, we should all know that what went down at Plymouth Rock or whatever, was not some stupid, playful sing-a-long amongst the pilgrims and the Indians but a brutal, violent slaughter that scars the history of this country. Can you believe that we were taught the Indians and pilgrims actually got along?! That they had this adorable outdoor potluck where they exchanged recipes and played mancala. It's absolutely unnerving.
This year I could not go see my family in Florida because I HAVE TO WORK TOMORROW. It's one of those infuriating (un)necessary sacrifices I had to make because of poor planning and because my absence could cost me my job.
BLACK FRIDAY
The epitome of everything I hate about this country. A telling, unfiltered look into consumerism and selfishness. At 2 am sleepy shoppers will be arising in hopes of finding "great deals" on clothing, books, accessories, food, bedding, household appliances, furniture, electronics, cds and dvds, tools and an assortment of stupid garbage that feeds into the notion that you are what you have. Running around stores with a look of fiery desperation burning in their eyes, people will kick slap and scream their way down aisles, through shelves, on counter tops in hopes of attaining every deal they can. Meanwhile, corporations are laughing atop their pedestals of cutthroat success at the masses kill each other for a tickle-me-elmo. And there I shall stand, somberly in the midst of violent confusion asking myself "why?" and wondering when everything went wrong.

image from this guy theblogprof.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving.


I'm out.

Not...AGAIN

In an earlier entry I wrote about the annoying inevitability of white people talking about race with me when they're drunk. It happens more often then not, when randomly the color of my skin becomes the subject of a joke or an inane observance, "You're the only black girl in the corner of this bar," when there are plenty of people of color everywhere else. Though, I attempt to be forgiving and understanding of the intolerably candid people who probably barely talk about race in their sober lives, it gets tiring. In this instance, I was (un)pleasantly accompanied by a fellow patron at the bar I was at on a walk home. Granted, his chivalry skills were not to be ignored, his common sense was considerably hindered. It was comical how he continuously made one insulting statement after the other. Wanting so ardently to blame his completely inappropriate, prejudice remarks on alcohol, I simply cannot relieve him of his blatant racial remarks. I shall lists the ways in which he offended me:

"You don't seem like you've been tainted by the ghetto."

"I see bloods and crypts everywhere." The he tells me this story where a (obviously) black man tells him to through up the bloods sign and then laughs when he does. I mean, the guys obviously laughing because the kid looked like he was going to piss himself and threw up some garbled sign he believed to signify the bloods. Freaking moron. The guy's lived in Brooklyn 3 years, in which I am sure he would have not acquired a comprehensive understanding of the history of the boloods and crypts especially considering his profound stupidity.

"I'm not trying to sound racist."


"People usually say things when they see a white guy walking with a black girl down the street. I had a black girlfriend and guys would always yell at us and she would yell back."

"I get scared when my sister comes to visit."


I kid you not, this bumbling idiot was spilling all of this garbage all over my ears, nauseating and angering me, and all I could do was be shocked by his ignorance. Not once did he seem to feel any humiliation or remorse about the outwardly offensive things he was saying. AND THEN HIS DUMBASS tried to friend me on facebook. You have GOT to be kidding me. Ugh, what a loser.



I'm too speechless to write anymore *awkward laughter*





I'm out.

(/) wrting (/)

I've been wondering exactly what it is that has been preventing me from achieving my dreams and the simple answer has been: Me... and the millions of others who have the same passion as I do... and the ever-depleting job opportunities in the bleak writing industry... and the rise of the "blogging age." After graduating from college I had higher hopes for myself as a writer. I was hoping to make a career out of something I love, not be thrust into a mediocre job with little to no gratification and long hours dealing with selfish, needy people and a laughable salary.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love my blog. That is also not to say that I am displeased with the enthusiasm in which people are starting new blogs and getting across their ideas to an audience. However, I am envious (almost to the point of violence: note, flailing and cussing in disbelief) of blogs that have made names for themselves and in turn (stupidly) trademarks, such as : stuff white people like and shit my dad says. My annoyance has no bounds simply because well, Why the hell didn't I think of that?! So, in hopes of somehow making a break into the industry because-let's face it- that's what I want, I will be here on out whoring myself to the public. JUST KIDDING! Ugh, who do you think I am? This kid?

somebody tell him to stop making videos. Ok! I'll do it! STOP IT!! PLEASE. YOU ARE SINGLE-HANDEDLY CATAPULTING THE MINDS OF AMERICAN CHILDREN INTO A BRAINCELL-SHATTERING ABYSS.

Anyway, instead of becoming an attention grabbing parasite, I'm just going to keep writing. Here. In my notebook. On my computer. In my head...huh?
The industry is tough, and there are a lot of great writers out there, and the odds of me landing anything remotely interesting right now is inconceivable. This city eats people like me for breakfast, it doesn't sit me down at a nice fine restaraunt to dine... hm, like Daniel or Masa... I mean LOOK AT THEIR WEBSITES! So sexy. No, this city will eat me raw and crush my bones into the foundation of the statue of liberty, laughing mockingly. I will not give up, however, my desire is too strong. Besides, I can't stop writing if I tried...
Sigh. I'm just feeling pretty defeated today.

I need a drink.









I'm out.

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.

SEXY

Image from www.jrankolosophy.org

Ok. Sex. It's something people are oddly opposed to discussing, but feel no embarrassment admitting how much they enjoy it. In my 23 years of living I could count how many conversations I've had with my friends about sex on one hand and the amount of conversations with my family on one finger. Although, I understand the aversion my parents have to speaking with me about sex, I cannot fully comprehend why my friends and I rarely discuss it. I'm not saying from now on I want to solely talk about sex ALL THE TIME ALWAYS, I'm just wondering why it's so uncommon to have the dialogue amongst people I love and trust... hm.





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.

Willow Smith.

Am I the only one a little weirded out by how young pop-stars are getting? This whole fascination with young people and the media has always been an uncomfortable, ongoing trend in our culture. Recently, though it has come to a head with the introduction of a tiny spitfire with the predilection to "whip her hair back and forth." Nine-year old Willow Smith has been getting a lot of attention from her fun, poppy song about feeling good and not caring about what "haters" have to say. Though, the song is extremely catchy, her entire persona leaves you wondering, what else can she possibly sing about at the tender age of 9. Also, who are these haters she's talking about and why exactly is she whipping her hair back and forth, it seems dangerous. All the whipping going on in the video makes it seem like the song is causing some sort of seizure plague. I know someone had to have gotten whiplash.
Being so young, it must be difficult to connect to an audience who's not concerned with who has the most silly bands or who caught the latest episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! I'm just trying to understand the logical trajectory of her career. She is going to have to wait a few years before she can belt out number one hits about love, love lost, crazy partying and growing up...I mean at least 13. Look at the Biebs, he's getting away with singing about love and how old is he? 15, right? Whatever. All I'm saying is she's going to have to get a few more years of life experience before she can join the ranks of other questionable, mind-numbing artists like Selena Gomez and The Jonas Brothers. Are they even her peers? Oh geez. Well, lucky her, if she decided to heed my advice and go on hiatus from her booming singing career she can start up acting like her brother, Jaden, though he probably won't like her interfering with his "shtick." I can only imagine the fighting that would ensue if Willow announced her desire to be an actress.
"Daaaaad, Willow won't stop stealing my roles in movies."
"I can't help it if casting directors like me better than you."
"You know, you're hair isn't even real in that music video."
"Oh yeah, well you're face isn't real." Willow sticks her tongue out at her irritated brother. Then, Will steps in, "You two need to stop fighting, your mother and I are trying to discuss how we can train your future baby brother or sister for Cirque."
Jaden and Willow look at each other, eyebrows raised in understanding and the argument ends. -and scene-
I'm extremely curious to see what will happen next with Willow Smith. I know I'm not the only one. Hmmmmm.....
I wonder if my 7-year old sister would be opposed to recording a song about how much she enjoys the park... we could make millions! Then again, my mother would probably disown me... unless I made it seem like it was her idea. INCEPTION.



You can see the actual video on her website. She's freaking adorable.


I'm out.