Wednesday, December 19, 2012

2012, Illuminati, and Mysticism: Discredited Through The Media

This post almost began as a simple tweet: I hate when waves and trends discredit valuable information. But then I felt the need to expand on the idea. I already don't like trends as it is because its just ppl adopting styles that have been made acceptable by someone else. Trends really show how little people actually think for themselves and listen to their inner voice. Think about that pink wave started by Cam'ron. Pre-Cam, wearing pink was the gayest thing a male could do...But I guess when someone on TV does it, it becomes fly and acceptable lol. Most of the time I refuse to be apart of any trend because I want to maintain some sort of autonomy. Why would I wanna look or behave like everyone else anyways??

My real beef though is how valuable info becomes discredited because social media and gossip has watered the shit down and altered the reality of it so much! I'm thinking things like Illuminati, this 2012 incident, astrology, psychics.... mysticism as a whole I should say! Look at this 2012 shit....it was FALSELY broadcasted into the media and twitter world as an apocalypse....which was never the message of the Mayans. Their prophecy has been altered and now a large # of people believe the idea is another mythical hoax of America. Personally, I can not say 100% that the 2012 prophecy is true  and no one can tell me 100% that its false. However, I intuitively believe that 2012 will mark a cultural shift in our society. I think if the idea was never presented as THE END OF THE WORLD *screams* then the idea WOULD have been explored more seriously by individuals. Now, its just another sensationalized idea that will spawn trending topics on twitter and news stories for CNN.

Now this Illuminati business...something else I believe to be true that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with devil worshipping. Once the media started saying Jay-Z worships the devil and he's in the Illuminati, I said FUCK! Haha because I knew the idea would become no longer credible. Its like the media puts this extravagant spin on an idea, like the Illuminati is for devil worshippers or 12/21 the world will end, which creates this panic/shock or image of something horrific/mythical and it divides the masses on the issue. Once everyone has these different views and opinions, many based off false blurbs of info via social media, the idea as a whole isn't credible anymore. Personally, I think this Illuminati shit has nothing to do with religion or Jay-Z. It's simply about the wealthiest keeping the pot small while exploiting, manipulating, and controlling the masses. Secret societies DEFINITELY exist, we know this. And if the secrets or aims of this 1 particular society were to be exposed to the masses, we would feel angry and maybe even REBEL against them. So of course, it must be altered and discredited.

Now astrology and mysticism as a whole. Let me just say 1 thing about astrology...ITS MORE THAN YOUR SUN SIGN AND DAILY HOROSCOPE!!!!! Astrology is sooooo much deeper and if you are just reading the traits of your sun sign, which is the sign we're all familiar with based off of our bdays, then you are only tapping into one part of this science. Just a quick note, your sun sign only tells how you express yourself to the outer world and how you are received. Its argued that our moon sign is a more accurate description of our personality, which can be found knowing your place and time of birth. However, in ancient times, astrology forecasting became so popular and it costs more to print locations/times in the newspaper for moon signs so horoscopes were deduced to sun signs because it was cheaper and easier to calculate. But, we also have a rising sign and signs in every planet. As well as houses etc....lol its a complicated science I repeat and to minimize its accuracy to your watered down daily horoscope and your sun sign is truly ignorant. But that's the age we live in eh....

Alright, off that tangent lol....astrology ties into the other mystical, spiritual, cosmic elements in our universe that our society completely discredits!! Anything that reinforces the idea of other dimensions, cosmic forces, psychic ability, universal oneness....anything that can not be experienced via the 5 senses....anything that can not be quantified and understood by the human brain....anything that goes against the cultural norms/beliefs in 1 God, a devil, and manmade boundaries enforced through manmade religion...must be discredited. Even in this time where ppl are using technology to uncover information, ppl still have doubts and close-minded attitudes ESPECIALLY towards mysticism because of the way society has portrayed these ideas/beliefs since as far as we can remember. Psychics and seers are stigmatized as crazy and fraudulent. Meanwhile we idolize basketball wives and rappers lol....

I would really love if people explored ideas further and came up with THEIR OWN conclusion based off of THEIR OWN research. In my opinion, there is no right and wrong because there aren't many facts, especially when we're talking about ideas that extend BEYOND the scope of our wee little senses. There are ppl in this world who fear independent thinking i.e the ppl who FEAR losing their power and feel the need to control and keep the masses in fear. We can't accept shit at face value! Especially not a tweet, a headline, or a news snippet. We must dig deeper IF we seek the truth ( I know some of yall don't mind being blind and controlled #DoYouBoo). The sensationalizing of information contributes to our own cognitive demise, as we neglect critical thinking and focus in on whatever is the ISSUE OF THE HOUR/DAY/WEEK/MONTH and move on to the next sensationalized thing, perusing the surface and harnessing onto cleverly constructed opinions stated as facts. I just can't *shrugs* #MamaAintRaiseNoFool

Fuck a trend, ride your own wave

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Classic Sh*t: Love & Basketball

Ask a young Black female their favorite movie and 7 times out of 10, they will say Love and Basketball. Love and Basketball is a classic movie amongst African Americans! It is a beautiful story of Black Love and the trials and tribulations that arise when pursuing your goals. This movie may not have been recognized and renowned as great by the general public but in the Black community, it will forever be a favorite. So, I've decided to compose a list of why my favorite movie is so great


The People
Now I mean the cast AND the creators. First off, the cast is incredible, starring Sanaa Lathan and sexy ass Omar Epps as the stars, and supported by a host of other Black actors and actresses, including Alfre Woodard, Regina Hall, Tyra Banks, Dennis Haysbert, Debbie Morgan, Kyla Pratt, Gabrielle Union, and Boris Kodjoe. Also, the director and screenwriter Gina Prince-Bythewood did an EXCELLENT job across the board (not to mention another African American woman woop woop!) as well as producer Spike Lee. Shit was bound to be epic.


The Soundtrack
This soundtrack was so perfect! They played the perfect songs at the perfect times. At the beginning of the movie they play Chaka Khan Sweet Thing , which also represents the decade in which the movie begins. As it transitions into the 2nd quarter of the movie and into the 1980's, the scene begins with MC Lyte's Light As A Rock to showcase Monica's skills and Kool Moe Dee's I Go To Work to showcase Q's. Then they play Zapp and Roger "I Wanna Be Your Man" at their homecoming dance and Maxwell's A Woman's Work as she loses her virginity. Then even at the end when they are playing one-on-one, "Fool of Me by Me'Shell NdegeOcello sets the perfect tone. It was just masterful, the way the songs matched the scenes in this movie AND they were actually good songs!


Themes
Now this is the deep shit. This movie addressed so many themes and patterns, I found it genius how Prince-Bythewood was able to portray so many messages, directly and indirectly through her film.

So there's some feminist issues addressed in this movie. The role of a woman and how she should behave, even in a competitive atmosphere. Monica expressed early on in the movie how she was expected to not "talk smack" or get passionate on the court because she is supposed to "behave like a lady". We even see gender roles addressed as we look at the relationship between Monica and her mother. Monica and her mom are on opposite ends of the spectrum; Monica is pursuing this extravagant goal of becoming the first woman in the NBA (because the WNBA wasn't around when she grew up) while her mom is a prissy housewife who tends to the house, her husband, and children. This difference strains their relationship! Even just the contrast between the # in attendance at the Men's and Women's games' shows that women weren't expected to be in competitive sports. At the beginning, young Q says "Girls can't play no ball!" This idea of what is expected of a woman and the barriers that women actively pursuing professional jobs outside of the home face is still an issue today, even as gender roles become more ambiguous.

Building off the topic of gender roles, its also interesting to see the character of Q play out throughout the movie. Now, as a woman, I can't explore and identify with all the issues Q faces as a Black man (cuz whaadya know I'm not a Black man), but I do notice the issues of pride and identity. I mean, Q went from being a superstar to an injured nobody. There's this pride issue of not being that star anymore and taking the "backseat" to your wife as the WNBA star, which I know many men would feel uncomfortable doing. Also, Q searching for his identity after being disappointed by his father and idol and ultimately finding that support and love with Monica, which is beautifully analagous to the role of man and woman in love, in my opinion at least. I believe men NEED the support and love of a supportive and loving woman, so they can feel secure in establishing and owning their identity. For Omar Epps to take on this role and still come off as a strong, secure, confident man is about as sexy as it gets.

 
Then there's the theme of love in this movie. What woman wouldn't love a movie that shows a woman marrying her childhood love AND still accomplishing her ultimate goal?! Fucking beautiful. But I got a little deeper with this too. See Prince-Blythewood clearly wanted to portray some messages in her film. I noticed that throughout the movie, Monica did not interact sexually/emotionally with ANY OTHER man except Q. She lost her virginity to him and there was no indication in the movie that she ever dealt with anyone else in college or in Spain when she played overseas. I thought this was a powerful message! This is a woman who not only FOUGHT for the man she loved, but also remained devoted and true to her heart. LOVE AND LOYALTY DAWG!! This is what Black Love is missing nowadays. Also, as a woman not playing into her traditonal gender role, Monica portrayed her vulnerability as a woman so well at the end of the movie, professing her love for a man that is about to get married and putting her shit on the line. Monica is portrayed as a truly virtuous (in the relationship/sexual context) woman yet still strong, courageous, and independent.

Another great thing that Prince-Bythewood does is portray the Black family in a way that other writers and directors do not. We see not one but TWO affluent Black families in this movie. They are living in a California suburb in huge houses married and successful. The father figures are active in the children's life, even when Q's family breaks up do to his father's cheating. Q's mother isn't like the Basketball Wives you see on tv; she is domestic, loving, but a bit feisty when she needs to be still. Monica's family seems damn near picture perfect, with a father working a corporate job, supporting his wife and daughters, whom both go on to college. It's nice to see a movie with a predominantly Black cast portraying affluent members in society versus oppressed and dysfunctional (i.e. Boyz N The Hood, Set It Off, Menace to Society).

So why do women love this movie? BECAUSE WE WIN!!! Women are winning in this movie and that doesn't always happen. And I don't mean winning like she got married to a rich man #winning. She not only married her childhood love, she's living her childhood dream out completely!! She is in the WNBA playing basketball professionally married to the love of her life, whom she grew up next to and lost her virginity to. Women are winning in this movie because Monica is a beautiful, college educated professional. Women are winning in this movie because Monica respected her body and stayed true to one man. Women are winning in this movie because she didn't have to choose between love and her career, which is what society tells EVERY WOMAN they must do. Women are winning in this movie because Monica is true to her self.

This is why we looovvveeee Love and Basketball.

PEACE

Monday, November 12, 2012

How Women Could Change The Planet

Ladies, lets all start by raising our standards!!

I was listening to the radio yesterday in Cleveland and the personality posed the question as to whether or not cheating should be permitted in marriage. Apparently West Coast rapper The Game made this statement and she agreed that since men "can not control themselves" that men should be allowed to cheat in a relationship. Pissed off point #1.

I get on twitter this morning and this is the exact tweet: #FACT If women were more understanding men wouldn't lie as much. Pissed off point #2

These are two of the dumbest, most idiotic statements I have ever heard but EVEN WORSE and more idiotic are the women that are agreeing with these statements and the overall attitude of many young people of our time. This attitude that says women need to LOWER their standard so men will not have to practice things such as self-discipline, loyalty, honesty, communication, patience...etc etc the list goes on.

Again LADIES, lets RAISE our standards.

In my 23 years on this Earth, I have learned that men will do anything to get and attract women. If a man really wants a woman, and he always does because men can not function without sex it seems, he will do what he has to in order to get her. Take her on dates that he doesn't want to take her on, listen to her problems that he doesn't care about, play with her kids that aren't his, buy her clothes, jewlery, pay her bills, rub her feet etc etc the list goes on of all the things men really don't want to do but do because he wants a woman.

There's this saying "The Power of The Pussy". A little derogative I know BUT oh so true. I hate being marginalized to my vagina, or my breasts, or my ass, or my hips BUT that does not change the fact that men go ape shit for a nice body and a pretty smile. Men are attracted to physical beauty which stimulates their loins and makes them want to have sex with you. LADIES, EVERY HETEROSEXUAL MAN YOU MEET WANTS TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU. EVERY SINGLE ONE. He may say he's not interested in sex, or wants a relationship, or wants to be friends, and this may well be true BUT, remember, the ultimate objective (and many times ONLY objective) is to GET IN THEM DRAWLS!

So, if we women raised our standards, men will automatically get their act together. If every single woman on this planet said "I am not dating a man who doesn't have a job, car, and supports himself" and actually didn't date men who didn't have these things, men would go get these things!!!!! The debate is endless as to whether its the man's fault for dogging the woman or the woman's fault for allowing it. Let the truth be told though, if women stopped allowing it, men would stop doing it. Furthermore, this is beneficial for both sexes, increasing the quality of single people available.

LADIES LETS RAISE OUR STANDARDS!!!!!!

Now just imagine if women began DEMANDING respect, chivalry, honesty, communication, a strong relationship with God, independence, protection, economic mobility, intelligence, good hygiene...etc. Not just 3% of women, how about 80% of women, beacuse lets face it, there will always be desperate hoes-- the 20%. Men will get away with whatever you let them get away with. Let me repeat MEN WILL GET AWAY WITH WHATEVER YOU LET THEM GET AWAY WITH!! If they can get away with a movie at the crib and a bottle of Moscato and smash on the 1st night, don't expect much more. If they can get away with a mass good morning text every other day and a half-ass phone conversation and you still buy them clothes, J's, and they eat all your shit, don't expect something more. Men love to do as little as possible to attain their goal (I aint mad at it) but if you demand MORE in exchange for your time, body, and loyalty and they really want you, they will do it. The Power of The Pussy.

SO AGAIN LADIES, LETS RAISE OUR STANDARDS!!

Whatever we do as women, men will follow accordingly because they want to fuck. Not 100% of men are shallow vagina-driven men BUT I'd say at least 98% lol. Don't you realize how much more attention you get when you wear leggings or low-cut shirts? This is the power of physical beauty. We reel em in easily ladies! That's the simplicity of a man!! But it seems like we have begun to believe that because men initially notice our bodies and looks, that is all we are worth. Noooo!! That is what arouses and attracts a man yes, but it is not what keeps a man, and definitely not a GOOD one.

A good book that goes into some more factual detail for all you fact and logic driven people is The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Women by Michael Porter. Now, you may want to disregard the whole Nation of Islam hatred of the White Devil undertone of the book and focus on the argument he lays out, which is excellent. He goes further by outlining how women set the tone of society. We as women are responsible for the cultivation of children! We teach and show our sons how to treat women and teach and show our daughters how to be a lady. Women maintain the standard of available single men by maintaining our level of womanhood. We really have the power to shift the attitudes of our society in regards to love, relationships, and marriage. It is simply a matter of how much we love ourselves. How willing are we to say NO to the thirsty men who will say anything to convince us that we should have sex with them 2 hrs after meeting them when we don't even know their last name? How willing are we to be lonely for a period of time? How willing are we to expect the same from our partners? How willing are we to DEMAND what we want? How willing are we to practice what we preach and correct our nasty habits as women? How willing are we to love ourselves as much as we love our God?

One thing I admire about men is their ability to ask for what they want without fear of rejection or embarassment. Guys have said some of the most ridiculous things to me, and even though I shut it down, I admired the courage to be up front about his wants. We women need to do the same thing. We want honesty, fidelity, chivalry, patience etc WE NEED TO DEMAND THAT SHIT!!! If he can't provide it, throw on a pair if leggings and I bet you will have 20 candidates ready to fulfill your needs. If someone isn't willing to take you out, or wait to have sex, or have a phone conversation with you, or treat you with respect, whatever, then YOU DON'T NEED HIM. HE'S BASIC!!

SO, LADIES, LETS RAISE OUR STANDARDS!!

PEACE