My Baby's Daddy...

One phenomenon, above all others in the Black community, absolutely amazes me.

That is, THE BABY DADDY phenomenon.

I ride the subway almost everyday and it is here that I see and hear things that I find unbelievable. I find it amazing that so many young Black women, often under the age of 30 have 3 or more kids by multiple men. Many of these men, are no where to be seen or found. But, without fail - these women love to refer to them as "My Baby Daddy."

I think in the 90's these lame males were called, "My Baby Fava [father]" but that has since been dropped for 'daddy.'

I'm not sure what angers me more - the fact that so many Black kids are growing up in broken homes, the progeny of irresponsible, ignorant, and horny men and women, OR the fact that so many young women have come to embrace the phrase "My Baby Daddy" like a badge of honor.

I also can't get past the fact that... okay - you slip up once and get pregnant, or get someone pregnant and a kid is born. But then to turn around and go do the same god-damn thing again and again and again! It pisses me the hell off. NOT because these men and women have no kind of self respect or self control , but because they leaving a wake of little Black children that are starting life disadvantaged, growing up disadvantaged, and often times doomed to live disadvantaged lifes forever.

Yeah sure, I know some kids do well when raised by just mom and grand-mom, but I'm talking about the large numbers of women, who - themselves are sometimes uneducated, or simply dim-witted (yeah - I said it!) and they hook up with equally dim-witted guys and make a bunch of little babies. The fact is - often times when Dumb Dad punks out and runs away, dim-witted mommy isn't smart enough to stop sleeping with losers and having more babies and then she isn't smart or strong enough to educate her kids, to read to her kids, to give them good morals and the intellectual tools to make their dreams come true. These kids just grow up with the bare minimum - some food, some name brand clothes (of course!), and a basketball.

Deep down I cry for the kids born of losers, who will have a million to one shot of being anything more than losers themselves. I cry for the dumb assed males who are too scared and too stupid to realize that nothing in the world will make them a bigger man than doing right by their children. I cry for dumb assed women with 3, 4, 5, 6... little babies by 3,4,5,6... or more different men - all of whom fucked her and then fucked her again nine months later.

I cry for the fact that I can't find every Black man that is a deadbeat Baby Daddy, and whip their asses!

More SHAME for FEMA!

FEMA's at it again.
It seems as though you have to point a bright spotlight at FEMA and blow a loud whistle while screaming, "SHAME ON YOU!" to get that sorry Government agency to do anything.

While over 150,000 people are still homeless from hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans, many are on the verge of getting kicked out of their Government funded hotels.

Shortly after the hurricane, Fanny Mae offered FEMA 1500 houses for Katrina evacuees. These homes would be rent free to the Government, and could be used for up to 18 months by the evacuees. To sweeten the deal even more, most of the houses were in Mississippi and 8 other southern states.

What did FEMA do?

NOTHING. FEMA did nothing. No calls, No E-Mails, No NOTHING!

It wasn't until Fannie Mae and various Congressmen brought FEMA's lack of action and enthusiasm to light, that the agency even acknowledged their [get this...] "oversight." FEMA made some very lame excuses, but basically now that people high up on Capital Hill are making some waves, FEMA claims to acting immediately on Fannie Mae's generous offer!

Way to go - FANNIE MAE!!! Mad props to you!!!

FEMA - You're still a lame, pathetic, racist cesspool. The people of Louisiana would like to thank you for the best screwing of their lives.

Keepin' it Real... TWO

I've had a few days to think more about my encounter at the subway with the dude and his off the wall hairstyle.

I want to revisit it for a second.

What bothers me goes so much deeper than the braids or the twists or the colored beads. What bothers me is the fact that Black Men today have such a deep legacy to live up to and to and be appreciative of.

So many young brothers out here have no clue and no idea of where they come from. Just 45 short years ago, Black men were still being lynched and murdered for nothing more than just the color of their skin. Black people had to drink from warm, rusty, dirty water fountains - while the whites had fresh cold water. Blacks couldn't look whites in the eyes in many parts of this country. I can go on and count the tragedies and disrespect and human indignities that go back to Jamestown in 1620 - but I won't.

For every tragedy presented to Black people through the course of American history, we had strong, intelligent and determined men and women that struggled and overcame so that today, we have the opportunities that we have. It is these Blacks that roll over in their graves whenever a Black kills another Black; or a Black father abandons the mother of his child; or a Black mother sells her child for a little clump of crack rock. I wish these young men that try their best to look and act as outlandish as they can, would try to show the self respect and race respect they owe the men and women that sacrificed so much before them. I wish they'd try harder to represent our race and themselves in a more positive light.

Now, I'm sure some folks reading this blog will think I mean, "I wish young Blacks would act more 'white' so white folks will like us more." Anyone who thinks this needs to get a clue and get off my website!

I don't think Blacks with hair styles, dress styles, and speech styles that I don't like are bad or need to change. Not at all - it's a free country. The brothers that bother me are the ones the ones that are shooting up their neighborhoods, slingin' dope, trying to pimp Sista's, robbing and stealing, disrespecting others, and just being assholes. The hairstyles and all come into play with me when young people become their own worst enemies. Sure, in a perfect world nobody would pre-judge anyone, and all of us would have a fair chance to express ourselves and show our true talents and skills. But we don't live in a perfect world and many young people that like to say they don't care what people think, and they're just keepin' it real with the hair and the clothes and the attitude. These people are preventing most people from outside of their little 'crews' and their friends from taking them seriously and ever having a chance to really know them and the positive things they have to contribute. Most people [me included] see the outside of these kids and just assume the inside isn't worth checking out. I hope this changes.

Since I'm not happy just criticizing - what I am going to do on this blog from this day on - is create a growing list of Internet links that will take my readers to websites that promote and conduct positive family, business and educational activities within the Black community.

Please share this site with your friends and come again.

Thanks!

Keepin' it Real... what?

Okay, they got me today.
The Homies scared me today.
Normally, I just see 'em and I don't see 'em.
But today, they got me.

I was getting off the subway on my way to work. I was approaching the top of the escalator and my face was buried in my newspaper. Just as I stepped off I heard this loud voice next to me shout, "I'm losing my signal, I'll call you back!" I jerked my head and saw this tall brother, about 6' 3" with this wild assed hairdo.

He had his hair in hundreds of thin braids and all of his braids were pulled into two clusters that shot out about 10 inches from the sides of his head. in each cluster he had about 40 or 50 little red and blue beads. His clusters bounced wildly as he jogged down the escalator.

I try to just ignore these new, girlish hairdos that many of these brothers are wearing these days. I wish I could say it was something the young guys do, but I'm seeing guys in their 50's sporting braids, plats, twists, beads, clamshells and all this other shit on their heads.

Okay- I'm gonna say it: MAN UP FELLAS, AND QUIT LOOKING LIKE A BUNCH OF DAMN LITTLE GIRLS!

Ahh, that felt great. Say it to yourself a few times - you'll enjoy it too!

I try to accept that it's just a fad, or an expression of independence - but when every asshole on every corner is trying to look even more foolish and more outlandish than the next asshole on the next corner. It saddens me.

Black men have enough going against us. Why bring more stupidity into our world. I'm all for freedom of expression - regardless of how this sounds. But when 80% of the guys are all doing the same thing - wild hair styles, white T-shirts, extra baggy jeans, oversized jerseys, black on black baseball cap on sideways and walkie-talkie cellphone... you have no independence. You have no originality. You have no style of your own. You are a fucking clone!

WAKE UP BLACK MEN!
WAKE UP AND FIND YOUR OWN STYLE!

There is no shame in being different. Just look around at the carbon copies you see everyday all day. It's no shame in being different from them. You don't have to be rude and crude. You don't have to be a thug, you don't have to dress like them and you don't have to scare grown folks with your wild assed hairdo!!!!

Just, wake up! Just Be Real!!!

Let's move past T.O.

Terrell Owens. Terrell Owens? Terrell Owens!

In two weeks you'll have to pay somebody to give a damn about T.O.

I've heard lots of talk about the Philadelphia Eagles being unfair to T.O.
I've heard lots of talk about T.O. possibly being the greatest wide receiver of all time.
I've heard lots of talk about what other NFL team should pick him up.

Frankly, I hope I never see Mr. Owens on an NFL football field again.

Prima Donnas like Owens forget that playing football is a priveledge. Nobody owes his ass the opportunity to play - YES - PLAY - the game that thousands of youngsters DREAM of having a chance to play. Sure, he's talented - I bet 1 in 50 men his age can't do half of what he can do on the field. That fact makes him unique, it doesn't make him special. Being able to do his job while being a team leader and being a unifiying and motivating force to the organization that pays him millions of dollars - makes him SPECIAL.

Jerry Rice was special, Steve Young was special, Lawrence Taylor was special, Wilbur Marshall, Charles Mann, Dan Marino, Mr. Walter Payton - Special, Special, Special, SPECIAL!

Terrell Owens - NOT SPECIAL.

I'm always amused when people say of professional atheletes that do stupid things: "He has so much money. Why would he do that?" You know what I tell them?

"If you're an asshole when you're broke, and then someone gives you 20 million dollars. You know what you are? Just a rich asshole."

Terrell Owens became so full of himself, so short-sighted in his career and so arrogant, that he believed he was bigger than the game itself. He believed that he was so great that he could care less about a long and productive and possibly legendary career as an NFL receiver. Basically - Terrell Owens pissed on the greatest game in the world.