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Slli'mformation: Blogs

These blogs are composed of my thoughts, and the thoughts of those who expressed sentiments I have found to be both true and note worthy. They are thoughts and opinons. No more, no less. I have strong convictions in what I believe, but I understand that both my beliefs and convictions may change and grow with greater knowledge, understanding and insight. The soul objective is to encourage thinking, analysis, and dialogue amongst people. My sincere hope is to provide insight and perspective.

ALL RISE ... PLEASE!!!
Deceptive Truths, Painful Pragamatism
Equanomics; The Real Issue
The Force is Strong... In All of US!
Who Do You Love? (Written by 13 of Nazareth)

- ALL RISE ... PLEASE!!! -

Over the years, I have observed many common traits among my fellow humans. One of these traits is the apparent need (or desire) to judge one another.

I do not have many friends, but to the friends I do have, I try to exercise as much understanding, compassion, and support as I can possibly muster. This means that I must, at times, accept that my friends will take actions that I disagree with, or that make me feel uncomfortable. This does not mean that this action is directed against me.

I also try to understand that many situations are much more complex than they appear from the outside. With all these elements to consider, I am very reluctant to cast wholesale judgements against people. Some actions are concrete. For example, shooting another human being is a definite act. But the circumstances would determine if the shooting is murder, or self-defense, or some other legal designaton. Almost everyone would agree that doing something out of fear for your safety and doing that same thing out of malice causes that action to be different based on the circumstance.

Ofcourse, I haven't shot anyone. This is just an example. But I give that example to say this, before you judge someone, or cast them aside, make sure you understand the entire circumstances of the actions they take, and the things that they say. We expect that understanding from others, but we are often unwilling to do the same.

That's why God is God. Because he looks on the heart. When someone you consider a friend does something that you don't like or that you disagree with, consider that they may have totally righteous reasons for what they have said and or done. Consider that the goal may be to help, and not to hurt. Consider that the goal may be to make this world just a little bit better, consider that the goal may be to solve a conflict, or to encourage dialogue and communication, to encourage peace and harmonic coexistence, in a peaceful way.

Just consider it, before you judge.....

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- Deceptive Truths, Painful Pragamatism -

I am not a proponent of insults. So if you hear me using language that could be construed as an insult, please believe that the terms expressed have been carefully considered. I never state a description with the intent to insult. I do, however, understand that an attempt to accurately define any individual or situation could be considered insulting. I digress.

The song "Read a Book" by Bomani "D-mite" Armah, has gained national attention since its integration into the BET rotation. Bomani, an activist, educator, and poet, wrote the song to satirize the most recent incarnation of hip-hop music. The song is written in the crunk style of mainstream hip-hop, and uses the same language and repetitive sound patterns. What is dramatically different about "Read a Book" is its content. Bomani Armah's lyrics are the antithesis of mainstream hip-hops misogyny and materialism. There is a message amidst his methodical madness. The song - that has sparked so much controversy - repeats simple concepts, such as:

"Read a book, read a book, read a motherfucking book"

"Buy some land, buy some land, fuck spinning rims"

"Your body needs water, so drink that shit"

"Raise your kids, raise your kids... "

"Brush your teeth..."

"Wear deodorant ..."

and so on

None of the actual concepts in the song are controversial. People need to read more, invest their money wisely, and practice proper hygiene. Armah uses this song to focus on items neglected in most mainstream hip-hop. Never-the-less, the backlash from the song has been tremendous. Many uninformed parents have bashed the song, claiming that the language is unacceptable for their children. Many pundants and public figures have joined the band wagon, going as far as personally attacking the author/songwriter directly. The attacks spring mostly from those who have failed to do the proper research, which reveals Armah's reputation for community and youth outreach in Washington, DC, coupled with his catalogue of clever, positive music.

Throughout the chaos, Bomani maintains a very important point. It is important to note that BET aired the song during its normal music video rotation. This rotation is full of degrading music that promotes materialism, wasteful decadence, self-disrespect, and generally ignorant behavior. Bomani's song - which is written in a similar style to many of these - is the only one with a positive message. His song is not a public service announcement, but when compared with the other songs played before and after it, the song exposes and ridicules the shamefully irresponsible content displayed in the other songs. The same parents and public figures have allowed these other songs to infiltrate the minds of our youth through television and radio waves for years. Some would say that the outrage against Bomani is hypocritical at best. If anyone is concerned about a child hearing Bomani's song, they should be more concerned about their children watching a music video program on any music channel during that time of day.

The song that played immediately before "Read a Book" is called "Hey Bey Bey" - a song that appears to glorify gangsterism, club living, and disrespect of women. There has been no backlash from that song, or any of the others that some would say truly deserve protest. "Read a Book" does not promote any of these shameful things. To the contrary, it challenges them.

Most individuals are missing the crux of this dialogue (and I use the term dialogue only for those actually willing to have an open exchange). There was a time when music that was considered socially taboo was regularly protested. Much of that music has become the mainstream, and protests against it have decreased to near extinction. The reason may be a collective comfort with status quo. People of affluence and influence are satisfied with the current state of human affairs. Many other individuals have been mentally conditioned to accept the way things are, with no hope of change. When the majority is comprised of individuals who fear or dislike change, the minority - who seek change - have a more difficult time.

There still remain many people who do not wish for positive change. More specifically, they may not see the change as positive for them. If there is death and turmoil plaguing the black community (or any impoverished community), they want it to continue (either directly or indirectly). It is not always based in racism. The fear stems from the potential social impact caused by a truly free and empowered community. Some see growth and/or progress in one community as a threat to their own security. Therefore, as long as you continue to perpetuate the current cycles, you will not upset the balance for anyone who believes they may benefit from them.

This is why Bomani's song is so dangerous to some people. It takes the catchy repetition of mainstream music and infuses positive instructions, while simultaneously mocking that same mainstream music. It is the perfect vehicle for the promotion of change.

It goes even deeper. People don't even want our concepts of change to change. Over time, we define acceptable means of facilitating social transitions. According to our preconditioned psychology, anyone who wishes to generate change must do so within a particular paradigm. Bomani's "Read a Book" steps outside of that paradigm. He takes a forum that a certain mentality is already conditioned to receive, and sends a message that individuals with that same mentality need to here. The word I would use to describe it is genius.

So what are the real issues? Could one of them be mainstream America's desire to perpetuate the same diseased cycles plaguing many of its own communities? Many affluent individuals will speak against drugs, alcohol, misogyny, and wastefulness in word only. Bomani has initially proven that taking a popular form of music and injecting it with a positive message can terrify a nation. It causes discomfort. It causes discussion. It does exactly what it should.

What if all the crunk music, all the house and techno, all the Miami bass, all the DC go-go, all the west coast gangster rap, and all the so called "authentic" NYC hip-hop kept their same respective styles, but started to rap about mutual funds, diversified stock portfolios, selecting the right college, being respectful of your elders, and working together to keep neighborhoods clean and safe,? What if Bomani's music was the mainstream? What if cultivating minds and teaching important lessons to children became the norm? And would America ever let that happen?

Or would the proponents of status quo do everything within their power to stop it? Would public figures stage personal attacks against proprietors of positive change, just because they choose to use different methods than those who came before them? Would we defame the very innovation and ingenuity needed to end the vices that cripple our youth? Would we turn away gold, or a golden opportunity?

It frightens me to know that Willie Lynch is still very much alive. It frightens me to know that my voice may not be heard unless I preach in the same style of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. There are many individuals who need to hear the message of pioneers and activists like Mr. Jackson and Mr. Sharpton, but never will, because they cannot relate to them or to their place in history. Bomani is willing to go to these people, and give them a message in terms they can understand. And those who don't need the message are hopefully intelligent enough to recognize the satire.

If you, however, accuse Bomani of ignorance, then it is your intelligence that is in question. Take a good look at this man's resume. His work speaks for itself. He has made positive music that challenges your thoughts and encourages you to do better. To suggest he has done anything else is the very essence of ignorance.

Who's to say if in fact the dialogue was Bomani's goal? Those who know him would say that it was. Whatever you believe, the dialogue is upon us. So we are forced to ask the questions. If every urban radio station and video network in America play's songs and displays videos full of booty shaking and violence, and all these past songs are actually about booty shaking and violence, why is his song a problem? What is wrong with a song and video that satirizes all the negatives, simultaneously delivering a truthful message?

Nothing! Nothing is wrong with the song. The problem is with us. But maybe we can improve our situations, our mentalities, and our perspective, if we follow the advice of a very wise youngman:

Buy some land ….

Raise your kids ….

And read a book!

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- Equanomics; The Real Issue -

I recently enjoyed a wonderfully thought provoking conversation with my fellow activists. The essence of the converstion was the lack of true equity amongst the peoples of the world, particularly here in America. Everyone at the table agreed on one central point. The economic system of "Capitalism" is not yielding the equity we all feel to be necessary in society. Too few people possess to much wealth, and those that work the hardest almost always have the least, and every individual does not have the same access and/or opportunities. I agree that this is the case, and I think it is wrong.

There is one particular area where I disagreed with almost everyone else in the discussion. Most at the table felt that capitalism itself was the problem. I disagree. I feel that the only way any free system can yield any true equity is for the people that execute the system to act in an equitable manner. What I mean is, capitalism gives you the right to generate and control large amounts of capital. But capitalism does not restrict what you do with that capital. People choose what to do with there wealth. They choose not to share it with those who need it. CEOs and executives choose to pay themselves multi-million dollar salaries, but pay the people who do most of the work with rates that are miniscule in comparison. That is not capitalism. Capitalism only gives you the "legal" right to do this. But you, as an individual, have to choose whether or not it is "morally" right to do it.

One alternative system that was proposed is a "barter" system. Where there is no currency, only actual goods and services are traded. I disagree that this system would be anymore equitable than capitalsim. As long as people can choose who they trade with, and certain goods and services are deemed more valuable than others, than some will be able to accumulate more tangible wealth than others. Those people would still have to choose to distribute that wealth to maintain the balance of equity.

To me, the real issue is not the system. To me it is the choices of the people. Systems are corrupted by the people that run them. So I believe that any free system will have no equity as long as the wealthy choose to maintain and grow their own wealth at the expense of the less fortunate. If you put a limit on how much wealth a person can have, than the system ceases to be free, which I don't think any of us want. The ideal is freedom and equity. There is only one way to achieve it. Sharing! Those who have the access must be willing to share it. Those who make millions must be willing to pay themselves less and use their profits to innovate their business, while paying more to those that work hard and really earn it.

In order for any system to be changed, the mentality of the people has to be reformed in a way that makes that change possible. So I maintain that no matter how you look at it, it is the people who are the real issue. Free systems work when free people think as a whole, and not as individuals. The wealthy must be compelled to make better choices, with truth, honesty, and sound logic, for the good of all humanity. As long as people are ruled by fear, greed, and selfishness, there will never be true equity no matter what your system is.

Whatever system of goverment, economics, or religion you subscribe to, our choices determine our fate. I think that 's the real issue. If we are better people, we will a have better world.

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- The Force is Strong... In All of US! -

Many people over look how powerful a tool art can be for the purpose of teaching certain truths. Take the Star Wars saga. This story consists of several major plot lines, with one principle at the core of them all. It is the concept of human responsibilty. Every person in this cinematic series makes a choices, but they are all unwilling to deal with the concequencies of the choices they make.

The main concept in the Star Wars saga is that of the force. There is presumably a lightside, and a darkside of the force. Those who follow the ways of the force for good are called "jedi". Those who follow the ways of the force for evil are "sith". The story of the Skywalker family is a very effective illustration of human responsiblity. Time and time again, Anakin Skywalker shows that he is unwilling to make selfless choices. He chooses not to control his anger, not to accept things that occur naturally in life, not to accept rules, regulations, or authority, not to be patient. You hear him make statements such as, "I don't have a choice" many times throughout the movies, and he ultimately decides to follow the ways of the darkside to achieve his selfish goals. But he claims that he has to do this in order to save the life of someone he loves. He is unwilling to lose the person, so he takes the lives of others. He chooses to be selfish.

This story is an illustration of what a person can do when they do not take responsibility for themselves. It is easy to do just about anything when you feel it is what you "have to do". Star Wars shows that every person has a choice, even if they refuse to accept it. It also shows that light and dark are both within every individual, and it is the decision of the individual that determines their path. And it is not one decision that you make, it is every choice that you face throughout the span of your life.

We all have the potential for good and evil inside of us. Everyday, you have to make choices that take you in one direction or the other. There is light and dark in each human, and you have a choice in every situation, even if you refuse it. Refusal to take responsibilty for your actions is a choice itself.

This is why I always try to see the light in people, and encourage that light. I feel that when people accept control of themselves, they are less likely to commit evil acts and do harm to themselves and others. So I say that we are all strong in the force, and each day we battle with the darkside, and the light.

Which side are you on? Your decisions will tell you.....

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