Jay-Z & Shopping While Black

So, by now, we all know the story of Trayon Christian, Barney's and the belt, right?  Unless you've been under a pop culture rock, you've heard the stories, and all the follow up stories of how African Americans are being stopped after shopping in these expensive, upper class retail stores.  Much like DWB (Driving While Black), SWB (Shopping While Black) is not a new level of racism; Ask any black kid who grew up in a middle to lower class neighborhood with a store ran by a Asian.  We've been getting hit with the "Hurry Up And Buy" since before Menace to Society, so we were used to, and of course outraged, by this story.  A young black male goes to buy a belt (something that will apparently prevent them from being profiled and treated badly according to black apologists and conservative whites) and he is....profiled...while buying the belt.

Now, let this would have happened to...say....an Arab student?  Or say, an Asian American? Their communities AND their celebrities would be on the ball.  There would be no question.  There would be no "oh, let's wait and see what the police say."  The ball would be rolling.  *scoffs* But not our community.  Not our celebrities.  Matter of fact, our celebrities apologize for others being racists to THEM.  But let's address this current situation.

First, the young man was demonized for buying the belt by members of the black community (To which I say, to each his own.  He worked HARD for his money; he has no other pressing responsibilities; let him go for it!) THEN, our black celebrities remained (not surprisingly) quiet.  Which they always do; I never expect a black celeb to stand for anything anymore.  Black A-Listers aren't into being "spokespeople" (which is fine) but they also tend not to stand for anything (which is always a concern).

Jay-Z is held to a different standard, no matter his feelings on the situation.  Let's be honest: Jay-Z has marketed himself as being a rapper, a business man, and a man of the people.  He is, no matter how he feels about it, New York's favorite *black* son, therefore what he and his family does is deemed important.  So when a young Black man from NY is stopped at a store that Jay-Z shares a partnership with, OF COURSE people are looking to him with the confused face, especially when he says something like "oh, I don't know all the facts of the case, so that's why I didn't say anything sooner."

Sir. Sir. Stop it.

You know what I find hypocritically funny about Jay-Z? In 2010, he released the song "On To The Next One", where he famously says "I used to drink Cristal, them fuckers racist; Now I drink gold bottles; On to that Spade shit."  So, he'll drop a corporate sponsorship or stop supporting with a company that shows racism toward HIM, but if a company shows it toward his fellow people, he "has to get all the facts."

Oh.

Reattachment

I won't lie. I've been detached lately.

I don't know why either. You ever felt like you were floating through life? Like you were making it but not making it all at once? My sister calls it failing and succeeding at the same time, and I'm here for that description.

But I digress. I know ya'll don't come to my blog for my ventings on my personal life (that's what FB and twitter are for) but this is just a reminder that the kid's blog is still active and I will do better.

I won't lie. I'm apprehensive. Respected black female bloggers are having their content stolen on a regular and what's scary/funny/annoying/angering is that it's white academics stealing the info and claiming the research as their own. But I gotta get my words back out there. I think that's one reason for my season of depression and slight anxiety

But I digress. I'm reattached like Mr. Bobbitt's penis and I'm ready to go. Be in the lookout. Big ideas are coming :)