Freedom Ain't Free (Feardom)

A little something for the people. No worries. Live video is coming soon.

Prison Education & Free Labor

Can we discuss these school closings more in depth?

No. Seriously. This is really bothering me.  Between the schools in Philly closing and the unreliable figures dealing with the school closings in Chicago, it appears that the prison education is the education that the public really wants for our youth, ESPECIALLY our inner city/urban (read: Black and Hispanic) youth.

Yes, I know the prisons being built in Philly are private funded, but they still had to get approval from the city and state to even be built.  That's how building things work. Approval first, THEN building. So, basically, the city government saw fit to close schools, cut the budget, and tell the teachers to "figure it out", all while approving a brand new prison which, by the way, will have GED and trade programs.

So, let me get this straight. Instead of investing the money into the school, these state governments would  rather....invest it in the corporation that is building a prison in the very place that will displace hundreds upon hundreds of kids.

Like, what sense does this make? But it's happening across the country.  When I was dating Beane, he called me one day UPSET. "Baby, they are closing a bunch of the High Schools here in the D.  It's not fair!"  He and our other friends from Detroit went on to describe how and why they were closing these schools.  It's the same everywhere.  Schools closed. Teachers fired. But somehow, the government in that area finds the funds to support and invest in prisons. Or they come up with excuses on why the schools can't stay open. In Biloxi, they claimed the brand new school in the middle of the black neighborhood would cost "too much to operate" and then closed it, forcing hundreds of kids to go across town.  You know what's happening to the building now? Nothing. It's a multimillion dollar building, sitting in the middle of the hood, not even being used for a community center.  Meanwhile, the city government has decided to use bonds and BP oil spill money to build a minor league baseball stadium, across from the Beau Rivage casino.

Pay attention. They take away the schools where you get the basics.  Take away the programs that keep the kids off the street. Replace both with privately funded prisons that are often used to as labor markets.  Keep in mind, the constitution says that once you are in prison, you are a slave of the state. Slave = free labor. More private prisons = more free labor.

Can we say capitalism, kids? CAPITALISM.

Blacks, Hip Hop & The GOD Complex

The first time I heard a guy call another guy "God", I was a senior in High School. I was getting to know this guy, and he in school at UAPB.  One night, another guy walks in his room and in the midst of asking for something (like some noodles or something like that) He goes "Aye God....who you on the phone with?"  My friend responded, but once he got back to the phone, I asked "Did he just call you God?"

"Yea. I think it's a New York thing. They say "God" or "Son" a lot....I blame rappers"

Now, Badu told us in 1998 that "they" needed to call us by our names because we are God and we are made in that image.  Wu-Tang had been preaching the same thing since the early 90s.  I even think Biggie called himself "God" once or twice. And who can forget this image?



Nas "You Can Hate Me Now"



or this one?

Arguably one of his best albums...but I digress.

So, it's no doubt that as music gets more provocative and honest, we will get and continue to get images much like this one.

Kanye told ya'll early on who he was

Kanye, like others, has explained his reasons for naming his new album Yeezus, and for many, it's plausible and acceptable.  It seems that in 2013, you have more and more African Americans questioning God, religion, and our need to have a belief system.  Tyler the Creator and other members of Odd Future have made it known that they have a certain disdain for religion and for God, and more and more, rappers are taking on the mentality of omniscient behavior and a #YOLO mentality.  In an era of 5%ers, new Black Panthers, new militants, and atheist rappers, it's no wonder that certain images or phrases are being brought back to the mainstream in such a provocative way.  And interestingly enough, they actually have a bit of backing from the Holy Bible. 

Psalms 82:6

I have said "Ye are Gods....all of you are children of the Most High"

John 10:34-36

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 

If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came and Scripture cannot be set aside— 

What about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?

I can see why some Christians and super believers would have issues, though. Christianity and those who believe like it never rip off anything and use it as their own or in their own way for their own interpretation, right?

Oh. Nevermind.

Fear Of The Black (Male) Planet

"I know something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man's arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway" -- Charles Ramsey

Now, to many, this quote was pretty funny.  It was the words of a hood black man, speaking from the heart, about a situation in which he found himself in the middle.  I hadn't even thought of the quote until I saw a Facebook post from a friend of mine.

"I know something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man's arms." Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway." Quote from Charles Ramsey regarding his discovery/saving of three Cleveland women. We may have come a long way in the last 50-100 years, but it's obvious we still have a long way to go.

Now, she is white and I think she, like many other young, established whites, recognize that in the terms of race relations, the nation has not just a long way to go, but we have miles and miles and MILES to go.  But what I don't think they understand is they, as well as other races, are taught to fear the black man every day.

"But Kitti! No one is at my job or at my home telling me to be scared of black men! No one is telling me that black men are evil! And even if they did, I wouldn't stand for it!"

Uh. huh.

Let me ask you this:: when it's a group of you and your friends out and you see a group of young black men walking toward you, what's the first thing you do? Hug your purse a bit tighter, perhaps? Lock your cars doors AGAIN although you know you just locked them five minutes before? Immediately pull out your cell phone "just in case something happens". If you are walking, you probably cross the street if the black men look particularly.....thuggish.  How many jokes have you giggled to that ended with a punchline of "and the black man (insert something dumb or criminalized here)"?
See, white people (and many blacks too) don't want to admit that we have been taught to fear the black man.  In the 1920s, Cocaine was made illegal by preying on the fears of white males; they were told that if black men working in the shipyards kept taking cocaine (that was given to them by their bosses, by the way), they would break free and rape all the white women.  Same thing for Marijuiana.  The black man was once again blamed, put on trial, and judged, all based on irrational fears.  In the 1960s, the fear of the black man having guns was why then governor Ronald Reagan signed gun control into effect (the Black Panthers had promised to protect their neighbors from white cops by using any firearm they had).  In the 90s, the fear of the black man was amplified; The Central Park 5, for example. For young black males accused of raping a white woman? In Central Park? Oh yea. Black men all over the COUNTRY were put in the crosshairs.  The media, prosecutor, and police all played a role in solidifying a mentality that many whites still carry around to this day: The black man is dangerous.

So, am I shocked that this unlikely hero said what he said? Nope.  Because behind the teeth and the Sho' Nuff hairstyle, he knows the truth: If a pretty white lady is scared and threatened by the President, he knows they are scared of him, too.

Oh, and before I bounce.....Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight. They are the two other women in that house with Amanda Berry, but as we all know, the media doesn't care about missing minority women...but that's another blog for another day.

Lauryn & Lindsay

Can we address the legal system in America, please?


Justice may be blind, but the bitch sure is partial.

So, Lindsay Lohan, actress and currently the reigning Queen of Disaster, recently revealed in an interview that rehab was pointless, among other things she should have STFU about.  But this article really isn't about her lackluster attempt at sobriety and relevance.  It's more about how she has been handled by the court system, as compared to musical superstar Lauryn Hill.  L-Boogie's recent problems with the IRS has been no big secret, and just yesterday, after paying almost 1 million of the 1.8 owed, MLH was sentenced to 3 months in federal prison, fines of over $300K, PLUS house arrest when she is released.

Wait.

Now, Lindsay Lohan has been to rehab SIX TIMES. All six court ordered. All six stemming from broken probation and parole hearings. Do you know what happens if you break probation and break bail? You get arrested (I learned that from Dog The Bounty Hunter) Besides, I thought California had a "3 Strikes Law". You know...that whole if you get caught doing the same thing three times you go to prison for life thing?  And ok...so they don't have a 3 strikes law.  In every other court system in America, REPEAT OFFENDERS ARE PLACED IN PRISON AFTER SO LONG.

So.....what's going on here?

Lohan gets to break laws, lie about cocaine possession, steal, and all the court system keeps doing is giving her a slap on the wrist. A "don't do that anymore, little girl" is said to her in court as she cries and ACTS her way into another chance.  She never takes her rehabilitation serious.  She never takes court serious.  She does bullshit, placates the audience by saying "The judge saved my life", but then goes on TV and says "Oh, I don't have a problem. I just do this because I can. I can do whatever I want." The justice system shows me everyday that if you are a somewhat pretty white woman, you can do anything and get a light sentence, including sleep with your 14 year old student.

Meanwhile, black women like Lauryn Hill and young black girls like Kiera Wilmot are arrested and hauled off, given harsher punishments, and their explanations of why they do what they did is written off as crazy or misguided.

"Oh, Kitti, you always make things a race issue!"

It's hard not to make it about race when it's there in your face.

Beauty & the (Societal) Beast

On today, the Nerdy Nonconformist is going to step back and let another Nerdy Nonconformist (who so happens to be your friendly neighborhood Irish Republican) to handle this week's blog.  It's actually a Facebook note she posted, but I was moved. I really was, mainly because I agree with so much of the post.  Without further adieu, Madame Brittany Edwards and her take on beauty, love, and society that we called "Beast".

The first time I heard someone refer to women as the weaker sex, I was appalled. Even at a young age, I remember thinking that I was capable of doing anything a man could do, and honestly, I could probably do it better. But the older I get, I realize that maybe we are weaker; not because we aren’t capable of matching a man’s accomplishments, but because we continue to let everyone else define us-what makes us beautiful, what makes us successful, what makes us worthy. 

My entire life if you had asked me to write down five words that described me, I could have listed 100 different options, but the one word I never would have written down was beautiful. I always considered myself fat. Some years, I was legitimately overweight, I know that. But looking back, most of the time it was more just a case of me having big hips and a (really) big butt. My waist, if gone straight down, would have fit in a size 8 pair of jeans. That never mattered to me. Until I could borrow my thin, pretty friends’ pants, I would never be considered beautiful. Even now, every week I go to the gym 5 times, meet with my trainer twice, and walk/run with my best friend around the city three nights- all so I can fit back in my “skinny jeans,” which are a size 10, still considered big by societal standards.

When I weighed myself this morning I almost cried. I’ve lost two pounds in a month. I felt so frustrated. I keep doing all this work and the rewards are so low. Then I asked myself why getting back to that magic number was so important. 

The answer is that it isn’t important. No one is going to love me more because I’m 25 pounds lighter, and if they do, then they aren’t someone I need in my life anyway. All it will do is maybe make me feel better about myself because I’d be closer to what society deems perfection. In reality, I have a lot of things going for me: I’m smart; I’m funny and witty; I make killer long islands and sangria; I’m fiercely loyal; I’m driven; I’m a great NERTS partner; and, obviously, I’m also extremely modest. 

I’m not pretending men don’t have societal forces focused on them too. They have to deal with Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Alec Baldwin, etc., but in no way do they as a whole let it influence them the way women do. Men don’t sit around wondering how they can have it all-they just take it and go with it. They don’t judge other men on what age they get married, what age they have kids, what they look like. After a certain age, they really don’t judge women either; we keep doing that to ourselves. We know that the pictures of the models in Cosmo aren’t real, but that doesn’t stop us from buying over 14 million copies of it a year, just so we can get tips on how to look like them, or spending over $9.9 billion on plastic surgery in 2012 (men only spent $1 billion). We know that we don’t need a boyfriend or husband, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling like there must be something wrong with us if we are single. When my guy friends first hear my views on marriage and children, they may be shocked but it is not a huge deal, some even agree with me. It’s my female friends that give me hell about it. “Do you want to be alone forever?” “You’ll change your mind one day.” “A career isn’t everything you know.” “How could you not want to be a mom? It’s the best feeling in the world!” I admit, I judge them too, and so do the rest of my “career-oriented” friends. I think my stay at home mom friends are wasting their talents, that my friends who got married before graduating college will be hiring me for their divorces in the next 10 years, and that my friends who have already had children are missing out on the most exciting years of their life. 

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy, happy, and loved; it is this obsession with perfection, with having it all, that is the problem. We as a whole need to realize that terms like beauty, happiness, and success are relative to the individual. Only when we stop tearing each other down or holding ourselves to impossible standards, can we truly claim to be the stronger sex.

The Lake Show Is Dead

So, I didn't want to make this declaration.  I didn't. Not because I'm a Lakers fan (I'm a Sixers Girl) and I don't hate the Lakers per se (their fans are DEFINITELY a different story however....ha!) but I think it needed to be said because you cats are in a state of disillusion and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't shake you by the shoulders and say "Hey. Wake up, honey."

The Lake Show as you knew it is dead.  It actually started it's slow decline in 2010, with those pictures Kobe took. Oh. You forgot the pictures?

#NeverForget

No lie. The moment I saw this, I said in my head "It's a wrap for the Lakers. This man got on a bow tie, a 3/4ths length shirt, a hat and a sweat band. AND IS THAT TINTED LIPGLOSS?!?!?!"

*leaps out window*

I digress.  After they got swept by the Dallas Mavericks (for real...who saw that coming? They didn't put up a fight or anything!) and the public meltdown of several of the players caught the attention of everyone, the chips just started falling at will. They lost their fearless leader in Phil Jackson. Fisher got traded. They got Nash (who I think at one point said he would NEVER wear a Laker jersey); They got some kid from Orlando who has never really been a factor in the game but because he is a big guy, he gets a lot of attention (a modern day Shaq if you will, but at least Shaq had the rings to back up anything he said). They got Pau, who shows up and plays when it's cool for his pysche, And....that's about it. Who else is making it happen for the Lakers.Oh yea. This guy.

But he is a clutch player. Can't take that away from him.

But yo...for real....The Los Angeles Lakers WILL NOT be contenders again until the 2014-2015 season. Quote me.

This Whole Tebow Thing.....

Think back for a second. Ya'll remember when Tebow FIRST got drafted, and I said "Hey. The kid is OK, but he only got drafted because the NFL needed a PR savior?" Oh, ya'll dogged me.  Said I didn't know sports. Called me a hack. Said I didn't know anything because I was a *gasp* GIRL.  And all I did was smile. You know why? Because I know a media move when I see it.

See, Tebow isn't that great. We all know this.  If he was a great as others though he was, he'd be a starter. Period. Point blank. But see, Tebow was NEEEEDDDEEEEDDDDDDDD, do ya hear me. NEEDED.  The league was plagued with one quarterback who had rape charges, another who was just getting out of federal prison on dog fighting charges, and many other players who decided that they were going to drink and drive, beat up their girlfriends, and do whatever else they wanted to do because they are, after all, human.  With all this going on, the NFL commish had to do something. ANYTHING. Even if that meant have the media hype up convince a team to draft a player who was good looking, Godly, hard-working but not talented; someone who you wanted your dated to lose her virginity to; someone who would be a good look.  Someone who, as Mike Golic called him this morning,is  "a commodity".

And TA DA! Here you have Tim Tebow.  A young kid who made OK grades who was Godly, a virgin, and just so damn nice that you felt bad if you didn't at least try to like him. I mean, he has built a PR empire on being "nice."  Such is life; such is his lane.

Now, my stance on his talent is still the same; he needs to go to the CFL, fine tune a few things, and come back strong OR he could accept being passed around in the NFL until it's "his time".  The second tactice would work.  "Well Kitti, why?"

I'll tell you why. 

In 5 to 10 years, when the RGIII's and Mark Sanchez's of the league are getting ready to hit their climax, he will just be getting started? Why? Because he has been sitting on the bench, taking no wear and tear on his bones, getting rubbed up by trainers, and viewing the mistakes of others. So look, don't feel bad for Tebow. He is a PR commodity; we will see him again.

Keep Calm...It's not the end

You know, far be it for me to question someone's belief system, but uh....don't you think this whole "it's the end of days because bad things are happening" thought process is...well....kind of backwards?

Here me out though.

Evil has always existed. No matter if you believe in God, Buddha or yourself.  Evil is apart of the balance that is life.  Evil has existed since the first cave man killed another for having better animal pelts.  You know what else has always existed? Nature. Earthquake and storms and wild weather has been recorded for million of years. Floods and storms are nothing new. Not at all.

So these things....Evil men....wild nature...have always been present and real in our lives. Ask someone who has lost a child  to domestic violence or ask an older person who has lived through various weather situations.

You know what IS new? Technology.

The world isn't just now going to shit. It has been going to shit. We just see it now due to Facebook and Twitter and Instagram. Look. The 24 hour news cycle was created in my lifetime and they have to fill the void. Good news doesn't sell. It never has. Scandal sells. Corruption sells. Sadness sells. FEAR sells. So we sit around and tweet about Boston and terrorism while we watch CNN. We watch the horror of Newtown and Chicago unfold as we Facebook back and forth on MSNBC message boards. And as we do these things, we perpetuate that there is no good in this world. No hope.

What I'm saying is this: bad things happen. Doesn't mean the world is ending. Just means we can't ignore it anymore.

My Open Letter to "Black and Proud"

Dear Black and Proud,

Girl, bye.

Seriously.  Did you really write this letter to Essence expecting sympathy?  Did you expect fellow black women to jump on your ship and row with you?  I really hope you didn't because honey....sister to sister....you are getting what you deserve.

You aren't getting what you deserve because you are dating a white man, as you said your family and friends would imply. No, No.  I love my black men, yet God/Allah/The Universe bless the white man that lays eyes on my fellow sisters and says "Lawd have mercy."  The rate of white men-black women relationships is at an all time high, so hearing of, thinking of, or speaking of a black woman marrying a white man is becoming kind of a thing.  

You are, to me, getting what you deserve.

You hear that? You are getting what you deserve because you traded integrity for trips.  You traded your standards for Chanel.  Your love for self for a diamond slave chain because truth be told...you're a slave. A well paid, well fed slave, mind you; but a slave none the less.  I'd call you a slave if you said your husband was Black and from Nigeria or Alabama. In the letter, you say you don't want to leave because you don't want to give up the lifestyle you have.  I commend Sister Abiola for her response to you because to ME, the moment you said you'd rather have trips, money or diamonds over the sexual respect and love of your husband, you lost me.  You really did.  I would have written you a personal response that said "get over yourself" then I would have put your letter in File 13.  You have an Ivy League degree; at least that's what you said in your letter. You know what File 13 is.

Then to say you want to have children with this man. Disgusting. Absolutely.

But yo, sister, do you. I dig it. I do. Maybe if I was in the same shoes, I'd feel the same way.  Maybe I'd try to work it out with a husband who has a heart filled with malicious slander about my looks.  Maybe I'd try to work it out with a man who openly degrades my heritage.  Maybe I'd try to work it out with a racist little pigmy of a man because he buys me whatever I want and takes me places. Maybe I would.

But I doubt it.

Discipline & Being Black

Okay, so last week, we all heard about the two daughters who were "beat down" by their father for "twerking".  Before we clear up a few things, let's discuss and clear up a few of the details::

                  1) Two girls went to stay with their father for the weekend.

                  2) Upon returning to their mother's house, she sees welps and bruises and calls the cops.

                  3) The girls were whipped with the cords from the TV and DVD player.

                  4) The girls themselves have admitted they got the punishment for sneaking out the house.

  I REPEAT: THEY GOT IN TROUBLE FOR SNEAKING OUT, NOT TWERKING

                  5) The father has been arrested and charged with corporal abuse.

So you don't think I'm making up these details

First off all, I know society. Now, the girls look to be pre-teens in the video. If they would have snuck out and got pregnant, everyone would have said "the parents should have whooped their ass more."  Matter of fact, that's the one thing everyone says when folks act out as young adults/teenagers: "If you would have got your ass whooped when you were a kid, you wouldn't (insert whatever offense)*  The FIRST thing people said when the bus driver gave the girl an uppercut was "If she would have got more uppercuts as a kid, she wouldn't have put her hands on the bus driver." But because he "got caught" (read: there was provable video), suddenly, everyone is so outraged.  Everyone is so alarmed.  It's so....wrong. Question:: Where are ya'll when these mothers out here are beating their daughters over and over and calling it discipline?

And I've heard some say that physical discipline is reminscient of our "slave days". Basically, our ancestors were beat, so we beat each other and our kids.  The unending cycle of violence and despair they say.  You know, I see their point, but as a child who HAD to have physically discipline (mental discipline doesn't work when your kid is smarter than 90% of their peers *smart black girl shrug*) I'm not going to say my parents were wrong. I can count the times on one hand my father physically disciplined me.  My mother and I stayed going round and round, but like I said, I was a handfull and I tested her on a daily. So what was her recourse?

See we don't like when people use creative ways to discipline their kids. We say they are shaming and being unfair. This is my thing: Every kid is different. Some kids don't care about time out; they didn't at 2 years old, and they won't at 15. Some kids don't care about taking a an ass whipping; they didn't at 2 years old, and they won't at 15.  Take the time to know YOUR KID and know YOUR TEMPERANCE. Screw society; screw these pseudo-child psychologist and super pro-black types. Do what is best for you and your family.

Dear Hip Hop,

Dear Hip Hop,

I miss you.

As I sit here listening to Drake's connected ass talk about how he started from the bottom, I realize how much I miss your old ways.  I miss the days of rappers kickin' what they knew.  I miss the days of you being "the black man's CNN". I miss your storytelling, so evident in "Gorgy Porgy" or "The Message".  I miss your well placed raunch and your style; how you talked about sex without making it so...horrible. 

Damn, Hip Hop. What happened?

Was it money? Was there was more money in calling black women bitches and hoes than promoting pop lockin' and having fun? Was there more money in telling black men to shoot 'em up rather than telling them to fight the power? Was there more money in letting the Jimmy Iovine's and the Clive Davis' of the world run the music that was created on the streets of Brooklyn? Was there more money in spitting lines about date rape? Or in telling our sons how to "treat a girl"? Maybe there was more money in shitting on the memory of our youth?

Was it love? Did the black community not buy enough units? Did the bootlegging started by those trying to hustle make you leave?  Did the promises of white Pre-tween money make you change your mind about the road Hip Hop was traveling on? I just....Hip Hop, I don't understand. You've always been a voice. Such an inspiration.  From the moment I was allowed to listen to you, you permeated my soul and wrapped yourself around my heart.  Hip Hop, I was in love with you.

This ain't about a few rappers in the past few years.  This is about the past two decades, Hip Hop.  Two. Decades.

Something has got to give, my love.  Something has got to give......

Back Like I Never Left

I haven't posted since December. So not cool.

It hasn't been for lack of time, mind you. I think it's more....personal space from my thoughts. I've been under a lot of stress lately, so it's hard for me to write and not just....put people out there, ya know? As open as I am about my views on various subjects, I'm actually pretty quiet about my personal affairs and the issues I go though.  True, I'll say I'm stressed, but I never really say why, and I like it that way. It keeps *certain* people from knowing your weaknesses.

Besides, things like Twitter give me the instant satisfaction of almost yelling out a thought, whereas the blog I have to actually sit and formulate something.  This has always been my downfall. I have the attention span of a 8 year old boy unless it's something I'm REALLY into. But I digress.

But look here. I have been working on a few things. I've narrowed down the storyline and characters behind the book "Confessions of a Bi-Sexual Christian", and I've changed one of my novel ideas in a series of three short stories. The poetry book "See, I've Been Thinking" has been taken back to the drawing board, but I PROMISE YOU, once these things come out, ya'll will see why I've sat on them for so long. I want to put out good work. I want to be proud. I want you to be proud.

(Just a reminder of what the cover of See I've Been Thinking will look like. Poem titles have changed. LOL)

OH! And I want to do a coffee table book. I'm thinking of calling it #Love (yes, with the hashtag and all) and I want to take intimate pictures of various couples. Black, white, gay, straight. I want it to be a reminder of the one vibration that we all share; the one that makes us soar, cry, yell and chill all at the same time.

But I digress. I just wanted to shoot ya'll an update. I'm thinking of posting a few poems and some logos that I"m currently working on. Yes, the girl is growing into her own. *presses hands together and bows* Namaste :)

Speaking For Millions

I'm really sick of these pseudo-studies on black women.

The latest study, I guess in an effort to get into the mind of the black woman, is an attempt to understand why black women don't go to the gym.  Black Women, Exercise and hair

I'm sick of the way these research papers and studies are conducted.  It's like, they take the smallest "random sample size" they can find, and just...run with it. Really, Dr. McMichael? REALLY HOMEGIRL?!?! *eye roll* As a scholar, a dermatologist, and from the reading, it seems a black woman, you should know better and should have put together a better study.

According to the 2010 census, 42 MILLION Americans identified themselves as African-American, with 28% of that 42 MILLION being black, single females. Keep in mind, I'm not counting married/divorced/widowed black women, just single.  By those numbers, that means that almost 12 Million of the original 42 Million counted are black female, and you mean to tell me, that this craptastic study that only talked to 103 women is the standard for what black females think about exercise?

"Towel Cheese" *in my Legend voice*

First off, if you want to address the situation of why many black women don't go to the gym, your study should have hit each area of the United States.  Black women in the North, West, and East appear to go to the gym more than those in the south, and my little hypothesis is based on simple conversations and social network statuses.  The South, my home, has a different approach to health PERIOD. Keep in mind, Mississippi and Alabama were ranked the most obese states in the union, and this was based on total population, not a fractured part of said population.  Second, can we address the fact that more and more black women are now natural? And the ones who aren't natural wear weaves, so what "hair" are we really "worried" about. Finally, let's address this sample size again. Like, it blows me. REALLY?!?!? 103 people. One-oh-three. They didn't even sample .000000000001% of the black female population of North Carolina, let ALONE the black female population in general.

And what blows me the most? What REALLY blows me...is that black men are reading this study and co-signing it all the way to the bank.

*le sigh*

Silly Policies Are For The Birds

So, KTBS-TV out of Shreveport, Louisianan fired their meteorologist for failure to comply with company policy.

She's gorge! Look at those cheekbones! And she resides in her house by the side of the road! But I digress.

Now, what was the policy, you ask? Well, apparently, after several Internet conversations went totally sideways, the station emailed all their employees and said that when they receive comments online that are disturbing, they are either to ignore them or tell the poster to contact the station.  After receiving a comment about her short, natural hairstyle, Ms. Lee responded, and was, in turn, fired for failing to comply with the policy.  Petitions have been filed; people are in an uproar; and even the poster himself states that he called the station.

Huffington Post (Black Voices) Story <<--- click here for links to statements, email, etc, etc.

*sighs*

For one, I think the policy of that station is silly. Instead of saying "Don't respond to anything people say about you," the station SHOULD have said "Let's TEACH you how to respond to the simplistic, mindless, idiotic things that people will say."  You know, the same way the NFL is trained to handle press, the press has to be taught how to handle the people.  Media is a tough career path to work in, and people are going to say WHATEVER they want, especially on the Internet where you can keep your identity the purest secret.  News outlets have to have policies in place that allow for any and every type of situation. Keep in mind, a white male was also fired from the same station on the same day for breaking the same policy.  So, it's not just a "black woman is fired for defending her hair" type of story; it's a "people were fired for defending themselves" type story, and to me, that's an issue.  When did defending yourself, especially in such a professional way, become such a bad thing? Why do we as professionals have to allow those on the outside to say whatever they want to us, but we can't respond in an adult fashion?

I hate the policy. I do. Because if you follow policy, she should have been fired. She broke the rules. But dammit, was there no room for leniency? Was there no room for the white guy, an eight year station veteran, who was fired? Who stands up for those who get in trouble, even when they are wrongly right?

The Re-Launch

So, due to me forgetting my account log-in for wordpress and wordpress being buggers and not "being able to locate my account"....I now welcome you all to....THE NERDY NONCONFORMIST.

*pause for round of applause*

I think I'm going to add a few things to the blog. First, video blogs will be added. I keep getting the question "Are you going to start a YouTube page?" Well, the answer is...maybe. LOL. It depends on the response to the videos.  If they ones of me by myself is received well, from there, I will expand into adding people or doing interviews.

Secondly, I'm CONSIDERING adding guest bloggers. I discuss a variety of things, but I'm well aware that I am no expert. I want to present information to ya'll that is clear and concise. Plus, while there are things that go on in the world every day, I may not have the right words to express the ideals of the blog....ergo, finding others who have similar or even opposing views maybe a solid way to go.

Finally, the POETRY. The thing that is asked for the most. *smile* Now, I won't give ya'll MUCH, considering that I am still compiling enough pieces for a nice, solid poetry/photography book...but I will give ya'll the vernacular art that might be considered "Too Hot" for Facebook or "Too Long" for the book.

The "AngyBlackNerd" was considered as a title. As was "FatSmartandFabulous". But The Nerdy Nonconformist seems so right, don't you agree?

So...without further adieu...let's go....