by Rupe | Jul 19, 2016 | Deep Thoughts, Reflections, Social-Race Issues, what the...?
Jimmie Williams joins demonstrators in a protest outside of City Hall calling on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign on December 11, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. A recently released video of the shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke has sparked protests and calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign for allegedly trying to cover up the circumstances surrounding the shooting.SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES
I was a grad student at the UCLA film school, getting my MFA in screenwriting, when a consumer-trends company asked me to work for them. Why did they want me? Well, they advised major corporations on how to best situate their products for the African-American consumer market, and in order to do that effectively, the company needed people who understood African-American values and behavior and could turn those factors into macro trends. In essence, my job was to predict the things black people did today to hint at future behavior and, from that info, identify the strategies companies should use to reach black people.
Source: Black America Is Leaving While Staying Put
My Comments: Well written – captures the sentiments of the majority of black folks. We’ve got to start tending our own gardens – there is no sustenance in hope, no love in fear and the hot rage and meanness of racism knows no bounds. We are way too beautiful for this shit!
by Rupe | Jun 25, 2016 | Mentoring, Reflections
Two very different relationships that overlap in complicated ways.
Like coloring books or meals composed entirely of vegetables, befriending one’s parents is something that, by early adulthood, seems to take on a new sheen of coolness. If you’re a millennial on any form of social media, you’ve probably seen the evidence: heartfelt posts popping up on birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s and Father’s Days, declaring that the poster’s parents aren’t just the best parents, but also their best friends. We’re a generation raised on Gilmore Girls, and it shows.
Source: Can Parents Really Be Friends With Their Kids? — Science of Us
My Comments: Really interesting take on the topic.
by Rupe | Jan 15, 2016 | Mentoring, Reflections
Studies show that sons in fatherless households have the highest odds of being incarcerated, have higher levels of behavioral problems and are more likely to be suspended from school.
Thabiti Boone grew up in a neighborhood where fathers didn’t exist, he says. The few who were physically present weren’t there spiritually or emotionally.
“I never saw dads in the park playing with their sons,” Boone recalls.
In his own life, Boone, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., says that his father was present but not there. A star high school basketball player, Boone says his father came to only one of his games.
“I don’t remember my father hugging me. We never heard him say he was proud of us,” Boone says of himself and his brother. “The emotional pain of what I deserve and didn’t get, I have to carry it for the rest of my life.”
Source: The Impact of Absent Fathers on the Mental Health of Black Boys
My Comments: This is powerful stuff. The best gift a man can give his son is to carry him into manhood. I love my son with all my heart and hug and kiss him every day; never thought for one millisecond not being in his life. Could never understand a man who would – could never understand mine.
by Rupe | Aug 25, 2015 | Mad Musings, Reflections
Parenting doesn’t stop at Freshman Week.
All across the United States, people are weeping. They are sobbing, sputtering, sniveling and mewling because they are in the process of saying goodbye to their little baby boy or little baby girl who somehow has passed through the larval stage to emerge suddenly as this new creature called a college freshman.
Source: At college drop-off weepfest, remember these three words
My Comments: My day is coming and I would be lying if I didn’t say I dread it. As much as I want my boy to go out in the world and thrive, I know I will miss him greatly. As I write this, today is the first day of his senior year in high school. A year from now he will likely be off to come college. I get reflective even now as I think about it.
by Rupe | Aug 5, 2015 | Health-Wellness-Sex, Mad Musings, Reflections
The Evolution of Man
Excellent question. And before I explain the real answer, which is rather mind-bending, here are some previous arguments and why they are wrong.
Myth 1: We die to make room for younger generations.
Genes are selfish, and each individual body is a vehicle for a collection of genes. These genes are selected to favor the survival of copies of themselves. Since parents and offspring use the same resources, the death of a parent creates room ecologically for just one offspring.
Source: According to the theory of evolution, why do we die?
My Comments: Very interesting piece from Quora!
by Rupe | Jul 3, 2015 | Reflections
Frederick Douglass
Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens:
He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. I do not remember ever to have appeared as a speaker before any assembly more shrinkingly, nor with greater distrust of my ability, than I do this day. A feeling has crept over me, quite unfavorable to the exercise of my limited powers of speech. The task before me is one which requires much previous thought and study for its proper performance. I know that apologies of this sort are generally considered flat and unmeaning. I trust, however, that mine will not be so … Click source below to read the entire speech.
Source: “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
My Comments: This is an absolute must read for all who care about humanity. It is a bit long, but Douglass poses several important questions that get to the heart of what the 4th of July really means in the context of our shared history. Great stuff!
