Stupid Rich Negro Role Models

OK so I was reading through my daily blogs and forums (I get so bored at work in the morning) and stumbled upon a very interesting video that I really wish I had not seen. Take a look see.

I will be the first to say that having a black President gives me that sense that in this great country of ours, anything is possible. Why is it that the people who represent us on a national stage use that opportunity to make us look foolish and ignorant?

Now from the first time I heard the song "My President is Black. My Lambo is Blue"- the two relate to each other how exactly? Was your Lambo red when Bush was in power? (Bloods & Crips analogy for those who are not hip). Then a guy I actually respected, Mr. Carter as I like to call him, remixes the song - OH NO.

This man worked so hard to remove himself from the "drug dealing rapper, turned fashion guru, turned record exec mogul" category. The man owns a part of a basketball team which would then mean he is an official business man; and you go on the national stage and represent not only your company and your name that way; but as a general brand and for argument sake, black people? What do we think that for July 4th, we're having a cook out on the White House lawn? Get Real!

Why does black have to be associated with ignorance? You know the "other people" are like "OMG what have we done?!" Let's get it together - the president is black, great; the country has hit a milestone, a moment in history, but his job remains the same. And if he fails the consequences are 10 fold.

Did I forget to mention this was at one of the "after parties"? More later!

Bleaching for Beauty

How can we NOT expect white America to hate us if we hate ourselves. More ignorance hard at work:

Skin whitening is a billion-dollar worldwide industry, and the “Tyra Show” addresses the drastic measures some women are willing to take to achieve their ideal look. African-American women talk candidly about why they bleach their skin to lighten their complexions. Plus, meet a mom who puts bleach on her three small children every day before they leave for school.

- episode 3 season 4

This episode featured 6 women who all bleach their skin under the premise that light skin women have better, easier lives. Many of these women have been bleaching their skins for YEARS; the irony is none of them are really "dark skin" - at least not my standards, or Crayola's.


These women are not alone in their self-loathing. Many women, despite the side effects, continue to bleach their skin in an attempt to boost their self-esteem and "improve" their appearance. They give a number of reasons, but it all seems to boil down to the fact that they hate their skin color.

I understand that we live in a very shallow society, however, have we become so consumed with "outer beauty" that we've brain-washed ourselves into believing that lighter & whiter is better?

Skin bleaching products are intended to remedy blotches and dark spots, not to ALTER the color of one's skin. Yet these women pile on the skin bleachers for years and years.

Skin-bleaching products work by fading those oversized freckles known as “age” or “liver” spots, lightening brown patches, evening out splotchy skin tone, and depigmenting areas that are overly pigmented due to sun exposure, hormonal imbalance, or scarring. source

Is it absolutely worth it? Many of these women don't realize (or don't care about) the risks that these products carry:

Mercury
Even small doses of Mercury can cause neurological damage. This concern is so great, Minnesota has outlawed cosmetics like skin lighteners that intentionally feature it. But some "mom and pop" shops carry creams with that contain extreme levels of such ingredients.

Hydroquinone
This component of many skin-bleaching techniques is also found in film developing products. (Note: Your body is a work of art, but should you treat it like a chemically processed photo in a darkroom? We think not!) The idea of using this ingredient didn't sound good to the French, who banned it for fear of cancer risks.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids
These are most commonly found in facial chemical peels, which are better known as procedures reserved for serious and infrequent skin overhauls administered by professionals. These should not be in anything you use at home regularly.

Arsenic
Most people hear this word and immediately think "poison," which is exactly what arsenic is. Not something you want to find on the list of ingredients in your face cream, but that might be the case with some skin lighteners. source

Doesn't seem all that worse it. So now I'm lighter, but I have cancer? NICE!! It's really sad to see when black people go above and beyond to erase their ethnicity - weaves to have bone straight hair, cosmetic surgery, bleaching - yet it doesn't change that fact that you were born as, and will always be a NEGRO!!!! Despite the lip injections and tanning sprays, not never will you ever hear a white person say darker is better.

The ignorance isn't limited to black folk though - no no no. You have Spanish people who have convinced themselves that they are in fact WHITE. Their complexion and hair has diluted them into thinking that they, somehow, are better than black people. HA!!! This coming from a bunch of immigrants who refuse to learn English and properly assimilate.

People who have this "skin complex" are sad. You have people in Africa who are as dark as tar and are gorgeous. Tyra actually also did a show featuring some of the industry's top black models in order to commemorate the all-black issue of "Italian Vogue" (granted many of these models were "fair" skinned, but I digress).

The point is that there are a number of successful BLACK models, actresses, business woman etc. who did not have to go to the extreme of bleaching to attain their success and wealth.

How would these women react to know that there were common folk women out there who didn't like their own skin color?

Watch the episode below and leave your thoughts.

Vent on New York City: Train Etiquette

I've decided that once people are christened as "new yorkers" a chip is embedded into their brain's control center causing them to be a jerk; oh but not any ol' jerk - mm mm - but one that exceeds all jerk expectations; they excel at what it means to be a jerk. At the risk of sounding arrogant and non-patriotic I must say that if NY was blown up & built from scratch, NY 2.0 couldn't possibly be any worse.

There's a laundry list of grievances to bear with me people.

• Move To The Back of The Bus: maybe many of you are still suffering from "Rosa Parks" syndrome and see sitting in the back of the bus as taboo, but I promise you it can't be any worse than crowding around the entryway. I can't even count how many times train or bus doors would open and it's packed beyond belief; no one can get in or out or move comfortably. Yet as the train/bus pulls off, I see nothing but wide open spaces in the middle of the train cars, or the back of the bus. Yet people look at me like I'm crazy for excusing and pushing my way to the back. Don't turn sour when I get a seat, as you're still playing kissy face up front with 30 strangers. People insist all cluttering the doorways, but wonder why they get pushed and shoved and tossed around.
• If You Don't Want to Get Pushed, DRIVE: why do people insist on getting upset when they get pushed, pulled, or stepped on while travelling during rush hour? Ignoring the simpletons who simply won't move in, there are certain peak hours where the buses and trains are inevitably crowded. Catch an attitude if there's only 5 of you aboard, and you get your new Puma's scuffed. But if it's 5:30PM, prepare to be touched. And if you absolutely can't deal, then guess what - public transportation IS NOT for you. Leave the attitude at the turnstyle and get over yourself.
• Fat People, Don't Do It: Don't you just love when there's only a slither of seat available, and some 200+ pouind individual feels as though they can miraculously fit themselves into the seat? If you know that you require 2 seats (minimum) - DON'T DO IT! Why must 2 unsuspecting passengers besubjected to your pushing and be made uncomfortable because you're too lazy to stand?
  
• What is the Real Purpose of the Emergency Brake: Now we've all had those moments when we're on the train and we think we're about to die. Shit happens - people get sick. But pulling the emergency brake isn't equivalent to waving a magic wand and making itall go away. Because not only are you now still sick, you're now sick in a tunnel, with a bunch of pissed off strangers who have somewhere to be. Don't inconveneice the rest of the train car because you're menstruating. THank goodness buses don't have those! WHEW!
• Your Lateness is Your Problem: Just the other day I was on the 3 train, and this woman was stomping her feet and clapping her hands as though she was at some sort of Greek ALliance Step COmpetition. SHe began cussing and just having an all out fit. WHY? Because the train doors weren't closing (move ALL the way in people) and the train was delayed. Although I can understand her frustrations - we all have places to be - but having a tantrum for 5+ stations is not going to make the train go any faster. ALl you've succeeded at doing is annoying your neighbors. And Heaven forbid you're on a bus - the driver isn't going to fly past every stop, through all the red lights, just so you can make it in time to your booty call. If you were in that much of a rush, you should've left your house sooner. Either way, it's a personal problem.
• Fatties, Sickies, Mommies, Old Folgies: say it with me people - ACCESS-A-RIDE!! Not that I am insensitive to any of the aforementioned but let's be real - your presence on the train is an inconvenience, and isn't this country based on the principle that we adhere to the needs of the many? The fatties either squeeze their way into seats or force us to have to go around them to get anywhere (9/10, they're part of the people who WON'T move in); the sickies are pulling emergency brakes and spreading their germs everywhere; the mommies are on there with their 20 kids and 5 strollers, taking up all sorts of space, while their offspring is screaming up a storm and throwing their toys around; and the old folgies move at about 2 miles an hour and absolutely must sit down, as though no one else has sore feet or arthritis or fatigue.

I can go on and on about the people who board with their bikes (RIDE IT); or the homeless whose stench takes up a whole train car; or the high school kids who insist on behaving like baboons on ecstasy; etc. etc.

But the reality is when you live in NY you have to contend with the fact there common decency is about as common as a solar eclipse. To be in this city, you'd have to have more than "thick skin" and patience; you'll need a deep fear of the prison system to not murder someone on the bus or train.

Nigger of the Week: Young Mula

Is this what "young money" looks like? Then I'll settle for being poor and old any day of the week, because this just doesn't make any sense. Nicki Minaj - pretty young lady with an ugly mouth - has the nerve and AUDACITY to tell people to "step their pussy up, " while she's sitting in a a room fool of hoodlums & delinquents with her breasts falling out of her shirt. As she continues to say nothing about NOTHING you can't help but wonder how many of them she's slept with. And what does it even mean to step one's "pussy up"? Does that mean sleep around me? Maybe it means to douche more frequently?

Sidenote: Nicki Minaj is the "lollipop girl" in our Bashment Promotion post.

I just don't understand what young BLACK America is coming to. Is this really supposed to be the future of hi-hop or the future in general? It's really just sad to see. You have Drake, formerly Jimmy Brooks of Degrassi "midst of this fuckery" (as per Super Woman) and all you can do is shake your head. What a waste of time and talent. There's the toddler on tourette's bouncing around the room with a Lil Wayne All Access Pass instructing that we "get it "get it". And then there's the rest of the simple idiots, carrying on as though they were raised by monkeys. But if any of you have seen the movie Tarzan, you ca clearly see that even monkeys would do a better job.

Again another clear example of people falling into their OWN hype. These morons say absolutely NOTHING of substance in this video; but they had a camera and decided that we should share in their nonsense. I've decided that people make these videos, not because they believe what they're saying, but because they are desperate for publicity and attention. I refuse to believe that ANYONE is that ignorant or imbecilic.

The Real Meaning of "Diva"

di·va /ˈdivə, -vɑ/ [dee-vuh, -vah] –noun, plural -vas, -ve /-vɛ/ [-ve] . a distinguished female singer; prima donna. [Origin: 1880–85; < It < L dīva, fem. of dīvus god; cf. divine]

The basic sense of the term is "Goddess" or "fine lady" and it derives from the Latin 'divus' meaning 'divine'.

Despite is musical reference, the term "diva" has been known to represent a woman of rare, outstanding talent - not limited to the performing arts. Despite its sometimes negative connotation within the entertainment industry, the term "diva" is one that over the years has become synonymous with strong, independent, successful women. But leave it to Beyoncé to taint the entire meaning of the word.


Interview after interview, Beyoncé has made a point in stating that she hates it when people call her a diva - because that's not what she is. Remember the negative connotation I mentioned earlier? - a female singer who is arrogant, egocentric, rude, condescending, etc. - yeah, that's what Beyoncé isn't.

However, whether it was to satisfy her own agenda or simply because she ran out of lyrics, Ms. Knowles released a single on her latest trash album entitled "Diva".

I’m a a diva (hey)
I’m a I’m a a diva (hey)
I’m a I’m a a diva (hey)
I’m a I’m a a diva
I’m a I’m a a diva (hey)
I’m a I’m a a diva
I’m a I’m a a diva (hey)
I’m a I’m a…

Na na na diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a husla
Of a of a hustla
Na na na diva is a female version of a hustla
Of a husla
Of a of a hustla

Stop the track, let me state facts
I told you give me a minute, and I’ll be right back
Fifty million round the world and they said that I couldn’t get it
I done got so sick and filthy with benj’s I cant spend
How you gone be talkin shit?
You act like I just got up in it
Been the number one diva in this game for a minute
I know you read the paper, the one that they call a queen
Every radio round the world know me
Cause that’s where I be

Let's clear up a few inconsistencies:

• How do you insist to the media for years that you're not a diva then release a song, not only entitled "Diva" but that glorifies you being a diva? One of the lines in the 1st verse (Been the number one diva in this game for a minute contradicts the whole claim to never being a diva. Dumb (_!_)


• "diva is a female version of a hustla" - Really?? We will revisit this in depth later; but I will say this - a diva is NOT, nor has it ever been, a female version of a "hustla". Now the concoction of this nut (_!_) definition was probably just to pacify Beyoncé's inner diva - if I change the meaning, then it's ok if I'm a diva - but do not spew this filth on the radio as though it's the new anthem of the feminist movement. But I digress … til further notice.


• Beyoncé's rise to fame was only because of her SINGING ability - she's not an actor, and she certainly is NOT a rapper. Maybe this song was intended to be a parody to Lil Wayne's "A Milli" (have you seen the "Diva" video? It's nothing short of a joke, but let's move on) in which case she should've consulted her RAPPER husband and had him write her rhymes for this track. It's not as though she's opposed to stealing, borrowing, using other people's work.


• Not only has Beyoncé always maintained that she's not a diva, when interviewing, she would describe herself as "humble" and "modest". The modesty in these lyrics have escaped me so can someone point me to it. Don't worry, I'll wait.
  
  O I know - this isn't Beyoncé; it's her other personality alter-ego "Sasha Fierce". As we move on…

Artists are constantly altering the meanings and spellings of words to sell records. Ex: it's ludicrous and fabulous not Ludacris and Fabolous. So the fact that Beyoncé would give the word (that she hates) a whole new meaning isn't all that surprising. Just annoying.

hus·tler /ˈhʌslər/ [huhs-ler] –noun
1. an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.
2. Slang. a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money; swindler.
3. Informal. an expert gambler or game player who seeks out challengers, esp. unsuspecting amateur ones, in order to win money from them: He earned his living as a pool hustler.
4. Slang. a prostitute.
5. a person who hustles.

Maybe I'm a slow, but as far as I can tell, "hustler" is not a gender specific term; it is not specific to solely males. So for Beyoncé to make the bold statement that ANYTHING is the female version of it is LUDICROUS. That's like saying "a nurse is the female version of a doctor" - let's not.

Moreover, the 2 words do not mean the same thing - not in slang or the Queen's English - so why is one being compared to the other? One is not synonymous to the other, and for good reason. Diva typically refers to females, where as a hustler can be male or female. So if Beyoncé wanted to, she could claim that she's both a diva and a hustler.

"I'ma hustler I'ma I'ma hustler homie" -Sean "Jay-Z" Carter

So MAYBE Beyoncé was implying she's the female version of her beau?! What an insult to him that would be. §MH.

What's most infuriating about Beyoncé's definition of "diva" is the fact that she has every female - young & old, far & wide - believing it. Ladies have it in their myspace names, aim messages, facebook status, etc - all claiming that they're divas: the female version of hustlers. Why can't good sense spread this quickly? Why aren't we quoting Maya Angelou or Mary McLeod Bethune? Who aspires to be a "hustler"?! Yes the slang terminology has diluted us into believing a hustler is a good thing - fine - but still. This is someone who dropped out of high school (which explains a lot) so what makes her a reliable source of information for what constitutes as "diva" or "hustler" or anything? She didn't "hustle" to get her millions; she sang! Her daddy runs ran her career, and many of her millions were a collaborative effort with Destiny's Child. So what are her "hustles"? - House of Dereon? Her acting career? This is not a post about Beyoncé so I won't waste another second.

It's sad to see how susceptible ignorance can be. Beyoncé in 1 track can come along and completely alter the meaning of a word and suddenly it's Gospel. SMDH.

Reality Love Shows: Why?

This is just the most bizarre of all television programming......Reality Love Shows. What's worse is, they're now taking the REJECTS of one love show and giving them THEIR OWN reality show. For example, who thought it was a good idea to give "New York", a reject from the Flavor of Love show, her own disaster of a program?? Just the simple fact that she had the name "New York" depressed me: 1) When people think of New York, nothing outside of the 4 or 5 boroughs (depending on what you think of Staten Island) comes to mind. She was from Syracuse or Albany or one of the other hick "Halloween"-like towns that have a population of 3 or less. Enough said. 2) Her lack of class, sophistication, talent, A BRAIN, etc. gives a terrible name to all of the women who are from the REAL New York (apologies to all the Upstate readers, but come on, you already know that where you live doesn't count). The "I Love New York" show was just an excuse for her to flash the world her cleavage and display her LACK of sex appeal.

NOW, to add insult to injury, VH1 decided to take two rejects from "New York"-The Reject's show, "Real" and "Chance", and give them THEIR own trainwreck. Now if you thought you lost brain cells after subjecting yourself to either or both seasons of her show, you'll feel like a vegetable after watching "Real Chance at Love". First things first, they've got more bizarre names for their contestants/groupies/airheads than any of their other nut a** predecessors, including "MILF", "Bay Bay Bay", and "Rabbit". Not to mention the wonderful bonding sessions, such as "Chance" taking his pack of cheerleaders to get tattoos to prove their devotion. I don't know about any of you other ladies, but I can't really see myself getting a permanent mark on my body for someone that I may not even end up with. Once you get kicked off the show, how will you explain that tattoo afterwards?? "Oh, that was for my CAT Chance (or whatever the urchin's real name is) that passed away......." Yeah, good luck with that.

However, it's not just the ignorant negroes getting their 15 minutes of fame on these shows. You've got faux celebrities like Tila Tequila and washed-up rock stars like Bret Michaels who have been given their opportunity to waste valuable television time as well. It seems like every person searching to get laid now has the chance to bore the rest of us with their unfortunate love story. What's saddest about this is there are so many people that watch these "programs" (dare I call them that) religiously each week. Honestly though, is this what our culture has become? Are we really THAT desperate for entertainment??

Notorious: Don't Believe the Hype II

As with any movie, a number of "exclusive" clips leak. After seeing a few, I've decided that "Notorious" resembles a school play gone bad. I stumbled upon this video on another blogger's site and it took the cake. I second her notion that as someone born and raised in Brooklyn, it's almost natural to want to support this film. But I just can't. After seeing this, I can also understand Lil Kim's anger towards the film.

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