Get Down or Sit Down, Part 4: Razing the Perch

Although social media and the age of information have been great for networking and expanding movements like never before, these advents have also given way to a much bigger problem: the self-righteous, pseudo-omniscient members of our society now have even wider, taller soapboxes on which they can prop themselves.  Granted, every last one of us sound off about something we feel is unjust or appalling and we often pull no punches when doing so.  However, when you hear the grumblings throughout the Black community regarding how we can't seem to unify to literally save our lives, that lack can often be attributed to the particularly and disturbingly pervasive mentality of "Blacktivism" from the comforts of "the perch".  In lieu of looking at all of their fellow brothers and sisters laterally, they often address 90 percent of them vertically.  So in the fourth and final part of "Get Down or Sit Down", I challenge many of my high-minded brothers and sisters as I "raze the perch" to cement a more down-to-Earth foundation for the movement...

Scribbler's "Get Out of My Brain!" Countdown of the Month (August 2016)

The month of July leading into August was an interesting time for music for a few reasons.  First and foremost, this is one of the few times where every song that entered the countdown stayed on the countdown--which is ironic because the beginning of the month found me flooding my ears with music, but I was probably tired of having melodies and beats on my mind for the majority of the last 24 days.  Second, there were a lot of times where one song would make me think of another song or one moment would remind me of another moment where I was thinking about the same song or sets of songs...pretty much a real fustercluck.  Third, I've had quite a few instances where I've had the desire to hear music either from those with whom I've broken bread or who I've known better than the back of my hand.  (Hold on...checking this extra hairy patch on the back of my hand...okay, I'm good.)  So in the August edition of the "'Get Out of My Brain!' Countdown of the Month", you all will witness "Moments In Intersectionality", "Moments In Shameless Plugging" and two other songs that won't leave me alone.  Let's jump to it...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: A Countdown for Mrs. Scribbler

If I've said it before, then I'll say it again: as much as music keeps me going on my own, music is often the life blood between me and my closest family members, friends, lovers lost and lovers kept and Mrs. Scribbler is certainly no exception to that rule.  Whether it's been on long road trips, date nights, hanging out in the house or just random moments, there are so many songs and albums that have provided the soundtrack to our life as best friends, boyfriend and girlfriend and eventually husband and wife.  So to kick off the celebration of our eighth wedding anniversary, I share with you all a special "Rave & Favorite Five" dedicated to my Babushka.  Be warned: the majority of it might make you need a barf bag and be on your Ice Pick from Don't Be a Menace "aiight, that's enough of that sentimental sh--" flow.  Let's go...

Scribbler's Milestone Post of the Year: 100 Posts & Runnin'

It took over three years and a website makeover/name change to get to this point, but we have finally arrived at the long-awaited 100th post.  To think that this time last year, I strongly considered never writing another post for New Problem Tuesdays ever again.  Between the demands of my personal life and having another passion that took just as much of my time as this does, it just didn't seem like there was enough room for a blog.  Nevertheless, the saga of The Angry Musings of Dirk Scribbler/New Problem Tuesdays continues much to my approval--and hopefully to yours as well. So in this milestone post, I just want to share with y'all some of my reflections about the ups and downs of being a barely-above-average blogger...

The Miseducation of America: Exploring Power, Supremacy and the Black Panther Party

If you were to separately interview ten people--whether those ten people are all Black, all White or a mix of different racial backgrounds--no one would probably give you the same answer if you asked about the Black Panther Party.  In the year of the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party founded in Oakland, California, we all know by now that Beyoncé particularly honored the women of the Party in the Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show...and that absolutely sent so many people in America in a tizzy.  Groups have threatened to protest at the NFL Headquarters, boycotts of the 20-time Grammy-award winning artist have materialized in the form of a Facebook page and several public officials have denounced her performance.  It comes as no surprise that FOX News would air two of the opposing opinions such as that of Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani:

I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive.  And what we should be doing in the African-American community, and all communities, is build up respect for police officers.  And focus on the fact that when something does go wrong, OK, we'll work on that.  But the vast majority of police officers risk their lives to keep us safe.

It's interesting that Giuliani did two things with his dense commentary: 1) automatically attribute the imagery of the Black Panther Party to attacking police officers, essentially channeling his White privilege as well as his inner Ronald Reagan; and 2) be so defensive considering that he and the New York Police Department were at the center of the highly-controversial Amadou Diallo shooting in 1999.  However, the most disappointing comment came from Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who happens to be Black: 

Beyonce in those Black Panther-type uniforms, would that be acceptable if a band, a white band came out in hoods and white sheets in the same sort of fashion?  We would be appalled and outraged.  The Black Panthers are a subversive hate group in America.

Okay, so they carried around guns and weren't afraid of the police.  Neither were the militia at the Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, but I didn't hear Clarke's opinion on that or the distinction "subversive hate group" being tossed around then.  Since it's abundantly clear that these are the only images that so many misinformed people choose to look at when viewing the Black Panther Party through the narrowest scope possible, let's try to set the record straight about the Black Panther Party's importance in Black history as well as American history...

The Brilliantly Offensive & Polarizing Blackness of Beyoncé

"She can't sing"..."Such-and-such can sing better than her"..."the only reason she's famous is because her father managed the group"..."she wasn't even the best looking one in Destiny's Child"..."her fans are sheep"..."all she does is shake her booty"..."she's a devil worshipper"..."I heard her breath stinks"..."she's whitewashed and wears European hairstyles"..."she's much older than they're saying that she is"..."she's too sexy"...these are just a few of the most asinine reasons that I've heard for people to dislike Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.  It doesn't matter that she's clearly a family-oriented woman who loves her husband of nearly eight years and her four-year-old daughter with all of her heart.  It doesn't impress people that her net worth is somewhere between $250 million and $450 million, earning $54.5 million in and being named Forbes magazine's most powerful female musician of 2015.  It  makes folks no never mind that she has sold over 118 million records worldwide as a solo artist, 60 million records worldwide with Destiny's Child, won 20 Grammy awards and is the most nominated woman since the award's inception.  Heck, it doesn't even matter that she just put out what will end up being the most discussed music video and song of 2016, "Formation", let alone have the unmitigated gall to perform it in the Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show with a colorful assortment of sistas in all black rocking berets and afros to honor the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party.  Some Beyoncé defector out there is still holding on to their baseless beef by the skin of their teeth--a beef that probably has less to do with Beyoncé and more to do with the fact so many like, love, adore and even idolize her as if she's Jesus Christ in Givenchy.  However, what I appreciate most about Beyoncé's statement is that she's decreeing the beautifully complicated layers of her Blackness loud and clear while telling anyone who has a problem with that to either fall in line with the much bigger plan of unity and empowerment or build a bridge and get over it.  The best way to break down this moment of artistic bravery for an artist of her particular magnitude while exposing a deeper problem within the Black community is through Bey's own lyrics...