Nothing to Fear? One Man's Reality of What It Means to Be Black in America

When it comes to other human beings, I tend to be a fairly intrepid person because the only being that I "fear" is God.  Even then, I'd rather say that I revere God instead of fearing Him because fear and faith cannot coexist.  However, I will say that I am realistically cautious of certain people.  If you let many conservative politicians and talking heads have their say, then everyone should fear Black people more because we make up only 13 percent of the population while committing a significant amount of the violent crimes.  If you let current media propaganda lead the way, then Black people should be more worried about being beaten or killed by law enforcement officers in lieu of suffering at the hands of another Black person.  As a 36-year-old Black man who has survived the ominous elements of the infamous "Murder Cap" era of Washington, D.C. and the "Mighty" Ward Eight, I've been confronted with the reality of both.  So if I were to be "realistically cautious" of anyone threatening my life, then who would it be: other Black people or the police?  Welp, let's talk about it...

Get Down or Sit Down, Part 1: The Loud Pack and the Silent Killers

Although Black people have constantly burdened the brunt of racism and discrimination since being brought to the Americas against our will, it feels like it's been open season on Black people since the death of Trayvon Martin in February of 2012.  However, since last week's senseless murders of 37-year-old Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and 34-year-old Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota by police officers, there appears to be an uprising in the making because Black folk just aren't having it anymore.  The pain of constantly being reminded that our lives don't matter has stirred up the need for urgent solidarity among our people to send messages to the establishment that we are no longer just marching or protesting, although none of that will cease or desist until justice is achieved.  The problem is that while some of us are heeding to the "all aboard" call, there are many in our own ranks and outside who are either inadvertently or purposely subverting the spirit of the movement and the efforts of those trying to make progress for our people.  Chalk it up to disingenuous behavior, apathy, confusion, distraction, ego, cynicism, ignorance or flat-out negativity, but either way, the attitude is simple: either get down or, like Jesse Williams insisted in his 2016 BET Awards speech, "sit down".  Hence, this series is dedicated to helping folks identify whether they truly care about justice and the advancement of Black people or if they're just in the way...

Scribbler's 11th Hour Post of the Week: Why Kevin Durant's Big Decision Gives Me Cause for Pause

I had every intention of keeping this post as simple as possible, but when have y'all ever known me to do that?!?!  I'm not afraid to admit it: I just don't do brief, especially when it comes to breaking news like seven-time All-Star, four-time scoring champ and former NBA MVP Kevin Durant signing a two-year, $54.3 million deal with the Golden State Warriors--yup, the same team that kept him, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder from what appeared to be a surefire date with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.  It seems like more people have been talking about this and nearly choking on their burnt hot dogs and potato salad in the process than the news that the FBI has decided not to charge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information in her emails.  (You're probably thinking, "Well Dirk, you're doing the same thing."  My response: politics suck right now.  It's either going to be a shady Hillary Clinton or a baseless Donald Trump for President of the United States...who TF wants to talk about that?!?!)  My overall position, however, is simple: neither am I in love with this move for Durant nor the Warriors...yet.  Indulge me...

RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS!!! (Vol. 1, No. 5)

Unintentionally, Mrs. Scribbler gave me the alley-oop for this week's intro as we were watching one of my favorite movies that surprisingly didn't make the "Tuesday Night at the Movies" cut, the perpetually-hilarious White Men Can't Jump.  (Truth be told, I'm actually pretty salty with myself for excluding it because I'm always quoting it and I watch it every time it comes on TV, but I digress.)  So one of my favorite parts is when Billy (Woody Harrelson) has to shoot his way back into girlfriend Gloria's (Rosie Perez) good graces after blowing his stack on a bet that he could defy the myth that...wait for it...White men can't jump.  Sidney (Wesley Snipes) takes him to the b-ball court where his boy Robert (Cylk Cozart), who's a security guard on the lot where Jeopardy is shot, is willing to get her on the show if Billy makes a shot.  When he assumes that he's shooting toward a much easier goal, Robert's partner-in-crime Zeke (Kevin Benton) stands up and says, "No, no, no, no, Billy boy, this is Ghana.  You, my friend, are shooting for the Sudan."  After the always-funny "and a hook shot", everyone on the court waits with baited breath as Billy does his best Sky Hook from long distance, hits the difficult shot, the crowd goes wild and it immediately cuts to the old school Jeopardy music--and the best version of it, I might add.  Yeah, classic stuff right there.  Now that I've inspired you to go watch White Men Can't Jump, try to hold off for a while and tough out another edition of "RANDOM THOUGHT ALERTS!!!" first...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: Tuesday Night at the Movies, #2 Coming to America

Now I usually start off these "Rave & Favorite Five" posts with either some kind of sentimental tale about my storied past with a particular artist, movie, event, etc., or some excuse as to why you had to wait a few weeks for me to unveil the next slot.  However, instead of boring you with the minutiae, I'd rather kick off this post doing what I rarely do: shine a quick light on a much-deserved honorable mention.  Of all of the music for which legendary producer Nile Rodgers has been responsible--David Bowie's "Let's Dance", Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and pretty much everything by Chic (with one-time production partner Bernard Edwards) just to name a few numbers--absolutely nothing tops "The King's Motorcade" IMHO.  When King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) comes from the Kingdom of Zamunda to America looking for his son Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) after Semi (Arsenio Hall) requested "a cool million", "The King's Motorcade" was the ideal sonic depiction of the importance of his arrival in one of the most regal and bouse ways.  (By the way, you must say "bouse" like Rick Ross or Slim Thug because the pronunciation of "boss" just doesn't cut it.)  I fought myself over what this musical masterpiece could replace in the following top five, but I couldn't bring myself to knocking off any of these things that make Coming to America my No. 2 favorite movie of all time.  Without further ado, let's spin that globe, flip that coin and take a trip to Queens...