I'm So Hood

Just because you are from the hood, it doesn't mean you have to act hood. As someone who grew up in the hood, I know first hand how typical individuals from that environment can act and how the rest of America expects them to act. However, I don't believe that you should let your environment define who you are. Like Tupac said just because you're in the ghetto, doesn't mean you can't grow. They are many highly successful individuals who saw their potential and made it out of the hood. This are the people who understood that just because you grow up in the ghetto it doesn't mean you have to act ghetto. There's no reason to walk around with a chip on your shoulder, always mad and yelling, always ready to fight and be just plain disrespectful. These are not flattering qualities. Why people embrace them I don't know. I do believe that anyone who grew up in the hood can let that hood come out when pushed to that point, that's just how it is. I don't advocate being "fake" or anything of that nature but I do believe in being respectful and acting like you have some common sense. That's what it boils down to for me: common sense. One should know how to act when in certain surroundings, it's just that plain and simple. It's a part of being an adult. Being ghetto is counter-productive and limits you ability to move up in life. That's just how the world works. And most of all its annoying embarrassing childish behavior often that is uncalled for. That's just my opinion.

"The One"

When it comes to relationships, people often spend years or sometimes even a lifetime searching for "the one". I question whether there is such a thing as "the one". There are over 6 billion people on Earth and we are expected to believe that there is only one other person out of all those people that you were meant to be with? If that's true, what if your true soul mate is someone who lives in Thailand or Uganda or Iceland and you never meet that person. I can't believe that there is only one person out there for me. I do believe my boyfriend is the person that I want to spend my life with but that doesn't mean there isn't someone 100 miles away or even 100,000 miles away that is perfect for me and that I would love just as much. So may people are disappointed when "the one" ends up being "the wrong one". How would you even know if the person you are with is "the one"? Matters of the heart are trick things and the heart can play tricks on us, so how can one really ever know if the person you love is your soul mate, if there is such a thing?

OMG!!!!!!

As I write these words, Barack Hussein Obama is the projected winner of the 2008 Presidential Election. Words can not explain the monumental meaning of this. Someone of part African-American descent will be the President of the United States. This is such a historical event that I's sure MLK, Malcolm X, Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes, Tupac, and Biggie are having a glass of cognac and at least doing a two step. To witness this colossal happening is a great privilege not only for me but for children also. Seeing a black man do the unimaginable will serve to show my children that Yes they can do whatever they put they minds to. This will perhaps be the greatest fete in the 21st century. Obama winning gives me renewed hope in the human race and that means a great deal to me. Perhaps society is finally ready to embrace change and stop all the hate. And Tupac said we would never live to see a black president. I hope he's smiling up in thug heaven because YES WE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Senseless Killings

I just saw the report that a child's body was found in the trunk of Jennifer Hudson's murdered brother's missing SUV and we all know that the body will be identified as her missing nephew. I am deeply sadden by the events that have taken place this weekend and the tragedy that has befallen her family. As a mother, hearing about the death of a child breaks my heart especially when the child dies at the hands of brutality. Whoever murdered this family is a cold callous psychopath. Anyone who can take the life of a child has no heart and no conscience. It seems that everyday someone takes the life of another person. What has the world come to? The number of senseless killings seems to have magnified in recent years, with the youth of today having no value for human life not even their own. Senseless killings like that of Hudson's family should not go unpunished and hopefully the perpetrator is caught. My mind is just reeling from the news of this massacre. I don't really have the words to explain how angry this makes me. I'm so tired of reading about the murder of innocent people who have done nothing to deserve to lose their lives. What the hell is wrong with people? Will the killing ever stop? Is there anything we as a people can do to stop it? I have a lot of questions but no answers, hopefully someone else does.

Black Republicans

Is that an oxymoron? What type of black person finds him/herself identifying with Republicans? Politics is a dirty game and Black America has always come out as losers but even more so when the government is being run by Republicans. So how does one become a Black Republican? Are you filthy rich and reap benefits from the tax breaks the wealthy receive from Republicans or are you a Republican because you identify with the religious and "moral" belief's that Republicans preach about constantly? Perhaps a Democrat wronged you personally in some way and it's revenge, I don't really know. I tend to not discuss politics with people because it is a very dangerous subject and one never knows how the guy sitting next to you may feel. I don't take issues with anyone's political views as long as they can justify why they believe what it is that they believe in, only when one's reasoning is completely asinine do I take issue. I don't care if you are a member of the Democratic Party, Republican Party, Independents, Socialists, or the Green Party, if you aren't a true believer in what that party stands for then don't talk politics with me. Being black in a country run by the opposing race has lead us to identify with the lesser of the two evils, the Democrats. Liberals have done far more than Republicans have for blacks and that's not saying much. To me being a Black Republican is kind of like a slap in the face to our ancestors. Republican governments never lifted a finger to assist in helping blacks get past de facto and de jure segregation. So why should they get our vote to continue to disenfranchise black Americans. I'm not telling anyone what political party to identify with but if you are a Black Republican I see no need to announce it to the world because at the end of the day they don't really want you anyway and you will never be a part of the good ole boys club.

Once A Cheater Always A Cheater?

I'm not sure of the answer. Is it possible to really reform and refrain from cheating? Are men more prone to cheating than women? A lot of women believe that all men cheat. I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that cheating is ingrained in men, like its part of their DNA. Cheating is a conscious choice that a person makes. It has more to do with how much you value and respect the person you are with than hormones. It is natural to be attracted to other people even if you are in a relationship, but just because you find someone attractive doesn't mean you have to go out and pursue that person.

I believe its a matter of why someone cheats and the level of cheating. Some people cheat just because they can while others feel neglected or unwanted. The reason why a person cheats is a key factor into whether he/she will do it again, at least in my opinion.

Bleaching for Beauty

Okay so I just saw a clip on MSNBC where the hostess is interviewing Tyra Banks about the new season of her show and a topic covered is skin bleaching. On the show Tyra has a young mother who puts bleach on her kids faces everyday!!!! WTF! Yes I have heard of people bleaching their skin to look lighter but seriously, how warped do you have to be? How can you hate your skin color so much that you would subject your children to a dangerous process that could have them ending up resembling Michael Jackson? No matter how much you bleach your skin you will never be white, so why do it? This woman is teaching her children to hate themselves and hate their culture and that breaks my heart. It's sad to see people still falling for the misconception that lighter is better. If God wanted you to be white he would have made it happen.

Bleaching your skin will return the same results as becoming anorexic. You will look horrible. To have such a distorted image of yourself is something only therapy can help with. I wonder what happened to theses people to make them resort to skin bleaching. It's ironic how white people go to the tanning salon to get darker skin and here we are trying to lighten our skin. When will people learn to love themselves for who they are and not what they think society approves of? There will always be people who will dislike you for some reason albeit it be your skin color or your IQ, either way you should never let someone else's ideals dictate who you are. We are all beautiful in some way, I believe Black is beautiful and no one can tell me anything different. If I were white or Hispanic I would feel the same way. You should embrace your culture, not run from it. Yes we've been mistreated in this world, but bleaching your skin will not ease the burden that black people carry.