I hate the mall!! I went to the mall Friday night and Saturday afternoon because I had nothing else to do.
I'm 41 years old. I'll be 42 on June 18. I came to a harsh reality yesterday. I'm too old for the mall on a Saturday afternoon.
There was a time when going to the mall to kill time or as a social outing was fun. Now, it is a reality check. The average aged person at the mall must be around 19. The clothes in the stores all look alike , too. They look like they have all been worn and just thrown on a hanger. I'm not going to wear any of this crap and I'm not going to spend $200.00 for jeans. I'm too old to be influenced by what some Hollywood star wears. I don't see any stars my age wearing $200.00 jeans. When you get in your 40's, and you have a regular job that you go to each day, you should have enough common sense to know that $200.00 would be better spent investing in the stock of the company that makes $200.00 jeans than in buying the jeans. What the hell is "premium" denim anyway? Premium gas, yes. Premium denim? C'mon, man!!! If your car manufacturer says to use premium gas and you don't, your car will run funny and you'll have to have it repaired. But if think your body needs premium denim to run properly, I suggest you get a premium psychiatrist.
I also realized I'm too old for the mall because I have no patience wtih these rude kids running loose in the mall. If I hadn't stopped walking on several occasions, about 15 kids would have run into me at some point. No one bothered to say "excuse me," either. These little bastards are rude. I'm getting too old to tolerate rudeness so I think I've made my last trip to the mall on a Saturday.
I remember as a teenager seeing guys about my age walking in the mall and thinking that they just looked out of place. If they were with a woman, I knew they'd been dragged there against their will. If they were alone I thought they were maybe picking something up for their wives or girlfriends. Maybe they needed something for themselves. But to just be in the mall, walking around with no real destination? What was that all about? There's nothing here for you. And now that I'm older, I know why they were there. They wanted to kill some time before meeting someone for something important elsewhere. The mall sucks!
The one thing I do like about the mall is looking at the young girls. No, not the real young girls: I'm no R. Kelly. I mean the ones who are at least 19 and look like women. They like to show their cleavage, which is something I like to watch. They all seem to have tatoos, as well, and in the same places. They have them in the smalls of their backs, or right above their navels. But I can't help but wonder how that's going to look when they are 60 and their skin isn't tight anymore and their stomachs are way past being flat. That butterfly on her stomach will look like a caterpillar again at 60. But for now, she is sexy and I would just like to see how many more tatoos she has in little secret places. I think that statement was confirmation that I'm getting old. I sound like a pervert. And I don't even care.
So let's see. I don't like the kids running rampant, I don't like the clothes, and common pieces of clothing like jeans cost as much the rent in my first apartment. But there are lots of pretty young things with great bodies, pretty faces and nice smiles. They are dressed sexy and they provide fuel for my fantasies. Maybe I'll give it another chance.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
So, you like the internet?
Phillip Emeagwali - Big Brain
Read about this dude's contribution to modern computing.
http://www.time.com/time/2007/blackhistmth/bios/04.html
A Decision Making Tip
"When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."
Dakota Indian Proverb
Monday, February 5, 2007
ObamaWatch
The candidates gather. Some articulate their positions fairly well while others fumble and expose beliefs and prejudices best kept private. The hyper focus on Barack Obama is creating opportunities to address a variety of interesting issues.
Check out the article on time.com (courtesy of Cabong). ..
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1584736,00.html
The interesting thing is how the combination of the current political landscape and the new players on the scene has the potential to force a leadership transition. This could signal the evolution from one commonly accepted style and posture to a more fitting and up to date approach.
H
Check out the article on time.com (courtesy of Cabong). ..
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1584736,00.html
The interesting thing is how the combination of the current political landscape and the new players on the scene has the potential to force a leadership transition. This could signal the evolution from one commonly accepted style and posture to a more fitting and up to date approach.
- ...."good" blacks and "bad" blacks...
- African American or other African heritage?
- Agitators = authentic black
- Arrival of new leadership and the transition
H
What chu talkin' bout.......
How do you feel about the state of Black radio?
In particular, the morning drive format. Are the morning drive shows too redundant? It would seem that no matter who you tune in to, be it the local hip hop station, the "best of r and b and old school" formats, or the nationally syndicated programs, the topics and the hosts are virtually identical. Where is the freshness, the originality? And where is the intelligent discussion and proper use of language?
Here's the general format: a lead guy (i.e. Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, or your local disc jockey), a woman, a comedian (sidekick) and on some days, usually Friday, the gay guy. The latter member of the team is always over the top and truly stereotypical, with effeminate speech patterns and general ramblings about the men he finds attractive.
These shows are successful and listened to by a wide audience. And many times, the information they broadcast can be useful. For example, keeping the audience aware of health issues, educational opportunities, and companies that practice racist policies as part of normal business procedure. I offer kudos to the programs for these offerings. And many times, a tremendous good is done through fund raising efforts that benefit Black causes, such as Tom Joyner's work with the United Negro College Fund and the generous donations that many HBCU's receive as a result of his and his audience's participation and financial commitments.
On the other hand, is the significant good work that Black radio does compromised by the daily behavior of some of the hosts of Black radio? My primary concern in raising this question revolves around a very simple issue: language. Why do so many Black broadcasters use poor grammar in their daily conversations with their audience? I think the answer to the question is to humor the audience. But it does something else, in my opinion. Poor language influences others to use poor language. And since most of the audience won't have their own radio programs but instead will need to be able to present themselves to the world in a manner that is easily understood, why don't these radio hosts try to influence their audiences to speak properly? And I don't mean "proper" in a stuffy, psuedo superior sounding manner. I mean simply having your nouns match your verbs, and speak to your audience with a little less slang. Because first and foremost, the radio hosts are broadcasters. They should not assume that their entire listening audience wants to hear words that are mispronounced purposely. You can't fight against being stereotyped and then act out that stereotype. You can't say, "I'm not ignorant" and then act ignorant.
For better or worse, radio is a daily part of most of our lives. We like to listen to music, hear the latest gossip, and find out where the parties are for the upcoming weekend. But here's the rub: when that information is constantly delivered via announcers with poor language skills, we begin to mimic that poor language, consciously and/or subconciously. Our young people seem to especially susceptible to this. And poor language skills can be a barrier to success in life. And with our people already at a disadvantage, do we need to cultivate and promote poor language?
Imagine the ridicule that would have been generated had one of the greatest speeches ever delivered to our nation and the world been full of grammatical errors. Imagine how progress would have been slowed or even stopped had one of the greatest leaders of all time been using improper grammar.
In America, a lot of Black people still equate speaking correctly with "acting White." That is a ridiculous, obsence and degrading thought process. This is America and English is our native language. There is nothing wrong at all with learning to read, write and speak your native language correctly. I consider myself to be as Black as anyone else. I like my people's flair with language, fashion, athletics and every other aspect of society we touch. But what happened to our desire to improve ourselves, which can clearly begin with the ability to express one's self with clarity? If I don't know what you are talking about, how can I relate to you? How can I empathize with your plight? If you are applying for a job and the interviewer isn't comfortable with your language skills, even if you can do the job, you probably won't get the job.
I think we have a problem in that many of us who have a forum to communicate with our people don't communicate as effectively as we could or should. I find myself listening to NPR or other radio stations as I drive to work because of the insipid topics and language often used on Black radio. And it bothers me that I can't listen to these programs without cringing or becoming irritated at the hosts. I want to listen, I want to support their programs. But I'm tired of being spoken to by people mangling the language. How something is said is sometimes as important as what is said.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/21stC/issue-2.3/kolb.html
Most sincerly,
Cabong
Here's the general format: a lead guy (i.e. Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, or your local disc jockey), a woman, a comedian (sidekick) and on some days, usually Friday, the gay guy. The latter member of the team is always over the top and truly stereotypical, with effeminate speech patterns and general ramblings about the men he finds attractive.
These shows are successful and listened to by a wide audience. And many times, the information they broadcast can be useful. For example, keeping the audience aware of health issues, educational opportunities, and companies that practice racist policies as part of normal business procedure. I offer kudos to the programs for these offerings. And many times, a tremendous good is done through fund raising efforts that benefit Black causes, such as Tom Joyner's work with the United Negro College Fund and the generous donations that many HBCU's receive as a result of his and his audience's participation and financial commitments.
On the other hand, is the significant good work that Black radio does compromised by the daily behavior of some of the hosts of Black radio? My primary concern in raising this question revolves around a very simple issue: language. Why do so many Black broadcasters use poor grammar in their daily conversations with their audience? I think the answer to the question is to humor the audience. But it does something else, in my opinion. Poor language influences others to use poor language. And since most of the audience won't have their own radio programs but instead will need to be able to present themselves to the world in a manner that is easily understood, why don't these radio hosts try to influence their audiences to speak properly? And I don't mean "proper" in a stuffy, psuedo superior sounding manner. I mean simply having your nouns match your verbs, and speak to your audience with a little less slang. Because first and foremost, the radio hosts are broadcasters. They should not assume that their entire listening audience wants to hear words that are mispronounced purposely. You can't fight against being stereotyped and then act out that stereotype. You can't say, "I'm not ignorant" and then act ignorant.
For better or worse, radio is a daily part of most of our lives. We like to listen to music, hear the latest gossip, and find out where the parties are for the upcoming weekend. But here's the rub: when that information is constantly delivered via announcers with poor language skills, we begin to mimic that poor language, consciously and/or subconciously. Our young people seem to especially susceptible to this. And poor language skills can be a barrier to success in life. And with our people already at a disadvantage, do we need to cultivate and promote poor language?
Imagine the ridicule that would have been generated had one of the greatest speeches ever delivered to our nation and the world been full of grammatical errors. Imagine how progress would have been slowed or even stopped had one of the greatest leaders of all time been using improper grammar.
In America, a lot of Black people still equate speaking correctly with "acting White." That is a ridiculous, obsence and degrading thought process. This is America and English is our native language. There is nothing wrong at all with learning to read, write and speak your native language correctly. I consider myself to be as Black as anyone else. I like my people's flair with language, fashion, athletics and every other aspect of society we touch. But what happened to our desire to improve ourselves, which can clearly begin with the ability to express one's self with clarity? If I don't know what you are talking about, how can I relate to you? How can I empathize with your plight? If you are applying for a job and the interviewer isn't comfortable with your language skills, even if you can do the job, you probably won't get the job.
I think we have a problem in that many of us who have a forum to communicate with our people don't communicate as effectively as we could or should. I find myself listening to NPR or other radio stations as I drive to work because of the insipid topics and language often used on Black radio. And it bothers me that I can't listen to these programs without cringing or becoming irritated at the hosts. I want to listen, I want to support their programs. But I'm tired of being spoken to by people mangling the language. How something is said is sometimes as important as what is said.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/21stC/issue-2.3/kolb.html
Most sincerly,
Cabong
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