Monday, August 29, 2011

Take Note...

It was the announcement that overshadowed this year's VMAs.  Beyonce and Jay-Z are having a baby.  Great for them.  Congratulations.  As usual, Beyonce's stans couldn't contain themselves.  People starting comparing how she looks as a pregnant woman to other formerly pregnant stars, made a fake twitter account for her fetus, even asked where they could send her gifts.  (Not that she'd want or need anything you'd send her because the heffa and her husband are paid.  That baby will be pooping in silk/Egyptian cotton blend diapers.  Pacifier? Probably made of platinum, pearls, and diamonds.)

Now don't get me wrong, I love some of her music, I like some of her movies despite her lack of acting skills, and I can admit she puts on a hell of a show.  But I feel like the world is over saturated with Beyonce.  It even went as far as one person saying that we should "take notes" of Beyonce and Jay-Z's courtship, marriage, and pregnancy.  Really? I mean it is great that they did things the "old fashion way" (first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Beyonce with a baby carriage) but take note on them?  THIS is what is wrong with America, and particularly the black community.  Worried about the wrong things.  There are so many other things that are relevant and important of which we should take note.  I made a list:

1) Education.  Everyday on twitter someone posts some new ignorance.  A girl spelled "faucet" as "phosite" today.  One guy posted about a woman being on her "minstrel cycle."  I even had a follower try to shade Drake's lyric's about the square root of 69.  Drake said it's "8 something" this guy said it was 7.  The last time I checked 7 squared was 49.  George W. Bush said "no child left behind" but clearly not only children but some grown asses were left stranded.  Our kids aren't reading or taking school seriously. Barely passing is enough to them, but what happened to striving for excellence instead of settling for mediocrity?  Maybe they should have taken notes of what their English and Math teachers had to say.

2) History. Today there was an awesome (though brief) tribute to MLK on BET.  "Martin Luther King: Alpha Man."  He's great.  But the youth today? They don't appreciate what he and others did for us.  They don't even know how Emmett Till was or why he is important.  A few weeks back I saw "Who is Emmett Till and what's wrong with his face?"  Seriously? If you don't know your history, you repeat it, and we are already there with James Anderson being killed in Mississippi.  But I bet no one is taking notes on that.  They aren't even TALKING about it.  I posted links to the article on Facebook.  I got hardly any comments.  I post a picture that someone made as a joke of what this Bey-Z baby will look like and I got several comments and "likes" within 10 minutes.  Martin Luther King did not have a dream that one day little girls would "take note" of Beyonce and her lacefronts and onesies.

3) Politics.  It's complicated, sometimes it's boring, but we should still pay attention.  Take note of which of your state's congressmen vote for or against certain bills.  Which ones were willing to let our nation default to make President Obama look bad.  Which ones are against helping the unemployed.  What is going on in your city and your state.  Are you paying attention to your local police, school systems, etc?  Are you registered to vote and exercising your right to do so?  Or are you the person who doesn't vote but then wants to bitch when the politicians are doing things you don't like? Take note of that.

4) The economy. It sucks.  People are struggling financially.  But how many people are even making good financial choices? How many people were in line with the Cool Greys came out-- spending their rent money? How many people are spending their money to wear brand names they see celebrities wearing (a lot of times celebs are gifted items by the designer they don't even pay for that stuff) but your kid is walking around looking like Annie before she met Oliver Warbucks?  How many people are living beyond their means to try to impress others, instead of living within? How many people have plans for their financial future? Take note of that.

5) Our children.  I mentioned education, but the youth of this country are just... well I have no words.  The guys wear their pants hanging off of their asses so low that they have to hold them as they walk.  The girls are 12 dressing like they are 21.  People are becoming grandparents in their 30s.  Kids are dying, selling drugs, going to jail.  They don't have real mentors.  I see people say that they hope their child has athletic abilities "so he can go to the NBA or the NFL."  Is that all we see in our children? You don't want your child to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or the next president? You are fine with your child's role model being Beyonce, Keri Hilson, Lil Wayne when it should be you, the teacher, the engineer? Why aren't we taking note of what is going on with our youth?

I don't want anyone to take this rant the wrong way.  I have celebrities that I love.  I'm a fan of certain singers and actors/actresses, but there comes a time where people need to pay attention to the real issues of life. And I realize there are people out there who are aware of the more important things in life, and I salute you.

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