What Black People Need Are Think Tanks

     A pet peeve of mine is looking for a job. I hate looking for a job. People have this theory that if you carry negativity with you, you will carry that negativity into your job, therefore don't think about the odds stacked against you, bring your best and you will impress.

     Can I say bull****? Look when we introduce ourselves to one another, we introduce who we are. When you introduce yourself to a person and you're trying to impress them, you come off phony. So why do people think this mentality of impressing someone in an interview is any better?

     Put yourself in the shoes of the manager. Lets say you're the first person they've seen. You have lots more candidates to go. Let's say you're the last person they've seen. Thank god this is almost over. And while it shouldn't, the thing that makes the entire process drag is the phony people, the overdoing people, the people seeking to please.

     So let's say you impress them. Does that mean you can get the job done? If you can get the job done, then how long will it be before you want to move up, and they have to find someone else to get the job done? But I haven't even discussed your feelings.

     What happens when your interviewer is not of your race? When I went in for an interview, I found myself being more assertive, more aggressive in my demands when interviewed by a black guy. I stayed at that job longer than all other jobs. I tried that same tactic at another interview, and the interviewer was more aggressive with me before I could even tell them about myself. Saying, "we don't tolerate laziness, we have to get a job done, we set that expectation high or we let people go".

     Anyway, we (black people) need to take on the world. There's a need for us to stop working for these companies and bring on the responsibilities of running our own. The benefits of doing that is pulling the people in our communities up out of the bad spots, ruts, or "ok" areas. Everyday there is a black person saying we need to open up our own businesses. But this is a cry for more than that.

     We need think tanks to address every level of success to drive more success and set that precedent as a standard to achieve as a race. These think tanks want to address uniformity, unity, education, qualifications, and growth. I guess you might think of this like a house of representatives, and senate. But we really need something like that.

     Its a structured system. I remember as a kid seeing "Each one Teach one". While the idea is good, its flawed because of the lack of unity. "Everyone Teach. Everyone Learn." would eliminate all possibilities of failure. Because we're all listening and we speak. The need is, without a doubt, there.

     We have networks like Centric, TVone, BET, and OWN. Huge step, but low threshold of success. We have Black Enterprise, The Root, and some other site I can't remember, but none of them are owned by black people. Right here is where some arguments come in, but trust me none are black owned. Maybe OWN is, but no one else. Sorry for my lack of investigative journalism on that.

     We are a $1.1 trillion spending race. What we do, the world imitates. Chuck Berry invented the Beach Boys. Black performances invented Elvis. James Brown invented McJagger. The Jackson 5 invented so many groups I won't even go on. However, we create it, the buy it and imitate it. So if we created something of actual value, by time they're creating the cheap imitations we've already got the world moving to something better. That's what a think tank will do.

     The reason we are so far behind, is because we succeed, and we are offered money to do for others. While loyalties lie in our heart, the brain convinces us to betray for beneficial reasons. Think tanks would cut us off at the offer. Think tanks would see that you're offered a new position and counsel you on staying or leaving. Think tanks would keep the culture moving if you decide to leave, and advance your influence if you decide to stay.

     With black owned businesses, interviewing changes. You interview with people like-minded. Being like-minded isn't a crime, and never let someone convince you that if you work with like-minded people you'll fail. As long as like-minded people challenge each other, how can you fail? That interview that you have, with that black owned businesses changes your attitude. They're not looking at my skin the whole time, they're looking at my skill. They know how we talk, so they're not testing my oral presentation. The only thing I have to convince them of is my will to get the job done. That's easy on both of us.

Incomplete thought...will return if I think of more. Suggestions accepted.

Empire Canceled by Fox, Unbelievable

     It has been rumored, Fox canceled the record breaking, new show, Empire. Insert, "Black Lives Matter". It is unbelievable, that Fox was eager to allow this to happen.

     To be a bit subjective, I am not a fan of Fox or any of its subsidiaries. That's honesty. Its not a secret that networks play up their roles. For instance, Fox and its affiliates are more Republican, pro-white, organizations. NBC is a more liberal organization. ABC is kind of center.

     With that, I was not surprised to here that Fox was doing this. I was surprised that Lee Daniels actually went to Fox in the first place. Maybe he sees a smaller picture than I do. But initially, I had no intentions on watching Empire, strictly because it was on Fox, and anything on Fox about black people has to be bad television. Instead, the show actually resonated with me.

     As a former rapper, I dreamed of Empire being the story of me. I am Lucious Lyon in my head, or I wanted to be. Coming from a family filled with musical talents, learning early the power of knowing what the accountant knows, and a determination to be a billionaire, Empire, in my opinion was my destiny. So I was a huge fan. I always ask myself, why did other people watch the show; doesn't matter though, it was a hit.

     Empire broke record after record. Its only competitor, a show I'm a fan of as well, The Walking Dead, didn't do what Empire did in its first season. They built up to where they are. Empire however, was an instant success. The fans truly enjoyed the show, and the conversations on Facebook and Twitter were endless. So why would Fox let them go?

   

Fox's Tweet regarding the news season of Empire

NewsBuzzDaily reports: 

After record breaking views of Fox’s newest show “Empire” has been cancelled. Initially, on January 17, the show was renewed for a second season but now Fox has rescinded “Empire” opportunity for a second season.

Produced by Lee Daniels and staring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the show was a success and many viewers tuned in weekly for the musical drama. It is said that the show is loosely based off hip hop mogul, Jay-Z’s life.

Fox’s public relations representative, Charles McRae, has stated that the reason for the cancellation is due to contractual negotiations. According to Fox, pay towards Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s production camp were the main determining factors in the cancellation. It is said that two parties could not reach an acceptable agreement and when things heated up behind the curtains, Fox abruptly pulled the plug on the show.

Lee Daniels is currently meeting with several networks to find a new home for the hit series. He along with co-creator Danny Strong, will be meeting with HBO, Showtime, Viacom and ABC in the next few days.

     I hate Fox. I seriously do. It is my understanding, and I could be wrong, that companies pay to advertise on networks, during their aired programs. With record breaking numbers, are you telling me Fox is having issues raising money for ad dollars to advertise during this program? The Super Bowl can charge $3 million for advertising during the super bowl, but y'all can't raise the money for Empire? Or is it y'all don't want to pay the cost for the hit show?

     Be honest here. Because If that's the case, Empire can go straight to their own network, and are the program there. Its time we start owning our material. Yes I may be talking about flooding the market. I may be tempting over saturation, but in the words of the late great Michael Jackson, they don't really care about us. We can raise the money, sell municipal bonds, and open up a black hollywood and arrange our own networks.

     Empire may be one show, but there's lots more black talent being overlooked and misrepresented. Sony recently had to apologize to Kevin Hart for disrespecting him in an email between two workers. They said something to the beat of, he's a "whore". We need unity, but we can do so much more for ourselves if we don't seek the business of people who don't want to work with us.

     If this rumor turns out to be true, we need to take charge. That's my opinion.

Are Comments About Police Outrageous?

A friend of mine suggested some people do a ride along with a police officer to understand what they deal with on a daily basis. His comment came based on the outrageous things he sees, as far as people's comments and theories. He doesn't want people to feel a certain about cops because of how they're portrayed in the media. 

     A person's ideas and theory about police is based on the expectation the have for the police force when dealing with everyday people. The general understanding is, cops are trained to properly assess a situation. With so many black people being killed by police, we doubt that cops are utilizing their training, or they're targeting us.

Let's take the Sean Bell situation. Who the hell established that he was armed and selling drugs? Why did he have a detective tailing him? 

     Eric Garner situation. We already know he was being harassed. He did not look like he was a kingpin for selling cigarettes. Tamir Rice, a lil kid playing with a toy gun. By himself. The walmart dude was on the phone swinging the gun around.

     Its not cops and robbers every situation. I spoke with a cop before about the mentality. And she said, they're overpaid peer mediators. The job is settling arguments. That's it. That cop is a good cop. Already in the mind frame that she is not here to catch an enemy or catch a crook 99% of the time. She is a Mount Vernon Police officer by the way. So she has legitimate reason to be super cop.  

     I would never call comments outrageous. Its more terrifying that cops still don't understand what we're saying. When we feel we're being attacked, they stick their chest out and tell us do what we say and you won't have any problems. 

     Funny how cops and white people can say that to blacks and minorities, but can relate to movies like iRobot when machines takeover and use that as a reason we don't need artificial intelligence, because you know the robots can rule over us. Taking our freedoms away.

     Why are urban areas where minorities live over-policed, but the further you go out into the suburbs, the less police you see? Because cops are given a false sense of duty. They are told to protect and serve, but are trained to protect their life at all costs. Filled with fear that someone may have a gun. And the most important thing is to go home to their families.

     Riddle me that.

     Also, the conversations about good cops need to stop. Seriously. Its irrelevant. A man that beats his woman does good things too. He can pay her bills, keep money in her bank account, and take care of her 3 kids by 3 different men. But bringing that up doesn't change the fact that the man is beating her. 

     Let's stop victimizing good cops by bringing them up and using them as collateral. A good cop is a good cop and shouldn't be offended by the reaction toward the police. The unity of police shouldn't trump whether you're a good cop or bad cop. If you're a good cop, you shouldn't stand behind your badge. If the badge is justifying violence against black, then why would we trust you? How long should we trust you? 

     Example, my mother convinced me that if I'm riding with friends, and they kill someone, and they find out I was with those friends during the murder, my silence doesn't stop me from going to jail. Even more, by not coming forward I'm guilty by association. What makes police officers individually so different? 

     By not standing up, and even standing by, you're aiding and abetting. Good cops are being used as pawns. Stop with the "not every cop is a bad cop, there are good cops". No there aren't any good cops if they stand by and don't react to this foolishness. 
     The point here is cops with guns need to be retrained, and maybe they need to reconsider who they give guns. Or just decrease policing. Rely on neighborhood watches. 

Republicans, Tea Party, and more vs Barack Obama

     Taking this series 7 class, and I took the time to get a little distracted. So I'm looking something up, and I begin thinking. 

     How is it, Israel, a country waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay smaller than ours, can make demands to the USA on how to govern deals with Iran. Everything this Netanyahu character demands is based on the threat to his country. 

     Our support to Israel should be support!!! How in the hell was it possible for Netanyahu to come to the US, slam the president of the US, and his negotiations, and the Republican party support it? 

     What goods and services does Israel provide that's detrimental to the function of the US? I already looked that up....its the link below. But its not that serious. Not serious enough that Republicans should be standing behind Israel like they're us, and we're them. Not serious enough that when Netanyahu speaks, Americans should feel compelled to tailor their vote to what he says. Not serious enough that March happened. 

There are people who dislike Barack Obama for Affordable Care Act (as if that's reasonable).
There are people who dislike Barack Obama for the Iran Deal (as if that's even understandable).
There are people who dislike Barack Obama for his job on restoring America economically (????).
There are people who dislike Barack Obama for being a Democrat. These are the ONLY people I respect. At least your hate is based on an ignorance you can defend. 

     Everyone else, if you don't like him, its not him, its you. And I just request that you stop using excuses of why you don't like Obama. Just be honest its because he's black. Be honest that you have no clue why you don't like him. Basically because all your friends or family say he's a bad president, but you have absolutely no clue. Just be honest, you have a right to express your ignorance, and there's nothing more blissful. Just be honest, you're black, all your friends are white or Asian, and since they don't support him (not to say all white and asians don't support Barack Obama), you have to do what they say because its more important that you fit in with them, than fit in with what's right. And the next time they tell you racism is over, its just a bunch of ignorant black people attacking the police, or if they say wassup my nigger and then say, its cool I'm not racist. Know that you're the fool, the ass, the dummy that's the butt of all their jokes.

     Every failure Barack Obama has is a result of racism. That's a strong stance, but I'm willing to start there. I'm putting the burden of proof on those that claim he's a horrible president, rightfully so. Someone said that Barack Obama can cure cancer, and Republicans would spin it to say he's killing the economy, taking jobs away. There's nothing good he can do that's right. Barack Obama is more Republican than Republicans. 

     There's a term, R.I.N.O., Republican In Name Only. Well Barack Obama is a D.I.N.O., no need to explain that right? Some of his policies were geared for Republican support. He's a center president. The only thing that makes him left is the color of his skin. But he's more independent than Democrat. He's a functioning president that actually did try to bring change. He did reach across the aisle. He definitely moved this country forward, even after taking decades of steps back. 

     Hate the president, but just be honest about why. We can resolve the divide in America once you do.

Open Letter To Morgan Parker and The Burning of Black Businesses, Shondaland

If you haven't read it: http://www.forharriet.com/2014/12/why-im-moving-out-of-shondaland.html

     What an article. It's like Fried Chicken, Apple Pie, and Candy. None of its good for you. But don't elevate yourself from it because you saw something unrelated.

     Piece by piece, you have to look at what this article is saying to understand it, because if you boil it down to its core substance you get I'm not watching Shonda's shows because a white cop, named Darren Wilson, killed an unarmed, young, black man named Michael Brown.

     Getting the points are easy.

1. You love Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder.
2. Both of those shows are on ABC who also paid Darren Wilson $500,000 to give him a soft interview
3. You are boycotting ABC for that
4. Scandal and HTGAWM are bad for the black woman image, so you feel comfortable boycotting those shows to get your point across for what ABC did.
5. You also feel comfortable boycotting these shows because its proven to affect revenue

     Great points. I understand them all. But you misunderstand one thing, and if you're going to boycott, you have to hit them where it hurts, otherwise you make Shonda and her employees unemployed, and ABC continues on. Not to mention, you ruin the semi-positive affect that Olivia Pope has on Black Women across the world.

     What you want to do is boycott The Walt Disney Company. Boycott anything associated with ABC, because at the end of the day, our dollars are minimum losses for the huge company, but when those dollars disappear, they notice.

     So if you're going to do this right, here are the companies you're going to be looking at boycotting for maximum effect of voice being heard:

• ESPN
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• ESPNEWS
• SEC Network
• ESPN Classic
• ESPN Channels Internationally
• Disney Channel
• Disney Channel Domestic
• Disney Channels International
• Disney Junior Domestic
• Disney Junior International
• Disney XD Domestic
• Disney XD International
• ABC Family
• A&E Television Networks
• A&E
• HISTORY
• Lifetime
• Lifetime Movie Network
• H2
• FYI
• ABC Television Network

     That's if you're really interested in boycotting. I do have to tell you, that when you boycott, make sure it is clear and defined. Let the advertisers know. Let the people know to let the advertisers know. Because Scandal and HTGAWM are both great shows. We can take down the system before they both return in February. 

     As for the piece about them both falling for a white guy. Look, black people make sure to diversify the things they create. Even when white people don't. I honestly prefer seeing white men doing something so sleazy like cheating in front of your wife, or killing a student you just got pregnant. Both women are super successful, and it forewarns young Black females to stay in your league. While all men are capable of such behavior, the flack you catch from people because you went outside your race is something to fear or not worry about (maybe just a bunch of mmm hmmm, I told you so).

     To conclude, don't boycott the only two huge shows with black women as stars of the show. Especially not for something they can't control or have anything to do with. Boycott the company. Oh and if I find out you wrote your article to sabotage those two black women, I'll meet you after school at 3 o'clock.

Is It Too Late To Acknowledge How Lucky Rodney King Was?

     Hopefully you can hear the sarcasm in your mind as I write this piece on policing, but if you can't refer to the sixth word in this article every few seconds. Man, was Rodney King lucky or nah? The police did a great job by not killing him.

     If you don't know who Rodney King is, he was beat by LAPD on the street. He was one of the first viral police beatings. At a time when cell phones were for the ultra wealthy, the size of a brick, and Benzes came with car phones, Police brutality was a black issue, and no one would care because we were monsters in their mind. There's more to that story, but I expect you to perform your own research.

     But man Rodney King was lucky. All the cops did was beat him. It's not like they killed him. They Killed Mike Brown. They Killed Sean Bell. They Killed DJ Henry. They Killed Eric Garner. The Killed Oscar Grant.

     All they did was beat him. Like so many of my white friends say, "how can black people complain so much about police killings and police brutality, when they kill each other more than the cops do."

      Let me explain something to you uneducated, ignorant ass fools, whose mothers should've aborted your dumb ass, to avoid birthing something so ignorant, When you say something like the quote above you make yourself the stupidest person in the room, instantly. Even if no one can argue against your point, you're the stupidest person in the room. Don't like it, choke to death on a bullet coming out of a gun.

     Ok that was extreme, and it actually took me a day to get to this sentence from the previous paragraph's last sentence, but there's truth and hurt to what I'm saying. Rodney King wasn't lucky, but I bet his family was grateful he didn't die that night.

     The rate of black incarceration, the traffic stops, all of the interactions with the police are far more than most races. If a person is a statistician, they cannot ignore that. If a person is literal, they cannot ignore that. If you're the dumbest person on earth, you cannot ignore that. Black people are under attack and we cannot go to war without the army being the next wave of attacks. Without Hitler, Government has managed to implement a Hitler order on Black people and sold it to everyone.

     Think that's too far? Explain all of the facts without stuttering. Stop and Frisk. Use of Deadly Force. Castle Law. Stand Your Ground Law. Here's a story. States have been allowing people to Open Carry. Walmart sells firearms. Police were called and told a young black man had a gun pointed at people. They came and killed John Crawford. If you click the link, you'll see he was harmlessly shopping for a cookout. the gun (pellet gun) dangling back and forth pointed to the ground.

     Black People ain't making this up. I'm not making this up. You can't have an excuse every time these events happen. Eventually you have to take responsibility and say maybe we're too excessive and going too hard.

No Formula to Success

     This article may contradict many of my beliefs and further separate race. Its going to be a piece of success salted with frustrations and peppered with self pity. I may not even stand by it after writing it.

     News Flash, the formula to success doesn't exist. No two people can do the same thing and achieve the same results. With so many people going to college to improve their opportunities, the only thing they're doing is increasing debt, and giving themselves a false sense of security.

     You may be thinking what causes this feeling? Well, colleges and universities teach you things. Things that are helpful to managing businesses and customers. However, there's an element that cannot be taught. The lesson on comfort of skin color, class, and cultural linguist. (I would never trade my degree in for the record).

     Take a white man. Put him in a suit. Tell him he has power. Don't teach him anything, but tell him he has a ton of responsibilities and all the jobs he needs to get done. Who will he hire first? Now take a black man do the same thing. Who will he hire first? Do the same for a Black woman, White woman, hispanic man, hispanic woman. These are the majorities of America. I am not going to include Asians (Middle Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) because they tend to stick by each other.

     Now to control your experiment, send a black man, black woman, and hispanic woman with all the qualifications in for an interview. Send a white man the least qualified, but with a good talking game. Send a hispanic man and white woman not as qualified as the first three.

     Without seeing this actual experiment, the results are predictable. This is what draws me to write this piece. The hardest working people in America are the people paid the least. After that it is the people with something to prove that they're not part of their historical image. That means Black people work the hardest, but are called the laziest, simultaneously willing to prove they're not the stereotype. Hispanic people, depending on their complexion, are also hardworking people.

     So why are black people less successful? Well, there are multiple answers for this question.

1. Black people have a hard time working together because of this genetic indifference to black slave ownership. When people work, unless they're being paid a lot, they feel like they're slaves.
2. Black people would rather work for a place they think they have an opportunity for advancement. A lot of black people don't believe in black owned businesses because they are programmed to think white people have all the opportunities, and it's a white man's world.
3. Black people always want discount. We want to feel appreciated for our business and opportunities granted. When an employee feels they want a raise, they have a hard time coping with a manager who has the same background as them and doesn't want to give that raise. This is the one thing that happens in reverse. Where the same person can feel entitled to a raise because they are of the same background. This happens even with white people, but interracially, it is less an issue. 
4. In a perfect world, if black people do work together, the next step is learning investments. The music industry is proof that black people can brand themselves. But that's a trap. Branding means you represent that company. How many CEOs do what Music Industry artists do? There's more to investing than your name, face, and opinion.
5. Black people have to merge and acquire failing businesses and markets and brand them. As a teenager, I wanted to be a rapper. I wanted to sell clothes, liquor, and open up restaurants. I never thought about owning a bank, finance company, law firm, a metals company, mining, oil, commodities that have value company. The small deals that are done today, they're small because these companies that do exist, bring in a face from pop culture to brand their company. For instance, Brooklyn Nets used Jay Z to bring them to Brooklyn. His share in the ownership of the team was minute. He gets checks, but they're pale in comparison to what owners really make.
6. Black people don't invest in black people. Instead of the war on class, there should be a peace movement to bring black people to the top. If this happens, you're looking at the improvement of America. Its no secret, Black people carry America on their bleeding backs. That's how it was done in 1776, 1886, 1996, and today.We're going to carry Americans, lets put them in a briefcases made by us, and make enough briefcases so we can all carry them. At the same time wearing tailored suits.
7. Black people leave each other to the wolves. This almost didn't get added. I actually had to meet with someone to get this point in. This is the most important of them all. Black people leave their children, friends, and family to the wolves to manipulate them. If one person's mind is infected, it can spread. Look at AIDS and Ebola. Leaving a vulnerable mind can kill an entire village of dreams. 

     If we followed all of these steps, that wouldn't guarantee us more successful as a people. I'm not trying to bash my people. But we're so negative. Negativity is the source of failure. We need to change our negative words to positive words. Instead of risks say opportunities. Instead of losses, say another chance. Instead of can't, say what you have to do to get it done. 

     The easiest way out is by creating your own luck. Fix your game so that you always win. I have more to say on this, but I want to explore other ideas. See what I did? I didn't want to say I don't feel like writing anymore, instead I found the true reason to stop this, to explore other ideas.