Let me start by saying that I have a list of things a mile long I would like to blog about but just can't seem to find the time. The news has been filled with great stories and just when I think I'll be able to get around to writing about one a plane lands in the Hudson River or I have to drive to work in a blizzard with a bunch of people who shouldn't be driving on dry roads. I'm going to put all those on hold and start with the big one in this post. I'm sure you are all aware that today was an important day in history...it was the first time we celebrated the day after Martin Luther King day and effectively had a work week with 2 holidays.
While I am kidding, it did seem that way. Tufts was dead during the early afternoon as everyone seemed to take an extended lunch to watch history. While it is quite significant that we have our first black president, I think the hysteria is outweighing the significance. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to go and watch it in person but it's not a perfect world. If you wanted to watch the festivities on TV that's great, take the day off. Don't come in and pretend to work while you watch the party all afternoon. Working for Public Safety I can't just pretend to work while I secretly watch the inauguration. Imagine calling the police because you're getting mugged and the dispatcher tells you tough shit because all the officers are watching TV. At one point my facebook status was "I bet that the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001 was more productive than this afternoon will be." and for a while at Tufts I truly believe that to be true, as horrible as you may think it sounds.
The other thing that bothers me about the inauguration is the amount of money spent on it. I have heard figures between 50 and 170 million dollars are being spent on what is essentially a big party. Again, I understand the historical significance of electing a black president, but given the current financial situation is it really necessary to spend that much money when it could be used on something that would benefit the people? Herbert Hoover didn't think so and canceled his inaugural ball in 1929 during the great depression. According to the government we are having a "financial crisis" and possibly on the verge of collapse. Circuit City is going out of business and eliminating 34,000 jobs and it's nearly impossible to find job as most companies are either in hiring freezes or laying off workers. Despite all this, officials are throwing the most expensive inaugural ball in history while Obama says he will fight elitism. Off to a good start.
But enough with bashing the government and on to using Obama as a good role model. It is a proud day for America as we swear in our first black president. Civil rights have come a long way since the 60's and what happened today would certainly make MLK proud. However, racism and stereotypes still run rampant in America. Tonight folks, I bring you an objective, in depth analysis of why racism is still around.
For those of you unfamiliar with Lil' Wayne, here is a picture of the winner in question.
Like the caption says, it's all about dignity. What Wayne lacks, Obama makes up for thousands of times over.Wearing clothing from a clothing company called BAPE, which is short for Bathing Ape, certainly is one way to overcome the stereotype that blacks are dirty, monkey like things. "Singing," I use the term loosely, about doing drugs, raping women, shooting enemies, and making excessive use of the "N" word is certainly a good way to disprove the stereotype that all blacks are criminals and 2nd class citizens, right? The unfortunate thing is that young urban kids look up to rappers like Wayne as a role model.
Some users on the website where I found the picture argued that he has the freedom to dress how he wants and that is what his grandparents fought for. While this is true, what that argument forgets about is that it all comes down to presentation. If you want to be taken seriously by society, you need to dress in a way that proves to society that you can put together an intelligent thought. This is true regardless of race. If I see a white girl walking down the street dressed like a hippy because it's trendy, I don't take her as serious as a white woman dressed in a business suit. The same is true about a black man dressed as a circus clown compared to one dressed intelligently like Barack Obama. It may not be fair to judge someone by the way they dress, you may be appalled by me coming out and saying this publicly, but you know it's true and we all do it. Sure that hippy chick might be a great person, but she needs to work harder to prove that to society and the same is true for breaking racial stereotypes. Unfortunately, while Barack Obama has made 2 steps forward, Lil' Wayne is taking one backwards.
Sorry to get all serious on you guys who look to this blog for entertainment. I promise there is good stuff coming including topics such as "What I hate about driving in the snow, and it's not the snow" as well as "The insecurities of head to toe Coach, and other fashion tips."
While I am kidding, it did seem that way. Tufts was dead during the early afternoon as everyone seemed to take an extended lunch to watch history. While it is quite significant that we have our first black president, I think the hysteria is outweighing the significance. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to go and watch it in person but it's not a perfect world. If you wanted to watch the festivities on TV that's great, take the day off. Don't come in and pretend to work while you watch the party all afternoon. Working for Public Safety I can't just pretend to work while I secretly watch the inauguration. Imagine calling the police because you're getting mugged and the dispatcher tells you tough shit because all the officers are watching TV. At one point my facebook status was "I bet that the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001 was more productive than this afternoon will be." and for a while at Tufts I truly believe that to be true, as horrible as you may think it sounds.
The other thing that bothers me about the inauguration is the amount of money spent on it. I have heard figures between 50 and 170 million dollars are being spent on what is essentially a big party. Again, I understand the historical significance of electing a black president, but given the current financial situation is it really necessary to spend that much money when it could be used on something that would benefit the people? Herbert Hoover didn't think so and canceled his inaugural ball in 1929 during the great depression. According to the government we are having a "financial crisis" and possibly on the verge of collapse. Circuit City is going out of business and eliminating 34,000 jobs and it's nearly impossible to find job as most companies are either in hiring freezes or laying off workers. Despite all this, officials are throwing the most expensive inaugural ball in history while Obama says he will fight elitism. Off to a good start.
But enough with bashing the government and on to using Obama as a good role model. It is a proud day for America as we swear in our first black president. Civil rights have come a long way since the 60's and what happened today would certainly make MLK proud. However, racism and stereotypes still run rampant in America. Tonight folks, I bring you an objective, in depth analysis of why racism is still around.
For those of you unfamiliar with Lil' Wayne, here is a picture of the winner in question.
Like the caption says, it's all about dignity. What Wayne lacks, Obama makes up for thousands of times over.Wearing clothing from a clothing company called BAPE, which is short for Bathing Ape, certainly is one way to overcome the stereotype that blacks are dirty, monkey like things. "Singing," I use the term loosely, about doing drugs, raping women, shooting enemies, and making excessive use of the "N" word is certainly a good way to disprove the stereotype that all blacks are criminals and 2nd class citizens, right? The unfortunate thing is that young urban kids look up to rappers like Wayne as a role model.
Some users on the website where I found the picture argued that he has the freedom to dress how he wants and that is what his grandparents fought for. While this is true, what that argument forgets about is that it all comes down to presentation. If you want to be taken seriously by society, you need to dress in a way that proves to society that you can put together an intelligent thought. This is true regardless of race. If I see a white girl walking down the street dressed like a hippy because it's trendy, I don't take her as serious as a white woman dressed in a business suit. The same is true about a black man dressed as a circus clown compared to one dressed intelligently like Barack Obama. It may not be fair to judge someone by the way they dress, you may be appalled by me coming out and saying this publicly, but you know it's true and we all do it. Sure that hippy chick might be a great person, but she needs to work harder to prove that to society and the same is true for breaking racial stereotypes. Unfortunately, while Barack Obama has made 2 steps forward, Lil' Wayne is taking one backwards.
Sorry to get all serious on you guys who look to this blog for entertainment. I promise there is good stuff coming including topics such as "What I hate about driving in the snow, and it's not the snow" as well as "The insecurities of head to toe Coach, and other fashion tips."
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1 comments:
I hear ya on spending too much for this event, but I am sure most of it was spent on security more than the actual inauguration, makes sense.
As a Lil Wayne listener I find the guy to be a major sleezeball because while he makes the songs I listen to sound better, he treats his fans like shit. He does have a child (or two?) but seems to always be high when performing. Some role model indeed.
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