RANDOM THOUGHTS ON DELUSION & OPPRESSION

I was having a conversation today and articulated some pretty cool thoughts on the role delusion plays in oppression.

All forms of hatred depend on delusion. The marginalized have to convince themselves that their oppressed status is normal. The ironic thing is that those who question or challenge the normalization of marginalization and oppression are labeled the crazy ones.

I love the way my mind works sometimes.

<3

PORN, SEXISM, HYPOCRISY, AND MONTANA FISHBURNE!

Ever since news broke that Montana Fishburne daughter of famous actor Lawerence Fishburne was interested in or doing porn, the black blogosphere has erupted into one sexist and hypocritical post after another. Everyone seems to be so concerned and preoccupied with what Montana’s father thinks about her actions seemingly looking over the fact that she just may have some agency in her own decisions and that contrary to popular belief daughters are not owned by their fathers no matter how much we want to believe the opposite.

Montana Fishburne did not choose her parents and she certainly did not choose to be the child of a famous black actor. None of us know the pressures of what it means to be the child of a famous celebrity and I am sure that role comes with a lot of good and bad. But Montana doing porn isn’t worse because her father is a famous actor. As a matter of fact that shouldn’t really have anything to do with the reaction to her choice.

Each one of us does things that our parents may not agree with and furthermore I am sure our parents have done some things that their parents didn’t agree with. So to portray Montana as some sort of unique individual who went against her fathers wishes is very hypocritical. We all do it, it may not be porn but we definitely do it.

Another issue seems to be that by appearing on film having says Montana is thus a “whore.” First of all let me say that there is no such thing as a “whore,” there are only people who judge others for their sexual behaviors and choices. One persons whore may be the next persons wholesome. The entire concept is based on making value judgments about other people. Montana is no more of a “whore” for appearing on film having sex than the millions of other people who have sex in general. I’m not sure how sex becomes that much worse simply because it’s done on camera as opposed to not on camera. The fact is that it’s happening.

I think a lot of the furor surrounding Montana stems from the fact that she is Lawerence Fishburne’s daughter. I think we would be hearing an entirely different story if Montana’s name was Martin. Sexism has much to do with the negative reaction Montana is facing. If it was Lawerence Fishburne’s son having sex with women on film most people would be saying, “Wow how cool.” Instead of rolling their eyes in hypocritical disdain.

In the end Montana Fishburne has to live her life and deal with the consequences of that life. That her father is a famous actor, that what she is choosing to do is porn, are all secondary in my opinion. We all make choices and decisions and not everyone is going to agree with them. But the beautiful thing about life is being able to make those choices. I can think of a lot worse things Montana could be doing other than porn but that is an entirely different post.

So in closing, people lay off the rush to judgment, hypocrisy, and sexism.

THE REAL NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT!

You turn on any news channel or read any news article and the talk of the Afghanistan war and our continued presence in that country always boils down to its potential as a national security threat. We are told that our continued presence in this country is vital because not being there poses a national security threat.

It’s alleged threat to our national security is the reason why we seem to have all this magic money to keep funding it. Or at least that’s the impression that I am getting.

We can pull 60 billion dollars out of thin air in order to keep funding a pointless and futile war by all accounts but the moment someone asks for 10 billion to hire new teachers to educate our youth everyone or at least the politicians want to scream that there is no money to do so.

Let me be clear, the education of our youth or lack there of is a national security threat. When we succumb to this idea that fighting and funding pointless wars abroad is more important to our national security than an educated and informed citizenry at home that is a real national security threat.

It really is a shame that 50 students a teacher is soon going to be the reality in many schools all because we can’t find the money to hire or pay new teachers. But we have no problem pulling money out of no where to keep funding pointless wars in a country that isn’t even the most pressing threat in the middle east.

GAY MEN IN DEFENSE OF STRAIGHT MEN

I’m one of the few gay men on this planet who does not get joy out of straight men accused of being gay. I think it’s an ignorant practice and does nothing but reinforce and advance this notion of what levels of masculinity are acceptable and unacceptable for one to be straight.

It appears that people are once again accusing R&B star and producer Neyo of being gay. I don’t know why people want this man to be gay so bad or maybe I do but on the whole its really annoying. I’m so tired of people thinking they know someones sexuality based solely on arbitrary mannerism tests.

I do not think Neyo is gay and I never have. I’ve known to many straight men like him. They may be more sensitive, they aren’t raging macho fakes, but they are straight.

But Neyo if you are going to defend your heterosexuality (something I don’t think you should have to do) please do not cite your ability to reproduce as proof of you being straight. I mean I know on the surface this seems like a good idea. Any man who would enter the vagina of a woman has to be straight, but only sexuality isn’t that simple. Many gay men have had sex with women and many gay men have procreated with women. The ability to have sex with and conceive a child with a woman is not proof you are straight. Its just proof that you can have sex and you are fertile.

I know your career depends a lot on your perceived heterosexuality and masculinity but honestly just stop feeding into the ignorance. You are a straight man no need to defend that. And if you are going to defend your heterosexuality I recommend you doing so more convincingly than declaring “I have sex with women.”

UNTIL RACISM HAS LOST ALL MEANING

There is a movement occurring in this country by some who wish to make racism a completely trivial phenomenon that can be wielded in debate and argument as a way to one up the competition and the other side.

Racism is no longer the black man lynched by white assailants who were never brought to justice.

Racism is not the black kids denied entry into a predominately white swimming club because of their skin color.

Racism is not the black woman denied a home loan based more on her skin color than her credit.

Racism is not the group of black men targeted by the cops for daring to be in a group of more than 3 and looking suspicious because well black men by way of being black are suspicious looking.

Nope racism is none of those things.

All of those things are imagined in the minds of paranoid blacks looking to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes in society so they can further the evil black agenda.

You see according to the people who want to strip racism of all meaning, racism is well a joke.

Racism is the very name of the NAACP. Did you know the word Colored is in that racist organizations name? How racist is that?

Racism is Historically Black College’s. Did you know that those HBCU’s are over 90% black and they are receiving tax payer dollars to further their evil black agenda of educating black students? Now thats racism.

Racism is the election of a black president named Barack Obama who we all know is secretly in office to further the black agenda.

As I stated earlier there is a movement in this country, perhaps a long one, that seeks to strip racism of all its meaning. Those who are truly victims of racism will be seen as paranoid citizens looking to pull something out of nothing.

Fox News and others will swoop in and say LOOK THEY CAN’T BE SERIOUS! Look at all the examples of blacks being racist.

And then there will come a point when no one takes charges of racism seriously and when we do it’ll be over the most absurd of reasons.

Say like buying into the notion that a black woman named I dunno… Shirley Sherrod who made a speech on racial reconciliation is you know the real racist.

This country still hasn’t come to terms with race and the role it plays in the core of this nation. If we continue to treat race the way we do things are only going to get worse before they get better.

DROWNING IN HOMOPHOBIA!

I spend a lot of my time thinking about homophobia. The poisonous effects it has on both the gay and straight community, the way its reinforced by those who suffer from it, and the many parallels between it and other forms of hatred.

Earlier today I was having a conversation about homophobia and someone brought up a really good point concerning it. They compared fighting conditioned hatred to learning how to swim and I think that comparison is very adept. Homophobia is a lot like drowning. Its a painful and slow death of the psychological self. The years of self loathing, self denial, and self hatred slowly eat away at ones authentic self until you are left in a state of insanity, unable to recognize who you are and what you are. So many gay men are drowning, drowning in the torturous waters of homophobia.

Like many drowning deaths can be prevented by knowing how to swim, homophobia can be challenged and changed by rejecting self hate. If gay men just had the courage to learn how to swim, to learn to love themselves unconditionally we wouldn’t have so many deaths from homophobia drowning as we do.

I understand it’s a lot easier said than done sometimes, but one must consider that it’s free to love yourself for who you are and know your worth as a gay man, but the price of internalized homophobia is very expensive and will leave you with an over drafted life.

There are many gay men like myself living our lives authentically and open who are willing to teach our fellow gay brothers how to swim as well as support them on their journey.

So, to my gay brothers grappling with internalized homophobia, learn how to swim! It might just save you frown drowning.

WHY SHOULDN’T SATAN BE WORSHIPED?

Ever since this whole Illuminati thing took off it seems like Satan just can’t catch a break but I mean is it fair?

All he did was get kicked out of heaven and until a thorough investigation is undertaken we can’t be sure that it was his fault anyway.

There’s three sides to every story.

Person 1 version, Person 2 version, and the truth.

I mean let’s be fair here.

I’m an atheist, but doesn’t Satan have just as much right to be worshiped as any other deity right?

RUPAUL TOTALLY HATES BLACK QUEENS!

Following the consecutive crowning of two well deserving black Queens some very ignorant people begin to assert that Rupaul only chose black winners and that he was obviously racist. This despite Rupaul having one o the most diverse contestants on his show in the history of television and despite the fact that of all the the things one can label Rupaul racist would not be an adept word at all.

Rupaul is premiering a new show on Logo titled Rupaul Drag University where in which drag queens teach cisgender women how to be drag queens.

And judging by a promo picture from the show it’s clear that Rupaul has been tricking us all along, he totally hates black queens.

As you can see none of the Drag U professors are black queens. Which confirms my long suspicion that Rupaul is indeed racist against blacks. He only chose Bene and Tyra because he was trying to trick us all into believing that he was a radical black nationalist but this picture clearly shows his true colors. He does not want black queens to teach straight women how to be queens.

Obviously I wrote this post with a healthy dose of sarcasm but I wanted to highlight a necessary point. Ignorant people can take any situation and use it to support their asinine beliefs. The same way you can call a two year old show racist because of two consecutive black winners, you can easily claim that Rupaul is anti-black because he didn’t choose any black queens for his new show.

Rupaul is an amazingly talented human being who is putting out peace and positivity in this crazy universe. Let’s thank him for that instead of throwing around accusations of racism.

Tune into Drag U when it premieres on Logo Monday, June 19th at 9:00PM.

RAISING HUMAN BEINGS

We often hear the myth that it takes a man to raise a man and it takes a woman to raise a woman.

I think it’s time out we stop perpetuating and reinforcing this delusional myth.

It takes a caring, loving, and nurturing human being to raise another human being. Period.

Gender has nothing to do with it.

Lots of great men were raised by women.
Lots of great women were raised by men.

Lots of horrible men were raised by their father.
Lots of horrible women were raised by their mother.

Humans raise other humans.

That is all.

NO JUSTICE FOR OSCAR GRANT!

Our criminal justice system is a joke.

But I already knew that.

RIP Oscar Grant III.