Recently I wrote about the TJ Lane case and how I believe that he should be tried as an adult. I don’t believe that Lane should be tried as an adult because juveniles who happened to be POC are tried as adults. He should be tried as an adult because he shot 5 people in cold blood and killed 3 of them. Let’s not forget his prior history of violence behavior.
Now some people have said that trying juveniles is unfair to begin with. I am inclined to disagree. If a 17 year old can murder his peers, I have no qualms with the system trying him as an adult. If that makes me cold-blooded and evil well…I guess I’m cold-blooded and evil in the eyes of some people. That’s fine.
Some juveniles (I would say 17 year olds and the occasional 16 year old) should be tried as adults I assert that TJ Lane is one of them. I also believe that TJ Lane garners sympathy. He’s white, male, small, boyish, and to top it all off, comes from a troubled home.
Many youth offenders come from troubled homes. They too have witnessed domestic violence and have one or both parents in prison. When their stories are told there is little sympathy for their plights. It reaffirms stereotypes. Well of course these youngsters are criminals. The proverbial apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
We see TJ Lane looking shy and pathetic and we feel sorry. It’s unfortunate that his parents could not provide for him. He should never have been the target of bullying and his school’s administration should have done more to protect him. But the law is also supposed to protect his victims and even-handedly distribute justice.
I hope that the prosecutors will follow up on their intent to charge him as an adult. Our sympathies for Lane should only run so far.
Recently on Twitter, I was told that I was divisive. Why? I stated that Sandra Fluke is privileged in our society. She is attractive, white, and female. And that has always garnered sympathy in our culture here in the United States.
Now this does not mean that Rush Limbaugh’s comments were not disgusting, putrid, and uncalled for. They sure as hell were. But Rush is always disgusting and putrid. What makes Sandra Fluke’s dose of Rush’s evil so bad that some of his sponsors are heading for the hills?
There is a history of protecting white women in American culture. Right or wrong it exists. And according to @somalirosek me stating that Ms. Fluke is privileged is just bad.
Where was the outrage when Rush told a black female caller to take the bone out of her nose? Where is the outrage and the withdrawal of sponsorship when he attacks the FLOTUS? Just because Mrs. Obama is in the public eye doesn’t mean that his comments are less offensive and should be ignored?
Offense is offense. If the rainstorm of hate that Sandra Fluke gracefully endure can put a sizable dent in Rush’s operation, I can swallow that. I only hope that there will be a similar backlash when someone like goes on the offensive and spews sexist, racist, and/or any other kind of ‘ist comment.
Note: I’ll be writing about this some more. When I have the time I’ll post images of the actual Tweets.
As unfortunate as all that is, I believe that he needs to be tried as an adult. Young men of color are tried as adults constantly. Think I’m kidding? 67% of juveniles tried as adults are black.
And I’d venture to guess that these young people come from dysfunctional backgrounds as well. Were is the judicial sympathy for them. Where are the prosecutors who take into account the fact that some of these individuals grew up with parents in prison? In neighborhoods riddled with crime and poverty? Where was all the public scrutiny over charging 12 year old Christian Fernandez as an adult?
Whenever a young white male decides to shoot up his school, the media starts to talk about gun control. Folks can’t seem to figure out how such a travesty could occur. But young men of color garner no sympathy. They are demonized and pointed to as justification for stringent laws that unfairly penalize them.
I believe in justice. I believe that criminals should be tried and judged by a jury of their peers. But I believe in fairness.
This is not fairness. This is an embarrassment to our nation’s criminal justice system.
Since watching Key & Peele’s impersonation and translation of Obama on YouTube I’ve been hooked. Unfortunately, I was not on Twitter during the SOTU. But, I was ecstatic to log on and see that @ObamaTranslated was hard at work educating the masses. Here are my favorite tweets from last night:
No matter what, some people will still believe that the POTUS is a Muslim. HE ISN’T!!! And if he was? Well…I don’t think that this country will have a Muslim president any time soon…
Can you imagine the POTUS saying this during every speech, knocking the stand over, giving the FLOTUS a “terrorist fist jab” and then sauntering off? Fox News would explode!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I think “Luther” wanted to add “think I’m playin’? I’m comin’ for alla ya.” Damn the 140 character limit.
Wonderful use of caps lock
I am still reeling from this one.
Don’t worry Mr. President. We feel your pain too.
This one takes the cake. How can folks not stand up if Lincoln is mentioned?
I really hope that Key & Peele show is successful. And just because this is my second post about the duo doesn’t meant that someone somewhere is paying me to promote them (though I wouldn’t mind the cash, I am a student after all). I believe that their show can be a success and I hope the rest of America thinks so as well. Key & Peele will air Tuesday, January 31st on Comedy Central at 10:30 PM ET/PT. Until then follow @ObamaTranslated, @JordanPeele and @KeeganMKey on Twitter for giggles.
One day, I hope to have children and I am going to have to explain my generation’s taste in music. Now if I was raised in the 70s I could say that we listened to Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone. But no. I have the one and only Nicki Minaj. (I’m praying that her name will be erased from the history books by the time I procreate. *crossing fingers and toes*)
I’ve never been a Minaj fan. Her music, style, and antics just don’t appeal to me. Every artist isn’t going to have the depth and grace of Nina Simone or Tracy Chapman but c’mon now. This is what the industry has to offer? An over the top music video laced with idiotic lyrics that practically made my body and mind seize?
Speaking of lyrics let’s analyze them for a moment shall we?
First she takes a jab at her competition (Lil Kim maybe?):
Bitch talkin she the queen when she looking like a lab rat I’m Angelina, you Jennifer, c’mon bitch you see where Brad at?
The adversarial nature of hip-hop at it’s best huh? Is it another Ether? I think not.
Ice my wrist-es then I piss on bitches You could suck my diznick, if you taking shizzes You don’t like them disses, give my ass some kisses Yeah they know what this is givin this some business
The first graders I used to work with could come up with better rhymes than this poor excuse for a set rhyming couplets. Diznick? Shizzes? Has anyone in her camp ever heard of dictionary?
Let’s skip a stanza and go to this little charmer:
Ey yo SB, what the fuck’s good?
We ship platinum, them bitches is shippin wood
Them nappy headed hoes, but my kitchen good
I wish I wish I wish I wish a bitch woooooouuuulllldddd
Did she really just refer to certain women, women of AFRICAN descent as “nappy headed hoes”? I’m sorry but I remember Don Imus catching hell for this yet here she is spouting nonsense against the women who actually put money into her pocket. Here’s an artist that is supposed to represent women yet she uses an adjective like nappy? I would think that a woman of Afro-descent wouldn’t incorporate a loaded term like nappy into her lyrical repertoire but I guess that’s too much to ask for in 2012.
The chorus is stellar I must say:
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho, yeah you a you a stupid ho
You a stupid ho you a you a stupid ho
You stupid stupid, you a stupid ho
You a you a stupid ho, you stupid stupid
Really? Really Ms. Minaj? This is what you and Young Money came up with? Repeatedly referring to someone as a “stupid ho”? I won’t even bother going through the rest of the lyrics. It’s too painful. She does claim to be the “female Weezy” at the end of this so-called song. Now Ms. Minaj, why not just be your own person and let Weezy be Weezy? But she’s well on her way to be Weezy with a vagina. She’s got the grating voice, silly punchlines, and candy coated lyrics. Way to go.
This song is stupid. This video is stupid. Youtube viewers have recognized the asinine nature of this production and the dislike bar is growing rapidly. It’s woefully unfortunate that the sole female face in mainstream music uses her platform to degrade women and arguably degrade herself. I’m not a prude. But I contend that Minaj’s overt sexuality is not empowering. If anything she is a 21st century Jezebel. What’s worse is that there are no opposing forms of femininity in mainstream music to give listeners an option.
In all honesty I’d like to see Minaj disappear from music but her fan base is strong. It’s her world, and the rest of us just live in it so she’s going to be around for awhile. In the meantime Ms. Minaj, “step your cookies up” as you are so fond of saying. Give your listeners some real lyrics so when folks claim “TeamMinaj” or whatever the hell it’s called, the rest of us won’t scoff and snicker.
I always enjoyed watching these two on MadTV. I sincerely hope that their Comedy Central show will be successful. Peele’s impersonation of Obama is right on the money. If I close my eyes, I’d swear it was the POTUS himself.
I do wish Obama could get angry just once. It would make my life. But Presidents can’t lose their cool, especially Obama. He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.
Her voice is so haunting but ethereal. Once upon a time one could turn on the radio and hear this track oozing out the speakers. Now we’re stuck with…that’s another post for another time.
I also believe that the woman who is performing is gorgeous. Her smile is inviting. Her skin is flawless and her hair is lovely. Should her appearance have any bearing on her talent? No. Unfortunately, I constantly see Youtube comments mocking her womanhood and femininity. Every female artist need not be gyrating sexpot. Diversity is a beautiful thing. There should be more room for different representations of women in music.
Tracy Chapman hasn’t been on the seen for some time now but I hope that she or someone like her shows up to shake things up a bit to give listeners a message through their talent.
I never thought that I’d fall for another Starfleet Captain. Picard was my all. He had the accent, the presence, the expertise, he was just IT. Then I started watching Deep Space Nine and my entire Trek World changed. I tried to resist all of DS9′s charms and wave my TNG flag but little my little that space station sucked me right into their wormhole of awesomeness. The female characters were actually useful. All of the characters were fleshed out and dynamic. Hell they gave me Worf in Season 4 and I got to see a side of him TNG never could have given those of us who adore those brow ridges.
But above all else, DS9 gave the world The Sisko. Avery Brooks infuses so much life into this character. We watch him grow as person, love his son, and become one of the best tacticians and captains Starfleet has ever seen. Once he grew that beard it got real. It’s like the writers finally realized that Avery Brooks is an amazing actor and gave him the material to shine. Hearing his silky voice say “fortune favors the bold” always makes me feel empowered. Cheesy? Yes. True? Most definitely. He is the only fictional character that turns me into a pathetic fangirl and I love every minute of it.
I must admit that my adoration of The Sisko has to do with him being a Black man in power. Yes, Star Trek takes place in the 24th century but DS9 was written and filmed in the 20th century. The Sisko represents the future. I enjoy watching a show in which a Black man can be a leader and a father.The love and affection he showers Jake with makes me hope that one day my mini-mes will have a father like The Sisko – someone stern, fair, loving, gentle, affectionate, and attentive.
In my eyes, The Sisko is the best captain in the franchise and I’m sure I will continue to feel this way after I buckle down and watch Voyager and Enterprise.
