where does white end and black begin

Very interesting concept, author Joy Zarembka was interviewed regarding Obama’s racial identity on NPR, as well as a blog and book listed above. an interesting clip at her site show a graphic of how we allow larger societies to once again divide us by color codes.

but if you’ve been following my thought and this blog, you know what I am recommending Black America do in 2010, to dismantle a system that has miscounted you since you been here (3/5), and sub-divided, augmented and categorized you ever since.

Do what you were sent here to do, and not what you were brought here to do…

SO IF 98% OF BLACK WOMEN

“Have never heard of you, what would you want them to know?” My good friend Chad so diplomatically put it, upon hearing that there was a high probability of an article and review of the film being prepped for ESSENCE Magazine tomorrow.

After about 10 seconds, I said “Probably that PSA thing we did, or even the TAALAM piece”

“You know the biggest hurdle you’ll have to overcome is that most people don’t even realize that both are associated with the same movie, they probably don’t even know that there is even a movie, or about the NAACP Image award thing and all the stuff that’s been going on…”

“OK stop, stop , stop…I’m getting overwhelmed, so I think we’ll go with the first thought put the PSA and TAALAM on the same post, and if they want more, they’ll begin to explore the site…or better yet google “What Black Men Think” and surf through the 50 or so pages of stuff out there on the movie….scratch that….the movement.

AGREED!

So (like they do in church) can all our first time visitors please stand, I mean check out the following videos, make yourself comfortable, and please come back soon!

 

THE PSA

TAALAM ACEY

 (CONTAINS PROFANITY - NSFW)

about 1/4 million youtube views between the two….enjoy

BAND OF ONE

So I’m trying to get myself off to the right foot in 2008 (not that 07 was a bad one ~ actually best year of my life) when it comes to adding more of the mainstream press stuff…going to update the bio, get some head shots, collect all the write ups in one location, you know the whole p/r thing. Been getting away with murder as my publicist says all the time, but until I can hire an assistant (hint) I gotta keep speaking, screening, lecturing, interviewing, appearing, photoshopping, pdf-ing, cropping, writing and about 12 other things I can’t think of, all by myself…So here’s to ringing in the new year right…god bless you all and let’s catch up soon in the new year! stay safe…Jynx

AULD LANG SYNE

So i made another silly bet…that I should have won had he not cheated (those dag gone smart phones ~ you know you can google while talking on those things, I need to catch up)

 Anyway here’s the bet, and I use it as an example to deomonstrate how plugged into the matrix most people are.

 Repeat one correct sentence of the most famous New Year’s song in History, and tell me what it means.

BONUS ROUND. What the hell are they talking about anyway? But you sing it bad words, and mumbled phrasing every year for what? To show the world how deep the rabbit hole goes.

SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT

Happy New Year…stop the violence,, enough is enough, save our sons and the plethora of organizations I have been blessed with over the past year to have come in contact with. Keep the faith, keep on task, and (I can’t believe I’m using this cliche’) keep hope alive. Seriously your work does not go unnoticed, and there are many of us rooting and cheering for you all…

I guess the best way to summarize 2007, and what this project has been about is probably best described as anti-this photograph. I talk about myths, mispreceptions and stereotypes, and how devastating they can be on how black men and black women relate to one another.

Well this pretty much sums it up…

See while native born african american children are born at an out-of-wedlock rate in excess of 74% (if you include African born it drops to 69%), the implied message is that the underlying causality of this situation rest solely with black men, and their negating their responsiblities, and should be held accountable (only) for this tragic circumstance. Even more disturbing someone sat in front of their computer, gathered their thoughts, gathered their Photoshop skills, assembled this graphic, and went ahead and posted it to the internet. Then of course it got circulated, hit my inbox, and I got distraught, knowing that someone would stoop so low. Question: for arguements sake…who do you think made this? Man or Woman? White or Black. These questions and more I hope to explore further with you in 2008. May YHWH bless you and keep you all, and it is my hopes that the coming new year we’ll  see a cesation in the madness, that is far too pervasive in our comunities, our families and ourselves.Janks

 I’ll close out the new year with a final word from “the artist will” …

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS…OK ANYTIME IN 2008

is to spend about 10 minutes on this radio show….of all the media I’ve done, this would be the Host who would appreciate and embrace this film and it’s message.

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

So I get asked on occassion what I think about hip-hop and it’s affect on the culture, should we boycott and so forth. Well how hip-hop devolved over the past 15-20 years is a thesis for the experts. However I do remeber the day I began to disengage from Rap,  I can never fully explain the trauma that was this video (for me)…and how I remember so many voices screaming….NOOOOO Hammmer! NOOOOOO…

LOVE ON A 2-WAY STREET

While I love the premise of this, I still go back to the CHOICE to bring a child into the world goes both ways. So the while the “Blame the Black Man first” crowd cheers for this (as do I)…I still give pause and wonder where’s the graphic to compliment this message? It reminds me of a quote from author Steve Perry made during our interview (paraphrasing) “if he already has 2 different baby-mommas that you know of, and asks for your phone number, you should probably say no, hell no”

I MUST BE SLIPPING

or I’ve been duped. For some reason there was a stat floating around in my head that 50% of all aids cases were black men. I was put on this course after one black man in responsded to the diatribe over the ESSENCE article.

Basically, a black woman started the blame game in response to the DL refuting by the Malebranche study, questioning where are black woman getting AIDS from…black men of course! (missing the point of IV drug use’s role), he responded where are black men getting it from…black women…the confusion led me to take a look at the increase in hetero-sexual contraction as reported in 2004 vs. cummulative, and what do you know, hetero contraction is up as well. Again I always preface this reporting with the question “what is the incubation period of this disease”, to remind our new listeners, anywhere from 7 to 15  years, so we are talking about behaviors from the early and mid 90’s…anyway from a quick look, it seems that black men are about 1/3 of of entire reporting as well as reporting for 2004, bad but not as bad as I perceived. Like April Simms says “turn off that idiot box”

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

In a later post I will explain the whole hyperbole and lumping in of categories the media does to fuel the flames of finger pointing, to keep us suspicious of each other, so they can continue to sell newspapers…by the numbers the headlines you will never see.

HOMOSEXUAL WHITE MEN CONTRACTING AIDS AT TWICE THE RATE OF HOMOSEXUAL BLACK MEN

or

AIDS CASES IN HETEROSEXUAL BLACK MALES SKYROCKETING

OH YOU WERE FINISHED, WELL PLEASE ALLOW ME TO RETORT

My response to the commentary in response to the article posted at ESSENCE Magazine:

 

Sadly I write this…the video vixen, the Halle Berry, the Eurocentric intoxication, the unregulated sexual prowess, the spreader of diseases, the abandoner of responsibility, the lack of self control assigned exclusively and associated solely with black male identity, the over all unworthiness and non-necessity of all Black Men…Many of these misperceptions on Black Men are tackled, substantiated or refuted, and examined for their social, cultural and relationship impacts, through the film.

The masks we have placed upon ourselves and each other, the pseudo-self satisfying templates castigating the group through a narrowly defined set of experiences is denigrating us all, Man and woman alike. It is my hopes that one day; we can move beyond the hubris that allows us to posture pretentiously in judgment of one another. The underlying tone of unresolved angst, unfettered hostility and unmitigated resentment is fueling the division I am referring too. And our pain is holding us all hostages.

This series of commentaries to the article while unsettling, highlights how far too many of us think and feel about one another. More troubling is that too many of us are willing too engage in a public forum, speculative discourse unsubstantiated by any analytical, empirical or logical assessments of the true facts of our situation. Rather the reflections of the cold and hardened brutality of our personal choices and trying to conform an entire group to a whittled down narrative. This “undeclared civil war” while tragic, is reinforcing the disconnect I am constantly try to mend, through lectures, speeches and this film.

JM – Director “WBMT”