2006 May « The SuperSpade

Health Care, The Weekly Dream

The Weekly Dream: Work and Adjustments

In Issues and Politics, Lifestyle on May 24, 2006 at 10:30 pm

“Nature abhors a vacuum”

Good day all. The phrase another day, another dollar has an entirely new meaning for me as I have begun my summer job. Change and working in the real world is quite an adjustment from school. Now I understand how life speeds up, time becomes scarce, waistlines and stress also increase. Maintaining equilibrium and perspective becomes a tremendous task. However it can be done.

On my very first day on the job, one of my coworkers gave me this piece of advice “once you know who you are, work is easy.” This relatively simple resonated with me as I made the adjustment from full-time, laid-back student to full-time employee. I tend to view the work world with more trepidation than most. I have seen jobs grind people up and make them shells of their former selves. I witness people who have allowed their occupation to grind the life out of them to the point where all they talk about is work and that is their universe. Until one day, they wake up and they are old and alone. This has never been me. I made a vow to never allow a position to change me, but to leave my mark on the position. I promised I would stay true to myself and the man I am on the journey of becoming.

This brings me to the issue of vocation or purpose. The majority of individuals have a job and not a vocation. If you ask a random person on the street, what their vocation is, they probably could not tell you. However, if finding your vocation was not difficult enough, once you find it, do you have the courage to follow it? This is my challenge, as I stand on the threshold of adult life.

What are you in it for?

I know that since the dawn of time, humans have left their homes to provide for themselves and their families. However, it still does not make the adjustment any easier. One way to keep life interesting is to ask “What am I in it for? What are my priorities?” Do not be anxious, but always keep your eyes on the prize. Outside of the deadlines, the hustle and bustle, you need to keep in touch with yourselves. Never let those dreams die. They are a gift entrusted to you to nurture.

These are not easy questions, especially when you are young and just starting out. But as I have often stated, we must take each day as it comes and treat it as an adventure. Find ways to incorporate play into your life and make relaxation a priority.

Parting words

In my former career, I received a wonderful piece of advice from a woman who had been employed at the bank I worked at for over forty years. She told me “Steven, at the end of your life, no one will remember the overtime you put in, or the sacrifices you made for the job. In the end, they will remember the kind of person you are and how you treat people.”

I have always used this phrase to help me return to reality. What good is success if you have no one to share it with? What good is money if you are unable to enjoy it? The book of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time and a place for everything. So if you are doing what is right and are diligent in every area of your life, it is not a question of if your dreams will come true, it is a question of when.

I am still learning these things, but this is what I try to remind myself of everyday I put that suit on. There is a totally different man, apart from the suit, that I cannot afford to lose track of.

Keep the faith. Stay encouraged.

Grow where you are planted, but if it doesn’t feel right, make preparations for change. No job is worth your health and personal well-being. Take care of yourselves.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas

Question of the Week: How do you maintain work/life balance?

The Weekly Dream

The Weekly Dream: Excuses & Ownership

In Lifestyle on May 17, 2006 at 9:16 pm

“Excuses build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness”
“Do or do not-there is no try”
-Yoda, “Star Wars”

Lately, it has been raining heavily in Milwaukee. Not light rain, but that hard, mad rain. During a break in the weather, my mother decided this would be a good time to cut the grass. So, my brothers and I are in the yard, doing our thing and my mother tells me that the grass is uneven. Mind you, the grass is still very wet, making it impossible to cut the grass well. She then tells me I need to start putting my glasses on.

This whole incident got me to thinking: What is the difference between an explanation and an excuse? In this results oriented world, the line is often blurred. There have been times when I had a valid explanation, but the receiver, who only cared about results, did not want to hear it. My dad always said “excuses are the tools of the incompetent.” However, are there ever times when an explanation is justified?

Well, I went to my good friend Webster and looked up the word and found that it meant “to try to exonerate from blame.” This did not help increase my knowledge. So, I synthesized my own rule. It all has to do with scope of control. If there was an unforeseeable event that you had no control of and was not the result of negligence, then it is a valid explanation. If the failure to perform was due to poor planning, lack of foresight, or general inattentiveness, then your justification is bogus.

“Man Up”: Ownership 101

You can always recognize a lame excuse when there is a lack of honesty and initiative. And who is the favorite victim of these tales? Ourselves. Self-delusion is a favorite past-time of a lot of people and procrastination soon follows. What excuse have you heard or perhaps told yourself for not exercising, keeping your New Year’s Resolution, or taking control of your financial life? People have far more excuses than they have answers. I am not immune to this. I find I make excuses when I think the other party is being unreasonable and unrealistic, but I do not want to tell them the truth. Lord help me, I am working on it (if I have done it to you, sorry, but now you know).

However, the hallmark of maturity is taking ownership of the situation. We are the root of a lot of the good and bad in our lives, and it normally stems from the areas we have not been honest with ourselves and others about. Until you can look in the mirror and own whatever that area is, then you will never be able to perform and grow. Don’t back down; do not make allowances- just do it.

I watched to very good movies this week: “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and “Mission Impossible III.” These movies drilled into me the importance of execution. The characters in these situations had no room for error and less room for excuses. In times when no amount of justification can change the facts, all you can do is apologize and start working on a remedy.

In closing…

Even on our best day, when we our most careful, most attentive, most conscientious, we still may not achieve the desired result. Does that mean that the justification is not valid? No, but in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? What’s past is past and all we have is the present and the problem still looking us in the face. So, resist the urge to treat your wounds with excuses and hit the drawing board for a solution to the problem. It isn’t easy and it will not happen overnight. It will take tireless diligence to eradicate excuses from your vocabulary. Yet, when you do, you will be far more effective and reliable. I will probably be eating these words later, but hey, you gotta start at home. Hopefully, someone appreciates my honesty. Here’s to growth!

If someone asks you for a reason, give it to them, or else, just keep it to yourself.

If you did not get it done, you did not get it done. Simple and plain.

Find an incentive to get it done. Whatever the “it” may be.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas

Question of the Week: What is the lamest excuse you have ever heard and from who? When do you make excuses?

Black Men, Race, Relationships

Strangers

In Issues and Politics on May 16, 2006 at 8:00 pm

I got very troublesome news from back home last night concerning 2 cousins of mine. Being an only child, they are the closest things I have to a brother and a sister. As such, we are all rather close, and when things happen to one of us, they effect all of us. These relationships can serve as microcosms for the connection that we as a people share and must acknowledge in order to advance in our collective knowledge of self.

Most without siblings value tremendously the relationships they form with their extended family and their “chosen family,” who are more often referred to as their friends. Most are not comfortable losing people, finding out family members are hurt, unheard from, or [potentially] in danger. This is news that is never good, whether you spoke to the people minutes, hours, or days before whatever happened happened, as was my case, or if you have not interacted with the person(s) for an extended period of time. In both cases, you will generally go through the following set of emotions/responses:

Disbelief (Are you serious?)
Helplessness (Could I have stopped/prevented this? Is there anything I can do now?)
Questioning (What happened? How did this happen?)
Action (I’m coming home/over right now!)
Evaluation (Is everything cool now? What can we do going forward?)

These are all things that I thought/felt/said when I got the call about my cousin’s stabbing and my other cousin’s disappearance. Thankfully, the slightly older cousin (slightly because they are both 18) is back home safely and the younger cousin escaped with “minor” injuries. The reason I, and most other people, can literally feel the connection to the individual(s) effected by the happenings.

The question, is how do we create this connection between those who are not family? It is created between friends through choice, trust, and experience. However, can we choose, trust, and share experiences with strangers? I argue that we can, since we are not strangers. What? You don’t know me, therefore you’re a stranger. Well, I say that a stranger is a person with whom you have not connection, literal or figurative. Using this definition, we cannot consider ourselves strangers to anyone. Taking myself as an example, I have shared experiences with others as humans, others as Black people, others as Black men, others as native Detroiters, others as current/former basketball players, others as Christians, others as tall people, etc. We should think about the basic things that we have in common, and from there we can grow in our compassion and community.

Doing this will give us the level of empathy to understand and embrace one another during “happy” and “difficult” times. The “happy” times are important because we often only think of our connection during “low” moments (how many people only see certain family at funerals?). We can change this. Let’s get back to the basics everybody. We can flip the notion of only seeing one another at funerals to seeing one another at graduations. We can flip the notion of only talking to people when tragedies strike to talking to people when we think about each other. If we can change the way we think of one another, not as separate entities but as members of the same collective body, then perhaps we can build a firm foundation upon which current and future generations can create a humanity that is not so divisive or defensive, one that is more practical, one that is more sensitive to the wants and needs of everyone.

Doing this can be the basis for changing the fundamental way that we think about things. What is going on in the mind of a young man or group of young men that attempt to take the life of another? What is going on in the mind of a young person who leaves their mother on Mother’s Day? These are questions that cannot be asked or answered if we consider ourselves strangers. Let’s create a closeness that bridges artificial boundaries.

Successful revolution is not created from hatred, anger, or being “fed up.” It is created out of love for and knowledge of self and love between former “strangers.”

One Love. One II.

Education, Iran, Iraq, Politics

Why do they hate us?

In Issues and Politics on May 16, 2006 at 5:30 am

Ever since 9/11, Americans all over have asked this fateful question, trying to understand why people would hijack airplanes and fly them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A severe rejection of wrong doings at the hands of the American government I think fuels such bewilderment amongst the American public. So as we witness the confrontation between Iran and the U.S., it might be a good time to shed some light on history that would help explain (not justify) the fiery remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad.

This post in inspired by a story I read in the Los Angeles Times entitled, U.S. history lesson: stop meddling, by Stephen Kinzer. In the article, Kinzer illustrates the negative long-term effects of American government ousting the governments of at least 14 countries around the world for the past 100 years. He does this to help inform what will probably be the effects of what will happen if and when the U.S. decides to forcibly intervene in Iran.

Before Iraq and Afghanistan, Kinzer states there were the Philippines, Panama, South Vietnam and Chile, among others. But while military interventions are easier to remember, the majority of US intervention involves “funding of rebel insurgencies, organized military coups, and encouraged popular nonviolent uprisings to overthrow foreign regimes – most recently in Yugslovia.” The sad reality is that “most of these interventions not only have brought great pain to the target countries but also, in the long run, weakened American security.” The long-run is an interesting idea isn’t it? But how do we think about the long-run in America? “We don’t have to pay down the deficit now, we can take care of it in the long run.” “Taking action to stop global warming would cost jobs so let’s take care of the earth in the long-run.” Fixing public education? Don’t get me started, but I digress.

Getting back to Kinzer’s article, he illustrates how America played a major role in changing the arc of history in Cuba. Kinzer states how,

“Cuba, half a world away from Iran, is a fine example. In 1898, the United States sent troops there to help rebels overthrow Spanish colonial rule. Once victory was secured, the U.S. reneged on its promise to allow Cuba to become independent and turned it into a protectorate. More than 60 years later, in his first speech as leader of the victorious Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro recalled that episode and made a promise. “This time,” he vowed, “it will not be like 1898, when the Americans came in and made themselves masters of the country.”

Isn’t it interesting how revolutionaries use history to justify their actions and how democratic countries use the future? Fidel Castro was born in 1926 so obviously, Castro, like other Revolutionaries, don’t have a short-term memory. So where most Americans miss the boat is not understanding that many terrorists see Americans as having blood on their hands from administrations that may be before their time. So rather than keep up their end of the bargain, the US has provided the fodder a dictator become a constant thorn in their sides for decades. Iran however, presents a more interesting case because in 1953, Iran was a baby democracy when they elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and he was largely popular amongst Iranians. But as Kinzer points out, things became thorny between Iran and the US when,

“Mossadegh angered the West by nationalizing his country’s oil industry. President Eisenhower sent the CIA to depose him. The coup was successful, but it set the stage for future disaster.” “The CIA placed Mohammed Reza Pahlavi back on the Peacock Throne. His repressive rule led, 25 years later, to the Islamic Revolution. That revolution brought to power a clique of bitterly anti-Western mullahs who have spent the decades since working
intensely, and sometimes violently, to undermine U.S. interests around the world.”

Kinzer later added that, “Today, Latin America and the Middle East are the regions of the world in the most open political rebellion against U.S. policies. It is no coincidence that these are the regions where the U.S. has intervened most often. Resentment over intervention festers. It passes from generation to generation. Ultimately it produces a backlash.”

A backlash? To me this means that any meaningful negotiations between Iran and the “international community” has to address issues from past generations. But after you sort through all the historical mess, Iran and the US actually have similar goals that Kinzer points out, “Both want to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, assure the free flow of Middle East oil and crush radical Sunni movements like the Taliban and Al Qaeda. What prevents talks from materializing is the deep resentment both sides feel over past interventions.”

So let’s stop drinking the kool-aid that the American government only has good intentions when it comes to regime change along with the notion that any country that is occupied by the U.S. should be grateful. And what is lost on many Americans is that they think that if they themselves did not do something wrong, then they should not be held responsible for the consequences. While this thinking is rational and plausible, many terrorists (not just Arabs) cite history from past generations as justification for their current behavior. What this tells me is that Americans claiming that they didn’t do anything wrong fails to account for the ramifications of past decisions by previous administrations. This is chess, not checkers.

Stay up fam,

Brandon

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
–George Santayana
Politics is war without bloodshed. War is politics with bloodshed.
–Huey Newton

Health

How are you eating?

In Lifestyle on May 15, 2006 at 10:45 am

Earlier, I wrote a piece on going to the gym that ruffled some feathers but when it comes to being healthy in our non-stop lives, exercising is only part of the story. I am focusing on eating today because every week, new studies contradict either long-held beliefs or the studies that were published the week before. How do you sort through them all? By getting back to basics.

Now I am no nutritionist, but I know that each of you have learned some tips for eating healthy. So my challenge to you is the share with the world what practices, dishes, mindsets, etc. have had the biggest impact on helping you eat healthy.

I’ll start.

1) Beef, not pork. Hopefully, I don’t have to explain.

2) I had to cut back on eating frozen dinners for lunch after someone told me how much sodium they have. As a result, I now eat turkey or corned beef sandwiches.

3) To help me drink water, I take multivitamins in the morning and I eat nutrition/energy bars in the afternoon which further encourages the water intake.

4) I either eat an orange or an apple during the day and I try to incorporate vegetables for dinner at night.

5) I don’t like taking time to cook so one of my staples now is to get minute rice that you throw in the microwave, add some grilled chicken or steak strips, and top it off with peas or corn. Now I know that eating microwaved foods is not the best thing in the world, but until some of you teach me how to cook fresh food fast, I am sticking with it.

Looking forward to your comments,

Stay up fam,

Brandon

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Black Men, Race

How we see each other

In Lifestyle on May 12, 2006 at 8:36 am

Between the calls for Black unity, Tavis Smiley’s Townhall Meetings, and countless personal conversations, rarely do I find Black people actually challenge the way we view each other. I hearken back to Chris Rock’s famous line where he said, “I love Black people, but I can’t stand niggas!” That joke was classic, but it was also tragic.

The tragedy comes from the increasing social distance between Black folks that would make that quote tickle the core of so many Blacks, regardless of their socioeconomic status. So as we talk about moving forward individually and collectively as a people, do the niggas get left behind? I certainly hope not, but the fact that so many of us (especially those of us with a lil’ ejumacation) are thoroughly convinced there are clear lines of demarcation between Blacks and niggas is troubling. Can someone tell me what they are?

I think what makes matters worse is the lack of probing that allow stereotypes to fester amongst our community. While I am not interested in enumerating various stereotypes, I would like to challenge all of us to check our assumptions against what we think and what we know. And what I know is that the differences between Black folks are not that much. When I mentor young men who are erroneously labeled at-risk, I always tell them that my going to college does not create a gulf between us. In fact, there are probably two or three decisions that made our paths so different.

But here’s the rub, it wouldn’t take that much for our roles to change. I could get caught up in legal trouble and end up in jail in much the same way that a young man who responds to mentoring by changing his life around and starting his own business. And what I hate is this notion that you are entitled to live whatever lifestyle you currently live in, such that negative and positive expectations are set in stone resulting in extreme self-deception.

Take Black people and all people for individuals and learn to absorb their stories. Try assuming the best when you are thinking of the worst. I also encourage us to empathize, understand, and most of all listen because we all have something to learn from each other. In closing, any call for unity will require us to not let our interactions be solely determined by stereotypes.

Getting back to basics,

Brandon

The Weekly Dream

The Weekly Dream: Appreciation of Mothers

In Lifestyle on May 11, 2006 at 5:43 pm

“In the future, everyone will have 15 minutes of fame.”
-Andy Warhol

Whenever I turn on the television, I am amazed at the proliferation of new reality TV shows. A lot of times, it is just stupid people doing frivolous things. Some are good, but the majority are bad-in my opinion. The human need for attention and recognition is as potent a drug as power or money. If you ever come across a person with an excessive need for validation, be careful because anything you have to offer will never be enough.

Mother knows best…

Yet, there is a group of people who really make a difference. They have made a far greater impact than anyone on TV today. I am talking about mothers. In the book of Proverbs, in the 31st chapter, it describes the perfect, godly woman. She is so great that her children call her blessed. She is known for her care and attention to her household, family, and business affairs. I believe that ideal remains.

To me, mothers are irrefutable evidence that God exists. For years, they give and expect nothing in return. They feed us, nurture us, know everything about us, yet are able to love us anyway.

It is something I do not think I will ever understand. There is nothing we can do to repay our mothers for the infinite sacrifices they have made. However, a thank you and a token of appreciation is a good start. Honor her while she is still in your midst.

And if your mother has journeyed beyond, remembering her and what she meant while she was here is a great way to keep her memory alive.

We should seek to incorporate the spirit, sacrifice and love our mothers showed us into our daily lives. Nurture life in your own little way. God bless all the women who have been maternal figures to myself and others. You truly are appreciated.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas

Question of the week: What do you remember most about your mother?

Health Care, Republicans

Undermining Universal Health Care

In Issues and Politics on May 11, 2006 at 7:42 am

Here’s an interesting concept; given the bleak prospects of a national universal health coverage plan, let’s not have Congress undermine the efforts by states to provide universal health coverage for their citizens.

I have been keeping a close eye on Massachusetts ever since Gov. Mitt Romney signed landmark legislation designed to guarantee coverage for virtually all residents, including an estimated 550,000 now uninsured. The bill, while not perfect, provided a ray of hope for people across the political spectrum that can appreciate the vital need for universal health coverage.

After years of failed attempts, Massachusetts worked out this bill without creating a new tax to fund this initiative. But what they did to “ensure that the healthcare coverage is affordable for everyone, the Massachusetts plan [also] strictly limits the premiums that can be charged by insurance companies.” And to further ensure that the rights of the disenfranchised were protected, the Massachusetts bill also sees to it that certain benefits are guaranteed. What you talkin’ bout Willis? I’m talking about “treatment for alcoholism, mammography screenings, diabetes supplies, and mental health treatment.”

But I am so upset at our Republican-led Congress that decided during “Health Week,” they would craft legislation that “could undercut the new universal health insurance law in Massachusetts, by freeing insurers to brush aside state-required benefits and to charge older and sicker residents far higher premiums.” It is funny to me how Republicans always claim to wrap their arms around small businesses without regard for the millions of workers that make small businesses possible.

Republicans claim their goal with this legislation is to lower the cost of health care by “releasing insurance companies from state requirements to cover an expanded array of treatments and screenings. The bill would also permit insurers to boost premiums for groups of workers who are considered greater health risks.” So how does this affect the Massachusetts bill? It’s just a small part in the bill that states it ”‘shall supersede any and all state laws’ regarding mandated health coverage,” thereby giving a serious body blow to the Massachusetts bill and is an unusual encroachment on state’s rights.

I pray this bill does not pass because it really took the stars to be in alignment for Massachusetts to have had achieved their landmark legislation. And my fear is that if Congress passes this bill, then other states who have thought about following the Massachusetts model will look at the Congressional legislation and say, “What’s the worth in taking political risks to achieve universal health care if Congress is going to undermine our work?”

I know we as young people, sometimes it is hard to have intellectually stimulating conversation over health care. But we cannot wait to think about health care until you are taking care of your parents or struggling to provide for your own family if God forbid, your child has a disease that is expensive to treat. The time is now, get in the game.

Getting back to basics,

Stay up fam,

Brandon

Civil Rights, Politics, Voting

Why Voting Matters Part II

In Issues and Politics on May 10, 2006 at 6:26 pm

This is an election year, a mid-term election year. This means that in November, people across the country will be voting not only in local elections, but also in gubernatorial and congressional races as well. There are some things we can do now to ensure that we as a people do not have avoidable drama at the poles on 7 November 2006.

The first thing we need to do is confirm that those of us that are old enough to vote are registered to do so. A good place to start is by visiting publius.org. Enter your name here, and if notating comes up, then you can click here to locate your local clerk, who you need to contact in order to register to vote.

Why are we talking about registering to vote? We’re talking about this because we need to get back to the basics and ensure that our fundamentals are solid. In my opinion, voting is one of the most important civic actions we can do. I tend to think that people agree with me that it’s important, since those in power work very hard to strip the right to vote away from people every day and night.

Here’s a secret: it is easier to take something away from an ignorant person than it is to take that same thing away from one who is informed/armed/prepared. Applying this concept to voting, it is much more difficult to take voting rights away from a person who never voted, stopped voting, or doesn’t value voting than it is to strip that right from one who understands its significance. We’ve talked about why voting matters before, and this point cannot be repeated enough.

Today, we take a slightly different approach to trying to quantify why voting matters, more specifically, why it’s important for everybody everywhere to vote. The Washington Post yesterday had a story that spoke to the effects of voter distribution in national elections.

This is important because it makes plain the fact there is power in collective action. One person doing one thing alone may or may not result in wide-reaching change. However, many people acting together with united purpose and determination have a better chance of effecting changes that impact society as a whole. We talked about working together just recently, and we can’t stress enough how important that is. One person may feel that their vote “doesn’t matter,” and therefore not vote. That, in isolation, will not cause the death of humanity. However, if that attitude were to catch on more broadly, which it has in large part, then you get people who are left with a government that they did not vote for and by definition does not represent them. Most people do not want that outcome, but instead of addressing the apathy at its source, we only react to it after the problem is obvious. If we concentrate on the basics, on helping people understand why they should care, maybe we wouldn’t have a representative democracy that did not represent so many people.

For those of you who vote, can you tell us why?
For those of you who do not vote, can you tell us why not?

Black Issues, Bush Administration, Civil Rights, Race

A Little on the Top, or A Lot on the Bottom

In Issues and Politics on May 10, 2006 at 6:05 pm

We have talked about the pros and cons of Black faces in high places on this site before. This is a concept worth revisiting in light of a survey by the Washington Post that says the G. W. Bush has brought on less females and minorities in his administration than Bill Clinton.

Conservative reaction to this story is not surprising (an example is here), but it does raise an interesting question. To quote conservative columnist Michelle Malkin:

“In other words, Bush is an enemy of progress and civil rights because he has appointed too many minorities and women to top Cabinet positions–and not enough to lower, less important jobs!”

This is a matter of quantity versus quality. I think you can have both here, but maybe you can’t. Which would you rather see: a few Black folks in prominent leadership positions or lots of Black people working in lower positions?

Bush Administration

Iran’s 18-page letter

In Issues and Politics on May 10, 2006 at 10:22 am

So if you haven’t heard yet, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an 18-page letter to Bush outlining contradictions in the international arena. And if President Ahmadinejad is nothing else, he is not stupid. He made some points that are so clear that they can’t be denied. I encourage all of you to read the text for yourself rather than having someone tell you what it meant. Unfortunately, the link I have is only 8 pages but that is better than nothing.

And what really disturbs me is that not in any world could I see Bush writing an 18-page letter on ANYTHING, yet alone engaging President Ahmadinejad in a meeting of the minds. Now was Ahmadinejad’s letter purely political, probably so, but what isn’t in international affairs. And more importantly, why does Bush insist that all options are on the table when he keeps ducking opportunities to talk. It may be because all the options only include sanctions or military strikes because diplomacy doesn’t seem to exist with this administration. And just what may I ask is wrong with talking or writing letters?

Isn’t communicating the most productive feature of human civilization? And that is what one of the traits I disdain in Bush, he seems to relish the point at which talking is no more feasible rather than take advantage of the time when it is.

Stay up fam,

Brandon

Slavery

Slavery Remembrance Day in France

In Issues and Politics on May 10, 2006 at 8:24 am

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that today is France’s Slavery Remembrance Day. I wrote about this topic earlier when President Jacques Chirac first announced it. Most of this day is about symbolism, not structural change. But my hope is that this day is not an exercise is exploiting “white guilt,” but for Black people to “understand who we are and understand that we can overcome victimizations of the past and use the strength built from those experiences to be triumphant in the present and the future.”

So I wondered how much would be gained from having a Slavery Remembrance Day here in America. And you know what makes me upset? It’s my fear that Black people would probably be the most outspoken opponents of honoring such an event. We already have folks like Morgan Freeman talk about the lack of a need to have Black History Month. I don’t think we have enough Black History if for nothing else because of the asterisks that represent the often hushed sacrifices that Black people have made to make this country great. Thomas Jefferson*, George Washington*, The Missouri Compromise*, Three/Fifths Clause*. And the list goes on and on and on.

And I think Black people are afraid to embrace this list just as much, if not more than White people. We as Black people can’t be afraid to embrace our history, which unfortunately includes slavery. Sometimes I get the notion that some Blacks think that our ancestors swam over the Atlantic just dying to be enslaved. And the one I love the most is, “Why didn’t the Africans just fight back or run away?” I will wait to address that ignorance in another full post. So just take a second to check out what they are doing in France and think about our ancestors today, and every day for that matter. Our generation has not had to truly fight for anything in terms of protecting our rights as a people. So if nothing else, we need to fight to save and preserve our history.

Avancer France!!!!

Stay up fam,

Brandon

Civil Rights, Race

White Guilt, Black Victimization

In Issues and Politics on May 9, 2006 at 7:04 pm

Shelby Steele talked with Ed Gordon on NPR about his book, “White Guilt” a couple days ago. The subject is interesting because it talks about Black folks playing on this “White Guilt” concept to gain concessions from white people. This is in many parts true. But it falls short in some explaining some things.

I had a mentor describe the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1900s as being built on a “moral argument.” It said, “I am a man the same as you. Therefore, we are equal and should be treated as such.” Those with Steele’s viewpoint would argue that this argument worked pretty well, and caused our white brethren to feel “guilty” about the wrongs they’d done. That feeling, where “guilt” is actually felt, is legitimate.

The problem is that we as Black people at times abuse this idea of white guilt. It is flawed because embraces a definition of Black people as victims in all areas of life. What we need to do is understand who we are and understand that we can overcome victimizations of the past and use the strength built from those experiences to be triumphant in the present and the future. Embracing this triumphant nature may cause us to be a bit less quick to “play the race card” in many situations, as Steele suggests in the interview.

Where Steele’s theory falls short, in my opinion, is in the fact even if a person, a white person, feels “guilty,” that feeling is often not trusted or respected by Black folks. Unfortunately, perception is reality for most people, so the person might as well have no guilt/remorse for their actions or the actions of their ancestors since we won’t acknowledge it anyway.

So what do we do? Do we now blindly trust anyone who is apologetic or guilty about the events that led to the condition of Black people in America? No, that would be naive. What we need to do is not embrace the fact that others may/may not “feel bad” about what happened or what’s happening. We should instead focus on our own self esteem as a people and question why we feel the need to act on or take advantage of the “guilt” of others. Could that need be the offspring of our own guilt that has built up over the last 1.5 generations who perhaps may not have done as much as they could to raise our collective knowledge of self, instead focusing on selfish personal gain?

Family, let’s get back to the basics here. Understanding our selves on a personal level and as a community is key to our success. Upon that foundation, we can overcome our situation without the need to exploit things such as “white guilt.”

Education

Stockholm Syndrome & Knowledge of Self

In Issues and Politics on May 8, 2006 at 8:00 pm

I had a conversation with a close mentor Friday, and he and I were talking about personal accountability after I told him about my post on parental accountability. We talked about what could happen in a person’s mind to lead them to no longer take responsibility for themself. This is similar to sentiments of one of the individuals I met in New Orleans, who said “What kind of man won’t save himself? There’s got to be more to it than being bull-headed.“

He talked about the famous Stockholm Syndrome, saying that he felt Black folks in America had the most severe case of it on record. All of these statements/position caused me to think: Is the reason that people refuse to reclaim their sense of accountability that they are willingly dependent on their oppressors?

I struggle with this concept, and I’m sure others do as well, because the goal is harmony and togetherness. The goal (in my mind) is people, ALL people of ALL types, working together towards common interests that translate into individual benefits (e.g. working together to strengthen public education (common interest) resulting in better-educated children (individual benefit) who return their knowledge and talents back to the community (common interest)). However, there is a degree of basic personal responsibility that needs to be acknowledged here. We are personally responsible for the decisions we make in the midst of whatever circumstances we are faced with. My goal is to contribute to the creation of circumstances where choices that positively effect the individual and the community are clearly more attractive than their negative alternatives.

To me, willing dependence on oppressors is a negative decision. There is a difference between dependence and co-existence. Dependence says “I can’t do anything without you.” Co-existence says “Together we can do better for ourselves and for each other if we work together.” Dependence removes personal responsibility; co-existence embraces it.

Why is this distinction important? The psychological effects of institutional slavery and the racism that precluded it and remained afterwards created a false sense of dependency of Black people in America on non-Black people in this country. Whether or not this was the intention of the system is unclear to me, but that is what resulted. How did they do this? By effectively robbing people of their self-definition. Knowledge of self is the most enabling possession that a man or woman can have. With it comes clarity, purpose, direction, and a host of other positive things. A person cannot take responsibility for themselves if they do not know who they truly are. This goes back to what Brandon was talking about when he asked, who are you?

Now here is the crazy part: another reason we are not aware of who we truly are is because…we think we already know?!?!?!?! Meaning, since I already “know” the answer, I don’t bother asking the question. Consider a simple example: if I know that 1 + 1 = 3, why would I ask someone else what 1 + 1 equaled. Already you see the flaw here: what I know is a lie!!!!! Similarly, our people have been defined by this culture as inferior, subordinate, entertaining, uneducated, poor, ignorant second-class members of society that have both spoken and unspoken limits to their growth potential. THAT IS A LIE, just like 1 + 1 doesn’t equal 3.

We must move beyond the lies that have been fed to us by yesterday’s slave masters and today’s corporate media, elevating our consciousness to combine the knowledge of our past with the fullness of our future. It’s back to the basics everybody. The basic questions we need to understand and address are these:

Who are we?
This is explained above, but it is the core of the issue at hand. You cannot [properly] use a word unless you understand its definition. Likewise, I cannot properly use my person unless I have a level of understanding of myself.

What do we need to do and why?
What are the things that have been successful in the past and can be applied today. The second part here is important because not everything that worked yesterday can work today: some things apply, some things don’t. However, you cannot make that distinction unless you understand what happened yesterday. Cats that complain about marches being ineffective today should analyze why they were used and why they worked then. My mentor mentioned above stressed that action is generally born out of necessity. What were the motivations behind using marching as a form of demonstration for change? Undoubtedly, at least some of those motivations likely still are present today. Perhaps there are more efficient and/or effective ways to address those motivations today. Maybe we can take advantage of new media/resources that may not have been available in the 40s. The point here is, once we understand the why, the what may be easier to address.

How can we work together to do what we need to do?
If you have a team where every member understands the reason that they have been put together and acts with solidarity, you can accomplish great things. When individuals understand themselves, they can then understand where they fit into any sort of collective action. When the purpose of a collective action is clear, it is easier for people to align with it or participate in it. A good friend of mine told me that two things were important during any concrete conversation: definition and context. The definition part is the overall subject of this writing. The context part lies here, where we define how all of the pieces (people with knowledge of self) fit in relation to one another and to any sort of collective group or action.

Let’s talk about basics. Let’s talk about fundamentals, the things that effect everything we do. Thinking about the basics is what I’m trying to do at this point in my life. It can definitely help to simplify the complex. I say we embark on such a journey together, share our experiences, and support one another in this mental and emotional revolution.

Relationships

Marriage, Basketball Schedules, and the Off-Arm

In Lifestyle on May 8, 2006 at 10:11 am

Long time no see fam!!! Your Superspade was holding it down in sunny/smoggy California on business all last week, but I have been pregnant with ideas that I am ready to birth. But before that, I just want to let my co-contributors, Steve, Garlin, and guest writers know that I am their number one fan and I am so proud to be associated with this site. We are taking it back to basics!!!

With that said, last week, I had an interesting epiphany that I think summarizes the two major obstacles that make brothers fear marriage; obedience and compromise.

Basketball Schedules

A couple years ago, I asked a mentor of mine, CJ, how he made his marriage work. He then taught me a lesson about marriage that really took my understanding of marriage to a whole new level that I am passing on to you. CJ played basketball in college and actually tried out for a couple of professional teams to no avail. Needless to say, CJ is serious about his basketball. And while he was dating his wife, Kecia, in college, he played basketball every Saturday morning with the fellas. And for the real hoopers, you know few things can compare to Saturday morning basketball followed by food, sports, and ignorance.

So CJ keeps up this routine during their courtship, engagement, and into the marriage. Now a couple years after being happily married, one day CJ woke up on a Saturday morning and packed his gym bag. No sooner than CJ is done washing down the last bit of bagel with OJ, does Kecia come in and say matter-of-factly, “Where do you think you’re going?” After clearing his throat, the stunned CJ replies, “What are you talking about? I am about to go hoop, like I always do.” Never faded, Kecia says, “Well, you are going to have to start asking permission to play ball on Saturdays because I might have plans for us.”

As you can imagine, CJ didn’t play ball that day but that’s what CJ wanted me to learn. The fact was that there some Saturdays he did play and there were days he didn’t. But whatever he did on any Saturday, he had to run it past Kecia to see if she had any plans for them. And just so we’re clear, neither Kecia, nor CJ is whipped and they have a beautiful marriage. The gist of the story is that by learning obedience the easy way, CJ was able to side-step a problem that could have grown out of control. And it doesn’t matter that CJ played ball before he got married or that Kecia didn’t tell him the rules before hand, the man was right to obey, period. Now insert basketball schedules with something you planned on keeping sacred from your bachelor days and imagine your wife telling you that that thing has to go by her. Only then will you understand how vital it is for men to understand the power and liberty that accompanies obedience. It will save you a world of grief, take it from CJ.

The Off-Arm

Now for any guy that has ever slept with a woman, (I mean sleep, not sex) than you have probably had requests from your woman to hold/cuddle her as she dozes off to sleep. And if she was really mushy, she probably wanted to wake up in the exact same position. That’s all fine and dandy, but that is not comfortable for the fellas due to the clumsiness of the off-arm. What do I mean? Let me draw you a mental picture. Let’s assume that you are in the bed and you and your partner and facing the left side such that the left side of your body is touching the bed and the right side of your body is facing the ceiling. Now if you are holding your woman, then chances are you are holding her with your right arm.

But what do you do with your left arm!!!! In this example, left arm is the off-arm and its use is critical to getting a good night’s rest. Now there are five positions where you can position the arm if you are indeed trying to go to sleep in this position. (Assume all positions keep your right arm holding your partner across the torso.)

Position 1 involves keeping your off-arm being extended above her head where it is highly vulnerable to going to sleep and you probably don’t want to sleep with your face in your armpits. Position 2 utilizes the off-arm as a pseudo pillow such that it is nestled at the base of her neck but in this position, you won’t be able to turn over without waking her up. Position 3 places the off-arm underneath the left side of your partners torso, such that both of your arms would be wrapped around her torso. This would be the equivalent of standing behind your partner and holding them around the waist. The problem with this position is that your partner is sleeping on your off arm!!! Which means your hand is going to be blue in the morning due to lack of blood circulation and don’t even think about turning over because you are stuck. Position 4 involves your off arm slightly in front of you but having your forearm lodged in the back of your partner. While this is the most versatile position in terms of maneuverability, it creates considerable distance that your partner may find unacceptable. And lastly, Position 5 involves your off arm being placed directly under your left side such that you are going to sleep on your own off-arm. In which case your off-arm will either be numb or will disrupt the curvature of your spine so that your sleep is not sound.

Now fellas, why would I describe the 5 positions of the off-arm dilemma? It’s because you are going to be sleeping with the same woman every night for the rest of your life!!! And quite frankly, I think the off-arm dilemma is a major reason why men die before women. But in all seriousness, the off-arm dilemma to me represents the myriad of ways that men have to compromise to make their marriage work. And likewise, if you don’t cook and your woman does, she may have to cook on days that she doesn’t want to because both of you are too cheap to order out. (invest that money) And there may be days that you just want to sleep in opposite directions just so you can get a good night’s rest. But if she wants be held, just know you read about the off-arm here at Superspade. So what did we learn fellas? Marriage is all about compromise and a healthy dose of obedience. And if you can’t see yourself doing those two things, then either she’s not the one or you need to man-up.

Looking forward to your comments,

Stay up fam,

Brandon

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The SuperSpade Bi-Centennial

In The SuperSpade on May 5, 2006 at 9:11 am

This is the 200th post in the history of The SuperSpade!

We want to send a big thank you to all of our readers, commenters, supporters, and contributors.

We have grown tremendously, and the future is bright. The future is bright because of your willingness to seek information from many sources, and rejecting the notion that the only place to find out what’s happening is thru corporate media. The future is bright because of your willingness to look at current events critically and understand how they directly impact your daily lives. The future is bright because of your willingness to embrace a spirit of action and participation in what you believe in, being not only hearers and readers, but doers also.

Again, thank you for the support. Continue to spread the word about this community we are building, this movement we are organizing, this vision we are realizing. The SuperSpade site in the coming months will be adding new features that will promote even more participation from our readers and supporters. As always, send all questions, comments, and site suggestions to TheSuperSpade@gmail.com.

One Love. One II.
The SuperSpade. Black Thought at the Highest Level.

Education

Parental Accountability in Education

In Issues and Politics on May 4, 2006 at 2:54 pm

Riana at BlackAtMichigan has began a series on what I will refer to as Parental Accountability that she is calling “what the hell are we gonna do with these kids.” I left a comment, and it inspired thoughts in my own mind about how we can increase parental accountability, which I’d like to share here.

Perhaps we have approached this in the wrong way. This is not a new problem, but perhaps it warrants a new approach. I’m not a psychologist, but perhaps we are not addressing what causes parental apathy with regard to the education of their children. I don’t understand why previous generations seemed to value education both in the abstract and the practical, yet many today do not. Any thoughts on this? Is it because instant gratification has become the measuring stick for all actions/decisions? There are both immediate and future benefits to education, both personal and communal benefits, but why are the future/communal benefits often ignored?

I’m a bit confused. I’m open to suggestions and welcome the dialogue.

The Weekly Dream

The Weekly Dream: The Power of Passion, Purpose, and Practice

In Lifestyle on May 4, 2006 at 8:36 am

This week, I had to pull one from the archives. What follows is the first Weekly Dream I ever wrote about a year ago. It is an honor to be able to share this on a wider scale.
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We all have passion, an internal energy source that drives us to or from a destination. Like fire, it needs to be harnessed to bring about a productive result. That is where Purpose/Vision comes in: it is the harness that tames the potential destructive nature of passion. The two are inextricably linked. You cannot have a compelling Purpose/Vision without passion, and you cannot be effective if you have energy all the time for no apparent reason.

Too often, we do not know what we are supposed to be doing at this place in time and space. It is easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal and the task at hand. It is easy to get bogged down in the details, but that is the quickest way to get stymied. Chart your course and let your passion carry you.

With that said, I want to challenge you with a series of questions:
Are you living with passion?
Have you discovered your purpose?
What are you doing to practice these in order to radiate excellence?

We must actively practice in order to perform well under the pressures of life. This is done through the cultivation and discipline of good habits. Everyday, we must seek ways to demonstrate our excellence and uniqueness as individuals and in any group we are in. Practice is a process. Processes enable us to learn.

However, we deceive ourselves if we think that we can be successful without first holding ourselves to a higher standard of living and consciousness. Change must come from within and then manifest itself outward.

Practice is a process. Processes enable us to learn. We have an invaluable opportunity to learn from each other if we will dedicate ourselves this to process.

What keeps us from doing what we know we should and must for the realization of our dreams?
Our greatest obstacle and deadliest enemy is ourselves.

Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas

Question of the Week: What keeps us from doing what we know we should or living the life we desire?