Crossfire and 2012 in "Postracial" America

I wrote an earlier post, suggesting that the "crossfire" meme is being put out there deliberately to stir up chaos. Well, consider this Part 2 of that post with an addendum. I neglected to mention another instance of "crossfire"--the television series. Crossfire was a CNN program that featured heated discussion among political pundits with opposing viewpoints. Now I get that the second meaning of "crossfire" can refer to a "rapid or heated exchange of words," but did they really need to christen the show with a name possessing such mortal combat undertones? And did they have to drive home the point with this logo?

Just look at that cross hair in that logo. Kind of reminds me of
(Click here for more on that. BTW: Those cross hairs are just par for the course when it comes to the violent rhetoric this woman has been inspiring ever since the 2008 campaign.)

For more than 20 years, Crossfire fed into the consciousness of the American populace and helped sow the seeds of the current caustic political climate. So now, instead of civil discourse between people who agree to disagree, we have shouting matches on television shows, talk radio programs, comments sections in blogs and online newspapers, and even the halls of Congress. Those desperate to escape the viciousness retreat to the echo chambers of their bastions of like-minded individuals, depriving themselves of the opportunity to have an open, honest, civil and constructive debate among people of varying perspectives that could possibly lead to genuine solutions.

It's gotten so bad that now our leaders in Congress (namely the Republicans) are obstructing legislation, some of which incorporates their own ideas (like no public option), simply because it emanated from their political opponent (Obama), who is really more of a centrist than the left-wing communist they demonize him to be. And on top of this, we now have these Tea Party people waving their flags and gnashing their teeth at the "pigmented one" who dared to be "uppity" enough to "take over their country." Make no mistake, the melanin-rich complexion of the current commander-in-chief is the true motivation behind these people's newfound "concern" for the direction of this country. We heard nary a word from them when the country was being run into the ground by the previous administration. But now that an "exotic" person is in the White House, here come the teabaggers with their racial slurs and offensive slogans, that devil-may-care orthography, and their tragic ignorance of sexual colloquialisms. (And before the finger-pointing accusations of hypocrisy begin, please know that I'm well aware of the sexual connotations behind my own moniker.)

I can't say that I'm surprised. I kind of figured this country wasn't ready for a black president yet. Hell, I'm still shocked he even got elected in the first place! We'll see what happens in 2012 though--which brings me to that addendum I mentioned: What is it with this apocalyptic 2012 meme running through the media lately? In one instance, it's a popular movie. In another, it's a prediction from a Mayan calendar. In a third instance, it's a Nostradamus quatrain.

There goes that left behind meme again.

I remember hearing about a 2012 prediction back in the mid-90's that said the U.S. would experience a racial war of some sort. Well with the heightened racial animosity--disguised as passionate political rhetoric--coming from the same crowd that vehemently defends their 2nd amendment rights, coupled with the increasing media images of guns and violence and the ever-increasing leniency of gun laws, I'm beginning to fear that "racial unrest" prediction may come to pass in one form or another. It doesn't help that statistical news feeds of white people's declining status as a majority group keep getting fed periodically through the media. With everyone incensed and taking up arms in anticipation of a catastrophic event in 2012, it's not hard to imagine it becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. I just hope not too many people get caught in the crossfire.

Which brings me back to that "crossfire" meme again, and one more interesting (and rather disturbing) take on the meaning (if you're into wordplay):
With all these media-fed memes riling up those with the greatest predisposition and motivation for violence, things could really start getting serious over the next couple of years. Stay safe, people, and don't get caught up.

Art a la "Tacos and Fries"

Okay, here's one more art-inspired post, but with a deliberately more political tone in keeping with the theme of this blog. Here we start it all off with the following poster. (Click on the image to enlarge.):
They were wrong for that crack about Louisiana. Way wrong. But they had me LOL, ROTF, LMBAO, and all that good stuff with those gibes against the Dakotas and the Midwest. And I can't decide what's worse: being considered useless like the small New England states or being some nondescript vanilla state like Nebraska. (Pobrecitos.) :)

All jokes aside, the poster seems to cut to the core of America's educational woes: the disjointed nature of a largely un-united group of states--each with its own values and governmental philosophies--lies at the heart of the lack of national standards which keeps our nation's test scores behind those of other industrialized nations. That--and we hate paying for education. Unfortunately, the disdain for funding education runs so deep that public schools have to rely on corporate sponsorship to stay afloat. And it isn't just education. The U.S. was the only major competing nation at the 2010 Winter Olympics without government funding for Olympic athletes who, thus, had to rely on corporate sponsorship for training, travel, and stipends.

Recognize a pattern?
"All hail the Almighty Dollar. Whenever there's money you know power will follow." You ain't neva lied, Big Tif. Exactly what kind of education do these anti-tax nihilists think we're going to get if corporations have to step in because we refuse to take our children's future seriously? What do they expect the results will be if we keep underfunding education? When we divert our tax dollars--and thus our power--away from deciding our children's future, should we really be surprised when we get these results?
No. We only have ourselves to blame for the millions of zombie-like individuals who are churned out each year lacking the critical-thinking skills to become more than mere cogs in a system that increasingly holds them back from self-actualization and true freedom.
We could have held onto that power by investing in our future. But we're too tax-averse in this dog-eat-dog nation of ours for that kind of common $en$e/¢ent$ to take hold. We're mainly out-for-self and we're hopelessly narcissistic.
Our waning sense of civic duty is at least partly a result of our decreasing interest in leisurely reading and the performing arts, which in turn may be a result of decreased spending on schools, libraries, and cultural enrichment centers.
We'd rather satisfy our increasing dependency on the system by pursuing materialistic wealth and living up to society's media-fed standards than take the time to look out for our fellow citizens. As a result, the lost opportunity for collective activism makes way for a modern-day serfdom where we work to consume and, in turn, get consumed by the system.
We're so overwhelmed by it all that we can't even take the time to keep a watchful eye on our leaders.
We let them run amok, doing everything under the sun except their jobs, so that every once in a while, disaster strikes:
Sure we get concerned, even outraged for awhile. But we eventually go back to our lives of leisure and mindless entertainment.
Even when the signs start manifesting themselves again that we're headed for yet another
What do we say? What do we do?
Where will it all end?
Ah yes. Rome was once a great and powerful empire as well. All good things must come to an end, as they say. Unfortunately, when our turn comes, I'm convinced the fiddler won't be some sadistic ruler like Nero. It will be the citizenry itself. Or should I say, it already is the citizenry?

I know, Lady Liberty. You and me both.

Art and the Soul Connection

I've decided to take a slight departure from the usual doom-and-gloom/"we're all going to Hell" rhetoric and do something a little more light-hearted for a change. Don't worry. The perpetually grim state of the world will always be my oyster, so as we continue our downward spiral towards Hades, I'll always offer up my usual screeds, lamentations, and derisive commentaries. For now, though, I just wanna have fun. So, if you will indulge me...(Ahem)

I recently came across a petition to save the Watts Towers Art Center from closure. (Or was it privatization? I could never determine which one.) I was prepared to write a letter advocating the societal benefits of art and other feel-good notions, but decided against it because of the aforementioned confusion. (After all, nothing undermines an argument more than ignorance of the basic facts!) In the end, I simply signed the petition, which may have ultimately contributed to this most recent bit of good news--for now anyway.

The whole ordeal got me thinking of the importance of art and why an institution like the Watts Towers Art Center should even exist in the first place, let alone be saved. As a left-brainer lacking artistic talent, I've never held art in very much high esteem. I mean, don't get me wrong. I've always sensed the importance of art and I knew I'd never want to live in an art-deprived society. But I had no concrete explanation for why I held these convictions, other than the non-argument that art has been around since the dawn of humanity, so it must hold some kind of cultural significance.

But then I thought about the manual dexterity skills a child hones during the creation of a visual arts project that could one day benefit his or her career as a surgeon, as an artisan, or even as a neuroanatomist working in a lab like mine. Later, I imagined the oratory skills developed in a drama class that could one day aid our future civic leaders, trial attorneys, and social rights advocates. Finally, I imagined the visuo-spatial skills involved in learning a dance routine and the mathematical skills enhanced through learning music. Taken together, these skills, when nurtured in youth, have the potential to benefit the overall physical and mental health of future generations who will possess the competencies to keep our society functioning productively and innovatively.

Then I thought about the phrase "History is written by the victors." If that is the case, then artistic expression is one way for history's "great unwashed" to contribute our account of historical events. Given the area that the Watts Towers Art Center serves, it's even more imperative that the community's youth have a place where they can develop the artistic skills to create our future cultural heritage and give their descendants a more complete and accurate version of the historical record.

And then I stopped thinking and started looking--at art! I figured it would be enlightening to see how art affected me, personally, in order to understand how it affects people in general and, thus, benefits society.

So if you'll continue to indulge me. (Ahem):

Art and How It Affects Me

I know one thing about art: I like what I like. And this is what I like:
Nice vibrant primary-colored pieces that are easy to understand and predict. I also like images that evoke certain emotions, like the far too often neglected need to reconnect with nature:
Or the desire to live in the lap of luxury.
Certain imagery just interests me, like the prospect of dining in the midst of an aquarium (although I'd hate to be there in the event of an earthquake!)
Some art just leaves me marveling at the feat of it all, like these two pieces:
Now, I don't like wasting food (and I have the waistline to prove it!), but you have to admit these are pretty remarkable. (The first picture employs an impressive use of salmon, potatoes, bread, and a pea pod, among other things.)

Of course the sight of food meant for consumption is artistic in its own right. After all, I do love food. (And I have the waistline to prove it!) Knowing what these foods taste like is enough to keep me emotionally transfixed by the sheer sight of the images. Soul food particularly hits home for me.
Unfortunately, these and many other soul food images tend to take on a bit of a brown hue. African Americans do tend to cook the color--and thus the nutrients--out of foods like vegetables and fruits (which makes them taste so damn good!) Anyway, if you're looking for a more colorful culinary display, feast your eyes on these puppies:
Sure they're unhealthy, but they are colorful. Oh, please excuse me while IOkay, on to another one of my favorite things: kittens! I love kittens (and I have a house full of cats to prove it! Okay I'll stop.)
Honestly, this image is so cute, it doesn't need an explanation. (And anyone who doesn't already find the image appealing would never be persuaded by any rationale I could offer.) The same goes for this cutie patootie:
Moving on.
I just thought the above image was interesting. I don't know what kind of statement the sculptor was trying to make with this. All I know is that if you replaced Lenin with Reagan and threw in a gun somewhere, you'd have Orange County (or any of the lesser known California counties or like-minded regions throughout the nation, which is why I stay away from those areas at all costs!)

Finally, we come to this interesting conversation piece.
I'd never want to touch anything like this, let alone pay to install one on my door. But it did capture my attention enough to include it in this post!

Okay, so after viewing all of these images, I'm not sure I have anything more profound to say about the importance of art. Simply put, these images affected me in one way or another. And someone generated them in the first place. The fact that they chose to create these particular images means that they were affected by them too. So I guess, at the risk of sounding kooky and "new-agey," art allows the soul of one stranger to connect with another in a certain way, and there's an inexplicable yet undeniable beauty in that. If art has the power to connect us to one another, it would be a shame to deprive future generations of this transcending cultural asset, especially in a blighted area like Watts. So while I may have had doubts before, I'm a firm believer now. I'll always lend my enthusiastic support for the arts and for institutions like the Watts Towers Arts Center. Which reminds me--I need to pay the Towers and the Center a visit!

On that happy note, I bid you

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Express Yourself Too!

So here I go...

According to a recent study, white women in the U.S. have an average net worth of $40,000. What is the net worth of black women? $5. FIVE DOLLARS! Want another depressing statistic? 48% of black women have genital herpes. That's one out of every two black women! Still not enough bad news for you? Well, maybe the recent story of a black seven-year-old who was sold for sex by her black stepsister to a group of black teenagers who then proceeded to gang rape her is enough to convince people that things are really f*cked up in our community. So what, then, are we concentrating all of our focus on right now? "Window Seat"--Erykah Badu's physical interpretation of a mantra repeated in the opening lyric of a Madonna song.

First, let me start by apologizing on behalf of all Pisceans. I promise, not all us have our heads in the clouds like this "free spirit" would have you believe. We're, for the most part, as grounded in reality as any other sign of the zodiac.

Now, I'm not even going to entertain the typical arguments floating around in the conversations surrounding this controversy. Anyone with half a brain can see the wrong in what she did and they know good and well they wouldn't be defending this crap if it came from the likes of New York or Frankie. Erykah gets a pass because she normally comes off as "intellectual" and "spiritual." So the same objectionable act committed by a New York or a Frankie would suddenly take on a deeper meaning when committed by someone as cerebral as Erykah Badu. Whatever. I won't state the obvious reason why she did this. (Cue the sound of the cash register.) I'll just say this: She'd never be mentioned in this "news" story of her tweeting about an earthquake she wasn't even involved in if she didn't have this controversy surrounding her. Attaining that level of media buzz is the real motivation behind her stunt. (Mission accomplished.)

Like I said: whatever. I mean I'm disappointed that she, of all people, would stoop so low just to sell a few more records. But I understand, in this age of Gaga-esque theatrics, the extreme lengths a struggling artist her age must go through in order to stay relevant. (Although, you'd think at this stage of the game Badu would rather lead then follow, not to mention Sade managed to make a successful comeback without all the fanfare. But as I said before, whatever.)

What bothers me is the inanity of her message. I mean really. With all that's going on in the world--hell, with the aforementioned state of affairs in the black community alone--the issue that keeps her up at night is: "People are quick to assassinate what they don't understand"? I'm sorry, but compared to the real problems of the world, her message is no less vapid than anything coming from the so-called "brain" of Paris Hilton. ("Like, OMG. Whenever you, like, try to express your individuality and people don't understand it, they, like, totally fall into group think and assassinate your character and stuff. That is so lame.") This kind of "ground-breaking" revelation happens to a teenager, not a 39 year-old.

Come on, Erykah. Did you really think we'd buy that a woman your age who built her career on being a free spirit just found out the importance of expressing herself and not repressing herself? And did you really need to take us on that journey of stripping away your society-imposed inhibitions so that we'd be inspired to express ourselves? You think we don't already know the importance of self-expression? What else have we learned in this society if not the importance of self-expression? We've been told over and over and over and over again to express ourselves. You think we haven't gotten that message by now? Have you seen all the tweets, MySpace pages, Facebook status updates, blogs (yes, like Tacos and Fries!), and comments sections on the internet? If Americans know one thing is that we must express ourselves. And if you ask me, Americans could do less self-expressing and more thinking about what really needs to be expressed in the first place. And that goes for Ms. Wright herself!

She could have used the attention garnered from this publicity stunt as a platform to speak on any one of the aforementioned issues or some other important matter. That way, along with the excoriations vs. rationalizations of her rush week-inspired hijinks disguised as "art," there would be the voices of shock, outrage, and fruitful debate about the struggles the black community and the world at large continues to face and what we should do to solve those problems.

Which brings me to my real disappointment in what she did. Her antics created a platform from which she could have informed a large audience about an earth-shattering issue that could have galvanized people to act and change the world for the better. But did she take advantage of this opportunity? No. She chose, instead, to promote an unnecessary cause that, underneath all the layers of contrived symbolism, has the intellectual depth of an after school special. "People assassinate what they don't understand" is an abstract concept that, when coupled with her provocative behavior, only stirs up more confusion in an already chaotic world and does nothing to address the concrete problems already existing in society. And packaging that pseudo-maxim in her usual artsy, pretentious way means her message will get lost on most, summoning her self-importance to kick in so she can school us all on group think, character assassination, revolutionaries, and whatever other fanciful ideas comes to her mind.

Whatever, EriCa. I'll never buy into any of the bullsh*t excuses you fabricate to explain your behavior. You're not deep; you're just an attention-whore (according to your own admission) and a shrewd business woman. And we all know how much society benefits from attention-whores and shrewd business people. *sarcasm*

Many people say that what she did took balls. I beg to differ. Calling our national leaders out on live television when they neglected our community during one of our darkest hours took balls. Calling black people out on our complicity in our own demise and risking the ire of the entire community took balls. This was just an attention-grabbing ploy to garner up controversy and fatten the pockets of a self-important celebrity so that she can be handsomely rewarded by the PTB for tricking her followers into degeneracy and diverting people's attention away from the real issues of the world. I expect she'll be paid very well.

Maybe I'm most disappointed in myself for expecting more out of her. I guess that's what I get for drinking the Koolaid of Baduizm. Well, not anymore! No, Erykah. I don't wanna be down with you, and I don't want to pick from your overly hyped apple tree. I don't see anything fruitful coming from what you have to say these days. And I'm frankly getting tired of your self-serving controversial stunt.

Next media-contrived distraction. PLEASE!