A Bad Case of that Proper Upbringing

March 16, 2009

I used to resent my parochial, old-fashioned Caribbean upbringing. Full of small town family values, civility rules and codes of decent conduct, I felt morally restrained in comparison to some of my peers whose families did not stress the importance of honesty and Christian faith the way mine did.

Whenever I read the story about some unscrupulous banker who robbed working families blind or a tale about the crooked dealings of lobbyists and our elected officials, I say a prayer of thanksgiving for my mother and grandmother. I thank God they did not raise me to be a jerk.

I’m not saying that I am an angel or even that I have never been a jerk (I’m sure their are a few folk out there who can testify to my ability to wreck the buffet when I am ready).

What I am saying is that there are certain things I just won’t do, and I’m cool with that.

I won’t be letting my wife take a role in “Monster’s Ball” one year and then watch Adrien Brody lung her on stage the next.

I won’t be expecting the public school system to educate my children on what it means to be a sovereign citizen in this new world.

I won’t be laying face down while a misguided and poorly trained officer accidentally/on purpose discharges his firearm into my back.

I won’t be lying to thousands of families that their money is safe while I divert their life savings to other sources for my own use.

I won’t be putting the words “nigger” or “bitch” into my rap album just to satisfy some record executive’s need to appeal to the suburban demographic with urban buffoonery.

I won’t be calling for the Manhattan County D.A. to “throw the book” at Plaxico Burress for shooting himself in the leg one week, then the next week remain totally silent on the massive financial rape and pillage committed by Bernard Madoff.

I won’t be lynching T.O. in the media for being a high-strung, talented athlete who has never done anything except want to win (and get paid) a little too badly.

I won’t be telling political stories about budget deficits and fiscal conservatism while our financial system crumbles and an entire generation of potential geniuses rot on the vine.

Often times, honesty and civility are demeaned in this society. How many times did political pundits implore President Obama to go negative and “take the gloves off” during the campaign?

During my three years studying law at Howard University in Washington D.C., I would often drive through Rock Creek Park. There was a three way merge in the middle of the park that would back up with traffic during rush hour. The first time I witnessed three lanes of traffic merging in turn, politely and without need of a traffic officer or stop light I was amazed.

This could never happen in New York I thought; there would be an accident every morning.

My wife and I went to Bali for our honeymoon and I was struck by how genuinely polite, pleasant and decent many of the Balinese people were. Some were clearly hardened by contact with Western culture but many were really that nice.

If its possible in Rock Creek Park and Bali its possible on Nostrand Avenue, Wall Street and Capitol Hill.

Thanks Mum… Thanks Mummy

A. Baraka Scott (… brother from another)

Its in the Presentation

March 11, 2009

Remember that classic episode of The Cosby Show? Vanessa brought her fiancee, Dabnis Brickey, home from Lincoln University; rocking and shocking Dr. and Mrs. Huxtable. Claire was uncharacteristically speechless while Cliff deployed his gift of example to explain why Vanessa’s actions were objectionable.

Dabnis was a custodian and Vanessa argued that her parents were being elitists in their rejection of him. Cliff, ever ready with a clever response, asked Dabnis what was his favorite meal (Porterhouse Steak with baked Alaska). After eliciting all the juicy details about the young man’s culinary delight, including aromas and fine accoutrements, he conjured up the visual of taking Dabnis’ dream steak with potato and serving it to him on a garbage can lid… “Not appetizing is it? That’s how she brought you to us, on a garbage can lid…” Powerful example Dr. Cosby.

I had a garbage can lid experience today… Wrote a story about it… Like to hear it, here it go.

I am taking my son on a series of outings this week. Just two guys hanging out in the Big City, taking in the sights. Yesterday was the movies (Coraline), today was the American Museum of Natural History, tomorrow is Barnes & Nobles and Midtown Comics… By the way, what is the deal with all of these occult themes in animated/young kids entertainment? Coraline had me a little weirded out…

Anyway, today was the Museum. I was a little disappointed when I was told that the dinosaur exhibit was closed for the taping of “Ugly Betty” but Little Big Man and I soldiered on and entertained ourselves with the other thousands of square feet of animals and artifacts from around the globe and the galaxy.

Mexico and Central American culture with the Olmec and Aztec precursors intrigued him… huge zodiac symbols on discs and massive sculptures

The Indian and Asian halls also featured remarkable clothes, sculptures and implements from the regions… amazing colors.

Then… Africa. I should have known what to expect when I walked in the joint past that statute of Theodore Roosevelt on his horse flanked by a half naked African and half naked Native American… ouch! If anyone forgets the legacy of imperialism and race supremacy that was poured into the foundation of this nation all you have to do is look around at the monuments our ancestors have erected in a short two hunded years. What monuments, literal and figurative, are we erecting for our progeny?

The hall of African animals is impressive and inspiring. A herd of African elephants in the middle of the hall are surrounded by a series of displays which also features a balcony of displays that wraps around the elephant feature. Well constructed and displayed…

The display of African culture and peoples was presented on a garbage can lid.

As you enter the hall, the first display you see is of people from other cultures who have contributed to African culture? The first thing they display related to Africa is other people?

Implicit in that simple display is the statement that African civilization started elsewhere (in Asia or Europe?) It would be laughable if this was not supposedly one of the finest museums in this land.

But wait it gets better…

The hall itself was lit as if the Museum was on an austerity budget and could not afford to pay for 50 watt light bulbs. It was dim and I found myself looking up to see if some of the bulbs were out.

There was a presentation on “slavery in Africa” that consisted of a drawing of a colonial interloper and some enslaved Bantu.

And Kemet was, well, I’m sure the pinnacle of ancient civilization was there somewhere…

As we moved on, I hoped to see a curator with whom I could pose a question or two. As we worked our way to the door, I resolved to write a letter and formally voice my concerns with the Museum.

I should not have been surprised. When I was in law school, I spent a summer in Europe and visited the Musee du Louvre. At the Louvre, the Venus de Milo is brilliantly exhibited in a long hall on a tall pedestal bathed in natural light pouring in from floor to ceiling windows that run the length of the hall. The Egyptian exibit is underground (literally) and features ambient light that made me want to break out a flashlight to see things better.

I don’t expect anyone to light me better than I light myself but I be… if the American Museum of Natural History fronts on Africa like that.

I will keep you posted with my letter writing campaign.

A. Baraka Scott (…brother from another)

Who Shot BIG and PAC and Jam Master Jay?!?!?!

On this day in 1997, The Notorious was gunned down. Check this link

In the words of Dave Chappelle, “if you’re in the hip hop industry, you think about this every single day.” He said it reminiscently, like folks might have wondered about the killers of four little girls in Birmingham or those of Emmitt Till. March is a great month. Not only the month of amazing birthdays – from mine to Britt’s to Dave’s to Bari’s to Tom’s to Jerome’s – but it is also Persian New Year, the spring equinox and International Women’s Month. But this landmark day will continue to haunt us as an unsolved hip hop crime.
As we settle our stomachs and nestle in for this new era of change, how can we ensure these crimes get treated as seriously as those against our lighter brothers and sisters? As Living Archive discussed last week, we seek to bury Barry Bonds and allow Bernie Madoff executive Fed Ex accounts to in order to mail Ed McMahon his bling. On top of this maddening contradiction is the attitude that these unsolved cases will forever go unsolved. Whether because we believe the victims lived and died by the glock or because we’re stuck in an east vs. west/Israel vs. Palestine/U.S. vs. them mentality, our culture is that of lumpy afghans over unswept dust. We revel in the denial of individual responsibility and live to blame the victim in most cases involving violence. Emmitt whistled at a white woman, the four little girls unknowingly represented the students-led movement and BIG said, “We just chillin, milk em, top billin.” So be it. I guess everything I want, I gotta work haaaard for it, dodging feds rats and hacks the whole way.
Seriously. What are we to do with this phenomenon, aside from make Hollywood movies about the icon with lackluster marketing and celebrity lookalikes? The movies and other pop candy are simply more encouragement for us to pop bottles and flaunt bling. Meanwhile the ignorance rises, like indigestion from bad champagne. These terrorist acts keep our inner Chuck D in check. The Hip Hop Police know it. Suge Knight knows it. Other acts of terror go even more unnoticed, like the “accidental” car crash that killed Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister’s wife this weekend. Mugabe was like, “don’t ask me, I’m still hung from my $25,000 birthday bash. By the way, what’s the daily Cholera count?” http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-07-voa5.cfm
It’s disgusting. But the world keeps turning, revolutionaries keep churning and pigs keep plotting. Meanwhile, we all search for higher ground.

All Power To The People,

Jwhpage

It Was All A Dream

Keep Your Hands To Ya’self

March 5, 2006

I tried to avoid commenting on the Chris Brown – Rihanna debacle. I avoided reading or watching any of the tragically absurd details.

The bourgoise cultural elitist in me scoffed at the naked train wreck of two young adults acting like they had no home training. I mean biting… Tossing the car keys… Vulgar rumors out of an episode of Rikki Lake? Is that what we need in our news cycle from public figures?

I was disgusted with the “adult” agents, managers and handlers of these young people. It was obvious that these talented yet immature artists had been encouraged to carry on a mature relationship and they could not handle the pressures of their careers along with pretending to be grown folk.

As I considered the issue from afar, the issue of domestic violence prodded my subconscious. I thought about the vulnerable spouses around the world who go to bed every night nursing bruised egos, arms and backs. I considered the young boys and girls who suffer trauma while their parents substitute rage and acrimony for civil communication.

The issue is too important for me to ignore.

One of the first short stories that I wrote after I decided to do this writing thing was about a young boy who witnessed his father beat his mother one morning while he was trying to get ready for school. The young boy then had to negotiate with the police who arrived at his home in response to the domestic violence call before he could finally head out to catch the bus and start his day.

As I searched through my marble notebooks for my earliest missives and considered the Genesis of that most tender child in my psyche I wondered how he would be doing now.

Would he have internalized the violence he saw perpetrated against his mother and lash out against the women he dated?

Would he become a passive man, an accomodationist who avoids conflict at any cost?

Would he find an outlet for his emotions that allowed him to heal and grow while inspiring others?

I am an optimistic person by nature. I tend to consider everything in its best possible light. I think that young man of my early days as a writer has grown in to a strong, loving father and husband, scarred and imperfect but capable of growing and improving every day. I see the best in him and know that he is happy in spite of the terrible things he saw as a child.

I trust that young Master Brown and the good Lady Rihanna will heal and grow from this public spectacle.

I pray for all the young children around the world who cringe at night when Daddy comes home or run and hide when Mommy goes on the war path.

I pray for civility in our homes.

I pray that we love and treat each other like the gods we truly are.

A. Baraka Scott (… brother from another)

Fourth Party Politics

March 4, 2009

Politics are in my blood. My maternal grandparents were active and vocal supporters of Eric Williams and the venerable PNM Party in Trinidad & Tobago. I was raised in a home where political debate and argument was an integral part of family discourse. I knew my wife and I were meant to be when I visited her in Los Angeles and realized that her African-American family values literacy and political awareness as much as my Afro-Caribbean family does. (Funny – the things that ultimately become important)

All that said, I am neither a registered Republican nor Democrat but an independent, currently unaligned citizen. I am too cynical about individual politicians to be a political party loyalist the way my grandparents were. More than my cynicism, the tepid inadequacy of the American political parties is keeping me staunchly independent.

The Republican and Democratic parties are essentially shodows of each other. They typically stake out opposing positions on key issues ranging from taxes to reproductive rights and education reform to military spending. They engage in expensive and elaborate public debates on the issues, touting their programs and prescriptions while deriding their opponent’s. In the end, a lukewarm remedy is typically enacted that is the product of genuine compromise and/or outright deal making.

My major gripe is not with the process by which our two major parties ultimately arrive at solutions. The alternatives of governing by military coup or institutional bribery are wholly unattractive. My beef is with the generic set of ideas and suggestions that get placed on the table at the beginning of the debate.

Both parties are constantly pandering to the imaginary “center” of American politics. They yearn for the approval of those Americans in Ohio, Indiana and elsewhere who apparently look like Ward and June Cleaver and supposedly personify the core attitudes, values and opinions of America. Never mind that more Americans live in San Francisco and New York City than in some states in the Union.

When the Patriot Act was “debated” and passed under the cover of darkness, both parties, with the exception of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, avoided any real discussion of the bill and the tremendous powers it was conferring to President Bush. In fact, Congresswoman McKinney was subsquently redistricted out of Congress for her temerity.

The ongoing debate on the troublesome banking system focuses on middle of the road regulation tinkering and has not honestly explored more radical programs of nationalization that have actually worked extremely well for countries like Sweden.

The entire country would be served by the creation of at least one other major party culled “extreme” wings of both parties. A culturally conservative and fiscally progressive party might stand a chance…

Whatever the permutation, more ideas need to see the light of day on a national stage. If more “fringe” or “radical” economists had been given a fair hearing, these banks might not have gotten so far up the block with our cash… And those tree hugging libertarians appeared clairvoyant after we found out that the NSA was eavesdropping on us… all of us.

Even if elections for President stay dominated by the two major parties, municipal congressional elections need more variety. There are more than two valid opinions on every subject in American political life and its time our representative government expand its horizons and embrace the complexity of ideas that a free society like this one supposedly encourages.

All in favor of a political party who will push both Democrats and Republicans to get to work…

A. Baraka Scott (… brother from another)

What Heaven Looks Like

March 3, 2009

A wise and thoughtful young attorney recently commented on one of my blogs. I am eternally grateful not only because he took the time to share but because his keen insights and counterpoints helped focus my attention on what I believe the world should look like.

Common said, “…if you believe in heaven, why is your choice hell?”

I say Heaven on Earth is as good a goal as any…

To paraphrase, my colleague cautioned against vapid patriotism fueled by race pride and hyper-emotionalism related to President Obama’s ascension. A student of history, he further counseled that an Obama-Era world view that forgets the Middle Passage, the Trail of Tears and Operation Condor would be a front for the old world colonial oligarchy. His words were like iron sharpening iron.

After considering his sober analysis the first thing I did was run out and buy a throwback “Stars & Stripes” with the thirteen stars in a circle.

Without African people (here from before its foundation) the United States would not be the military, technological and cultural superpower that it is today.

Crispus Attucks is the first martyr of the American Revolution. Salute to all Tuskegee Airmen massive.

Benjamin Banneker was the first astronomer to posit the currently held theory that the universe consists of solar systems which in turn comprise galaxies like our Milky Way. Garret Morgan, Lewis Latimer and Dr. Charles Drew know Nikola Tesla better than he knows himself.

All American music is traced to African roots — big up Muddy Waters, Louis Armstrong and Jimi Hendrix…

So what does heaven look like in a world where Barack Hussein Obama is President and African-Americans, only 12% of the United States population, are a shamefully conspiratorial 44% of all prisoners in the United States?

The public schools across this land would be cathedrals of higher learning with a laptop for each child; loving, supportive and handsomely compensated teachers at the head of every class; and comprehensive curriculums that offer advanced math and sciences along with American history, world history, world literature and a minimum of two foreign languages.

The criminal justice system would get a good scrubbing with every police officer, prosecutor and judge required to live in the neigborhoods where they dispense justice. A wise man once told me that people do what you inspect not what you expect. The Department of Justice would expand its vaunted Civil Rights Division to thoroughly investigate and prosecute every single alleged case of abuse and misconduct. All of the men and women doing time for non-violent crimes related to drug addiction would transition from prison to treatment and counseling. Police officers who shoot unarmed black men in the back would get put under the jail, period. The term “white collar crime” would be abolished because a crook by any other name still stinks.

The banking system would be laid bare for the whole world to examine and restructure. All of the secret transactions between the rich and powerful, all of the clever instruments that allow the wealthy to leverage capital and maintain position would be made public. If the banking system truly is a house of cards, we will all, prince and pauper, deal with the consequences of creating a new system together, on equal footing and with full disclosure. Knowledge is power and it is high time that the gate keepers give up the keys and let the masses inspect the palaces that have been built with their blood, sweat and tears. Cream rises to the top so there should be no need to rig the game.

Yes, a true meritocracy based on hard work, thrift, ingenuity and a little luck…

Heaven looks like America trough the eyes of Americans who know that this country is not perfect; Americans who know that this country has done horrific and damnable things in our name. Americans who know that the promise of America can not be hijacked by the wicked who share our birthright but must be defended and perfected daily with the perspective of Americans who know what heaven looks like.

Americans like Crispus Attucks and Benjamin Banneker and Jimi Hendrix and Barack H. Obama and Kenneth Montgomery, Esq. representing this country every day and in every way looks like a good start.

A. Baraka Scott (…brother from another)