If you aren't with us, get out.

I'm surprised there's not more discussion surrounding England's prime minister Tony Blair's decision to export all those supporting terrorism. Am I late with this news, has the controversy died down? I read a blurb in the amNew York's International section today,

Britain Preparing To Deport Extremists London - Britian is ready to act within days against "a number of names," to either deport or bar them from the country, under new anti-terrorism measures aimed against extremists, the government said yesterday. The law covers those who foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence; seek to provoke terrorist acts or crimes; or promote hatred between communities.

I did a bit of research on BBC News and found this article detailing Blair's plans. The most striking of which was plans to "ban Muslim organisations ... close mosques and deport people who 'visit particular bookshops and websites'". Where does England plan to deport "these people" to? If they are citizens of Britain, born and raised, where will they go? Perhaps they'll all get on a boat, head west, discover some land and start up a new colony. If there are people already there, they can bargain, cajole or torture them to give up their land, rename it all and then claim the land as thiers decreed by their god. They can fight for the right to practice their religious/terrorist activites/anti-Britain beliefs.

Hopefully they'll evolve into a world super power and begin practicing the same policies (to a grander degree) as their former country. Thier offspring will claim the conquered land while either complaining about their lack of "ehtnic roots" like the new immigrants have, or celebrating their European ancestry as they turn down their noses on those who aren't "authentically" people of the newly claimed land (they don't speak our language, practice our beliefs - get out!). In fact, if the deported English citizens are looking for a guidebook, I have an old history textbook on the American Revolution they can borrow.

From actors who play rappers to rappers who play actors or My Review of Four Brothers

Warning: There are spoilers. The terms wigger, nigger and white boy are used throughout this review. You are reading an unedited review (cuz it’s on my blog) until I remove this notice.

In John Singleton’s latest blockbuster film, Four Brothers, we are treated to a new twist on this successful writer and director’s M.O.: that of a white boy lead in an urban and (not so) gangsta film. Marky Mark plays a wigga, an enthusiastic leading “Brotha” whose bloodlust for vengeance overwhelms the screen and for whose character I will highlight in this commentary.

While the title implies a movie about four brothers, the reality is that Marky Mark is the star of this show and while that isn’t particularly noteworthy, his constant racial remarks with derogatory undertones are overwhelming. White youngsters flocked to the movies looking for this new film to glorify their hip hop/gangsta fantasies and they cheered on Marky Mark as he repeatedly beat down Black men, spewed racial epithets and overall killed to defend the life of his adoptive mom, the revered white angel. Indeed, I found numerous scenes that made me laugh out loud with their stupidity, but overall I found myself watching in stunned disbelief as Marky Mark’s racial antics became more outrageous with every scene. John Singleton lost his place as a politically conscious writer a long time ago, I think the demise of Baby Boy speaks to his crash and burn urban film success, however rewriting a familiar plot, adding some Black music and a couple of famous Black music entertainers of the time and spicing it up and otherwise dull plot with a white lead character who adopts obviously “ethnic” behavior serves to be just the formula Singleton needs to get back on top. He wholeheartedly proclaims white might and right while casting Black men as goons, hypersexualized playboys or ignorant sidemen.

Singleton’s interjection of a Latino mami also served to bring some flava to the film, or at least allowed Marky Mark to practice his cross-cultural skills. Dubbing her La Vida Loca and having Marky Mark repeatedly berate her as a stupid, no English speaking ho, really helped to add to the movies texture, and of course was an integral part at creating Marky Mark’s characterization. I kept waiting for Bobby Mercer (Marky Mark’s character) to find an Arab or Asian and get into racially charged arguments with them, too.

With the killers assassinated halfway through the movie, and the second half dedicated to figuring out why the white angel was murdered, I kept hoping Marky Mark would somehow end up dead. In a town depicted as run down, rough and suffering from poverty, I found it hard to believe that a single white male could run around banging on Black people with no repercussions, I don’t care who his mother was. I was surprised at how strongly my rage for his insolence was. Every time the wigger slammed a Black body, shot at a Black body, or made a comment about Blackness my rage escalated because I imagined how white audiences were cheering, laughing and absorbing these interactions as the most delightful entertainment. I was also naively turned off by the fact that Singleton’s reductive discussions around race included Marky Mark explaining to Andre 3000’s kids that he was their uncle, introducing the other white brother as “Cracker Jack”, and informing a particularly “tough” Black goon of Victor Sweet’s that he was being labeled as a “house nigger” in the streets because of his loyalty. I mean, should we go into the debate about whether whites can/should/do go around using nigger towards other Black people or themselves? Did unskilled actor, Julia Stiles, end that debate in O, when she told Mekhi Phifer that she can use the word because her people invented it?

We all know that affirming whiteness sells, and nothing affirms whiteness more than hating Blackness. Let’s review the last scene of the film: And am I the only one who saw the symbolism in the bad boy turned crusader American wigger, Bobby Mercer, beating up and summarily orchestrating the gruesome death of the corrupt, greedy, power hungry mobster, Victor Sweet, played by Nigerian Chiwetel Ejiofor (of course, the revenge was aided by the frustrated and Union-member believing Black Americans whom were fed up with Sweet’s similarly corrupt leadership)?

The fact remains, for me, that entertainment is not wrong. Fantastical movies of action-paced suspense and thrillers are fun. I like to punch the gas in my little Rav4 every so often and cut off the next guy who cut me off. However, when the unjusts of the real world are reified by fantastical images, successful images that gross $46.3 million whereby these images produce a modernized minstrel show (do we forget that it was white men who originally put on the blackface and acted like coons), I can’t help but sigh at how far we have not come. How different this movie would have been with just two main character changes: a Black angel killed and her four Black sons avenging her death. I sit and watch all white movies and can find them interesting and entertaining, do white people really need a white face to consider something quality? Obviously so.

Thinking of Leaving

I'm thinking of leaving my blog over here and setting up shop somewhere else where I can get more attention! I'm taking votes and I'm only revealing the new secret place to those who I want to. But I am considering all votes, so weigh in.

Should I keep this blog? Does anyone read it besides Ann? Will anyone reply besides Ann?

Wal-Mart Kills

Thanks to Ann for this post in my comment. I'm re-posting it so that it's a live link. And to affirm why Wal-Mart is horrible.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3301862

I Can POST at work

Uh-oh. You know what that means. And I've recently gotten aware of Wal-Mart's desire to take over NYC. I just might have found my new crusade. I abhor Wal-Mart. I absolutely hate Wal-Mart, they are the devil incarnate and definitely represent the debilitating imperalist-capitalism that keeps this world horrible for so many. Wal-Mart No Way, a group of concerned community members in Brooklyn (where Wal-Mart hopes to stage its take-over) is eloquent in this description:

"People ask us what's the "one thing"that has set us off about Wal-Mart. Well, there is no one thing”, because Wal-Mart's business practices and corporate ethics are absolutely terrible on virtually any issue. Whether it's discrimination against women employees and immigrants, engaging in union-busting, expanding our trade deficit with China, violating environmental protection laws, driving suppliers into bankruptcy, moving the global economy towards sweatshop production, or not offering health care benefits for its workers, Wal-Mart is destroying our country's economy and trashing our values. And since its employees often have to rely on food stamps to eat and go to county hospital ERs when they get sick, taxpayers end up subsidizing Wal-Mart's low-wage, low-benefits business practices."

I really think Wal-Mart entering NYC is a horrible thing. I think it's bad whereever they are, however so much of NYC's charm are the small neighborhood stores, grocers, meat markerts, clothing places and locally owned shops. It's distressing to think about their demise. We have GOT to keep Wal-Mart out.

NO email access

At work. Do you know how painful that is? It's so painful.

5 Whole Days

I thought I was doing good with this blogging thing.

Not much as changed, status wise. This week should be an eventful one with visitors galore. So I won't be around as much. Also, I'm learning that sleep is better than browsing the net, so I might not be on the computer as much. That's what a 9-5 will do to you.

Settling In

Today at work I...

Learned where the water cooler was.

Wrote a note to Keilyn.

Starting on layout to get Rcubed up this weekend.

Painted my nails.

Made a couple of photocopies.

Got to know my co-workers a little better.

Left feeling rejuvenated.

What DO I do?

Well, as I replied in my comment section, I am working in Corporate America! I am a secretary for a couple of Trust and Estate agents. Today I basically did nothing. I answered the phone about 3 times, got the mail and read the my issue of TRACE as well as my newest Jhumpa Lahiri fix, the namesake.

This morning I had to go get fingerprinted and get a drug test. With random directions on papers, I navigated my way from Wall Street up to Park Avenue for my new month-long assignment. When I got to my offices, I was introduced to the 4 people I'd be helping out and then promptly left to stare at my cubicle. Thank goodness for my foresight to bring some reading material! But essentially this is what I do:

There are ppl in this workd who have a lot of $$. So much so, that they there are lots of other ppl employed to manage/invest/push around the rich folks' $$. In fact, I work for such ppl, and as I've signed over my life including detailed fingerprints - of every single finger (twice), as well as the necessary identifying numbers and photographs, I'm obliged to protect myself by not saying too much (THAT'S how they keep the masses subjugated. I always wondered why the menial workers of the corporate world didn't just up and overthrow-because we've signed over our souls, or at least signed some legal document that said that everything, most importantly our exploitation, is highly confidential). All this hoopla because I'll be sorting mail, transferring calls and making memos regarding Mr. John Doe*'s trusts and estates.

My top 5 moments of the day:

5) Meeting one of the VPs I'll be helping out:

"Hell-OO, I am soooo glad you are here. We just need a body, SOMEone to be here. I deal with a lot of...older people, who freak out if they call and get an answering machine. Sometimes I'm away at my desk and on the phone, so just tell them that I'm in the building and will return their call promply. They need human interaction, you know, because they just get really uptight if they don't speak with someone. Most likely, we'll all answer our own phone calls, so you don't really have to worry about that. But occassionally I might be on another line, or away from my desk, and if my clients, I deal with a lot of older people, if they don't hear a human voice, it's just like it's the end of the world, you know what I mean? So am I HAPPY to have you here. WELCOME."

4) Listening to one of the officers I work with call a client about a transaction:

"Hi, Ms. Doe, this is Jane over at Corporate America Business #1, yes, I just wanted to let you know that we've transferred the $16,000.00 into your account for Johnny's tuition payment. Yes, yes, that's correct. Yes, definitely, you should see the balance in your account immediately. Yes, of course, hope that helps. Take care."

3) Listening to said officer gossip with a different VP:

Officer (O): "Is Ms. Doe on drugs, I swear she sounded DRUGGED up when I called her earlier."
Vice-Prez (VP): "Yes, she's addicted to morphine. She can't survive without the stuff, did she sound weird?"
O: "Yeah, I couldn't understand a word she said and she sounded like she was on something."
VP: "Yeah, and they subscribed some pills for her, you know those pills that came out of the expense line from the ---"
O: "Yeah, yeah"
VP: "Well, those are suppossedly to wean her off the morphine."
O: "Wow, well she certainly sounded drugged up."
VP: "Yep, she's addicted to morphine."

2) Learning my new word of the day: fiduciary. Let's use it in a sentence: A trustee is a fiduciary.

Hmm, I decided to go to the basics. What is a trust? A creation of Anglo-American law establishing that a person may have a cognizable legal interest in property where title to the property is held by another.

1) Plugging into my iPod on the train ride home. (Sorry to disappoint, no really cool happenings here).


Welcome to my new world.

*All names have been changed for my legal protection.

I got a job!

I got a job! :) I got a job!

She's Back

And apparently has been back for some time. I missed her. I am very happy that she decided to come back to blogging. So instead of washing my hair like I'd intended, I'm gonna catch up on Ann's blogging. Welcome back, Ann!

My Review of Hustle and Flow (with SPOILERS)*

*Please note that this review contains spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie, you might not want to read it. I will indicate where major spoilers are with a heading entitled, SPOILERS, however I take no responsibility if you choose to read on and then get upset cuz I told the ending. In other words: It's my blog, I can do what I want.

Last night I went to see the critically aclaimed indie movie, Hustle and Flow. First, because Tunji was talking about it and second, I think Terrence Howard is pretty damn fine. That was enough for me to shell out $9.75 at the Magic Johnson Theatre down the block. I was also interested in seeing a white director's take on a poor Black pimp turned rapper; my curiousity prompted me to see how how bad it would be. To my surprise, I was thoroughly impressed with a lot that went on in this movie, mainly the acting and directing.

The women were amazing! Taraji P. Henderson plays a pregnant prostitute, who doesn't know who her baby's father is. She is perhaps the sweetest woman in the movie. She's basically the homemaker and you can't help but to love her. She's a solid road dog and does the most thoughtful things for the house and for DJay. Taryn Manning, another solid road dog, is literally DJay's (Terrence Howard's character) right hand woman. She rides for her pimp and is down for whatever, but she's also very sincere and she won me over in a great scene where she lays down the law. I was surprised to find myself nodding in agreement with her and rooting for her. She did her thing. Elise Neal plays Key's wife. She's the hardworking, take no shit Black woman who has worked to have a stable home and provides for herself and her man. I loved the complexity of her character and the way that Craig Brewer chose to write her as a supporting Black woman rather than the overplayed castrating Black female. Basically, she's also a rock solid road dog for her man as well. Elise Neal also did her thing. Three very different roles, but all three are powerful and they really do steal the show away from Terrence Howard at times. Their energy, sincerity, ability to really make you LIKE them, I was very impressed. Each woman was so integral to DJay's story and helped the movie along.

The directing was great. I particularly liked a lot of the angles, with many facial expression closeups, I definitely felt connected to the characters. I also felt like I was able to see the actors acting. I found myself drawn into their struggles and I enjoyed how the director kept the story more about the characters than the plot. In fact, it's not a very busy movie, there's really not a lot going on and I could see the danger of it becomng boring, but those supporting women, as well as the directing really worked to make Hustle and Flow a strong film.

Now, Terrence Howard definitely did his thing, but there's no doubt for me that he's an actor. Oscar-worthy? Not in this film. Mainly because the plot pretty much sucked! Summation: Characterization,phenomenal... plot,sucky. Is that contradictory? Not necessarily. Here's why the plot sucked:

SPOILER
The pimp turned rapper story is definitely not mysterious. It can be argued that many rappers aren't really the hardcore gangstas they rhyme they are, but many have sold drugs, stolen, shot or will shoot. So this plot wasn't unrealistic or even disappointing in theory. But a pimp (and a poor pimp at that) turned rapper from a mini piano he trades to a dopehead, turned criminal from a ridiculously stupid barfight, turned (potential) millionaire from the hype he gets surrouding his 11 month imprisonment, solidly reifies the commercialized, ghetto-pimp-playa-trick-white-washed-idolized images of the current successful rap game. Young, poor Black men (cuz the old poor ones already know the deal) are fed an image of how violence is bad, you'll go to jail and that sucks, but if it's for a good cause, if it's from your heart (you're defending the months of blood, sweat, and tears you put into your first demo tape), then it's ok. Hey, you'll probably even get a rap deal out of it.
How much more interesting it would have been, if we were given an alternative vision of moving out of a depressed, degenerative state that involved a mental growth where one has to give up one dream and work on a new dream? What would it have meant to have DJay just totally BOMB? Have him be successful, get a hit, without the violence or jail and then BOMB, like so many artists out here do. What would it have meant, for him to really really WANT to do something and learn that he might have to reevaluate his possibilities based on real life shit? The tagline of the movie, "Everybody's gotta have a dream," is sweet but unresolved. The reality is that everyone does HAVE a dream...but what's debilitating is that many Black youth have the SAME dream. In our capitalistic society where imperialism is the ticket to a "safe nation", only SOME people's dreams are coming true. What about a movie that talks to Black youth about the fact that we need to be dreaming up some NEW dreams that involve happiness and freedom where we are resisting the system that is set to keep us imprisoned, poor, depressed, and dying from birth?

I think Craig Brewer was able to successfully represent the pain of a poor Black man, that's really not too hard to do. You don't have to be continually raped, maimed and beat down to know it's painful. However where he fails, as so many "real" movies about the hood do, is in neglecting to address the next phase of the situation. What's the next move in the game for those who aren't going to make it as a rapper. What should their focus be, how do they move out of the realms of povery, despair and depression? I'd like to see that movie made. Hustle and Succeed. Hustle and Happiness. Hustle and Resistance. When are we gonna realize that surviving is not just being alive? There's more to living, to surviving than being an exploited body.

I'm waiting on that movie.