Why We Can't Give Em Too Much

Critics ask me why I don't dress up and look the part of the businessman every day of the week. Why don't I shave and get haircuts regularly? Well, first of all, I'm a firm believer in not looking too good. If I did that, I'd hardly ever be able to chill what from all the attention. :-) Second of all, it's timely and expensive, and I'm not lazy, but I don't have all that much time to be investing in my appearance. Lastly, I know what they want me to do. They want me to look my best so they can slam the door in my face while I'm looking dapper, demoralize me, and emasculate me. They want me to rely on my fading looks to get me the job, the girl, the deal, the nod, so that when my looks eventually fail me, I have nothing to fall back on. No character, no charisma, no charm. But once again, I'm ten steps ahead of them.

When I was a freshman in college, I wore my glasses for the first week of school. It was a strategic play, so as not to fall into the classic trap of new school popularity wars. I went overlooked, unseen by the ladies, and non-threatening to the men. Then I shaved my head and put in my contacts, and it was like there was a new kid on the quad. I started getting invited to activities, to parties, to study groups. Granted, it was just a week of glasses, but it was noticeable. Performing this social experiment allowed me to realize that people really do put stock, and way to much of it, in appearance, especially at the college age. As we grow older, the stock is in appearance only in certain superficial circumstances: the club, random parties, the subway. It's an excuse to be caddy, superficial, and shallow - and to dress up of course. I tend to stay away from these situations as much as possible: not because I can't dress up with the best of them, but because I'm careful not to give em too much.

The case for appearance is known. What I don't know is what I need to find out. How much harnessing are they willing to do to counterbalance the new world order? How many of our dances, trains, shimmies, and bojangles will they take for themselves and try to incorporate into their narrow avatars? How long has this been going on? I can only speculate at this point, but with blondie leading the way, how many of our special moves have they tried to claim: is the white world'd creativity and execution that mundane that they have to sample black genius to make up for their own shortcomings? And do they really think that transferring a flash of brilliance accounts for transferring ability? I submit that their harnessing capabilities are built upon an unbalanced and un-proveable equation and that the experiment will and must backfire upon them shortly. Case in point, if I developed a trendy new way to dance, and it became the in thing, so other people started doing it, have I created something, or started something? Maybe. Is it genius tho? Perhaps, but only If I remain the best at it. Is there any way to own it? No, not if it can be duly duplicated. Emulation is the highest form of flattery. Some younger guns will try to copy and add on, but some older heads (read: certain unskilled gov't cronies) will try to harness it. If Tim Hardaway crosses over Chris Mullin and Mullin falls on his ass, you have just witnessed a case of black genius. And so even when Steve Nash Bridges tries to cross over an opponent, it lacks flavor because he can't quite cross over at the level of Timmy Hardaway. In this sense, with chronology on our side or not, we contiunously, effectively achieve a dual purpose: we demonstrate genius and mastery of our craft; and we precluded duplication by whites by doing it perfectly. This is Jordan, Barkley, James. This is Tiger. This is the Williams Sisters. This is Iconic. This is black genius. Does it relate to more than just sports? Of course, but sports just happen to be the arena where it is most recognizable. I could vamp on a Coltrane riff or a Miles disharmonic solo; the swag of Duke Ellington or Count Bassie in an era of oppression; I could talk to you about Paul W. Caine's cooking or Robert Johnson's business plans; I could discuss Jesus' priesthood or Solomon's interior decorating (watch out now); I could discuss Denzel's acting or the rap game's monopoly (until Eminem). What does it all mean? Black genius is more than just creativity, it's creativity and dominance in action, versus the stiffest competition, overcoming the greatest barriers, solving the worst problems, in the midst of the worst crises. It's Barack Obama. It's the Son of Man. It's the saving grace for our planet and our universe. But when it's exploited by those who recognize it's sheer power and force, it's war.

For those of you who have seen Avatar, equate Cameron's black mineral, the precious stuff that sells for $20M/kilo, is like a rewards system for the native genius that goes on on the planet Pandora. The prayers, the love cycles, the training, the adherence to code and order, each instance is a deposit of this energy-rich compound that some higher power computes. That is part of the reason they protect the Big Tree so vehemently. I hypothesize, that somewhere on this earth, or at least in the universe, there is an allegorical compound, whether you think it's oil or gold or what, it's out there, and it's a direct corollary to the genius and adherence to order that we show. But just like our historic roots, this material is being exploited by the white man. Our way, has become perverted, stigmatized, racially profiled, exaggerated, and sensationalized to stand for nothing but a reactive proletariat, grasping for something true. The tragedy is that we've fallen into this trap in the first place, and I can see it now....I can! Just writing I have been able to flesh out some details of their plan. I can see them wanting us to work for their lunch, to shine their shoes for their nickel, when nickel is a word used for a precious metal, but it's a little different (with a condescending pat on the head). How, if we try to hog the resources we become crabs in a barrel; how if we try to sell out we turn our back on the community and get castigated; how the righteous thing to do is teach for minimum wage; how the last woman on earth actually is a black girl born with AIDS so she can't procreate; how STD's run rampant in our communities as a result of their experimentation with free love; how drug selling and hustling is how we use our creative and business prowess, something illegal and targeted by the government; how we're socialized into prison laboratories for further study; how we're put on the front lines for the continued conflict resolution scenarios known as wars. But notice how if we try to copy what they've done, we'll fail miserably. There is no precedent for what blacks need to do to gain solidarity. There is only a plan and improvisation from that plan. And I'm not going to lay it out right now because it's too precious for some blog. But keep your heart, homey. Support a leader. if there is no leader, make a leader. if there is no radical, make a radical. If there is no conservative, make a conservative. Keep your heart. Keep your directions close to your chest. Keep your blueprints concealed and your DNA sacred. Your roadmap begins with something that is already infinitely more precious and deserving then theirs, and that is why they can't understand you. That is why they want to observe you. But instead of letting it go to your head, duplicate it, work hard for a promotion, and keep it secret. I get it now. I've already said too much. But consider this apprenticeship...renewed.