my RE : "white women on a pedestal"

Yes, that is the title of an article i read on the popular blogsite, The Fresh Xpress last night, and I must say that upon first read, i did think that the article was good coming from the viewpoint at which the author spoke. But, that doesn't necessarily mean i agree with it.

I went back to read White Women on a Pedestal, and after reading it, there were a few points where the author was on, and a bit off (the comments are FAR more interesting, so scroll down after you read the article!). To sum it up, the author talks about how she thinks white women (in the eyes of some black men) are put on a pedestal. She uses the VH1 "reality" television shows Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch & The T.O. Show as prime examples. She also compares Kim Kardashian to Karrine Stephans to prove her point (honestly, this is kind of where i got lost, and i don't agree with the author's points here).

now before i even begin, let me just say that first, everyone is entitled to their opinion. and no, i don't think the sista is bitter, she's just clearly articulating her observation, boom. secondly, i do not watch either of these shows because I think that a.) the concept of the dating show is tired, and b.) the concept of athletes, singers, actors whom ever looking for love via this "nationwide" search is played out too. it never turns out to be what they want in the end and they just end up making themselves look foolish when the reunion show rolls around. but then again, it's all for ratings. thirdly, it isn't just white women that some black men could be infatuated with: it could be latinas, asian women, women of middle eastern decent--you name it. i think this is where the author went wrong too by simple singling-out white women because she makes it seem like "they're the ones always trying snatching up the good black men" (watch the movies obsessed, diary of a mad black woman, or our family wedding and maybe get an idea of that concept.)

any way, back to the topic of the article. the author goes on to say that white women have their choice of black men, and how some black men deliberately date outside of their race. furthermore, she discusses her own viewpoints on how she thinks that some black men suffer from identity issues/insecurity/self-hatred. i think she went a little bit far there, but who knows, there may be some men out there who do. but what the author basically wants readers to know is that white women (in her opinion) are put on this pedestal that black women are not.

now, as an african-american 20-something female growing up in today's society, i don't see anything wrong with dating outside of your race--DO YOU HOMIE! at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're black or white (word to MJ). we live in a society in which now it is normal to see interracial couples, and while some people don't agree with it, i think personally that love doesn't have a shape, size, or color. if you find someone that makes you feel special and happy, then eff what everyone else thinks. but at the same time, if you choose not to date or be attracted to a certain type of person, don't downplay or diss them just for the hell of it. keep that isht to yourself, patna.

i remember growing up and being some what taunted because some of my first celebrity crushes (i.e, justin timberlake) and real crushes where on white boys and looking back on it, i still don't see why it was such a big deal. no i didn't exude any self-hatred or have an identity issue, i just liked the person for who they were, period. now that i am older and a little bit wiser, i have considered the fact that the love is not about the color of some\one's skin, but it is what lives on the inside. i have nothing but love for black men and i still believe first and foremost that black love is the most beautiful because that is what i have literally witnessed first hand. love is a beautiful think, period. but the contrary, i don't see myself dating only black men--that seems a bit narrow minded living in the world we live in today. you never know what you may learn about yourself or the world around you by simply sticking to what you know. 

i think if we are going to continue to pursue the idea of a "post-racial society", we first have to take a look at ourselves and understand our interactions among one another before we bring a new generation of free-thinkers into the world. i want to raise my children to accept people for who they are and what the stand for, looking past any racial barriers. i feel like we're just beating a dead horse with a stick by constantly talking about this topic over and over again. because conversely, the same concept could be looked at from the viewpoint of a black man as to why his black sistas are dating outside of their race...but i guess no one ever thought about it that way, huh?

comments, criticisms and critiques as always, are welcomed.

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

"the rest is still unwritten" - the hills finale

tonight marks the final episode of the california-based show the hills. i've been watching this show since its humble laguna beach spin off beginnings in 2004, and i must say that it has been interesting watching the lives of these upper middle class caucasian kids from beverly hills. successfully, i can time the intro song "unwritten" by natasha beddingfield & the "go to commercial" song "don't funk with my heart", but as this show comes to an end, i do have to pose a question or two as why this show has been so captivating over the last six years of my life. time to walk down memory lane...

so as i stated before, i've been keeping up with these characters (because that's what they are) for the last six seasons. but how come they have been so interesting to keep up with? well for starters, the hills has been my version of all my children or the young and the restless, but what's even more intriguing is that MTV has successfully made living in california as a young 20-something so dramatic and desirable. the hot parties, shoppping, the he-said she-said drama, lunch/dinner dates between the castmates, luxurious vacations...i could go on and on. but it just further goes to show how superficial our society can be.

question #1: how come the cast of the hills never had any friends of different cultures and backgrounds? as i've grown up watching this show, i started to really dissect how exactly MTV has purposely placed these young people in certain situations in order to make this "reality" television show. but you mean to tell me that there is NO possible way that out of all of the cast members, not nan-one had a black, latino, or asian friend? i find that extremely hard to believe, seeing as california-- particularly los angeles--is a very diverse city. i mean, there was baldwin hills from MTV's sister station BET, which could be compared to this show. but how come it didn't last as long? hey, that could totally be the white privilege speaking very HIGH volumes. #imjustsayin


question #2: did any of the other cast members besides lauren, audrina and heidi have jobs? i mean, working at epic records, teen vogue, people's revolution and sbe bolthouse all seem like really cool jobs, and it was enjoyable seeing the girls in a different setting besides their huge victorian houses or in the club. but as the show continued, it seemed like focus turned away from showing that the young women of the hills had respectable careers to the drama filled weekend evenings and family feuds. but of course, the more conflict the better the ratings and of course, there is only so much you can show in a 22 minute episode.


question #3 : if it really weren't for this television show, would we really give a damn about these kids from california? i mean, come on--most of them *cough brody jenner & spencer pratt* have received their claim to fame from their rich and famous parents (brody's dad is gold medal olympian bruce jenner, who is also the kardashians step dad). and then you have people like stacie the bartender, justin-bobby and charlie who were just kind of thrown into the mix because they interacted with the other cast members. it looks like their 15 minutes of fame turned into a whole hour...


alright, that's all i have. has anyone else thought of these questions or others as you've kept up with this show over the last few years, if you have kept up with it? while i'm happy that the show is finally coming to an end, it has been fun keeping up with this group of kids. i tell you, MTV has a way of keeping my attention, and i can only wonder what they think of next.

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

visually appealling : "there goes my baby" - usher

so i peeped a sneak peek of this video last night, and i must say i do like the cinematography of the video, but i was expecting a little bit more. the song there goes my baby is one of my favorites on usher's recent album raymond v. raymond because it is so simple yet it expresses how one may feel about their significant other so wonderfully. so i see why the video was so simple and not as complex.

i'm so used to seeing story lines in videos as there used to be back in the day, but i guess now it's more about how the sound of the actual song can be portrayed in the video. needless to say, i do like the new video and i can't wait to hear the new eight-track album versus that the r&b king is set to release later on this summer.

check it out below ;)

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

ain't no feeling like being free - going natural :)

so i did it! i finally had the BC (big chop) and i couldn't more in love with the look. of course, before making the decision, i had been transitioning from having relaxers every six weeks to just going cold turkey.

i didn't even see the chris rock documentary "good hair", but going natural had been a though in my mind since fall 2009. i just wanted to take time to make sure that i was really ready to take the next step.

i've gotten such a positive response for my hair, and i'm sure that there will be some nay-sayers, but so what! i took this step for me, and i couldn't be happier. i know that this journey is going to have some ups and downs, but i'm ready for it.

this is more than just a physical appearance change for me, but i feel like i've let so much go by cutting off my hair *cue free by destiny's child* but seriously...there is something about going natural that makes a female become so much more in tune with her inner and outer beauty. i believe that india.arie said it best in the hit song "i am not my hair" that it's about the soul that lives within =]

there is such a large community on the internet of young women that have natural hair, and i've already got a number of fave blogs and youtube channels that support the go natural movement. i think that i chose the perfect time to make the choice of going natural, and i can't wait to see the evolution of my hair. as always, i will be sharing with you all my progress as i take this journey.

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.

"who you callin' a b*tch?!"

unity, queen latifah (1993)

i had to step back into time and shed light on this truth because nowadays i think that we get so caught up in the "hip-hop" scene that some of us *and that is a small percentage of us* forget that the degrading content in music from artists such as lil wayne, drake, snoop dogg, j.cole and many more isn't healthy for our community. sure the money, riches and poppin' bottles of that "ace of spades" sounds like these rappers are living the life, but do you really think that they feel good about talkin' all that talk?
 
i thought about this topic after listening to music made by a classmate of mine. i will not say who or what the name of the song is, but i will say that i was not too comfortable with him referring to women as b*tches and being "strictly about his paper." number one, i'm not knocking you for producing the art of music, but my friend: we live in the year 2010--it's time that we move away from calling women out of their name just for the sake of spitting a flow. it's so common now days to hear the word "b*tch" or "h*" in a rap song that we've become immune to the fact that these words are not only poison to the youth that are soaking it up like sponges, but also detrimental to ourselves. within the hip-hop community, women of color already deal with being hypersexualized and undervalued thanks to the many music videos and songs that specifically depict women as such, but hearing the words from those songs on a daily basis isn't quite appealing either.

dictionary.com defines the word "b*tch" in three-fold: 1. a female dog; 2. slang:  a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, esp. a woman. 3.   a complaint.

first of all, what's up with the, "especially a woman" part?  never have i ever been cool with anyone, male or female, calling me the b-word. i also think that the term is completely inadequate as a term of endearment and while i may slip up sometimes and refer to females that i do not know the term, i have to become more conscious about the negativity and the ugliness behind the word. that goes the same of the n-word too.

in order to make ourselves better, we've got to do better y'all. like tupac said in "changes",  

"let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live & let's change the way we treat each other...the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do, to survive."

there are so many more words in the english language that we can use in order to explain the way we are thinking our thoughts. it's time to start thinking OUTSIDE of this whole idea of "fitting in" and "going with the norm".  i will say, hip-hop has made strides since it began back in the Boogie Down Bronx years ago, but there is still a long way to go. the ultimate goal of hip-hop and the culture wasn't to tear one another down, but to uplift each other and provide unity, peace and prosperity.


so i say this again, "who you callin' a b*tch?!"

☮ and ♥, 

-*csc.