Gaddafi's Dead (allegedly)...Now....

Another one bites the dust....and another one does and another one does...another one bites the dust. Queen's song could be the dictator's anthem after a year where Middle East leaders seem to be falling faster than Congress' approval ratings.

But, is this just another diversion from our issues here at home? For 40 years, Gaddafi reigned in Libya. That he was oppressive to his own people is as much a matter of public record as is his eccentric personality. I'd like to care. I'd like to hail this as a victory for freedom and peace and all things involving unicorns and pixie dust. Unfortunately...I haven't seen any of the change here in my own country that the residents of the countries we're "helping" seem to be looking forward to enjoying.

Look, I understand that oppression anywhere is deplorable. But I've got a plank in my own eye. So forgive me if the splinter in the eye of the Middle East isn't my primary concern. Watching the Republican debates leaves me believing that the entire platform of the party is "let's get rid of Obama and figure out what to do AFTER....". The Obama camp seems to be in full circle the wagons mode. Neither is addressing the business of running the country.

But...Gaddafi is dead!! Scream it from the rooftops! Then tell me how it affects the Occupy Wall Street protests. Tell me how it impacts the polarized America that sees the protesters as either unemployed bums determined to undermine (and eventually destroy) our way of life, or a group of patriots fed up with being marginalized into a silent majority. Perhaps I was raised to simplify things to the point of understanding them. Only after getting a basic understanding do I attempt to add the layers of complexity. Maybe that's the wrong way. Maybe not. But the current discussion that includes childish name calling (from both sides), finger pointing (from both sides), and misrepresentation of the truth (from.both.sides) leads us where?

But...Gaddafi is dead!!! Yeah, I know...so is Bin Laden. So is Saddam. Is the American Dream next? Is it still alive? I'd like to see the body before they dump it in the ocean...politics as usual..... Stop it B

Munk Debunks Myths

"You don't speak the way you look...". What does that mean? No I don't take that as disrespect. Just like "you speak so well" isn't disrespectful...to ME. It is, however, disrespectful to the person making such an absurd statement.

That you believe my appearance is any indication of my ability to articulate my thoughts and transform them into speech is an example of YOUR preconceived notions. Why should your past experiences be disrespectful to me? If I wear a suit everyday, does that make me a professional? I worked in the car business for years and I will tell you that the suit did NOT make the man. From a very young age, most of us have heard "don't judge a book by it's cover"....and yet here you are handing down intellectual verdicts based on the tilt of my Yankee fitted. And still....it's ME that you ask to make adjustments.

Nah...I'm good. Hip hop is violent and misogynist and filled with ignorance...except I'm hip hop. I love and respect the women in my family. I'm not alone. I've made mistakes  (like most humans), but as I've grown, my love for hip hop and it's culture hasn't diminished. In a world of people who claim to hate stereotypes and generalizations, I've been taken to task for either being "too urban" or "too white sounding". Yeah...about that...

That you've chosen a particular path (and in many cases limited your options) has no bearing on me. I can love Martin AND Malcolm. I can love Tupac AND Biggie. And i can love slang AND the queen's English. While you are critiquing my manner of speech, have you looked at the content? Often it's the same people quoting MLK jr. "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" who are ignoring character and focusing on apparel. Focusing on language. Focusing on your party affiliations.

If I've shown nothing, I've shown that I can't be placed in a box. Interviewers like Jay Nordlinger (National Review) have traveled to Virginia to ascertain my true political leanings, only to leave without being able to categorize. I'm not riding the fence. I'm not waffling. I'm using logic. If the conservatives say that Occupy Wall Street is a Marxist plot, I am allowed to disagree. But, that doesn't preclude me from later agreeing with their position on another issue. My skin doesn't force me to agree with everyone who shares my melanin content. If a black man shoots another black man in cold blood...should I defend him "because he's my brother"? Should I excuse his behavior because of the economic factors created by slavery, and Jim Crow laws that only in the last generation and a half have been lifted? If a white man saves a black man's life should I be forced to point out the paternal pattern of "Different Strokes" humanitarianism that Whites have engaged in throughout the years is just a product of "White guilt" and he's probably still secretly a racist?

Judge. Judge. Judge. In Christian scripture (Matt 7:1-2) it is translated "judge not, lest ye be judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall BE judged" (emphasis mine). While pointing the finger at the rich, affluent, poor, "entitled", black, white, latino, man...are you really making a difference? Golden rule quotes with bronze rule actions. I am hip hop. I am articulate. I am real. I am not your verdict....Stop it B!