Occupy Your Own Mind

Whose fault is it!!!! We need someone to blame!!!! It’s a circular argument. There are people to blame on both sides. The occupiers don’t help their own cause with blatant violations of the law (although to some degree…their intention was to disrupt, there are many people there who intended to be a part of a peaceful protest).It’s hard to feel good about defecating on police cars (even if you’re getting pulled for going 6 miles over…bastids!) The police aren’t helping with the occasionally heavy handed aggression used to control the crowd (I’ve seen the videos of the police using their batons to force the crowd to move even though the crowd is unarmed and offering no resistance). Whose fault is it?!

There are those who say the police are using necessary means to control the crowd. There would be no violence, they say, if the occupiers (they use more disparaging terms for them) would just go and get a job and stop occupying! That ignores the issues being brought forth by OWS (it also ignores that unemployment is as high as a giraffe’s tonsils but that’s another argument). There IS massive corruption on all levels of government. Politicians aren’t listening. So the age-old method of protest was brought in to existence. Whose fault is it? It’s not the politicians who created this economic mess? It’s not the people who’ve ignored the lies coming from Washington for years, only to pay attention to the misinformation coming from the media NOW? It’s not your fault? It’s not mine?

Most of the time when people are searching for someone to blame…it’s to avoid being blamed. It’s everyone’s fault. It’s our fault for allowing two parties with the exact same agenda (to retain power for their party) to control us through smear campaigns and misinformation (and reality TV I’m borderline convinced that the government created that bullshit). It’s our fault for voting party lines and NOT our conscience. It’s our fault for treating career politicians as saviors. It’s our fault. The blood is symbolically on our hands. Many of us are just spouting the talking points we’ve heard on television from whoever our favorite celebrity political analyst is (more on that in the next paragraph). Others have taken to using childish name-calling (which we were taught to ignore before kindergarten but now use as a weapon. It’s still childish b). Whose fault is it?

How often have you thought to yourself “that guy makes a good point” when watching CNN, MSNBC, FOX or whatever? Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, Maher, Ratigan, Matthews….their job is to draw viewers. If these guys were really the smartest people in the room…why aren’t they running? If they are the most patriotic, best informed…why aren’t they in DC making the changes they talk about on their show? The same reason I’m not running. I’m an entertainer. I remind people of that daily. Yes, I have an opinion (and I’m blessed to be in a country that allows me to state that opinion without fear of imprisonment or worse), but I have NO desire to deal with the partisan bullshit that permeates today’s politics. Nope…I’m an entertainer….and so are the guys I just mentioned. Don’t believe me? Go back and find some clips of Beck when he was a centrist host on CNN who had as a goal…taking over for Larry King. Way easier gig than he’s got now. Name a popular centrist host….I’ll wait. You can’t. You can name a host that’s less to the right/left than the ones I listed…but tension and salacious speech moves the needle. Do you think a calmly stated, profanity free rant by me would have caught Glenn Beck’s attention? Imus? What if I was a white guy in a suit with no beard? If you REALLY believe you would have even heard of me if it weren’t for my appearance and word choices, I’ve got some of that unicorn dust left for sale.

Beck to the right of me!!!!

Maher to the left of me!!!!

It’s OUR fault. If it’s important to you, go to source documents. Go to the ows website. Don’t read and then compare what you read to what the “stars” are saying. Comparing it to how you were raised. Compare it to how you raise your children. Compare it to what YOU believe. THEN act. Doesn’t mean you will agree with the movement…but you won’t sound like a clone when discussing it. OWS is flawed. The police’s response is flawed. WE are flawed. So what is the solution?

First, dismantle the political parties. Yes, that’s how it’s always been. At one point in our history, people had always thought the world was flat. At some point in our history slavery was legal. At some point in our history (at least in England) people didn’t bathe regularly. Now all of these things are considered disgusting (except for the world being flat…that’s just stupid). So…just because we’ve always had a 2 party system doesn’t mean we have to continue. Second, vote. “My vote doesn’t count anyway”…it damn sure doesn’t if you don’t cast it (sidenote: if you believe that the illuminati or other secret organization controls everything and thus your vote is irrelevant…so is reading this article. You are helpless and hopeless. Good luck on the revolution. Also…Tupac is dead. Sorry.). Third, recognize the things like race, religion, location, sex, sexual orientation, age, etc. that have been used to divide us, and turn away from anything that ends in –ism unless it’s inclusive. (everybodyism?)

This is a short list…and it’s just a start. But it’s not a policy that needs to be changed. It’s not a legislator that needs to go. It’s a MINDSET that needs to be created. Change your thinking. Change your life.

I'M POPEYE B*&%%!!!!

My name is Felonious Munk, and I'm a comedian. I know this comes as a surprise to many of you who have watched my videos. Yes, there is humor in the videos, but I often tackle very serious issues/subjects. Yet, the videos are but one area of my comedy. I perform stand up. I write satire and humor articles. I do characters, accents, and impersonations.

I am a comedian. Who Am I? At the risk of sounding self-absorbed, google me, baby. I've been reading about Donald Glover (whom I respect a lot for being unafraid to be really good at a variety of things) and it occurred to me that I may not fit into your traditional idea of "comedian". Cool. "nobody built like (me, I) designed myself". What Jay Z said there isn't (in my mind, at least) any type of statement relating to a Higher Power creating/not creating him. It's about taking responsibility for your own person.

I'm a comedian. Even when I'm not funny. The process requires that I view life logically, to determine what is illogical. Well...MY process requires it. See, that's the thing....it's MY process. It's always funny when someone argues with me about who/what I am. If you introduce yourself to me as "Johnathan", how weird would it be if I said "no, you are Muhammad. When I look at you I see a Muhammad"? Enjoy my work. Criticize my work. Hate my work. But, while I'm alive...don't define my work FOR me. Because...before I'm a comedian...I'm a man.

A man doesn't let life dictate to him. A man dictates (through his decisions and actions) what his life will be like. A man isn't limited by his past...he's motivated (and educated) by that past. I will never ACT like a man. A lion doesn't have to act like a lion.

So if you ever mistake my roar for that of a different creature...that will be your issue. I'll continue roaring. I'll continue being a man. And I'll continue being a comedian...even when I'm not funny.




P.S. You should be at Pace Univ in Manhattan for this ---> PACE HERE WE COME!!!!!

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!

Don't Believe Everything You Think?!?!

Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. Don't believe the hype. What SHOULD we believe? If it's not our eyes or ears or even popular opinion...it must be our minds, right? Unfortunately, even that is unsafe.

You ever "thought" you had met the one? That woman (or man) that you would be with for the rest of your life? I mean...not just because she was attractive. No, you could recite a list of reasons why she was your soul mate, your best friend, the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with (cue Pure Soul's "we must be in love"). So if what YOU believe is correct...where is that bitch now? I bet she surprised you. The break-up probably included the words "I never thought you would do that to me" or some variation thereof.

That's like child who never grows up enough to realize that whatever he knows is temporary. What you think today will (and should) change as your life goes on and you continue to learn. If you still believe everything you did when you were a child...how simply wonderful your life must be (and how wonderfully simple YOU must be). Yes I thought she was the one for me...until I found out she was an alcoholic and had no desire to do anything with her life that didn't involve marijuana and night clubs. By changing my mind am I being phony? Hell no...I'm being realistic.

Speaking of real...none of us really knows what's going on. Which is why it's laughable to see people trying to convince OTHER people to think the same. Why would I trust YOUR judgement over my own? I've just given examples of how I can be wrong...what would make me think YOU can't be wrong? And yet, daily somebody loses a friend over belief. Whether religion, art, even science (keep in mind even scientists at one time thought the earth was flat) whatever you believe is possibly wrong.

Yeah I know...you HAVE to believe SOMETHING, right? I don't. We can discuss it all. But I won't be pissed if you think differently than I do. Because it's arrogant as hell to believe that God chose me to impart all of His wisdom and not you....wait, you don't believe in God? I guess we can't be friends...
Stop it B

F@$% PETA, Reasonable Doubt, and other fecal matter i had on my mind...

Earlier today while debating the homeless situation with Barack Obama, Tony Blair, and other world leaders who hit me up on twitter for my opinion, I asked if animals were more important than people. All of them looked at me like I had just asked them if the WTC was brought down by a deomolition team.

No, this isn't about Mike Vick. This is about PETA self-righteous campaigning. While we have approximately 3.5 million in the United States who are homeless at any given moment...PETA is spending $29 million for research on how to save kittens and shit. No matter how you explain this...it will not make sense to me. By the way, I'm not anti-animal, nor anti-Peta... they are a non-profit, meaning people have to donate to them for them to even have that 29 mil to spend. Until we eradicate homelessness (1.5 million of this nations homeless are children)...fuck those animals.

Reasonable Doubt was the first CD from arguably the all-around best MC in the history of hip hop. It is also what most rational people believe exists in the Troy Davis case. (read about the case here)
There are similar cases all over the country....but that's not a reason to ignore THIS case. At some point we have to stop accepting obvious miscarriages of justice to go on just because "it's not us". What if it were...would you want us to share that attitude? I guess PETA would get involved if Troy Davis were named Fluffy the Hamster, huh? Murder is criminal...even when carried out b a government organization.

By the way, big thanks to Jay Nordlinger from the National Review for coming and hanging out with me and my bum ass cameraman, Sam Rogers (he's actually really good...i just don't like him) yesterday (9/20). The interview was cool and seeing a middle-aged white guy at an all black comedy show surrounded by Black women with the thickest of buns...priceless. But you handled yourself like a pro. Thank you for letting me tell MY side of MY story.

P.S. Don't worry about whether or not the first line of this blog is true...you get wrapped up in the wrong shit B.

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Football's Back...Deal with it

Football is back!!! During the lockout, when many fans had no idea whether or not we'd have a season this year...relationships flourished. Yep...women who were non-fans anticipated having men all to themselves this fall on Sundays. They pictured Sunday mornings at church, afternoons at the museum, and evenings shared watching Basketball Wives of LA. Welp....

Look, this isn't a new phenomenon. Football Sundays (and Monday nights) have been here for my entire life. In recent years, many women have come to the realization that most men are NOT going to change their love for football, so they have come around and started watching (and liking) the game themselves. That's cool...I guess. I mean...there are very few things left that men enjoy by themselves. And yes, I agree that a woman who knows and understands sports (and looks good in a jersey) is a turn-on. But let's all acknowledge that it doesn't work the other way.

How many of you ladies want to have a discussion about the LaLa show with your significant other? Basketball Wives? Real Housewives of Whateverlocationtheyareshootingthatshowinthisseason? It's something unsettling about hearing "I don't like so and so...she thinks she's all that" in a masculine voice.

But it's deeper than TV. I blame Steve Harvey. "Think Like a Man, Act Like a Lady" gave women some insight into the thought process of SOME men. It taught them "game". But it ignored the fact that we are by nature "different". As time goes on, the lines are being blurred. Women are liking what traditionally were "man things". Men are liking men...I mean...liking what women like. It's almost like there is something wrong with "thinking like a lady...and BEING a lady".

Let's say the book was called "Think like a Muslim, act like a Christian"...would a Christian take advice from a muslim? Probably not...because it's understood that fundamentally there is a different mindset...and that's fine. How about "Think like a white man, act like a black man"? No? Because it assumes that thinking like what you are is somehow not enough.

Point is...football is back. And I'm going to watch. So you can watch with me if you want. Or you can find something else to do. Either way...don't do it because you think it'll make me feel differently about you. "I like my women friends feminine"...in a jersey and nothing else.