Wrap Me Pretty

Hello all!
Lately, I've been blogging about fashion at http://wrapmepretty.tumblr.com/
Come check it out!

Of course, I'll still blog here from time to time because Blogger popped my blog cherry. :o)

See you, soon.
Digital kisses, bitches!

Dumbfuckistan

What the hell is happening in this country? The defeat of DOMA notwithstanding, it's like we're quickly slipping back into the 1950's. No more Voting Rights Act, a bunch of old white men sneaking anti-abortion legislation into bills without informing their constituencies, and now the Trayvon Martin tragedy with George Zimmerman's subsequent acquittal.

Of course, there are lot of angry blogs out there about this shit, and I'm sure you're totally inundated and exhausted of it all, so I'll keep this short.

To the politicians who want to force women to bare the children of their rapists, restrict birth control, and make criminals of women who miscarry...FUCK YOU. I look forward to the day when all you asshats are thrown in jail for pissing on our Constitution. And don't worry, I'm sure Ann Coulter will volunteer to give you all conjugal visits, so...silver lining!

To the vicious douchebags who were rooting for George Zimmerman to beat the murder charge because you think Trayvon was a "criminal" for defending himself and deserved to get shot...GO TO HELL. Next week, you people will be vilifying Hispanics yet again, and guess what? George Zimmerman falls into that category. Your hypocrisy will follow you around like a shadow. I'll pop some corn and wait for the Hispanic hate speech to resume. I'm sure it won't take long.

Unfortunately, all this hate in our political and social discourse is very familiar. We've heard this song before. The ancestors of those politicians sang it quite well. THESE MODERN MOTHERFUCKERS ARE THE REMIX. They can change it and rearrange it if they want to, but we still see who they are and what they're doing.

Hey assholes? You poked the lion. Don't think you're gonna make it out of the cage unscathed.

Lupe Fiasco's 'Bitch Bad'

Hello lovely people! 

Lupe Fiasco has created an important and socially conscious piece of art that is so timely and relevant that I had to feature it here. His new single Bitch Bad takes a critical look at hip hop and examines how its imagery and lyrics have effected young children in the black community. The music video makes the lyrics of the song even more powerful.

Check it out...

Bitch Bad lyrics...

[Intro]
Yeah
I say bitch bad, woman good, lady better
Hey, hey, hey, hey

[Verse 1]
Now imagine there’s a shawty, maybe five maybe four
Ridin’ ’round with his mama listening to the radio
And a song comes on and a not far off from being born
Doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong
Now I ain’t trying to make it too complex
But let’s just say shawty has an undeveloped context
About the perception of women these days
His mama sings along and this what she says
“Niggas I’m a bad bitch, and I’m bad bitch
far above average”
And maybe other rhyming words like cabbage and savage
And baby carriage and other things that match it
Couple of things that are happenin’ here
First he’s relatin’ the word “bitch” with his mama, comma
And because she’s relatin’ to herself, his most important source of help, And mental health, he may skew respect for dishonor

[Hook]
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, they misunderstood
(I’m killin’ these bitches)
Uh, tell ‘em
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, they misunderstood
They misunderstood
(I’m killin’ these bitches)

[Verse 2]
Yeah, now imagine a group of little girls nine through twelve
On the internet watchin’ videos listenin’ to songs by themselves
It doesn’t really matter if they have parental clearance
They understand the internet better than their parents
Now being the interent, the content’s probably uncensored
They’re young, so they’re maleable and probably unmentored
A complicated combination, maybe with no relevance
Until that intelligence meets their favorite singer’s preference
“Bad bitches, bad bitches, bad bitches
That’s all I want and all I like in life is bad bitches, bad bitches”
Now let’s say that they less concerned with him
And more with the video girl acquiescent to his whims
Ah, the plot thickens
High heels, long hair, fat booty, slim
Reality check, I’m not trippin’
They don’t see a paid actress, just what makes a bad bitch

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
Disclaimer: This rhymer, Lupe’s not usin’ bitch as a lesson
But as a psychological weapon
To set in your mind and really mess with your conceptions
Discretions, reflections, it’s clever misdirection
Cause, while I was rappin’ they was growin’ up fast
Nobody stepped in to ever slow ‘em up, gasp
Sure enough, in this little world
The little boy meets one of those little girls
And he thinks she a bad bitch and she thinks she a bad bitch
He thinks disrespectfully, she thinks of that sexually
She got the wrong idea, he don’t wanna fuck her
He thinks she’s bad at being a bitch like his mother
Momma never dress like that, come out the house, hot mess like that
Ass, titties, dress like that
All out to impress like that
Just like that, you see the fruit of the confusion
He caught in a reality, she caught in an illusion
Bad mean good to her, she really nice and smart
But bad mean bad to him, bitch don’t play your part
But bitch still bad to her if you say it the wrong way
But she think she a bitch, what a double entendre

[Hook]

[Outro]
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, they misunderstood
You’re misunderstood
Bitch bad, woman good
Lady better, greatest motherhood
(I’m killin’ these bitches)

Lying (celebrity) Liars Who Lie

Okay, I really need to get this out of my system...

I love you people, but seriously? Kristen Stewart is NOT and has NEVER BEEN in a relationship with Robert Pattinson.

Please stop with the weeping and gnashing of teeth about her "affair" with some married dude. 

That entire story was a lie too. Because you know what? NOW you know who Rupert Sanders is, and what his face looks like.  Just ask yourself this: Why is there a VERY clear photo of Stewart and Rupaul, er, Rupert in a VERY open area and NO clear kissing images of she and her "boyfriend" who she's supposedly been with for THREE FREAKIN' YEARS? They're only seen together for Twilight press.

They've never said that they're together. The media said that. And the Edward and Bella lovers of the world projected their feelings about these characters onto these relatively unknown actors. The tidal wave of attention and admiration that suddenly washed over them must have felt incredible.

Sure, let people believe we're in love. Who's it going to hurt?

And a metric fuckton of money was shat out of the ass of this enormous cash cow. Bravo, Summit Studios. Bravo, assholes.

This happens in Hollywood all the time and the reasons for the deceptions vary widely. Many times the deception is about publicity and staying relevant, but sometimes the deception is about hiding a gay lifestyle. (Stewart is widely rumored to be a lesbian. If that's true, that might be the most interesting thing about her. Her beauty and talent are totally overshadowed by her personality which is like a kid wearing doody diapers.)

Who are a few other celebs with rumored fake arm candy?

George Clooney and Stacy Keibler: Really George? You guys have absolutely no discernible chemistry. I can't imagine you have much to talk about. But whatever. I suppose your publicist will go bat shit insane if people stop asking you if you're ever going to get married again.

Kim and Kanye: I love how the two most terrible people in pop culture (other than Mel Gibson) have made their way into each other's lives. Nice follow-up to your fake ass marriage Kim.

 Liza Minnelli and David Gest: Dude was like Captain SuperGay and everyone knew it. When he was told to "kiss the bride" it looked like he was eating Liza's face. 

Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden: Ew. Just ew. Um, excuse me? You got a little desperation on your face. What happens when no one is interested in granting you freaks a reality series? 

And now for your entertainment...I give you the vocal stylings of Ms. Courtney Stodden. I would apologize in advance for offending your musical sensibilities, but this shit is so funny you'll thank me later. (By the way...5 million views and over 73 thousand DISLIKES. Lol!!) 

And of course, Tom Cruise and John Travolta merit a mention.

The most appalling liars?

J. Edgar Hoover: Who was also hiding the African American side of his heritage. Yes chile, he was passing for white...but that's another blog for another time. Meanwhile, you can read about it here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/was-j-edgar-hoover-black/2011/11/20/gIQAZcu3kN_blog.html

Ed Koch: Showed up at a couple of events with Miss America. He was doing a little too much, because people were already hip to who his lover was.

Bishop Eddie Long: His sexual relationships with teenage boys in his congregation were barely hidden. Charges were filed, settlements were reached but the majority of his congregation were so blinded by loyalty, they lifted him up as "King". Seriously. 

I think part of this bizarre behavior has to do with much of the black community being in major denial about how common homosexuality is among African Americans.

Ted Haggard: Yet another in the long line of Bible thumping hypocritical preachers using hell-fire and damnation rhetoric to cloak their own gay desires and behaviors.

Celebrity lifestyles and the lives of public figures are so WEIRD nowadays. So much of them are fabricated as if by formula. WE are part of that equation...even the stupid shit. 

All I'm saying is maybe we should read more books. Or not. I don't judge.

Lol! Who the hell am I kidding! Yes, I do. It's one of my many super powers.

See ya'll later...

All Afros Go to Heaven?

Natural hair "journeys" have been all over the blogosphere and YouTube, lately. These ladies are usually documenting their transition from relaxed/weaved/processed hair to their natural hair texture. 

Very useful stuff, because many black women have been relaxing or weaving since they were teens or even pre-teen. It's great to have someone describe their natural hair as beautiful and guide women through its care and management. But much of the discourse has been a little vitriolic. And in some circles, it's pretty vicious. 

On the processed side, women have said that natural hair would not be considered professional in a business environment, that it's not beautiful, men won't find it sexy and it's too political. 

On the curly side, women have said that those who process their hair are selling out, trying to look white, are not spiritually evolved, are ruining their health, have low self-esteem (because only women who have high self-esteem will remain confident in their beauty when they transition into naturals). 

I find the criticisms on both sides ridiculous, but what I find most interesting is the linking of spirituality to hair texture.

Really!?! Does Jesus smile on afros? Are fro sporters more connected to the mystical magic of the universe?

In the search for the ever elusive 'perfect curl', the amount of money natural girls spend on hair potions and lotions, not to mention the amount of time spent on twist outs, braid outs and all kinds of other outs, makes them better people? Are they not using artificial means to force their hair to do something it doesn't do naturally? Check out this YouTube video. Take note of how long it takes this young lady to achieve her hairstyle...

Years ago, I read an article about a young mother and her struggle to convince her daughter that her little blond curls were beautiful. Her daughter remained unmoved and the mother was at her wits end. One day, the little girl entered her mom's room holding two hand fulls of golden curls. Her mother was horrified to see that her little girl had cut off all her hair. "Why on earth would you do this!?!" she asked. To which her daughter replied, "None of the princesses in my books have curly hair."

Since I read that article, Disney released The Princess and the Frog with Princess Tiana (the first black Disney Princess with a hint of curly hair). 

But Pixar (part of Disney) will do them one better with their release of Brave with Princess Merida, a tough and free-spirited girl with a head of wild and fiery red, curly hair.

These types of hair issues, however shallow affect women (and men) of all races and cultures. One group's choices about what to do with their hair doesn't make them any better than the others. What kind of values are we modeling for our children when we make snap judgments about a person's worth by the way they wear their hair?

Chester French has a thing for black girls

So check this out...

When I first watched this video I was kinda flattered because it is nice to be celebrated as desirable. But then I watched it again...you know, because it's hot. And I saw some issues with the video. First let's talk about the positive stuff:
The black woman is strikingly beautiful. She isn't cookie cutter with long extensions and super light skin. I guess that's refreshing.

Now the issues:
The video is highly sexual, effectively holding up the stereotype of black women being insatiable sex-pots. Also, why didn't the band Chester French actually appear in the video? They're singing the music, but you don't actually see them say the words "I got a thing for black girls."

The song and its video are fun and provocative, but hardly progressive.

I guess I should be happy they didn't have the black girl oiled up and bouncing her butt in the camera. Thank the sweet baby jesus for small favors.

Don't Mind the Man Behind the Curtain

Happy New Year! Just kidding. I love you people, but all bullshitting aside...I have a serious topic to discuss today.

A few years ago, there were some scary reports coming out of the CDC and repeated in the media about black women being the fastest growing segment of the country to contract the HIV virus. The press reported this story over and over until we all believed it. This little PR blitz had long and deeply impactful effects that will last for years to come.

The sex lives of black women are now framed as a source of destruction for the black family. I have actually seen HIV awareness billboards with images of a black women.

Also, the apparent growth of AIDS in the black community has sent the national average up, prompting more funding for the CDC from the Federal government.

This is old news. The reason I bring it up now is because there's a lot of unknown information about HIV and AIDS reported by doctors and world-renowned scientists that seems to be ruining their careers.  The media have by and large ignored that information. Here's just the tip of the iceberg...

#1:

The CDC broadens the categories of illnesses that fall under the AIDS umbrella.

The result is always an increase in the HIV/AIDS diagnosis rate. This has happened many times over the years and the last time it happened was just a few years ago when they included women diagnosed with Cervical Cancer. The stats went up and it looked like the biggest increases in HIV/AIDS were in heterosexual women. That part was all over the news. (side note: the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer is slow to clear in black women. The longer it lingers, the higher the chance the woman will develop cervical cancer. See a connection?) Where the fuck were all these supposed "investigative journalists"? Why did no one ask "Gee. How did they get that number? What led to such a large increase in the space of just a few years?".  I guess that wasn't sexy enough for their precious ratings. They'd rather produce shows like this one...

#2:

There is no test for HIV.

There are several tests that determine your level of antibodies and T-cells, but antibodies are created when your body has successfully fought off an illness. If a person in Africa has Malaria and they are given a "HIV" antibody test, doctors tell them that they have HIV and will develop AIDS. This kind of diagnostic system artificially inflates the number of HIV and AIDS cases in many parts of the developing world. Of course, this leads to more money coming in from international health organizations and celebrity driven AIDS awareness campaigns. The bizarre results? People who need nutrition, clean water, decent sanitation and shelter receive pills and condoms from the pharma industrial complex.

In Africa, there are several acceptable ways to diagnose HIV and one of them doesn't even require the antibody test. A doctor can just look for weakness, weight loss, nausea and diarrhea and that person is TOLD that they have HIV or AIDS. They could have cholera or malaria, but those diseases are not treated. 

And here's a fun fact...many people have sued because they got a false positive HIV test. They decided to get second and third opinions and the results showed that they never had HIV. Anybody who gets a HIV diagnosis should be tested several times. There is NO definitive test.

#3:

HIV meds are highly toxic and can kill.

Remember the AIDS quilt on the Washington Mall? Remember the quilt? A whole generation of AIDS patients gone. To so many people this is proof that this disease is incredibly destructive. But what if I told you that what may have actually been the culprit was AZT?

The first AIDS drugs were given to men who had Kaposi's Sarcoma-lesions on their skin. (It was later discovered that the lesions were caused by excessive use of a recreational drug called Poppers.) The AZT ravaged their bodies, made them lose an enormous amount of weight (or get buffalo hump), some lost their sight, had horrible pain, and many more terrible symptoms. In other words, they looked like they had full-blown AIDS. The AZT poisoned them. 

It's funny that some people have a hard time believing this when they know people who have had cancer and were given cancer treatment "medication".  They become very thin, vomit, and lose their hair. Can cancer medications be sustained for the length of a cancer patient's life? Of course not. Can you imagine what that would do to the human body? They would be dead in less than a year. 

AZT and other cancer medications are "black box" medications. That means that they are toxic and cannot be sustained by the human body over a long period of time.

HIV and AIDS meds are more tolerable now (the cocktail) but they are still considered toxic and cannot be sustained over a lifetime.

Another thing to think about...

Isn't it funny that most viruses move very quickly, have a discernible viral load and have very specific symptoms, but HIV (considered a virus) takes up to 10 years to manifest symptoms? i.e. AIDS?

Why is it so slow-moving? Even a comparatively weak virus like the cold virus affects the body in the space of about a week. You recognize the symptoms.

My point in writing all this down? I think health care, not just in this country but around the world, is no longer about providing health. I think it's about money and power. I think the poorer countries on the planet have higher stats for this disease because it has become an unexpected revenue stream that they desperately need. I do believe that AIDS exists and I believe that it has been around for a very long time. Way before the first American diagnosis in the 80's. Acquired Immune Deficiency has been around probably as long as there have been people. We should probably ask more questions about how it is acquired. If you think fluid exchange is the only way, think again.