Politics – Boss Review

How to Overcome Racism in America

We are in dark times. The coronavirus pandemic. Police brutality. Riots. The Trump Presidency. We have stay at home orders. Unemployment is at an all time high. There are a lot of reasons to feel scared. The future feels uncertain. I want to look at this from a different angle. I want to offer reasons for hope.

The riots are a good sign. It means people are upset at a system that was already failing. It’s been long overdue for America’s racist institutions to revolutionize. That was a good step.

Now is the time for every American to recognize his or her own power. It’s one person, one vote. As terrible as his presidency has been, every American should be voting Trump out of office in November. That won’t happen. We won’t get everyone, but we can still win.

Also, we need to participate more in local elections. That is where a lot of the legislative and judicial battles are won. That’s where we can win the fight against police brutality and racist institutions as a whole.

As Blacks, we need to take our culture back. A lot of our music, movies and TV are stereotypical, offensive and harmful, especially mainstream rap music. That is not entirely our doing. A lot of times, the powers that be force entertainers to make a certain type of film, show or music out of their own racist agenda, which cannot be separate from the larger mechanism as a whole. But, we’ve got our own movie studios and record labels now. Artists have more freedom. We just need to recognize it and stop supporting trashy entertainment.

We need to improve education. Schools in the inner city are a travesty. We can fix that. Either we can give them more state funding or we can rezone schooling districts to distribute wealth more fairly or come up with a more even way to distribute money to schools than through property taxes. And curriculums have to change. We can no longer teach Black students their history starts as slaves. Don’t leave out the part where we were kings and queens in Africa. Again, a lot of this depends on voting. We need to support candidates with these platforms. A lot of independent charter schools are popping up. Let’s keep that up.

And, finally, we need to get wealthy. Studies have shown that the biggest factor which determines someone’s wealth in life is the wealth of their parents. White people got a major head start, no doubt. We weren’t even allowed to own anything. In fact, we were considered property. But, it’s 2020 now. There are wealthy Blacks out here who aren’t celebrities and they walk among us, hiding in plain sight. We should learn from them. Google is our friend. A lot of wealthy Blacks have blogs and YouTube channels teaching us how to do what they did. We should network within our community and take care of our own. Black Wall Street happened because O.W. Gurley bought the land in Tulsa and would only sell it to Black people. He was a free thinker, enterprising and proactive. In 2020, that’s the type of attitude we need. And, we need to stay strapped, in case racist Whites want to bomb us again.

It’s Time For Universal Healthcare

Universal healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. We are all human beings in need of help sometimes. Healthcare should not be sold on the market like a commodity. Allowing people to suffer and die because they can’t afford healthcare is inhumane. The only reason we don’t have universal healthcare like most industrialized nations is because of powerful healthcare and pharmaceutical companies and classist and racist people in our country. It’s time for us to stop the BS in this country and demand change.

I Have a Dream that Black People Would Care about More than a Chicken Sandwich

It’s the 56th anniversary of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I know a lot of us may have forgotten amongst this chicken sandwich craze.

Dr. King’s life is truly evidence that one man can make a difference. Think about how different the world would be if MLK had chosen to fold and not take a stand. We might still be in segregation or worse. Who knows? The great thing is we will never know and us blacks can appreciate our closer to equal rights, nice cars, flat screen TVs, WiFi and iPhones just like our white brethren. And, of course, we can’t forget those chicken sandwiches.

On this anniversary, I challenge you to think about what differences you are making in your own life and then in your family’s and then in your community’s and then in your city’s and then in your state’s and then in your country’s and then in the world’s.

Our reach may not be as long as Dr. King’s but no man or woman is an island and we can all touch someone. We can smile at someone. We can give someone a kind word. We can give someone a meal. We can give someone a shirt. We can give someone shelter. There is so much we can do. I was taught the true measure of a Christian is not how much money or women he has but how many people he has helped.

Let’s imagine for a moment how scared Dr. King must have felt when he embarked on his Civil Rights journey. When he shared his vision, he faced a lot of rejection, initially. Most of the churches rejected his revolutionizing from the pulpit. But, slowly, they came around. Eventually, he captivated then nation, then the world.

His story gives me courage because I have faced a lot of rejection in my career. I have thrown events where nobody showed up. I have texted a bunch of promoters about DJing their parties and I still haven’t even gotten a text back. I’ve been through personal battles, struggles and death threats but I’m still here. I’m still spreading love and positivity because that is who I am and who I will always be. And, God willing, I will reach the mountain top of my desires. And, if I don’t, at least I can say I didn’t give up. Can you?

Either way, it’s all good, at least you had a chicken sandwich.

Dear American Citizen:

Can we please stop fighting each other over politics? None of this matters. Democrat vs Republican vs Independent vs Green Party, etc. It does not matter.

They all serve the same banks, lobbyists, special interests, etc, who give them $100,000, $150,000, $200,000 donations, etc, to pass certain legislation beneficial to them, thus making them more money. CNN doesn’t talk about this because they serve the same special interests.

It’s all a show. It’s smoke and mirrors. It’s capitalism. America is a money making machine and the elite have gotten very good at it. Politicians do not care about you at all. Zero. All they care about is being rich and powerful, having their brownstone house, their condo on the beach, their town car gassed and private school for their kid, so they can be rich and powerful like them.

Your best bet is to get money and take care of yourself and your loved ones because no one is going to help you, especially these politicians. I reiterate: They do not care.

How do I know? Because I have lobbyist and politician friends on Capitol Hill who told me so. You guys think drug dealers are gangsters. You’ve got it twisted. Politicians are the biggest gangsters on the planet. They’ll kill 10,000 people with a pen stroke and a smile and lie about it on national TV and get away with it and sleep like babies.

I almost don’t even blame politicians. If someone paid you $100,000 to pass a bill and 100,000 people voted for you not to, but didn’t pay you anything, who would you listen to? You better believe that most politicians would deposit that check. And chances are you would too. It’s get your own, handle your own out here. Survival of the fittest. It’s just the facts of life.

Semblance

The word to best describe the USA for today, and, really, all of its history is semblance. The definition of semblance is: “the outward appearance or apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different.” The USA has a semblance of freedom, a semblance of equality, a semblance of order and a semblance of wealth and prosperity.

Semblance.

How is there freedom when the government conducts arbitrary phone taps and satelites watch our every move?

How is there freedom or equality when we have the highest incarceration rates in the world that disproportionately affect black and brown people?

How is there equality when a young black man named Trayvon Martin can literally get killed for nothing and a white skinned boy named Nikolas Cruz can kill 17 people in his high school and still live?

How is there equality when droves of Latinos get deported or killed on their way over, doing exactly what the USA’s founders did, i.e. immigrate, but Latinos today do it with far less violence and destruction than our country’s founders did?

How is there order when those sworn to enforce it, like officer Jeronimo Yanez can kill an unarmed black man like Philando Castile and not get sent jail?

How are US citizens wealthy or prosperous when those in the top 2% of the wealth category own nearly everything and a vast percentage of US citizens live in trailer parks, the projects or are in debt?

Semblance.

The media tell great lies. Be aware. Know the truth. Most importantly, educate, elevate and empower yourself. Your destiny lies in yours and God’s hands, and most definitely not in the hands of a politician.

Take a Stand

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WAS BUILT ON A LIE. “Liberty and justice for all” does not apply to all of us. Even the name “United” States is a fallacy. Quite literally, we are a nation divided and we always have been. Although Civil Rights progress appears to have been made on the surface, in reality, America continues to enslave African Americans through the prison industrial complex. America continues to oppress African Americans in ways that we all allow. It’s still more difficult for Blacks to get jobs, business loans and flat out fair treatment in all areas of American life. Some people are true believers in the American ethos, brainwashed by corporate sponsored media and sold out politicians. America is the land of capitalism and is motivated by the dollar, a mere currency representation that has garnered far too much power. Old rich racist White men, who maintain their power as a legacy of slavery, will resort to anything to keep that power. Lying, cheating and stealing are all fair game. So is killing, as we’ve seen in all the recent police shooting videos. Black lives do not matter and Blacks are not safe. Blacks continue to have the highest poverty rate. The question is “how do we fix this?” The answer is not easy or simple because NO ONE IS GOING TO FIX IT EXCEPT YOU. Unplugging those of us that are lost from the Matrix is going to take a concerted effort by all of us. There is tyranny by the majority in the US and it will take every single good soul to fight back. At this point tacit approval, sitting idly by or apathy is tantamount to tyranny. Upending this unjust American system and exposing it for the lie it truly is will take a revolution, thus my radio show POP CULTURE REVOLUTION, our small contribution to the movement. We aim to at least start discussions and raise awareness. Hopefully, with your help, we can build on this show and help create an America that finally lives up to its ideals, in reality.

POP CULTURE REVOLUTION WEBSITE

America, Tear Down Your Monuments

After President Trump attempted to equalize the White supremacist protesters and counter protestors with his words in the now famous vehicular homicide at the protests in Charlottesville, VA, I was perplexed and somewhat amused by different people’s reactions.

I was disappointed by Trump’s comments that he made from the lobby of Trump Tower but not shocked. It’s as if some people forgot that America was founded on racism and that racism is still very strong in America institutionally and socially.

Racism was written into the constitution (Blacks were 3/5 a person) and the brutal chattel slavery of Blacks was legal. The first President George Washington was a racist and upheld slavery and so did President Thomas Jefferson. So, Trump was right about one thing; If we took down the Robert E. Lee statue, we would have to take theirs down too.

As a matter of fact I would argue that all presidents were racist, even up to recent times. President Reagan was a raging racist who introduced drugs into inner cities to destroy the Black community. President Clinton locked up more Black men than anyone with his legislation with laws like “3 Strikes.” We saw how President Bush Jr. handled the Hurricane Katrina situation. President Obama might be the only exception. But, after all, he’s Black. But even he could have done more for the African-American community. And, yes, I understand he faced considerable resistance, but, I digress.

People are acting so shocked that there is a White supremacist leading the White House when there has ALWAYS been one there. Our public leaders and some of our citizens just know how to hide their racism for fear of condemnation due to our hard fought civil rights progress.

America is a racist country. There’s no two ways about it. This country was founded and built on racism. It’s about time we began dismantling this physical abstraction. It is long overdue that we build a new America that lives up to its credo of liberty and justice for all. We should be living up to morals of loving one’s neighbor as we love ourselves. We should be a land where a man is “not judged by the color of his skin but by the content of his character,” as the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said. These racist monuments are not just an eyesore, to some. To many, they are a painful reminder of promises unfulfilled and so much wrong done. As long as these monuments stand, people will stand for racism in America. So, when it comes to tearing down statues of racist confederate leaders like Robert E. Lee and racist presidents like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, I say tear them down. Tear them all down. And let’s build a new America where there is true equality.

How Did this A**hole Win the Freaking Presidency?

President Trump seems to be following the tyrant’s playbook to a T. I always thought it was interesting how people voted for him against their own self interests. It’s mind boggling. But, after reading up on it a lot and having many conversations about it, I think I understand why. And the reasons might surprise you.

The reasons are multifaceted and multidimensional. It comes down to his base, which constitutes a huge portion of the population of America. And, his base exists far away from Hollywood, New York, Washington and big cities like them, which are highly represented in the media, who told us Hilary was going to win and Trump didn’t have a shot.

Outside of the big cities, in the rural areas in America’s heartland, people were suffering. People were losing jobs in their factories due to outsourcing and other factors. People were living in poverty and losing hope due to the recession.

Then, along came then Presidential candidate Trump, who gave them hope. He promised them he would get their jobs back and improve the economy. He capitalized on their racism and made them feel like they would regain their position of White supremacy. “Make America Great Again” was his slogan, which really meant restore White power. Trump’s supporters were angry and frustrated with their position in America’s apparent hierarchy and representation in the media. Trump gave a figurative middle finger to Washington and all its stuck up politicians. His base was tired of the status quo and its bullshit and with his off the cuff simple remarks, Trump seemed like a breath of fresh air.

All of that would seem great to a Trump supporter except for a few things, the most glaring one being TRUMP IS A LIAR. He didn’t plan on doing anything he promised, except maybe restoring White supremacy. There will be no jobs. There will be no wall between the USA and Mexico. In fact, he is currently trying to take away healthcare that a lot of his supporters need. He’s going to take away some of their social services too and give tax breaks to the rich. He doesn’t even care about the very people who got him into the highest office in the World. He didn’t outline any of these policies on his campaign. In fact he didn’t outline any policies at all. Yet, he still won.

The majority of Trump’s voters didn’t use logic in their decision making process for voting for him. They responded to him on a visceral level. And, that is a sad commentary on a lot of America’s citizens. And, even worse, a sobering reminder of humanity’s level of ignorance.

Land of the Free?

My Aunt Loretta posted on her Facebook Robert Reich’s “15 Warning Signs of Impending Tyranny.” Here they are:

As tyrants take control of democracies, they typically:

1. Exaggerate their mandate to govern – claiming, for example, that they won an election by a landslide even after losing the popular vote.

2. Repeatedly claim massive voter fraud in the absence of any evidence, in order to restrict voting in subsequent elections.

3. Call anyone who opposes them “enemies.”

4. Turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them “deceitful” and “scum.”

5. Hold few if any press conferences, preferring to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and unfiltered statements.

6. Tell the public big lies, causing them to doubt the truth and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals.

7. Blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias and even violence against them.

8. Attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties.

9. Threaten mass deportations, registries of religious minorities, and the banning of refugees.

10. Seek to eliminate or reduce the influence of competing centers of power, such as labor unions and opposition parties.

11. Appoint family members to high positions of authority

12. Surround themselves with their own personal security force rather than a security detail accountable to the public.

13. Put generals into top civilian posts

14. Make personal alliances with foreign dictators.

15. Draw no distinction between personal property and public property, profiteering from their public office.

Consider yourself warned.

President Trump is sticking to the tyrant’s script. I like freedom and democracy. We need to get this guy out of office before we become the UST– United States of Trump.

No Justice, No Peace

I’m sickened, saddened and angered by the jury returning a not guilty verdict for officer Jeronimo Yanez in the MURDER of Philando Castile in Minnesota.

The system of racism in the USA that began when Africans were shackled as slaves across the Atlantic and were counted as 3/5 of a person in the Constitution devalues African Americans. I believe there is no greater sin than denying someone’s humanity and the actions and words that result from that denial. We’ve seen its consequences.

Look at the history of this country. There’s been so much pain and suffering, especially for minorities in this country. The madness must stop. It’s time for America to live up to its credo: “All men are created equal.”

God said “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” This case and COUNTLESS others prove we have fallen far short of that mark. I don’t care what your race is. Imagine if Philando Castile was your brother, son, boyfriend or husband. Better yet, imagine if he was YOU. The sad fact is it could have been me as a young Black male, especially because HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG.

Once again, we African Americans are left feeling the pain and deep sorrow of injustice. I pray that anyone who approves of cops killing unarmed Black men gets the karma they deserve.

The Black community is beyond sick and tired of being treated like our lives do not matter. From Rodney King to Amadou Diallo to Oscar Grant to Mike Brown to now Philando Castile and, tragically, far too many more, we Blacks are forced to come to grips with the fact that we are considered inferior by the very government which claims to rule the land of equality.

But, this country is not equal. These cases prove that. If those men killed were White, those juries would have came back with different verdicts. Truthfully, if those men were White, they probably wouldn’t have even been shot. In many cases it was the juries which let those cops off, which shows racism is still very strong within the American public, not just the legal system. Racism in America is strong enough that it doesn’t even value the most precious thing in the world, a human life, just because it belongs to a Black man.