I have had several run ins with the police. I am not a criminal. I am not involved in illegal activities. I am a black man who lives in Alabama, and in a series of unfortunate events, that seems to be a crime within itself. I have been cuffed, frisked, and threatened, as well as spoken to in an unprofessional manner, though, I have never been arrested, or formally charged with any crime. My entire life, I have strived to be a law abiding citizen by paying my taxes on time, obeying traffic laws and ordinances and not partaking in illegal drug use of any kind. My entire life I have been told to be respectful of authority, particularly police officers, since the power they yield could be used to my detriment. I don’t expect a perfect world. I never have, nor do I even believe that to be possible. But recent events and conversations have caused me to view law enforcement in an entirely different manner. Recently, I had an officer, who while frisking me, brusquely asked if I had anything on me that could hurt him or piss him off. Instead of replying, “No sir,” as I knew I should have, I found myself saying, “I don’t know. I’m black with some college education and ambition. How do I know if that pisses you off?” I don’t know why I said this, but the officer’s response pushed me to a place where mentally, I had never been before. He began to lecture me about my attitude and how I “couldn’t assume that he was racist”. This struck me as ironic, since he had assumed since I was young black man, that I was some sort of threat. He had assumed that because I swerved ONE time while texting that surely I must be drunk. He had even gone so far as to assume that I had made the assumption that he was racist. He asked me why I was so jumpy, if I had something to hide. I responded, that two strangers with guns are standing in front me, who wouldn’t be jumpy. I didn’t say, two white men, two racists, or anything of that nature, yet again, the assumption was made that I was alluding to them being racist or corrupt. His response was that I had no right to be jumpy, especially since I could see his badge. I ask you, has a police officer ever opened fire on an innocent man, black or white, and gunned them down in cold blood? How would one identify such an officer? Would they not be dressed just as any other officer? Wouldn’t their attitude, the way they approached you, what they said to you, wouldn’t that be your first clue that this officer is apparently bent on using his power in less of a capacity to protect and serve than his brethren? After he finished lecturing me, I turned to him, I asked him if I needed to take a breathalyzer to proof my sobriety, or was he going to continue to detain me without good reason. He gave me a look of sheer anger, as if he could not stand that fact that he wasn’t taking me to jail and let me go on my way.

In this case, what did I say wrong? What did I do that should have incurred the wrath of upholder of the law? Did I curse the officer? No. Even my choice of words, though spoken clearly and with conviction, were not disrespectful. The police officer asked me a question, and I answered his questions freely and truthfully. Should I have “played the nigga” in fear? Fear that he may assault me unjustly? Fear that he may even take my life? I refuse to yield to such fear. I refuse to relinquish my rights for my life. I’m not saying take up arms against the police, nor am I supporting the murder of those who choose to serve their community in this way. Nor am I saying we should treat officers of the law with a minimal amount of respect. What I am saying is demand your rights. We are free men and women and we are equal citizens. No one would be allowed to tell us otherwise, so why would we allow someone to treat us otherwise? There are legal recourses available to each of us, should we find ourselves in a situation where someone who is supposed to protect and serve decides to overstep his boundaries. Often I have heard people say that reporting an officer doesn’t work, or that you’ll be marked as a rabble rouser, or as someone who can look forward to further harassment. That is fear. That is a system of control that those who would corruptly wield their power benefit from. Do not be afraid to stand up for what you know to be right. Do not yield simply because you are afraid of some sort of retaliation. You are a citizen. There is no distinction between us when it comes to our rights. Don’t let anyone treat as if there were.

A New Era?

Jerry Sloan has resigned and presumably retired. I hate to say this but it took me some time to process this. Jerry Sloan has been coaching since I was five years old. I've seen him weather the hurricanes that were Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, the Lake shows, the Detroit Pistons (both iterations) and while he has never won a championship, he's 400+ wins above .500. That's right, he's got 1200+ wins and only 800+ losses over the course of 23 years. He's had John Stockton, Karl Malone, and Carlos Boozer. That's it. Look at Phil Jackson. He's had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Dennis Rodman, amongst others and he won championships. I can't help but think that if Michael Jordan had been good at baseball, Utah might have won a championship. But now, after that run, he has come to the end of his era. Why? His young franchise point guard was frustrated. Maybe Derron Williams really did feel like he wasn't "properly prepared" to face off against the Bulls and Derek Rose (though really, how much film do you need to watch to know that Derek Rose is freaky like a lady pyramid fast? Even Ken Jeong recognizes it). Maybe he felt that the coaching staff wasn't pushing hard enough. But how many professional coaches has Derron Williams had? How much responsibility does Williams take for his own failures to win a championship or to properly prepare for games? As has been mentioned before, Sloan and Williams had some prior issues. They never seemed to meet on the same playing field. You see, Sloan believed in leaving it all on the floor as a player and preached that to his players. For the younger class of player, that type of hard nosed, "you'll never be good enough" style of coaching doesn't fly. The generation that Williams belongs to, the millennials, don't do tough love. This is a generation that doesn't respond well to being told they're not good enough. Everything has catered to this new generation from birth, and if they excel, its hard to tell one that they still have goals they need to accomplish. Of course this is all speculation on my part. There's a solid chance that Jerry Sloan and his coaching staff didn't spoon feed footage on opposing teams to their players. He may have left that to his players to search out on their own, or at least to take the initiative to ask for it. I don't know that. All I know is that a great coach, a future HOFer with an amazing record of success and guiding his team to wins, has been forced into resigning because the team doesn't want to lose its star point guard. No matter how the media paints it, that's what it falls down to. If Utah had shipped out Derron Williams or backed Jerry Sloan, maybe he would've stayed. But that's not how this generation works. We are now in the generation of the player. Should it always be that way? I suppose the Utah Jazz feel that way.

Tron: Legacy

Before I begin, I feel the need to say that I actually liked the first Tron. Granted I was one when it was first released, but, after I grew up a bit and watched it, I found it to still be visionary, as well as visually ambitious, particularly for it's time. So when I heard of the sequel featuring Jeff Bridges, I was pretty excited. Granted, that excitement was dampened a bit by the critical reviews it receoeved, but I decided to draw my own conclusions.

First thing I noticed, is there are sections in the 3D viewing which are decidely 2D. In fact there is a notice saying that there are indeed 2D scenes and were filmed to be viewed as such. Which is a hassle. Viewing them through your 3D glasses, or at least for me, tired my eyes far more quickly than watching them without, but throwing them on at the first sign of double lines was annoying.

But anyway, the story starts off with the shocking visual of a young Jeff Bridges (accomplished pretty obviously through the use of CGI) talking to his motherless son before he goes to spend the night at the office. Needless to say, he never comes back. Flash forward 27 years, and we're introduced to the now grown, incredibly technically savvy and apparent extreme athlete Sam Flynn. First, I get that since his father was a computer whiz so too should he be, but motorcycle racing? Base jumping? Complete with a utter disregard for authority since he never had a parent. He does everything cliche, including rip off a corporation that is obviously corrupt. No one tells us how this young man came to possess the skills and attitude he has, we're simply expected to accept it and move on. Which ironically enough is the theme of this entire movie. Don't ask questions.

Later after Sam is digitized, scanned, and sent to fight in the "games" (question we shouldn't ask: are users so similar to programs that they scan exact same?) we see him defeat programs which presumably have been at it longer than he has. (The question we shouldn't ask is how can a novice human outdo expert programs?) After the inevitable meeting of father and son, there's some stilted dialogue and exposition which only serves to open even more plot holes which never get filled. There's the continued theme of unexplained phenomena (how is Flynn alive? Where'd all the food they eat come from? How'd he get books inside, particularly without Internet, how has he not died since time digitally is infinitely faster than analog, do programs poop? etc etc etc) which is compounded even more by the arrival of a new breed of program called an ISO, which "appeared" and weren't created, were the hope of all mankind and coincidentally were wiped out completely by CLUE, Kevin Flynn's partner in creating a digital utopia.

In all, this movie has gotten great reviews for visuals, and they don't necessarily disappoint. But without the story to back them, they are simply pretty lights blinking above a pit filled with rusty nails and barbwire. To see them up close, you will have endure a truly painful experience.

Who's The Man (or Woman)?

In today's world, gender roles are becoming far less traditional. The concepts of "man" and "woman" have changed drastically and continue to change. Even ten years ago, the idea of what a "man" should do, how he should act, and how he interacts in a relationship was different than today. We've struggled to come up with terms and adjectives to get to some type of understanding of what constitutes a man. There's been the birth of the metrosexual and even the ubersexual. And its not just the traditional male role that's changing. Women are now extolling the values of having a career over being a "homemaker" (so much so that women who choose to be homemakers are sometimes looked down on as being "bacwards") and feel that they don't "need" a man to support them financially or emotionally, but they simply choose to have a man.

All of these changes are naturally occuring social evolutions and as man continues to grow, we can expect these roles to continue to change as we adapt to each other. The problem this change causes is that increasingly, the roles of each gender are becoming more and more confusing. If a woman doesn't need a man to support her financially, does that mean that she expects him to be able to? At what point does a man being more open with his emotions and vulnerabilities cross the line from being desirable to undesirable to the opposite sex? Not knowing the boundaries or having some set and established guidelines is leading to frustration on the part of both parties. Thus, many have the mentality of "all men are dogs" or "women don't know what they want". Neither of these stereotypical allegations has any really merit to them, though the emotions and frustrations behind them do warrant a closer look into what causes them.

So what is it that's causing the frustration? Why aren't we getting along? Essentially there's a few problems, but first let's focus internally. Do you know what you want and/or expect from a potential relationship prospect? Most people will answer yes. Which is a good start. Now, ask yourself, do you know what you are willing to offer? Once again, this seems basic and simple, and it should, because it really is. After this assessment, you're ready to find someone else. So go out and find that other person. And once you find them, if they're not what you want, or if you aren't what they want, stop pursuing a relationship with them. No matter how "good" they may be, no matter how much physical attraction there may be between the two of you, if you are struggling to be something you are not to be with them, or if they're clearly not who you want them to be, WALK AWAY. It seems so simple doesn't it? And it is simple. But its not easy.

Many times the problem simply lies in our unwillingness to walk away. Maybe its a lack of patience. Or maybe its that we want something so badly, we don't take our time in making sure that the relationship we're contemplating is the relationship that we actually want. Either way, remember, if you're not happy with the way things are, or the way a person is, all you can do is walk away. That's it. And trust me, there will be other people.

As far as the gender roles go, as to who should ask who out first, who should be the breadwinner, etc., I'm sure that right now, each of you have firmly held beliefs on the subject. And somewhere out there, there is a person who has that same belief and is of the oppposite sex. Go out there and find that person. I bet y'all will have beautiful babies and be relatively happy together.

2010 is gone already?

That's right kids its time to feel old. We're ten years into the new millenium, the 21st century and what have we accomplished thus far? Let's run down some of the highlights of the past year, in a little tribute to one of my favorite movies.

The Good

Lets start with one of the recent headlines.

Some German doctors cured AIDS. Seriously...if that's not something doesn't go down in history as beng important this year, I don't know what will. AIDS. Despite what you may have been led to believe by Magic Johnson's amazing life, AIDS kills people. And while they haven't found THE cure, they did manage to cure AIDS. Its a step in the right direction.

The Saints won the Superbowl. I know, I know technically they won the 2009 Superbowl, but they won it in 2010 so...I'm counting it. They brought hope and happiness to a city that had undergone so much trying to rebuild. But that's only a drop in the bucket of what that win meant. The Saints had never won a SuperBowl. Drew Breeze managed to do something Archie never could. And in the process, I think completely cemented his place in the HOF. He's definitely a first rounder.

Staying in the world of sports, here's the good. Blake Griffin has begun his rookie year, and he started it by becoming the king of the highlight reel. Don't know who Blake Griffin is? Allow him to reintroduce himself. The sick part about the kid is that this should have been his sophomore effort, had it not been for a season killing knee surgery that took place before he even got on court. After seeing so many explosive athletes get taken under by injuries, its good to see one succeed, especially one as ridiculous as Blake "The Great Light Hope" Griffin.

2010 was the year of the domesticated rapper, with Drake and Kid Cudi leading the way. No more verbal threats and stories of drug deals gone wrong. Now suddenly rappers are talking about being depressed, lonely, the struggles of trying to be successful, and how they just want to be happy. And you know what? It's refreshing. I personally don't really relate to rappers who talk about slanging rocks on the corner. Its a new century, and the majority of rap's listeners don't respect the dope boy like they used to. So what if you sell drugs? Can you spit these bars? Big up to the lyricist movement (Charles Hamilton, J. Cole, Big Sean, Wale, B.O.B.) coming in with this, with more rappers being openly jovial and intelligent about the world and how they choose to disseminate it.

Kenan Thompson on SNL has finally hit it big...well SNL big. He's finally found his niche and he is killing it. Don't believe me? Watch this and tell me you don't laugh.

The Bad

This was a bad year to be a head coach in the NFL. Two coaches lost their teams and lost their jobs, and there are at least three more in the hot seat. What happened? Well the Cowboys came out and just flat out underachieved. There's not excuse for that, for them or for Phillips. And the Vikings pretty much let Brett Favre throw their coach's job to the other team, not to mention anonymous players in the Vikings organization coming forward to ESPN to bad mouth their coach. Maybe its the upcoming CBA that has all the players riled up against the coaches, or even against THE MAN!

Waka Flocka Flames. I will not dedicate more than a few sentences to this dude. But he...just wasn't good. I can't label his music ugly though, because those beats are fire! Its hard to hate a dude when his songs get you so amped. I'm sorry, I can't.

And...the Ugly

First on my list of ugly, one Mr. Antoine Dodson. He, in and of himself, is not an ugly person. But he has made some decisions to land him squarely on this list. First, I understand that he was just doing an interview and somebody heard it, autotuned it and made him an web sensation. I'm not mad about that. I think it was funny, even though I will say it appears to be funny at the expense of Mr. Dodson and impoverished, uneducated black people everywhere (much like blackface) but that's not why this is ugly. That's simply bad. Here's the ugly.



That...is so...I can't.

Let's just move on.

SNL...What happened to you? You used to be so beautiful. And now all of your sketches are flat, your homerun hitters are dialing in performances, and the people who YOU held down because they weren't "ready" are the only bright spots in your show. The best sketch on a show that has Live in its title really shouldn't be prerecorded. Speaking of which, I hear Justin Timberlake wants to join up. I want to see him on the show, but I'm afraid even his buoyancy won't be able to pull the Titanic that is your show out of the ocean of mediocrity. And I know that analogy isn't fair. Because at least the Titanic could blame a glacier. What was your glacier?

A man walked into a school board meeting and opened fire on the people he believed to be responsible for taking his wife's job before eventually taking his own life. Why? I think the ugly part about all of this is that it was caught entirely on tape and of course it was all over youtube and the media. If I post a snatched video of a mainstream artist, it gets pulled down in minutes, but you let this man's last insane minutes stay up? Sure we don't see him kill himself, but we see him discharge a firearm at the school board members. I'm guilty of adding to the spread of that video, since I posted it here and on Twitter, but in retrospect, I wish that we could've respected that man and his life and never let that video into the public eye.

Honorable (or dishonorable) mentions:
Leann Rimes got pregnant by another woman's husband and is marrying him? UGLY!
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johanson are divorcing after only two years of marriage. Bad.
Healthcare bill passed but may still not make it because of the party shift within Congress UGLY
The sudden surge and swell of the Tea Party members? UGLY!
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (the Movie) didn't recoup its budget in the box office despite being ambitious, well-made, having an established fan base, and a 81% fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating. This is why good movies continue to not get made. You people deserve an UGLY for this one.
Tyler Perry promises to rebuild an 88 year old grandmothers house in Atlanta after it catches fire...Good and yes it does pain me to say it. That house is being paid for with blood money.
Shanahan benches Donovan McNabb for not being physically or mentally sharp enough to run his system? UGLY

And finally:

Kanye replaces his bottom row of teeth with diamonds...diamonds, ladies and gentleman. I can't even label that.