Real men wear clothes that fit...Free DC

This is something from an artist in the DMV, LOONATYK...I love this piece!

I don't know if it's been talked about on here b4 but i'm getting real sick. Some Connecticut bammas asked me where I was from and I said DC. These niggas proceeded to snickering like lil school girls. I asked what was funny about that and they said "Yo, y'all niggas be wearin them skin tight jeans yo", and I got mad. I got blown for 2 reasons

1. They were some ole "Buy one get one free ass niggas"

2. They were right

See me, I'm a 21 year ole bruva smack from da soufsyde. I remember when a DC nigga's wardrobe was made up of nuuffin but a black tee, some Old Navy jeans, a pair of fresh ass Nike Boots and a skully hangin half way off his heads. Now 7th street looks like a gay parade on any given day. I seen a nigga abou 3 shades blacker then me with a tight ass salmon colored shirt on. Not tight as in "I gotta go cop that" but tight as in "I think I can see this nigga's food digesting". When I was younger we used to laugh at bammas who wore small jeans, now its cool? Hell Naw.

These Young niggas are makin da city look soft. No and I REPEAT NO man should be caught with a chain hanging from his ass. I always took pride in the fact that this city never dressed like the rest of the East Coast and look at us now. We terrible!!

First it was the Mitchell and Ness throwback Jerseys, then the Button ups and S dots, the there were the Kanye West polos and Blazers now this. By far the weakest fad so far. I think the next step is womens clothes. lil niggas gonna be walking around muggin with their hairy ass legs sticking outta micro mini skirts. Hell why stop there, they gonna have pixies and kinky twist up in their hair. How can you show you son a picture of you with some tight ass jeans on and explain to him why not follow the crowd...u did?

In conclusion I'm mad. I'm mad that I cant got to a God damn store and buy a God damn shirt without a picture of a skull or dragon on it. A nigga in DTRL offered me som Men's capris.............. Mens Capris.... Capris for Me.... I did an about face and kept it moving. I'm mad that I cant find a normal colored shirt. That blue orange, purple and neon yellow nshirt just don't sit right in my stomach. I want the old DC bacl.....

I am a good person…

People often judge you on the things you have
The things you inspire to do
The dreams you have which make them believe
I am a good person

Life’s lessons teaches me that I am able to make mistakes
Can get and give second, third, and fourth chances
Despite my many romances and stances
I am a good person

I may lash out like I lost my mind
Hard times got my life off course BUT
If my mind is really lost, am I really wrong?
I am still a good person

With our attitudes dense as the fog on a Monday morning
Already mad that we aren’t rich and have to go to work mourning
You see all the scrubs the continue to pollute the street
We shrug our shoulders and keep our comments discreet
You get accused of being selfish but selfish isn’t always bad
Personally, I flip it for MY good; take my time designing “selfish” using AutoCad
Until its output equals = positively constructive interaction

U are a good person despite what anybody say
Listen…
If a glass is given to you half empty, it’s not half full
If it can hold more, it’s not all good, that doesn’t mean ur negative
Ur still grateful however it also means
More can fit into the glass!

We may not have the best of everything
We may not be as fortunate as the young or 401’s
We may have lost many friends and families holds
BUT WE R STILL GOOD PEOPLE,
THAT’S WORTH MORE THAN GOLD!

`Dre

Twin Statues

Twin Statue of Liberties

She smiles during the day while everyone takes pictures with her

Stands proud, stern face as she represents the home of the brave

At night when all the picture snapping ends, she kneels

Tears run out her face…

She cries because the liberty that she stands for gets folded like a lawn chair

Even the breath that she inhales is tainted with the lies that fly by night

Considering she's representing home, while the brave are shipped off to fight

Do you see her twin…?

Her heart crumbles like those towers

Not even a shower can wash away the dust or that pain

As we live day to day watching the campaigns of people trailing to lead

She remembers nobody answered Katrina, Jena, but talked to OJ and Vick indeed

We're together but we're apart, every day we're drifting farther from our heart
but she still loves you, pull together maybe we can pull through

I know your mind is wondering "What does she speak of?"

She speaks the injustice that is displayed day to day by all of us

Talk the talk and when it comes to walking, excuses, like sprained ankles

Useless like raincoats in the sun, oh, because I got a good job, I WON

No, you really didn't.

She sees the crab effect that our people have

Consumed by nice millennium cars, rims, brand name objects, just that OBJECTS

That constantly effect US, she sees them laughing at US

"Look at them with the bumpity bump and shinny wheels

Let's see how that bank account will look in about twenty years!"

Like our ancestors of the past, when the sun begins to rises, she stands again

Trying to forget all the black on black crimes

Trying to move past all the civil rights that we take for granted

Trying to remove the 80% of colored that make up our prison system

As she lift her right arm high with a burning torch

Take a look at yourself and reevaluate your course…

Are you that twin…?

:Dre::

Life inside a box...

I would not want to live my last days asking questions and getting answers that I have no time to change. I understand that it is important to engage in the process of philosophical questioning. It makes me think about the benefits of living life inside the box, outside the box, and how society can make decisions for me.

I began to ponder, “Am I living my life this way’’? But in the same thought, I grasped that I can change this path that seemed all too familiar. Looking a little further, I had seen that it all starts by breaking down the fence that surrounds many of us. To be honest, we all have a box inside that we choose to open and close from one time to another. Inside our world is where we are safest. We learn what we think will benefit us in the future, take in what we assume is right, and hear what we want to hear which are the facts. Why should you think when we don’t have to? People for many generations before us have done the thinking which leads us to believe and feel the thinking part is over. There are so many facts out there that we are consumed by, leaving us to believe that if we know the facts, no one can touch us. The more facts we stack inside our gates, the better, but our gate is similar to a closet that gets over stuffed. The closet becomes so stuffed that unknown reality around it starts to become overwhelming

Family, love, religion, death, truth, and reality are among many of the things that exist in the unknown which are many people’s biggest monsters. People are terrified of these things because they really can not control any of them. Facts don’t state that their relationship would go a certain way so they avoid it. People want all the money, power, and respect but mostly desire control due to much of society thriving by these rules. Along with those four things come lies, cheating, and selfishness. Society today has placed material things as status. Many have become slaves to the dollar, because without it, we feel we cannot fulfill a good life.

Ivan Illych was a living example that those things do not bring happiness. I also assume that living like this will aid to putting that wall up against the truth among other things. Ivan’s slow death allowed him to do some serious reflecting on his life. He soon starts to realize that a lot of things that went on in his life were simply wrong. His mind was consumed with facts, work, and social views. I was consumed this way a while ago when I was trying to be the ‘Peoples Champ!’ I drove a Lexus Ls400 that sat on 20’inch chrome rims, trunk full of speakers and a TV for show. I wanted everyone to look at me and say, “He’s in control.” But after some soul searching, I learned quickly that I attracted the wrong crowd. In that example, we both tried to do things that kept us from the unknown. The problem with living life this way is that when something comes from the unknown, there is not a way that you can really begin to solve for it. It is like throwing yourself in a hockey game with a minute left and saying, “Go get em boy, win us the game!” I never played before, let alone ice-skated. Do you think that I would really win the game? Well, that was Ivan’s situation and there was no way that his game could possibly be won with his lack of knowledge about the truth. Everything seemed to crumble in his world because the more that he questioned, the more he began to see how wrong he was.

Before the unknown like death enters my life, I want to have no regrets. I know I have the option to change my thought pattern, to live out of society's box, and most importantly, to live outside my own box. The philosophical questioning process is not a hard one if your mind is open to change and the vulnerabilities of the world. Also, your pain will only be a physical one, which is how I would like to leave this planet. Mental, physical, and spiritual torture was all through Ivan’s body as his last days approached. There was not a single thing that he could change in his past, simply because he did not have time. Unfortunately, if people do not learn how to think philosophical, many will lead the same life Ivan did. Lucky for me, I now understand how to question the many things that took place in my life and I still have a chance to change things so that I will not be reflecting on my life in the way Ivan did.

Are you living inside this box?

Will you relationship/marriage last?

Will you relationship/marriage last?

:Dre: I know, I know! Everything starts off peaches and cream, you get married, then things just get crazy. All the problems come out the closet at once and ruin your happiness but it’s always, always good in the beginning.

I won’t sugar coat anything, here are the facts:

The rate of divorce among African American couples is at 36% and rising. (That’s 358 per 1000 Black couples; the rates are higher in cities!).
55% of woman will raise children by themselves.
43% of marriages end before the 15 year mark.
Second marriages are 40+% less likely to survive than a first marriage.
Children from divorced families have a risk of divorce that is 2 or 3 times greater than children from married parent families (Ranging from mistrust to drug & alcohol issues).

Currently, there is a high probability that you “Will” get divorced at least once in your lifetime.
As you can see, divorce tears apart the fabric of African Americans families. Studies show it is increasingly clear that divorce also affects the health of many leading to increased behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric burdens, also increased rates of suicide and health problems. Marital therapist and radio talk-show host Audrey Chapman worries about tomorrow. She says, "African-Americans are the most unpartnered group in America. Census figures show that 35% of Americans between 24 and 34 have never married. For African-Americans, that figure is 54%."Census Bureau statistics show that in 1998, 11.7% of blacks age 18 and over were divorced, compared with 9.8% for the general population. It's gotten worst. Chapman believes "the sexual revolution of the last two decades has wreaked havoc on black relationships." Young black women are now spending years getting an education and building a career. When they turn to thoughts of settling down, they find a small pool of marriageable black men... "Because available women so far outnumber them (1/25), many black men often say they see no reason to make long-term commitments," Chapman says, "They feel it's safer to 'couple for the moment' and move on."

My opinion is in vain to the number of relationships that have ended due to violence, infidelity, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and just plain stupid people. Disclaimer: I'll start by saying I love relationships, I love to love the person I am with hard, love making my mate happy even if sometimes it doesn't benefit me, and when I love, I love hard (did I say that already). Just letting you know that I have no bias toward unity.

::Dre: What I am going to say may sting some people but my opinion on relationships will be broad so bog down with me. In the beginning of relationships, your mate is willing to do anything for you, the newness of a fresh relationship feels good because we can camouflage many of our flaws and only allow your mate to see the good side. This misleads and becomes a mirage, a mask that your mate falls in love with. In theory, when things go wrong, (which it will eventually) the person that you thought you knew, you really don’t know. Their actions are something that you’ve never seen before, rationality is out the door, my way or the highway is in overdrive! In these types of relationships, the couple only brought themselves in halfway, which will always lead to destruction of a relationship. People like to hit the EASY BUTTON from Staples when they don’t like something because it requires too much effort to actually make things work. Unfortunately, I know woman right now that would get with me and they are MARRIED if I allowed it (and I won't) which is sad. Bens states, "We now live in a society that thrives off of Instant Gratification. You can buy tickets to a game with a click of a button, get a new car in a matter of minutes, plan and pay for a trip faster than you can blink, thanks to technology. I believe that people have taken these (get it now) getifications and brought them into their relationships. We'd rather take more than we can give, as though it's about what a person can do for you. I believe that one party in the relationships that do fail are spoiled, my way or highway as previously stated. Also, you can tell if someone else is in the picture because they will use little slang words that weren't in their vocabulary before, just pay close attention, and your threat is usually at their job, haters!"

Besides, who wants to work on a relationship when you can go out and find someone else that’s willing to do what you want to do. I am not knocking this at all, but I do bring up a good point, what happens when there is that “one thing” this new person doesn’t want to do? Judging by statistics, back to the EASY BUTTON we go. Now here is the dilemma when time passes… I don’t want to grow old alone SO I’ll just get with this or that person. What have you accomplished, other than children, if that? I understand my experience is not that of many people, however, I do my research and have family and friends of all ages that experience these issues. Age doesn’t mature a person, I know of a 50 y/o that wants to be my age, trust me. Does a person with a bunch of failed relationships have more knowledge? Does it really make them wiser?

::Gaines: “NO, it doesn’t make you smarter or wiser as much as you may think it possibly could. You will always deal with someone else's issues and spend all your time trying to figure them out, but if you already have a complex, it won't work cause you will constantly accuse them about things they didn't do or might do. Love hides all flaws and that's the problem for the ones that really love a person. Their partners will never allow themselves to see that."

Think about this before hand…
Speaking as a resident for the Washington Metropolitan Area, the biggest risk of your exploration can leave you with something you can’t get rid of. The biggest of these being HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. No one is a stranger to DC being the highest area in the country for this. Fortunate enough, my sister-in-law actually works in a HIV clinic and in her words, “They look just like anyone you’d see on the street, at work, or in the club!” You think they will care about giving you something? Guess again... I shouldn’t have to go into detail about the other STDs that like to stay around undetected and mess up your LIFE!!! Even the simplest STDs left untreated can cause serious problems.

Enough of the scare tactics; looking at these statistics simply disgust me. Any relationship should be treated as a model for marriage. You practice how you play, and if your already playing, stay in the game! If you simply think that you are going into a relationship minus problems, you’re just kidding yourself. EVERY relationship/marriage takes work from both parties. Self help and inspiration books are a ploy to make money, it is information your mother or father can tell you about. The only real self help book that you can possibly get that would convince me of your effort is the best selling book of all time, THE BIBLE. A very wise woman told me to read ICorinthian 13:1 with a very good friend which help ME to understand real love and hopefully you will pull from it too! Let your problems go and let GOD work that relationship/marriage. Remember, you loved that person for a REASON. Run now and you’ll run all your life. I know people that are in a relationship/marriage that worked through their problems and when I asked how they did it, why they did it, I get one simple answer, "Because I love them and am willing to make this work, when the smoke clears, it's all about me and my mate! Nothing and no human is perfect." These are the testimonies that help me continue to believe in love. People take for granted this courtship, the blessing that takes place when you get married, please embrace it! Lastly, think about the children if you have kids because it’s not about you anymore. Even though you can’t see it, the child is mentally scared which only continues this vicious cycle. So men, before you want to go get a taste test of that chick in the club that's backing it up on you, taking you out to lunch and dinner, treating you to concerts and movies, trust you aren't the first she's done that for, ladies, because he makes you laugh, drive a nice car, buys you lunch, takes you to dinner, has his own crib, trust you aren't the first that's been in there BUT it’s always, ALWAYS good in the beginning. Don't find yourself in a episode of "Trapped in the Closet" by R. Kelley. Protect Yourself! Keep your house a home Brothers and Sisters, you should hold on.

Doors?!?

Doors?

Hey What's up world, it is 2008 and I'm so excited about this year for myself, it will be very promising. I pray that you all have already started on your resolutions as I have done. I recently had a conversation with my good friends John C. Richards by way of California (Originally a Georgia Boi) and we just started vibing about how doors close and open. Of course I had to ask him if he'd contribute something to the site and as always, he produced. Enjoy this as much as I did... Til next week, love, peace and blue magic hair grease!

::Dre: aka AK
“And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."-Genesis 4:7

::John C. Richards, Jr: Doors. They open. They close. They revolve. They slide. They lock. They latch. In fact, you've probably walked through several doors today as you went about your daily business. I thought about this very simple invention the other day while at work. I work as a contract attorney in the Los Angeles area. Now I don't say that to boast, since I know that it's only by God's grace that I have such wonderful opportunities. I am just amazed by one thing that is uniform at each of these firms. Doors. I've never seen so many doors in my life. It's pretty easy to get lost around these places. The thing that made me really think is the fact that I had to have an access card to get in any and all of the doors. Even the men's bathroom door required an access card yall!!!!! Doors are important though, they serve a very practical function in our every day lives. I want you all to realize the spiritual function of doors in your life today.

Ever heard the cliché about opportunity knocking at your door. The door idea is used in this way to explain opportunities opening and closing in our lives. I recently had a door close in my life. Not only did the door close, but it felt like it slammed. I was bitter. You ever had a door (employment or relationship) close in your face? If you are honest with yourself, it can make you bitter and upset. God showed me a purpose in this experience that I want to share with you all. Let's talk about doors.

1. Doors control your atmosphere.

Physically, doors are used to to control the physical atmosphere within a space by enclosing it, excluding air drafts, so that the interior can be more effectively heated or cooled. My momma used to get at me all the time. We had an air conditioning unit in our house. At times, I would walk out of the door to go outside and would leave it wide open. Don't trip, you know yall used to get in trouble for the same thing!!!! She would say, "Boy, I aint trying to cool the whole neighborhood!!! Close that door!!!" You see, she was concerned about how taxing an air conditioning bill would be were she to try to cool those outside of her environment. Wow.

We never like to look at ourselves, as if self examination is a foreign concept. Sure we like to talk about other folks "problems," but never "sweep around our own front door." Rather than have our own interiors more effectively heated or cooled, we attempt to regulate the environment of others. Socrates wrote, "an unexamined life is not worth living." Paul stated that we should "examine ourselves" to see whether we are "in the faith."-2 Corinthians 13:5. Many are tempted in light of the recent news regarding some in the Christian community to examine those peoples' lives, but God is say right now, "Close that door!!!! Stop trying to regulate other folk's environment." We all need to take a step back and examine our own lives and stop trying to cool/heat our spiritual neighborhoods. The cost is too high. Which leads to the question: What does your bill look like?

Although doors are meant to control the external environment, they cannot control air drafts. Spiritually, air drafts constitute the Spirit of God. Often times in the Bible the Holy Spirit is referred to as the wind of God, a mighty rushing wind. Even though God wants you to control your internal environment, He never wants you to become desensitized to His Spirit's "air drafts. Have you felt a spiritual draft lately? Instead of trying to make things air tight, allow the draft to work on you and reveal some things to you.

2. The purpose of door closure is to give occupants of a space privacy and security by regulating access.

Imagine life without doors, especially in today's society. Shoot, you might come home one day and all yo' stuff be gone. House just be stripped of everything. Doors regulate access. That's how things were at the firm I worked at. Only those with keys to the doors were allowed access to a space. I want to say this to everybody (including myself):

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE YOUR KEY TO!!!!

My God!!!!! How many folks have your key on their key rings? Who have you given an all-access key to you? Look at your present condition in relationships. How many people can say they have your key? I want to talk to my single folks. Please, please, please, carry yourself in such a way that there aint no duplicate keys out there. Often times when businesses have something to guard they make one key that states: "Do Not Duplicate." I want you to get the "do not duplicate" spirit. This will let that man or woman know that your key is valuable and cannot be taken for granted. It will help to guard your heart and save heartache in the long run. The Bible declares that "sin lies at the door."-Genesis 4:7. The only reason that sin lies at the door is because it does not have access unless you give it access!!!!

I've learned to look at door closure as a good thing. That means that another door is getting ready to open. As I type this, I am in the process of being interviewed for a six month project with another law firm in Los Angeles. God is so good. You see, in my own experience it was not until the previous door closed that I was able to walk through a new one being opened. Have doors closed in your life? Don't worry my brother and sister, that other set is getting ready to open.

I aint done with doors, but I want you to think on some things:

1. Are you operating in a controlled atmosphere?

2. How much self-examination do your really take part in?

3. How do you react to spiritual air drafts?

4. How many keys have you given to others?

5. How has door closure benefited you?

Can the African American Woman save US?

Can the African American woman save us...
History is repeating itself. They say beside every great man, there is a good woman. However, it seems as though woman are becoming just as, if not more, successful than black men. Brothers’, I don’t know whether you have been watching, but I’m here to tell you that within the next 10 yrs, not only will African American woman have executive positions in the corporate world, but they will also be the head of many households abroad. I know it may be tough to make sense of, but stay with me. African American woman are the backbone of the black race. Ask, Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks, or Ida Wells Barnett. These are woman that walked the walk. Ask Cloretta Scott King, Myrlie Evans, or Betty Shabazz, all woman that walked in faith with courageous black men. I just roughly spanned close about 400 years of history, so let me slow it down for you all. We got our rights in 1965, following the collapse of the Jim Crow, basically taking the 400 yrs of weight off of our sister’s shoulders, so they passed us the ball; asked us to carry it from here. Have we?

Kendall Bens strongly stated, "When I turn on the news I see crime after crime being committed by African American men. I do notice the media's influence on the general public and in my eyes, I don't see a very positive depiction of us. I've seen instances where a white male's involvement in a crime was downplayed and an accusation of a black male was pumped up to big news. I believe we're being targeted, we're being profiled, and we're being slowly erased. My opinion on what's happening is not all the fault of the media or white America, but I agree that we have to "except some of the blame."

Well brothers, not all of us, but you know who I’m talking to, have failed. If it applies, pray now! We can’t stay out of jail, we can’t get right with GOD, nor can we seek a higher education. Instead, we blame everyone else for our shortcomings. We're killing each other and for what, “because he looked at me wrong”. What’s the right way then? We rob and steal from each other and stab each other in the back. Out in the corporate world, we’d rather support someone else’s kid instead of our own. We had our chance, 40 years of it, but our ancestors are seeing it different now. Those spirits have been empowering our sisters to want more, achieve more, be less dependent, have more faith in self and GOD! Don’t hate brothers! I say "let’s support these African queens" to continue to move forward in the world, taking on responsibilities that they never thought possible. All those single mothers out there for no reason, still doing better than you because all you wanted was a piece, then she had your piece and now you want nothing to do with your clone. Wake Up Black Men!! When I say it’s too late, I don’t mean continue to be the way that you’ve been in the past like, lazy, slackers, idle, static. Lets support, love, cherish, and pamper this phenomenal woman. She is only doing it to get you back in the driver seat black man. Don’t misconstrue the situation and put her down, putting your hands on her, calling her a bitch, leaving her and the kids with no support. Now when I speak, I’m speaking about many of the females that I know personally and made a general census that many will be able to make this transition to support the black man.

Bens also states, "In my own opinion when I look at my people I am outraged with what I see happening to us. What's happening is that Black men are disappearing, leaving the African American woman the responsibility of his role plus hers. Regardless what anyone may say, I honestly believe that all children need a mother and a father during the years of development into adulthood. Now I do understand and know that a single parent can raise a good kid and I have nothing but the utmost respect for those individuals but, two heads are better than one. Why are so many African American women also African American fathers? For the many of us living our lives freely, where are we?"

Unfortunately, many black men feel that there is no way that we can be brought back, that African Americans will never be treated fair, ever. That seems to be a trapped mind to me. If our ancestors thought that way, where would we be now? We all know slavery has merged into its legal form, they call it institutionalization. I’m not buying it; however this monster has my mind going, am I living a dream like the King himself? A small spark of Racisms is the new 20 in the country right. Jena 6 was just a sample of what is coming people. Comedian, Michael Richards ranting off on stage is another example. Have we abandoned our responsibilities? Do we even care what happens to our future? I also question, is it possible for our generation of African American sisters to pull us from further self destruction, or will the African American woman be too consumed with trying to get promotions on the job and holding onto their executive or doctorial positions so much that they can only think of themselves?

Dysfunctional Culture?

::Dre: Hello world, I thank you again for coming to my site where overstanding up is our mission, and help people that understand get on our level. I redesigned the site to make it a little more interactive for everyone. I love all the emails that you send me concerning the contents of the topic, as you keep us at Overstand going! There is a comments section at the bottom of each post, however, if you don't want to put your name, there is a selection for Anonymous when posting. I hope you all like the new face of Overstand as you all continue to make each and every post worthwhile. As usual, I will continue to put things on this site that make us OVERSTAND, BECAUSE understanding isn't enough... Please give a round of applause as Bens takes the stage and starts up SCHOOL!! Focus your mind...

::Bens: It's a known fact that people of many different backgrounds pass down key elements of their respected cultures to their younger generations। Scientists have even found evidence that chimps pass on customs and cultures just as humans do। It's also known that hardships can rapidly alter a community's unique culture, which can also be passed on. Jewish communities adopted closer knit families and a fear of disease and sickness after the holocaust, yet, they were generally able to rehabilitate and regain forward progress, but what about other cultures? The African American culture is viewed by many to be dysfunctional, but a closer look at the beginnings of slavery, activities practiced during slavery, and the effects that still remain, might prove to be beneficial in determining why this may be the case.

The beginnings of slavery played an extreme role in erasing the culture of would be African Americans। First, slaves were collected from different African tribes and were sold by Africans to different buyers from around the globe. Because these slaves came from different tribes, their different languages posed to be one of the first cultural barriers that would have to be broken. Secondly, millions of slaves were packed aboard ships to be delivered to various destinations. While in transit, many slaves became riddled with disease, and if they didn't die from the disease they were thrown overboard in order to prevent further loss of goods. The shipboard deaths erased even more culture from the slaves. Next, once the slaves made it to their destinations, they had to adopt a native tongue in order to communicate amongst themselves therefore, collectively they learned the language of their masters. Slaves that were defiant were quickly made examples of, which built fear in the majority of the slaves. Slavery's beginnings initially erased the African culture from the slaves, while the activities practiced during slavery helped to further the process.

Practices during slavery made it hard for African slaves to adopt and develop a cultural identity। For instance, slavery easily disrupted the idea of the black family because family members could be sold away at any given time. Mothers were often torn away from their infants and fathers would be sold without warning. Ultimately, the practice of slavery transformed people into work animals who were expected to work from dusk until dawn. Also like animals, African slaves were bred to make them bigger, stronger, and more capable of handling heavier workloads. Furthermore, slaves were also left vulnerable to brutal violence such as rape, murder, torture, lynching, and whipping. Another fault of slavery, was the psychological trauma it caused the slaves. Just by simply imagining the idea of being enslaved is enough to lead many to thoughts of self-hatred. The idea of self-hatred was also enforced by masters teaching their slaves that their skin and hair was a curse. Some masters even believed that dark skin was the mark of Cain imposed by God after he had killed his brother Able. Finally, during slavery, it was illegal to educate slaves for fear of the slaves organizing themselves and starting possible revolutions. These practices attributed to breaking the African slaves cultural links, and it is possible that some of the these cultural divides still affect African Americans today.

The beginnings of slavery and the practices during slavery may have effects that still remain . To begin, today 94% of black murder victims are killed by blacks. This black on black crime in some ways can be connected to the self-hatred suffered by enslaved ancestors, and although negative, could have easily been passed through generations as part of the only culture they had. Also, initially being sold by other Africans could have resulted in the resentment of others much like themselves. Secondly, African Americans today seem to have a very close knit kinship within their families. These kinship's were established during slavery to help slaves deal with the hardship of breakups caused by the selling of family members. The network of kin has survived to this day in age, but unfortunately, it may have caused within the African American community a lower emphasis on the husband and wife bond, which may explain the high percentage of single parent families. Next, in today's society African Americans play an extremely large role in professional sports. This large percentage of Athletes can easily be attributed to the animal-like breeding of the slaves in order to make them stronger. Even though slavery was abolished hundreds of years ago history has revealed that the road traveled by African Americans to fix a once broken culture still remains to be traveled today. In conclusion, a closer look into the beginnings of slavery, practices during slavery, and the effects that remain today, can help to explain why the African American culture is viewed by some to be dysfunctional. Also a closer look should encourage African Americans not to use these connections as excuses, but to use these connections as a blueprint to repair cultures stripped away by slavery. As for the few that view the African American culture as being dysfunctional, these connections should encourage deeper investigation into why and how this assumed dysfunction came about, while also encouraging deep investigation in how to help repair it. Finally, for others that might be intrigued by the connections made here, hopefully this will give some understanding and insight into a culture that's just as young as the nation it resides in.

::Dre: Whooaa...Now that was deep...By all means, leave a comment below. Thank you and as usual, have a blessed day, til next time...

Why do we need haters?

::DRE: Welcome BACK Family! Our topic today will be HATERS...I would like to start by thanking all the HATERS out there that ever doubted me, thinking that I wouldn't amounting to anything, from relationships to jobs! God put you in my life to test my will power! He did it to see if I would break and I continue to make him proud daily because I shake the devil off. So much has happen for me since one of my biggest HATERS disappeared out of my life last year to go and hate on someone else. See, HATERS never cease at their work and they are damn good at what they do! Drama usually surrounds them since that's the octane they need to keep going. I have studied HATERS and there aren't enough words in the dictionary that can begin to describe them. But here are some of the symptoms:

They pray on you until they suck you dry... They live with you for free... they barely pay anything when you go out... they ask for handouts every chance they get... they drink your liquor and throw it up...eat your food...they use you to establish their business ventures...they use you as the FACE OF THEIR PRODUCT...and they use your contacts and hook ups! See the correlation here, yes, similar to a leach. Oh, please don't try to come up and get a good job or mate and really start doing good for yourself. It seem like they go into "EMERGENCY HATE MODE", no cut cards, kick em while he's down! They turn on the afterburners to Hate on you! They burn themselves out trying to bring you back down to their level but when you get up and fly away, your safe because they can't jump off the ground due to the hate weight strapped around their ankles which cost $150!!!! SAD...

Even though I sound sarcastic in the above paragraphs, I just need you all to understand that without HATERS around us, we would never achieve great things in life. It is a fact that most of the things you may have achieved was because of what someone said you couldn't do. Some people have different drives that push them, but Hating is usually associated indirectly with your achievements. My writing had to be direct and ignorant for some people to get the picture but read below to bring some calm into this...

I need everyone to take a moment to reflect on the HATERS that have gotten you this far?
::BENS: As a rule of thumb, people over time have become accustomed to the idea of compromise. The concept of meeting at a happy median may pose to be partially disappointing yet, at the same time, beneficial for all parties involved. You simply can't have the ying without the yang, the good without the bad, and most importantly love without HATERS. Hate does hurt, but hate also helps. In my opinion, a world without hate would probably be much like the world was intended to be before the tree of life was disturbed by Eve and then Adam. Unfortunately, it's here around us every day.

As forward thinking individuals, I believe we should learn to capture the negative energy of the hater and make it a positive. We all clearly know and understand the harsh reality of hate, but only a small amount of us realize that hate is what fueled our most influential leaders. The people that we remember for their greatness were hated men and women yet, they simply embraced the hate and proved their HATERS wrong. Also, they understood that if they took offense to the hatred, then they would only multiply its magnitude. When a person faced with hate fights back with hate, they do nothing but perpetuate an already vicious circle. Instead of feeding fuel to that fire, feed that fuel toward your own ambitions and move on. Now, I know this may not address why we need HATERS, but imagine what the world would be like without it. Would we ever be motivated to push ourselves pass the threshold of our assumed abilities? Would we have a lack heroism? And would love be less defined? I don't know, you tell me.

Don't send it if you know your the HATER because that's what HATERS DO, jump on the bandwagon! However, if you forward this, some HATERS will take it personal, they might ask you to not send this and delete you from their email; it's only because it applies... THEIR HATERS TOO!

It's KELLZ signing off until next time, have a fantastic week!

"YES, THANKS TO ALL MY HATERS, I LOVE YA'LL" Hollywood