In the beginning we are all equally empty, we are nothing more than shells with different faces that come from different places. At some point, we are faced with a decision; a decision as timeless and complex as the human condition itself...is ignorance bliss?

Is it better to take things at face value and simply find your place in the world?
...to fall in line and do as you're told?
...to believe what those who govern say?
...to ignore the unsettling parts and relish in the comforting parts?

Now to any rationally thinking entity the answers to these questions are no-brainers. Therein lies the first hiccup of rational thought. So many have made the choice to conform long before they knew that they had the option of asking themselves the aforementioned questions. There are a variety of catalysts that may kill the wandering spirit of a child but that's a conversation for another day. Today, the thorn in my ass is those who decide to be conscious and lose sight of the fact that not everyone is on the same mental plane as they are...then judge.

They judge. They find fault in people's creativity, they seek out racial undertones in works of expression...undertones that were not only unintentional but farthest from the expressionist's thought. Now, let me take a moment to state that I am fully aware that there are a number of establishments who blatantly exploit societal/ethnic groups for their advancement; the fashion industry is an excellent example of this. african print this, aztec print that. Do I know for a fact that they do this intentionally...of course, I don't but I can say certainly that the ideas for these fashionable prints are based/influenced by the cultural attire of a demographic not of their own.

Moving on thou, let me share with you the conversation that sparked this little mad rant: I was having lunch in the park by my lonesome. At a nearby table, two women of color were discussing (rather loudly) the word "gypsy". Clearly, my interest was sparked and I took no shame in listening in on the remainder of their rap session. One was literally chastising the other for naming her new website, "A Brooklyn Gypsy". She went on to state how the word gypsy was used as an insult to Romani people and how her friend had no right to use the word to reference herself or her blog.

This is the epitome of the controversy that is consciousness. Did her friend deserve to be chastised to that extent because of her use of the word gypsy? No, the fuck she didn't. Do you know what a gypsy is defined as in Webster's...a gypsy is synonymic to a wanderer, a person who moves from place to place, one without ties. That is the term that so many relate to (or more so often, wish that they could relate to). The woman who was being chastised went on to explain to her friend the reasons why she had chosen the name, and even I must admit that I was mesmerized by the tale she wove, it was sincerely the most heartfelt thing I'd heard in weeks. Was she even aware of the term's connection to the Romani people?...I'm going to say very unlikely.

I also know that being ignorant of a fact does not make you immune to the consequences that follow it. What I require, what I wish is for the judgment to cease...are you really going to look at a woman whose heart is composed of nothing but pure imagination and tell her that she is evil because she fantasizes about being a wanderer. I realize that I'm a bit of dreamer but fuck it, if I don't speak for those who are still pure in heart, who the hell will.  When an artist produces a painting depicting a Black woman and a Caucasian woman in passionate embrace and the black woman is beneath the white woman....is it really necessary to conclude that the artist was trying to show that people of African descent are meant to be beneath those of European descent?  Are you fucking kidding me???

I had the same thoughts about planking, briefly.  Was the whole planking movement really derived from a photo of slaves laying horizontally, stacked a top one another upon slave ships?  Do we really believe that?  Scratch that, do we KNOW that??  Argument aside, it is no surprise that the planking movement fizzled and died, nobody wants to be accused of perpetuating a staple of racial oppression.  Granted, I stopped thinking about that one early in the game...classified it as 'up for debate', and moved on.

On a similiar topic, why is that the same people who will point the finger at someone for using one racial slur are the same ones calling one other "nigger"? (the same people who claim that nigger has more than one meaning). I refuse to deal with the hypocrisy. If you seek to enlighten people, then do so...do so without shitting on their dreams. Teachers are meant to teach without making their students feel inferior and until you can do the same, keep your fucking mouth shut. Until you learn how to facilitate the pursuit of knowledge, free from persecution, you are nothing more than an opinionated asshole; people are not listening to you, they are shying away from you. The reason why this whole shabang pisses me off is because these assholes are scaring away the same individuals who truly wish to learn...which brings to light, the inherently impossible equation of embracing that which you shuns you for being you.

I realize that somewhere in there I got into a bit of a ramble, so I'll stop now and collect myself.

Labels: wordplay