Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Morning Edition - 5/24/06


Our Lady Of Shock Value
The relentlessly irreverent Madonna took the stage at Los Angeles’ Great Western Forum on Sunday and left concert-goers bewildered. Spending over $250 to watch the 47-year old Kabbalah queen attempt to shock and disturb you, just doesn’t really leave a good feeling in the pit of your stomach. Madonna, a pioneer music and video maven, is now more like a rebellious teen, trying hard with everything she does to make your jaw drop. This time, the in-your-face Madonna decided to turn the controversy stove up a notch as she strapped herself to a mirrored cross, had her male dancers mimic horses and abruptly closed the show with no encore; maybe she’s developed a little ESP and could sense that 20 years later, it’s going to take a little more than grabbing your crotch, disrespecting the entire Christian population while emasculating your dancers, to impress your fans. Now that she invests over three hours a day exercising and doing yoga to stretch out her body, she should begin thinking of ways to stretch her mind. Madonna is definitely suffering from creative atrophy.

From Undercover to Six Feet Under
Officer Seneca Darden, 25, rushed to help his colleagues who had put out a distress call after responding to a shooting at a private home in Norfolk, Virginia. Unfortunately, officer Darden was in plain clothes and when he jumped out of his car wearing jeans and a t-shirt while brandishing a gun, he was asked by officers on the scene to drop his weapon. The next chain of events had one of the uniformed officers gunning Darden down. Shot several times, Darden was rushed to the nearest hospital where he died. The unidentified uniformed officer is on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. Darden was on an undercover burglary detail in a nearby neighborhood. He served for four years on the Norfolk Police Department.

Okay Black Folks, What Now?
Statistics show that 35% of Americans 24-34 have never married, for African Americans that figure is a whopping 54%. The divorce rates were a bit better; African Americans divorced just over 2% more than others. One study shows that the sexual revolution and the drive black women have shown to get a great education and kick start their careers have left them without a substantial pool of black men to choose from when they are ready to settle down. Moreover, black men are outnumbered by black women, giving them a large population of women to choose from. Then there’s the issue of interracial dating, the down low and imprisonment that has also had an affect on black-on-black relationships. Looking forward, the future is actually bright. Educated and poised, black women can help recapture the strength of the African American family. They have been the cornerstone of their families in the past and will again take their rightful place as matriarchs of generations to come.

On Blast
Is it me? Accepting responsibility for why things go right or wrong in our lives is important if we are to learn and grow. In relationships this is sometimes easier said than done. Yesterday’s discussion circled back to failed relationships and what, if any, responsibility we should take for the outcome of our partnerships. What actions (or lack thereof) did you take to make your prior relationships fail? Do you have any regrets about how your relationships ended? Is there a pattern that you can recognize that repeatedly marks the defeat of your relationships? Conversely, do you repeatedly find that your partners are to blame for your failed relationships?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I have amazing parents that have been married over 40 years. They showed me nothing but loyalty, respect and love in relationships. Unfortunately, the school of hard knocks and foolish immaturity helped to send me down the wrong path of bad choices and poor decisions. That said, the key is in learning from those experiences and not repeating them. I was pained by some of the decisions I made and had some regrets about wronging others… that said, after apologizing from the heart I moved on. I cannot sit in judgement my entire life. I accept responsibility for my actions (good and bad) and put less and less blame on those I have been partnered with. Looking back, my recovery from being wronged by others would have been shorter had I been afforded the same. Oh well… hindsight is 20/20 right?

Anonymous said...

Oh Cocoa is as gay as a boy 5'9" walking around with a mid-drift shirt and heels and handling a Prada purse.

Unknown said...

Although there is a very competitive cultural phenomenon that says Ricans will defend what's theirs to the death, I KNOW that my parents are together because of an undying and soul-connecting love. Sure, there are couples that stay together because of countless other reasons, but it's great to see a couple that is together because of a true soul connection. Just Me, there are folks in life that actually love each other and can put all aside to honor that love. My wish is that if I'm ever in love again I enjoy a fraction of what my parents have. It will be bliss.