The Voice Of...

One of the brothers from VSB (he’ll know who he is) made me think of this, via a response to a comment I left Friday. May as well explain it to those who are unfamiliar: the authors of VSB penned a book, and one of them used Friday’s entry to ponder possible casting ideas if the book were made into a film (from the Steve Harvey/Chris Brown collaboration).

I said that the lurkers (people who read the entries but don’t comment) could be played by extras. He asked why I was representing for the lurkers. Well…that’s who I am. I am the voice of the voiceless. I make the popular realize they’re not the only ones in the room and relieve them of any self-absorption issues that may be imminent. Have been ever since undergrad. Yup: time to hit the way-back machine.

As many of y’all know, I had a certain affiliation when in undergrad that I loved very much. Still do. I couldn’t quite get down with what was the normal course of action therein, though. I’m not talking about anything illegal, so stop right there. Let’s just say I couldn’t act like everyone else. People thought I was crazy. “You run with that crew but you don’t do all the stuff they’re known for?” Nope. “Oh, we’ve never heard of you before.” I know - and I’m happy about that. I don’t need to do what everyone else does. I don’t knock people for it: part of the truth is that they created a stereotype which I was able to use to my advantage on occasion. On the other side, when people who didn’t expect that affiliation found out about it? Well, they learned that “guys like me” can have certain affiliations.

Okay, so that one may not fit as well as I thought. How about this: when I first started at FSU, I didn’t feel like I belonged within a particular group. Of course I’m not talking about the political science students - I’m talking about people in BGSA. Don’t get me wrong: they all were - and still are - good people. I just didn’t think I fit in at first. I went to meetings and all, but never really felt like I was “part of the group”. Probably easy for some people to laugh about it now, but I felt somewhat like an outsider. I had little love for neo-soul (still do). I liked going to the club (still do). I was quickly turned off by “deep” or academic/professional discussions outside of academic/professional environments (still am). All of those things - and a few more - made me think I just wasn’t going to fit in since I wasn’t the “typical black graduate student”…if you know the percentages, you know why the quotes are there.

Somehow - and to this day, I really don’t know how - I became president for three years. I’m not going to lie: there were many occasions in which I sat and wondered how I could represent a group of people of whom I didn’t always feel a part? I then realized what I was: I was representative of people like me. I was representative of people who’d rather listen to Lil Jon than Lupe Fiasco (time-specific reference, which is why there’s no Waka or Soulja Boy allusion). I wasn’t the guy who enjoyed going to wine tasting events, for reasons outside my alcohol abstinence. I wasn’t president of the association for “black graduate students who go to the meetings”; I was president of the association for black graduate students. All of them. Some of whom liked to watch wrestling. Some of whom were fiercely proud of their HBCU alma maters.

Sometime last summer I got into a similar relationship with VSB. Didn’t see myself as the typical commenter (many people who are typical commenters will claim this, but it’s a bunch of [male cow excrement]). Given the similarities - really, overlap - between the group and the one mentioned above, it’s not really a surprise at all. Anyway, as I read more entries and comments I noticed the commentary was rather monolithic (one commenter took exception to my pointing this out once). You had one predominant point of view, maybe two. There was a reason for this, but I often found myself agreeing with neither and presenting a perspective that was unlike those already mentioned in the comment section. Friends of mine who lurked told me that they agreed with my commentary, and even friends of mine who’d never heard of VSB asked why opinions like those I expressed weren’t more prevalent.

So yeah, I represent for the lurkers. I represent for the people who didn’t go to BGSA meetings. I represent for those who didn’t bother with either because they felt there was too much “cliquiness” - which is something I understand because think it’s plagued both. I represent for people who don’t believe that having a certain demographic or resume-related profile means you have to have certain interests. I’ll take Raheem The Dream’s music over Raheem DeVaughn’s every day of the week. That’s just who I am.

I may be the only person in America who can listen to A-Ha one minute and Ace Hood the next. I’m a man who likes Titanic. I’m black, but I cannot stand Coming To America. Seriously: if you want me to leave your house, put that movie on. I’m from South Florida, but don’t like to swim. I like the club, but I don’t drink. I like baseball much more than basketball, I’m not a fan of Barack Obama, I often root against US players and teams in international sporting events, and I refuse to let women act out their Milton Bradley fantasies by having me play their games (oh, come on: I had to get one in somewhere).

I’m different, and as such I have no problem representing for ‘different’ people…who happen to be just like me.