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).

On Display

I’m attending a firm beach party on Sunday. I thought about it this morning and I’m really going to be on display. Those of you who are (or were) black graduate students know full well of what I speak. As far as black folk, there are two sister attorneys - one of whom is the absolute truth - and me. There are about 50 people who work in this office and I think the guest list is about 75 total. As the title suggests, on display.

Silence Of The Mans

I know as a man, I'm not supposed to do certain things. I'm not supposed to wear dresses. I'm not supposed to walk on the inside. I'm not supposed to do this, I'm not supposed to do that. Fine, cool, whatever. Apparently, I'm also not supposed to talk very much - if at all.

I'm definitely not supposed to talk about my feelings...to a woman...about that woman. If I do so I'm sensitive or I'm a punk or I'm needy or I need to man up or whatever else women like to say.

Well, guess what? I'm talking. Not only that, I'm talking about the idea that I should be able to talk. Why? Two reasons. Number one, it's about time someone said something about this nonsense. Number two, because I can.

Where Have All The Good TV Show Theme Songs Gone?

Who really remembers a theme song for a show since 2000? Okay, maybe Chappelle's Show...but there were only two words. Now, think back to the 80s. I bet everyone reading this knows the first line from The Golden Girls. Most all of us can hum the theme from The Cosby Show or sing thr theme from Charles in Charge. Our parents can likely do the same with (going back to the 70s now) All In The Family. Good Times, The Jeffersons...there are just songs we'll always remember. And don't even get me started on non-sitcoms: The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Dallas, even The Young and The Restless...everyone over 30 should know those. The TV theme song game, though, seems to have gone the way of popular music - actually, it's even worse. Why?

Security, Prejudice, and Singlehood

Stating the obvious, security is something that we value very much. If you've been paying attention to the debt ceiling talks, you know the problems we may have with social security and how important it is. Of course, even that pales to the value that we place on personal security. Alarm companies get rich from our need for personal security. People use personal security as a basis for supporting the second amendment (and some of them actually mean it). People take self-defense classes and/or martial arts to improve their feelings about their personal security. It's obviously the most important type of security: without it, what else really matters? Oh: in case anyone asks, national security fits under personal security.

There are two other types of security that keep us from being hurt in non-physical ways...although there is many a time in which they actually hurt us. Huh? I'll explain.

A Belated Birthday List...And A Playlist

(Ed. note: yes, it's late. I don't care. Most of it was written the day before my birthday. Anyway, makes no sense for all this to sit in the "drafts" section after I typed it.)

Decided to publish a birthday wish list on here. I know I'm too old and that people aren't going to buy me stuff. This list takes both of those things into account. Want to see how? Keep reading...

Six Tips...And Thoughts On Those Tips

Ran across a Marni Kinrys article on CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/14/how.to.pick.up.girls/index.html) that gave men six tips on dating. Article text is in bold and regular type, comments are in italics.

(CNN) -- You have to think about picking up girls the exact same way you think about picking up a box. You just do it. Seriously. After working with thousands of men all around the world, I have found that the common issue holding men back with women is that "thing" on top of their shoulders. It thinks, analyzes and makes excuses, so rejection is self-inflicted before women even get a chance to do it.

Here are six secrets men need to know about women to help them stop that "thing" in their head from destroying their dating life:

P.I.N.S.

You know how sometimes ideas just fall into your lap? Well, that happened to me.

Somehow a certain silly idea has been allowed to manifest for enough time where people start to think this it's actual truth. As I'm not one for silliness, I feel a personal responsibility to go ahead and set the record straight. Women have been running around thinking that the power (refer to Method Man and Mary J. Blige's '95 hit if you're unsure, although it should be obvious) can get them out of any situation and allow them to treat men however they please.

Courtrooms California and Congressional Conundrums

This one may be shorter than normal, because I don't know how much I'll have to say. We shall see.

1991. Cops have beaten King mercilessly for almost a minute and a half, which we see on videotape. Some of us are horrified. Some of us are not. I think everyone knows the plethora of emotions and reactions that different segments of the population had - which were only heightened by the later verdict that allowed the four officers to walk.

Black people (generally speaking) saw the entire situation as a reminder of the racial caste system that has - yes, 'has': not 'had' - always been present in America. To their credit, I think most white people saw issue with the whole thing as well. I'm not sure they extrapolated the verdict to the extent that black people did, but they understood the problem that the Rodney King situation identified for some and highlighted for others.

The Dumbest Rules In Sports

As much as I like talking about other things, I decided to run to the well for this one. It was inspired by a Twitter conversation I had yesterday.

15. The DH (MLB/AL)

Maybe this makes me a purist, but I think pitchers should have to hit. The players' union will never go for abolishing the DH - it's far more likely that MLB goes with it in both leagues - but I think if pitchers had to stand in the batters' box we'd see less head-hunting. It's easy to throw at someone when there's no fear of retribution. I also think pitchers would become better hitters if they had to. 

Overraters, Underraters, and Why Women Rate Themselves Incorrectly - Part II

This is the second of two parts. Basically, it's the same note but it needed to be split up. As much as I say, there's no way both of these could have been in the same note. Alright, let's get started.

As I mentioned in the first part, there are six types of women (given the reference frame previously discussed). Three ways to overrate or underrate, two methods of rating inaccuracy (under and over). I don't have any special names for each type, so...here.

Overraters, Underraters, and Why Women Rate Themselves Incorrectly - Part I

I said on a blog once that all women are either two points above or two points below what they would rate themselves (on a scale of 1-10). Not "within two points of what they would rate themselves", either exactly two points above or exactly two points below. This note will have four sections.

The Attractiveness of Unattractive Men

I know, I know: two in the same day. This one is inspired by Vicki Larson's piece on HuffPost (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicki-larson/picking-the-wrong-mate_b_873044.html).

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As you've hopefully clicked the link and seen (or figured out using context clues), this will center on the search that women undergo to find attractive men...and why it's often more trouble than it's worth. I'll go through some of the main points that Larson expressed or alluded to in the article.

1. You must have an abundance of either natural, aesthetic, or financial talent to find a woman.

You cannot be average all three areas, but women will let you slide in one area if you basically ooze one of the other two. Long story short, there is a sliding scale. You can be the starving artist and get by for a while. You can be ugly if you're rich. Shoot, you can be any bad thing in the world and be rich. Fine may not pay bills, but it can earn a pass.

2. The more financially independent a woman is, the better her man has to look.

Remember the bit about fine not paying the bills? When women are paying their own, it doesn't matter as much...except it does. As Chris Rock once said (Bigger and Blacker), what do women want? Everything. In case anyone's forgotten, this is the bit when he talked about the big piece of chicken. We men have to not only look good: we have to have every positive trait women can think of - regardless of whether they have these traits themselves or can identify these traits in a police lineup, but that's another matter - and a few that they don't even know about that their friends turned them on to.

3. If one woman finds a man attractive, other women will likely find him attractive too.

Might be the reason a study found the most masculine men - whatever that means - to be 30-40% more likely to cheat and/or have marital problems than other men. Now, I'm not going to say that a man is only as faithful as his options. That's a copout...and it's false.

4. Couples are happier when the woman is more attractive.

At least, that's what a NY Daily News article said. Also, I believe it was Mya who said "can't stand a man who thinks he looks - better than me" (Free, second verse). No one wins when the man looks better than the woman, especially when #3 situations occur. She gets insecure and jealous, he gets arrogant and...um...indiscriminant, and it all breaks loose. Relationships with unattractive men have no such issues. We're just happy to have attractive women and we hope we don't mess up the gene pool for our children.

5. Men in relationships are better "catches" than men who are single.

This is one of those things that makes sense in theory, but the execution...not so much. If he's in a relationship, that means he's in a relationship with someone else. Even if the "best" possible thing happens and he leaves that relationship for you (generally speaking), what makes you think he won't upgrade from you to the next big (most likely not literally) thing? There's only one "baddest chick in the world", and simple probability tells us it likely isn't you.

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Okay, who are we kidding here? All women want is a guy with money - that he's willing to share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X2u2cdvJSg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CQHIP-38jA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6MLLSArEz4

Anthony Weiner, Democrats, and Representation

Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry...I was going to write about something else, as I mentioned last time. However, temporal factors forced me to get this out. That other topic will always - and I mean always...okay, maybe not always (you'll see why really early in this one) - be there.

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As I was watching Maryam Nemazee - I mean, Bloomberg - this morning I saw that President Obama said he would resign if he were Anthony Weiner.

First: black women everywhere would be crushed if the president were to find himself in that situation. That would probably be the final nail in the coffin of black relationships (which are already in the emergency room, but that's another matter - which has been well-chronicled). Black men [who only wish to date black women] would be stuck, as black women would never trust them again. Ever. Rentals of Jungle Fever and Guess Who would be at an all-time high.

Second, this is to say nothing of what would happen to Barack himself. Michelle would want to cause him serious harm - and she'd have a bunch of rich, powerful, and gun-toting allies if she looks to her right. Let's not get it twisted: they don't like her either. At all. However, there is precedent that they will side with a sister to get at a Democrat in office (see: Florida Legislature, Daphne Campbell, Scott Randolph). Obviously Campbell and Randolph are not married...but then again, politics does make for strange bedfellows.

Wait: I was talking about Weiner. Insert your own analogous line here.

The Republicans are obviously happy with the Weiner developments. The Democrats are not, and many of them want him to resign. Last I heard, he's not going to...

...and he shouldn't.

I heard a poll of his constituents showed that most of them want him to stay in office. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the only thing that matters. The Dems don't want Weiner to resign for his sake or that of his constituency: they want him to resign for the party's sake. Now I'm not sure whether Weiner wants to stay on for selfish reasons or those of the more altruistic kind, but either way he's making the right decision.

This isn't about politics, this is about government. The Constitution - which is mostly a fine document, it's the application of the concepts therein that's always been the problem - says that people are allowed to choose their own representatives in government. These people choose (according to the poll) to keep Weiner. The Democrats didn't elect him. Neither Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, nor Debbie Wasserman-Schultz cast a ballot in New York. Let them keep their representative. Hopefully Weiner gets his life straightened out and represents his district to the best of his ability. They trust him to do so. That's all that should matter.

I'd love to see Weiner hold a press conference and tell the higher ups "forget y'all: these people elected me and they want me to remain in office - I work with you, but I work for them" and then tell them where to go, complete with instructions on how to use their GPS systems to figure out how to get there. Would it be bad for the party? Yes. Would that, in extension, be bad for me? Yes. It would, though, be nice if they remembered who put them in office. You know, like the Republicans...

...okay, I was barely able to keep a straight face. They surely don't represent the people. Some people, yes. Usually people with their own tax brackets and loathe regulation (an argument I can actually get with, in theory), but they do represent the desires of some people.

Wait, I seem to be veering off the path again. This is about Weiner. It's not about the decay and destruction of black relationships or the real meaning of representative government or the hypocrisy of the both parties.

Then again, maybe I keep veering off because this Weiner thing just isn't that important.

Rules and Aberrations: The Genius of Dan Le Batard

Now I never used to be a fan of Le Batard. Hated when he was on PTI, thought he was just a loudmouth from Miami (there are a few of those). My opinion of Le Batard changed drastically when I saw him on 'The U'. His commentary on the Miami teams of the 80s was ridiculously on point. Then, two weeks ago on Mike and Mike, he came up with the absolute gem that is the inspiration for this here note.

"Las Vegas was built on the rule, while people chase the aberration."

Le Batard went on to mention the obvious fact that Vegas isn't hurting in the area of new casinos and that business is going rather well in the 702 (that isn't true for everyone in the region, but that's another matter). No one wants to hear it because it makes for dull and predictable television, but the rule works. That's why it's the rule.

So, what's the point? Glad you asked. The point is that the rule teaches us lessons that we often ignore looking for the aberration. Most of the time, this is out of convenience. Here are some statements that follow the rule rather than the aberration.

1. The Heat will win the NBA championship.

Depending on how long it takes me to write this (it's 5:34 on June 7 right now), this one may already be complete by the time this gets published. Still, though, it makes sense to start with this because this is the context in which Le Batard gave the quote. At any given time, they have 3 of the best 4 players from either team on the floor. It was true against the Celtics (Pierce), the Bulls (Rose), and is true against the Mavs (Nowitzki). No, neither Kevin Garnett nor Ray Allen is as good as Chris Bosh...but thanks for playing. Neither is a one-armed Rajon Rondo, although the case could be made for a healthy Rondo. I left the Sixers out for a reason. Given that NBA ball is 5-on-5, it only makes sense that the team with 3 of the best 4 players is going to win...as Le Batard said. That said, there'll be a party here early next week. Of course, this goes beyond sports.

2. Good women are the aberration...especially in Tallahassee.

I'm going to go a lot more in-depth on this one next time out. Speaking of which, sensitive folks without Y chromosomes may want to avoid that one. I will start this abbreviated piece by saying that most women who read this are the aberration. Probably the biggest issue that good women have - and I think I've mentioned this before - is that they think all women are good women. Even though I feel 'balderdash' is much too mice of a reaction, I feel like saying 'balderdash'. So...balderdash. There's a reason all those Poison Clan and NWA songs were made (whether the reason is good enough to warrant the fervor in such music is, naturally, much more debatable). Between the wrong numbers, games, lies, and everything else; this statement should be easy to understand. Speaking in terms of the 850, I've gotten far too much cosignage from both men and women who live there to really have to go into that. "All my girls are @thebomb"...no, they're not. You are, a couple of your friends are cool, and there's one who just hates the fact that men even exist. Show me any group of four female friends and I'll tell you who fits into what category in three days. Anyway, more on that next time out.

3.  Republicans are going to say stupid things.

Whether it's Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Scott, Herman Cain, or...okay, I could be here all night...someone in the right wing is going to say something that is completely asinine. "Let's count on 5 percent growth in the GDP"...last time we had consecutive years of 5% growth, Nixon really wasn't a crook (yet). I wasn't born, or even thought of. Covered Palin last time, gone in on Scott on numerous occasions, and Donald Trump's gaffes were on display for the world to see. Maybe he can pay someone to rewrite history for Palin and Michelle Bachmann...oh, wait: he doesn't have that much. Every once in a while, a Republican will say something that actually makes sense. I can't think of any such instances offhand, but I know that such rarities have occurred. Then again, there's the bonus of them forgetting that Ronald Reagan raised taxes 11 times and increased the federal workforce by 60,000 during his presidency. Actually, there's a lot of Reagan stuff they'd rather people not know.

4. Mainstream music is terrible, and pretty much has been since the mid-1990s.

Music isn't like athletics: "bigger, faster, stronger" doesn't apply. Sure, we have 808s and all that now; but I would hardly say synthesizers and auto-tune represented some next level in evolution the same way the guy who can bench 400 and run a 4.5 did. Put LeBron in the 1950s and he's destroying teams. Can't say the same about Ne-Yo or T-Pain. Now, I defend the modern acts a lot more than most people in my age group. It's not some reminiscing-type deal, no "things were better when I was little" style rant. The 80s and early 90s produced the best music known to man. I don't see how anyone can objectively argue that point. Now, there are some current acts who would fit in any era. Maroon 5 comes to mind. Maybe this Adele person I'm hearing so much about (wouldn't know because I haven't heard her music, but everyone seems to be talking about her). Most current acts seem to just be flashes in the pan. Case in point: AOL Black Voices is hardly an authority on anything - including simple grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style - but there is an AOL BV article naming 25 songs that have moved black America. None of them were released after 1995. Wait a minute: didn't someone said something about athletics?

5. College teams in revenue-producing sports (football, men's basketball) have to cheat - or at the very least, have questionable character - to win.

There's too much money involved now, and we all know that cash (which is at the root of most cheating) usually corrupts once it gets past a certain point. Let's look through recent BCS champions. Auburn: Cam Newton. There are people down here who still talk about Nick Saban's character. UF...30 arrests ring a bell? LSU...honestly, can't remember anything off the bat. USC...I'm sure everyone's been paying attention to the news lately. Same goes for Ohio State, and I don't think anyone can pretend Miami was totally clean. Tournament champions...yes, we had our issues (sorry Nate Miles). Duke never seems to do anything wrong (which seems a little fishy to me). Same with North Carolina. There had been rumblings with Kansas. Mr. "I'll coach the Magic for a day" is at UF. It's not just about champions, though. Anywhere John Calipari's been: problems. Oregon football, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State...even HBCUs are having issues with recruiting violations. The most important game winning programs play is the game of hide-and-go-seek with the NCAA.


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As stated above, there's a reason that the rule is the rule and the aberration is the aberration. It relates to statistical regression in a way: most occurrences of any action will have relatively little variation from the mean occurrence (however it's measured). We all want to look like geniuses, but I think sometimes - okay, often - people do nothing more than try to throw something at a wall to see if it sticks. No rhyme or reason, just "I'll say this outlandish thing to try to get people's attention, and if it actually works then I get the bonus of looking smart". They seem to forget that, going back to statistical regression, things always have a way of working themselves out and going back toward the mean...because that's the rule.

Random Thoughts: 06/06/11

I was originally going to do something else, but that can wait until later in the week. For right now...

1. Rafael Nadal played an amazing match yesterday...especially after Roger Federer had him down 5-2 in the first set. The French Open as a whole, actually, went as well as it could go without either Williams sister being involved - and that Djokovic/Federer semi was the best match I've seen all year.

2. I am tired of the Casey Anthony trial. All this reduced TV time for Richelle Carey is not the business.

Baseball and its Greatness as a Metaphor for Life

I know, it's been a long time. No Rakim. Legislative session ended a couple weeks ago (which means the couple weeks leading up to that point were fast and furious...okay, I'm killing the unintentional pun game today). After session ended I've been...well, not de-stressing, but...getting back into the lull of things that was life before then. This transitional period has left my mind in a suboptimal mood for writing, which is less than desirable considering the subject. When I originally came up with this idea, I knew it could be done really well if written correctly. Well, time to see if it is.

Patriotism, Capitalism, & Being Black In America

Race and politics are two very funny things. Since I have an interest in both, it probably isn’t much of a surprise that I started thinking about how the two often intertwine.

(Just to get this out of the way, I will not talk about Michelle Obama’s quote.)

I’ll use enough words without including basic facts, so I’ll leave those out and begin with patriotism. I will admit that the first time I heard the national anthem after 44 was elected, it sounded a little bit different than it ever did before. Still does. I don’t think it’s out of line or inaccurate to say that many black people feel the same way I do - about the anthem itself and the country in general. I’ve always been among the first to say that the overall effects of Barack Obama’s election are overstated, but at the same time I realize that the election gave many black people a pride in this country that they’ve never felt before. The election hasn’t really done anything monumental, but it has had some positive effect.

Blood Donation & A Hero Complex

I think it’s fairly common knowledge that I have a bit of a hero complex. I think it came from watching He-Man when I was little. He-Man was the greatest. I still watch it from time to time on QUBO. At any rate, I’ve always thought it was cool to be able to help people out in any way. You know what, maybe it’s not a complex: maybe it’s just that I like to help people and actually feel that reward that people say you get when you do nice things.

V.A.N.S. - How They'll Get Us To Where We Want To Go (New & Original...Somewhat)

After starting and deleting this twice (which I pretty much never do), I finally figured out how I want this to go. So here we go.

We’re all vain. Whether we choose to admit it is a different matter altogether, but we’re all at least a little bit vain. How do I know this…or how can I assume it? We all have FB pages. We all read, write, and/or comment on blogs. Part of life, we just have to deal with it. Take a look at the social networking sites we use. We give our thoughts or say what we’re doing on Twitter. We tell where we’re thinking those thoughts or doing those things on Foursquare. We can take pictures of ourselves and post them on Flickr. Of course, Facebook is pretty much one-stop shopping.