Theory #8644: The Revolution Will Be Televised Printed on A T-Shirt...

I think I should preface this theory by stating that I voted for Barack Obama, and it wasn't because he's Half Black. I wasn't swept up in "Obama-mania" before he stated on policy idea like a lot of his supporters were. As I'm sure you've heard, voter turnout among Black people in my age was tremendous. It also presented a strange paradox in my mind. On one hand, I loved the mass mobilization that Obama's candidacy created in the Black community. However, I can't shake this feeling that it's now become trendy to be revolutionary.

That is a picture of the lovely...lovely Halle Berry wearing a T-Shirt supporting the President-elect. However, Obama is not the first historical/revolutionary figure to grace the fashion industry. Lesser known activists such as Che Guevara and Mumia Abu Jamal are some of the faces that have become popular choices for T-shirts. Whenever I see someone my age wearing a shirt like that, I'm immediately intrigued positively because I'm a fan of shirts like these. So if I have the time, I'll strike up some small talk about the person on the front of the shirt. A couple of times, I've been met with a response similar to, "Oh, I don't know who this is. It just matches my shoes/fitted/jacket/belt buckle." Needless to say, I was irritated.

Creative Obama T-shirts are the latest in this revolutionary fashion fad. The obvious problem that may arise is that this newfound urge for change will fade away, and that we are celebrating Obama's victory for all the wrong reasons. Black people: This is not an, "In your face!" moment that we should throw in White people's faces. Bear in mind this statistic: if every single African-American man, woman, and child had voted in this election, it would only be 8.8% of the entire popular vote (according to the 2000 census). That means that there were millions of White people that voted for Obama as well, and he wouldn't be elected without them. My fear is that we're celebrating this as we unfortunately celebrated OJ's victory in 1994. Michael Irvin said it best:

What a historical moment that was last night. ... From an African-American standpoint, I watched my people -- watched my people -- celebrate the not guilty verdict of O.J. Simpson. They were so hungry for a victory of some kind that they celebrated -- we celebrated -- the verdict of O.J. And I was thinking to myself, 'Two people are dead. Two people are dead' Now, I'm not talking about my people, I'm explaining them here. They were just so hungry to say 'We have a victory.' And I cringe when I even think about that.

I hope that isn't the same thing that's going on in the minds of Black people that voted for Obama. I hope that we really want to change our thinking, instead of just wearing it on our clothes.



Peace.

KoS Theory Guest Theory: Jeff Scott

This piece was written by Jeff Scott. I've known Jeff for somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years, and he's a very intellectual brother. He also will hopefully contributes to my other blog, Fundamentally UnSound. Peep his thoughts on the election process after the picture.

The Politico: Things I've Learned

Well with only a few days before election day, and a spirited debate with 30 commenters left on my status, it's clear that things are getting more intense as we come down to the wire. There is so much division in America in regards to this presidential election. And without sounding like a Black Panther or Black national conspirator, it's slightly because it involves someone who doesn't look like the norm. With that said, I'm going to address topics by number, and call the said list the "Things I've Learned".

1. Sarah Palin is the worst decision John McCain could have made for VP.

Okay, let's get this straight. I don't have any personal problems with McCain, Sarah Palin, or even Joe Liberman's ability to turn coat (expletive). Conservatives use a "barometer" for Barack Obama that they don't use on themselves. Case in point: They try to make a guy like William Ayers a factor in the integrity of Obama, saying he "pals around with terrorists." So does that mean Obama is a terrorist, which most rednecks and skinheads believe? Guilty by association, eh? Well, John McCain chose an uninformed and questionable running mate in Sarah Palin. Does this mean that John McCain is uninformed, because I'm pretty sure he's "paling" around with Sarah Palin. It was a stupid move for the GOP to even make it an issue, especially when the polls show that no one really thought it was an issue.

2. Joe the Plumber...Yeah...

At first I felt sorry for the guy cause he became a symbol during the final presidential debates for the average American, and then the media just put all his business out there. He asked about Barack's tax plan (which he probably states 49 times a day) and what it would mean for him because he wanted to "start a small business". Well I lost all sympathy and the dot of respect I had for him when I learned that not only is he not a licensed plumber, but he owes taxes. Why would you place yourself out there asking about taxes when you owe them? Not a good look, Joey. But I lost even more respect for the political process when he began campaigning with John McCain. WHAT?! Shouldn't someone be arresting him or something? Is that someone you really want to blaze the campaign trail with you? Oh well, if you're John McCain, I guess it's the cool thing to do. Maybe Joe will shout McCain out on his country music album.

3. I am not a Democrat or a Republican, but after this election, I don't think I could ever vote for a conservative candidate.

I have been shocked and appalled at the disdain, disrespect, hatred, ignorance, evil, racism, bigotry, and sheer disregard displayed by people voting for the McCain-Palin ticket, not only toward Obama, but anyone with opposing views. The first straw for me were the reports of people at McCain rallies shouting "terrorist" or "kill him" when McCain even mentioned Obama, and the reports of people carrying around stuffed monkeys with Obama gear on them. Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia was here [at Liberty University] speaking in convocation and advocating for Barack Obama, and as soon as a sound come out of his mouth, he was showered with boos. When he said anything that opposed their views, the crowd would erupt negatively. That is utterly disgraceful that one of the people who had a hand in Liberty's "Register to Vote in Lynchburg So We Can Pad McCain's Virginia Votes" Register-a-thon would be met with such disrespect. That was the last straw for me. I lied. That wasn't the last straw. This was.

4. Finally, this entire thing is far from over.

If you believe that the madness will end after November 4th, you are sadly mistaken.
Why is Sarah Palin disagreeing with McCain on issues? Because she is setting herself up to run in 2012. Win/win for her, right? If McCain wins she's VP (Hooray!). Then, given McCain's current physical state, she has the chance to be President. If he loses, Palin can say, "It wasn't me (even though it was, partly)," and turn around for President herself. And with as many Palin fanatics as there are now, God knows how bad it will be in the future.

In conclusion, whether your political affiliations reside on the left or the right, conservative or liberal, if you're the same or a Martian, just get out and vote. If I know you and you don't vote just because you don't want to, I will have to question our friendship. Sorry, but thats just lunacy.

Love, Peace, and Hair Grease
Jeff