Boyz N' The Hood(y)/ "Respect Mah Authoritah"!

 (Side 1: Boyz N' The Hoody)

What happened to Trayvon Martin is a tragedy. George Zimmerman should be punished for what he did. People should not be persecuted for what they wear. I can stop right there, but the news is not going to stop at least the press is going to linger about this for a long while. And everybody who is everybody in the news and in the celebrity spotlight is getting into it! Everybody's wearing a hoody, I've seen Jane Velez-Mitchell (aka "I'm a lawyer!") walking around wearing her hoody and carrying a bag of Skittles and "ice tea". And there are photos of Lebron James wearing his hoody and carrying a bag of Skittles and his bottle of "ice tea". Okay, first of all it's "ICED TEA", people! If it was "ice tea", the kid would have been holding a block of brown ice! I know I was an English major in college, but C'MON PEOPLE! Make your point but for the love for the friggin' English language don't destroy your point of view with a grammatical error that even a 6th grader knows it's a grammatical error! And technically, being in North Carolina might help here in this case, it's really "COLD tea"!

"Ice tea" aside, EVERYBODY is getting into the act with what happened to Trayvon. Dr. Drew did an entire show about Trayvon Martin AND for the first time in history, he did not go into his drug speech! Al Sharpton is now "popular" again and of course he plays the race card...and yeah, race had something to do with it-- but I hate to say race is not the only isssue. Of course, the hoody is also part of the problem-- since people associate the jacket with "gangsta culture" and paranoid white morons like George Zimmerman used the hoody as an excuse for his actions. People in general judge others in what they wear. There is a picture of Trayvon Martin floating around wearing a Hollister shirt, doesn't that make him a douchebag since douchebags supposedly wear Hollister and Abercrombie shirts? Judging goes beyond race, but don't tell some of these yahoos like Al Sharpton and Jane Velez Mitchell since they're hogging the spotlight by...that's right...JUDGING! Then again, George Zimmerman is also part of the rabble since he judged Trayvon Martin for "looking suspicious", But who am I to judge?

What I see is that even though this would never happen if Trayvon Martin was white, but aren't we jumping the gun? Yes, celebrities and those are in the public eye are taking part of this and wearing a hoody. But the media and general press are only delving into the obvious. Trayvon was Black, Zimmerman was raised white (his mother is a South American Indian); I get that. But I truly believe that what the problem is is that you had someone who should've have never got the authority to be in that field of work. I actually believe that those who do security should be selected more carefully if one is to carry out "the law in their own hands". And maybe we should not only dissect George Zimmerman but the current "Stand Your Ground" policy in Florida and similar laws in other states.

(Side 2: "Respect Mah Authoritah")


Nobody has put this in the spotlight other than the hoody, the bag of Skittles, and the bottle of "ice tea"; but no one touched the fact that Zimmerman is a "rent-a-cop". Now for those who don't know what a "rent-a-cop" is, these are usually the "Auxilirary Police Officers", "Neighborhood Watchmen", and Mall Security Guards (or "Mall Forest Rangers" as I call them). Zimmerman is a "Neighborhood Watchman" in the gated community that he lived in at surburban Florida. Zimmerman has been known by the press as "a wannabe cop". Even though it might sound hypocrital, but I generally judge some (not all) mall security guards and "auxilary police officers" as "wannabe cops" or "rent-a-cops". I had run ins with some of these people; and really, haven't we all?

 Last year, during a job, I was waiting for a client whom I was supposed to meet outside the nearby mall. I waited outside my car and a "Mall Forest Ranger" came up to me twice asking me a bunch of questions: "What are you doing out here?" "Are you and your friend gonna make a tour outside the mall?" Ranger Rick was circling the mall in his white SUV with the blue letters and the red lights on top of the vehicle. I went inside the mall and ended up playing "Marco Polo" with my cell phone with my client and his LME for 20 minutes rather than waiting outside thanks to "Ranger Rick"! I could've called this clown in to Mall Security but since I'll be dealing with more wannabe cops who dress like freaking forest rangers, I let it slide and make my rendezvous points less "suspicious". I understand he was doing his job (mainly for minimum wage) but so was I (for not much higher than minimum wage)!

I also remember in the small village I grew up in, there was an "Auxillary Police Officer" who guarded the town. The "Auxillary Police Officer" who I will call "Sam" was a guy who wore Police issue mirrored sunglasses and had a standard police issue mustache. He looked an awful alike the construction worker from The Village People (and I am TRULY not kidding about that)! Now I never really had an issue with "Sam", however the people I know had run ins with this guy and the description I recall from what some people said is pretty George Zimmerman-esque when I think about it! Some got along with "Sam" and some didn't. "Sam" had a few nicknames like "Tackleberry" from Police Academy and "Barney Fife" to describe his mannerisms. Again, I never had a run-in with "Sam" but even though it was the 80's and the Village People get-up was pretty common for that time, how well do I know about the people that are supposedly watching out in the community that I live in?

My take is this: there should be a major overhaul to companies and communities who handle personal security. These companies who do mall security and neighborhood/community watches need to skim the crud off the workforce and do away with the wannabes--those who think that watching "Dirty Harry" or "Paul Blart" is a prerequisite for simple security. I mean, all you're really doing is that if you see something wrong, REALLY wrong, you call the REAL police! If the REAL police or 911 says "do not pursue him, we will handle it", you do what THEY say because you are NOT a "real cop"! I truly think that these companies that handle security should be very prudent in who they hire! Haven't we learned from Black Water and Hallyburton in which the "wannabe cops" were in that case "wannabe soldiers"? I know that Federal and State funds are dried up but could there be a funded program from either the Federal or State government and fund training programs--in which a fee is paid by the job applicant or the company/town council they're about to work for--that can properly train these people to prevent another "Ranger Rick", "Sam", and George Zimmerman! I also believe that we need to take laws like Florida's "Stand Your Ground" act and be reviewed so the lawmakers can actually see where the actual line is within the sand of politics.

We all want to be safe, and we all want to have that protection whether we are out in the community like a mall or living in a community; gated or non-gated. But if my taxes are involved or the rent I pay is responsible for funding something that can benefit my security and well being, what am I really paying for? Really, what sacrifices are to be made for our safety and well being? A young outstanding Black teenager who was the star of his football team and was bound to go places in life is taken away so tragically short! Is Trayvon Martin the sacrificial lamb for what's bound to happen next? I hope George Zimmerman gets what's coming to him-- no doubt! But before we all wear hoodies and sing "We Shall Overcome" as we shake the bag of Skittles to keep in tune, we need to see the big picture. Race is part of the issue, I agree, but in reality this is an action of a random moron who hid his prejudice behind a plastic badge. The moral of the story is this...we should not give assholes like George Zimmerman any authority! In fact, if you can't understand or can't even spell the word "authority", don't even bother to undertake any responsiblity!

"The Big Insult Theory" & Other Nerd Stereotypes

I am a Nerd and I am proud. Twenty plus years ago, with the cultural mores of a mainstream society, I could not make that statement. I kept to myself in high school in college and pretty much today-- I pretty much kept out of the mainstream back then and kinda still now. But a wave came that geeky people like me rode on... we all rode on  that wave, Kurt Cobain, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Jon Stewart, Janeane Garafolo, all members of Weezer; nerds of all colors and genders rode that wave that crashed into the lonely island of popularity and social status.We were all on the outside looking in. We were those who never got invited to the party-- most of us never cared...SO WE MADE OUR OWN PARTY!

Nerd culture became the new thing and it is still now in a way. We got "nerdcore" as the geeks rapped about Boba Fett and "Freaks and Geeks" hit the airwaves for a brief season launching the careers of Geek gods and godesses that now infiltrate our movie theatres. But then in 2007, CBS launched a series that pretty much put a kibosh on the Nerd Renaissance and threw a curve into the wave... and that was "The Big Bang Theory"!

I ran into the show (trust me, not by choice) as my roomate (trust me, not by choice) watches the show religiously-- repeats, canned laughter and all. Because of the other wave known as the Great Recession hit me, I had to rent out a room and share my living space with a stranger. I am sure that others are in the same situ as me whether they are friends, strangers and even parents.Yet, other people have different lifestyles and tastes and sometimes even beliefs. When I moved in, my roomate seen me as a college educated person with an advanced degree and who is rather shy and keeps to himself. That is when my roomate seen "people like me" on "The Big Bang Theory". My roomate then asked me when I am going to start working at a college like the "Big Bang Theory" people do. I sat through a few episodes (again, not by choice) and I felt like I was back in high school again, but not in a good way. I never recieved any locker shoves, "swirlies", or the physical tribulations that "people like me" went though in high school and college. However, I had my share of verbal crap and the alienation "people like me" went through. Those who were throwing around the insults and various mockeries were the Reaganite rich white boy Frat jockstrap trash and their cheerleader girlfriends-- probably the same assholes who ended up as the writers and the production crew of "Big Bang"! My roomate was probably not part of either side of the Frat boy/Nerd fence-- but she never seen the shit I had to shovel.

I am a Nerd, and I am pretty damn proud of it. The only TRUE Nerds I embody are the ones on "Freaks & Geeks" and of course "Revenge Of The Nerds" (The first one of course, the sequels kinda sucked). I am by no means athletic, actually I'm into sports (okay, more stats than anything). I know my sci-fi and some comics. I am not into Role Playing Games ("RPG's" to us geeks), but when I occasionally have the opportunity to being involved in an RPG, I usually call it "foreplay". Yes, I actually get laid, but with actual women and not "robot" women...even though I could've SWORN there was a girl who thought she was a robot! But, I don't wear glasses, I don't have a pocket protector and I have the inkstains in my pockets to prove it! I consider myself a "trekker" (notice I did not say "trekkie", b/c "trekkie" is not the proper term!). I know some Star Wars, but I am not die hard like others, but I loved "Fanboys". I am more of a "hipster" than anything, I often delve into culture especially the obscure music of the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and old TV shows and movies of the same era. I do my thing, and I have come a long way from that shy geeky kids even though I am still prety shy and STILL incredibly geeky!

Personal BS aside, for those who haven't seen "The Big Bang Theory", it is a sitcom on CBS about these two Nerd roomates in LA named "Sheldon" and "Leonard" ( I am so friggin not kidding and it has nothing to do with the Andy Griffith show nor any 60's CBS sitcom produced by Sheldon Leonard!). "Leonard" is one of those typical TV lonely guy "Oh whoais me" archetypes playing a bespecacled sterotypical Nerd. And then there is "Sheldon" with his gut wrenching and gut turning portrayal of an Asperger-y drone who whines in a monotone pitch and knocks incessently on a door showing no emotion and continuously rambles the name of the recipient behind the door over and over again. Sheldon and Leonard are often joined by two other Nerds which are as about as stereotypical as nerds as they are as stereotypical as their respected nationalities. And then there is the typical "blonde next door" love interest of our leading Poindexter, Leonard. Throw in the bad jokes, the Nerds' obsession with sci-fi and role playing games, more bad jokes, the "expected" behavior of Nerds (particularly "Sheldon's" antisocial behavior), ethnic jokes, and your basic sit-com schtick and you have what I call "The Big Insult Theory"!

Negative portrayal of anyone is basically negative portrayal. I just think that "The Big Bang Theory" is to Nerds is what "Amos & Andy" was to Blacks 60 years earlier. Now I am trying to not play the race card, or in this case "the Nerd card". I can say Nerd is "the new Black", but so many groups can be in that coveted postion; besides, we all come a long way no matter who we are! I am sure if I was Italian, I would feel insulted by "The Jersey Shore" or if I was a Southerner, I would be a tad peeved by Larry The Cable Guy, or shows like "My Big Redneck Wedding". Let's face it, STEREOTYPES SUCK!

I know some of you are saying "But, golly Moses, Brendan! It's just a TV show. Why you have to be so friggin serious? Who peed in your cornflakes?" I am not saying I had a "rough life", I am not saying that I lived a charmed life. I pretty much suffer about as much as anyone else, Nerd or otherwise, but I had my fair share of victories. Like others against the grain who stand out in the eyes of the Status Quo, I held my own-- you can say I even kicked some ass along the way.  I am even not saying I am trying to be the Malcolm X of Nerds, let alone start a militant army of Nerds (and possibly call it "The Geek Panthers"); I am trying to show that you cannot judge a group of people by a TV show no matter what it is about or who it is about. Like all other TV shows, we should just enjoy them but we shouldn't convince each other that we "need" to watch that show, or at least try not to convince ourselves "live" the lifestyle of that show. I don't like the show, simply put--but it doesn't mean I drown kittens or burn down churches. But stop pressuring us, man! I don't believe in jumping through hoops just to please the status quo. I just believe that if people like me and the status quo can coexist, that we can only agree to disagree. But then again "can we just get along"?

So the solution is simple, Nerds and Nerdettes: let's all ignore the bullshit and do our own thing! Maybe the best solution to EVERYTHING is turning off our TV's and actually GO OUTSIDE AND DO SOMETHING! Me; I am recoving well from the Recession and I am looking for a new apartment (sans roomate) and actually when I do move in I promise to do two things, watch something I like on TV and not worry about the shows I don't like.This way, I can enjoy a TV show that I find even more "intellectually stimulating" than "The Big Bang Theory"...."THREE'S COMPANY!"

Parables, Pulpits, and Plebes

I live in the microcosm of America, figuratively and literally. In 2003, I moved from a state of cultural diversity in New York to a state of cultural identity in North Carolina. Within the last eight years, a cultural change happened throughout the country; a Black President, gay marriage laws being passed in some states, debate over woman's health based on cultural choice, and thus the culture wars began and now is in full blow! Where do we go from here?

Me, I would like to go somewhere and stick my fingers in my head and go "la la la la la la la" everytime I hear about all this "cultural" stuff. I would like to drink, party, and get laid (and I am STILL single, ladies!), but I would like to do more. I want to be in a place where I can see a world without the obligations that are tied to "culture" and the mores of a culturally obligated moral society...CHURCH! For those veterans who read my posts on Facebook and read my blogs on Blogger and Myspace, you know all too well I am a creature of irony. I bathe in irony like it is a luxurious bubble bath, splash it on like it is a 50 dollar cologne, and wear it like a well worn leather jacket like an educated, poetic Fonz! For added irony, I try to find my personal space in Catholicism since I live in the middle of Republican/Southern Baptist hell. I consider myself "punk rock" when it comes to religious and moral values. I actually see Jesus as an original Punk Rocker; but instead of a purple mohawk and a safetypin sticking out His earlobe, He still looks pretty radical with the Crown Of Thorns and he rocks the Stigmatas on His Hands like it was an Anarchy sign on each Palm!

I even hang with LGBT's and non-Christians (mainly Pagans) and some Thumpers have a problem with that. Now I'm sorry I use the term "Thumper" and I lost a couple of good friends on FB because of it. Yet, I'm sure the Thumpers call me a "dirty hippie", a "radical", or even a "Commie" but not upfront! However, I don't even know that I'm cool enough to deserve those monikers-- if anything, it would be AWESOME to be called a "hippie", or a "radical"! Therefore, I don't know why some of these Born Agains don't like being called "Born Agains", "Thumpers", or "Jesus Freaks"-- shouldn't having faith in Christ be a compliment as much as calling me a "hippie" would be a compliment to me? And back fo the flak with me hanging out with Gay people and Pagans; didn't Jesus hang out with Canaanites, who were also Pagans? Also, Jesus hung out with Lepers who were about as much as outcasts as the LGBT community of today; with the exception that Leprosy was not considered a disease in biblical days, but homosexuality at one point in history WAS! And there was the concept of "Pro-Choice" back in the Biblical days; I am sure that the Lepers "chose" not to wear red and green because it would clash with the blood and rotting flesh. The point is that I'm not trying to mock the Bible, I am just trying to get along... especially with the Thumpers (even though we tend to agree to disagree).

I am not trying to be Jesus nor I am trying to be the Patron Saint of Irony, I am only following Him because the Bible suggests it. And notice that I said the Bible "suggests" and not "the Bible TOLD me"? Even if I did the "books on tape" thing and I listened to the Bible per verbatim, the Bible DID NOT "tell" me! Back in college, I took as a "Bible As Literature" course-- I took it not only as a prerequisite class for graduation, but I was looking at the Bible to fit in my religious and spiritual searchings. I was in my early 20's and I was looking for "something" but mainly knowledge in the long run-- mainly as a 20 something trying to see what would happen some 20 years later as he would write something on the computer about religion. But from what my professor, my Atheist professor, was saying is that the Bible is a book of moral suggestions like The Odyssey and The Epic Of Gilgamesh (and later in my life A Course In Miracles). And that what it is and should be at least that's how I see it. And come to think of it, isn't morality a suggestion anyway? And that's the problem with Christianity; Jesus turned water into wine-- and the Thumpers turn Jesus into Pepsi-Cola!

I go to church to open my relationship with God; mainly because if the Thumpers are right and the world is going to end, I might as well go out in a blaze of glory! And I like the traditions of a Catholic Mass even though it might be trivial to some. I like the whole "Aerobics" aspect of the Catholic Mass; "sit, stand, kneel/sit,stand,kneel/sit,stand,kneel..." I guess a good day of atonement and prayer not only brings me closer to God but my pants fit much better! Between the "exercise" during mass and the caedence of prayers during Mass, I always feel like the Catholics are like the Marines of Christianity! I like church because it's my time away from the news and the political crap on TV. But as I am approching the time for Collection and Communion, there is a time for the "Lord, hear our prayer" portion of the Mass. This is which anyone of the congregation makes a specific request to pray for and it could be ANYTHING! And that's when the politics come in and my American dream of separation between Church and State. Now, sometimes it could be little stuff like praying for the needy and homeless, and at one time I remember when someone summoned for us to pray for the legalization of marijuana (then again, I was one of the few who actually said "Lord, hear our prayer"). But there's this one guy who always summons the prayer "...for the ban of ABORTION and other forms of child abuse". Sometimes, I mouth the words "Lord, hear our prayer" even though I truly believe it's against my principle-- not that I think that it's a woman's right to choose what she does to her body but for the fact all this is being mentioned in Church! And YES I believe that marijuana should be legalized (And LORD HEAR MY SIN!) but even the legalization of pot, for and against, should not be mentioned in church! It's not my duty as a Christian but as an American citizen-- besides isn't that the point why this country got started in the first place? I am tempted to come out and pray for the separation of Church and State if this joker asks us to pray for the ban of abortion. But then again, I'll just shut up and do my thing. Looks like Thumpers come in all religions, but I might as well live with it! Besides, this is the Church of St. Peter NOT MEL GIBSON!

"It's Complicated" is a gross understatement of my life in the past few years. So in the end, who am I? Am I really an "open" Christian, a "Christo-Pagan", an "Esoteric Christian", or a Liberal Catholic? All I can say is that I AM HERE! What God says, God says. I also am going to a weekly "Course In Miracles" workshop at a local libarary. In this workshop I am trying to coexist myself as a Liberal and a Christian as well as coexisting myself with coexistence between people like me, the Thumpers, and the simple quest for survival. As I said before, I hang out with Pagans (nothing against us Christians and other religions, but the Pagans know how to throw a party!). I spoke to my Pagan friend (Wiccan to be more concise) about my "Course Of Miracles" workshop. She asked me "what it's like". I pretty much said it is like a 12-step program but I don't know what these people in the library are recovering from. My friend said that the people in my workshop "...are all recovering from religion!" I guess this is why everybody ends "The Course In Miracles" workshop with the "Serenity Prayer"! In retrospect, I am trying to do the right thing and have my relationship with God. A relationship with God is like a relationship with a woman; if you call her "the next day" it's like going to church on a Sunday morning (then again, doesn't "the next day" ALWAYS fall on a Sunday morning anyways?). However, if you DON'T call that girl the next day, you'll end up blaming her first be later you end up blaming yourself for blowing the whole thing in the first place. If you don't go to church on a Sunday morning, you can't blame her or anyone else--NOT EVEN GOD, so you end up BLAMING YOURSELF anyway! And I am STILL SINGLE, ladies!


To conclude this blog, I added a song that coincides with what I wrote. The following is one of my favorite songs. The song goes into religion and the consequential circumstances that sometimes follows blind faith. The video itself pretty much sums everything up..enjoy! http://youtu.be/AzNzCiZwk28

I Owe It All To Tom Smothers

If you haven't noticed my Facebook page, I like to post a lot of edgy stuff on my wall. I write some things on my wall-- mainly for the sake of entertainment, predominantly humor. I like to do this because I think I'm a funny guy; some might not think that way-- but I know I'm funny looking, so that's a start. I also would put links on my wall-- kinda like the Brendan version of The Daily Show's "Moment Of Zen"; which I call "your thought for the night", before I sign off. Some find these pictures hysterical and some might find it offensive. I try to make EVERYONE happy-- but we don't live in a perfect world, do we?
I do other things on Facebook like my "polls". I generally would put two or three related things, could be food, movies, TV shows, or just plain "things", and that's a big hit. I have people on my Facebook page, including people who I haven't spoken to in years, long lost relatives, and even people I hardly know and get into it. I get some incredible responses and I love the energy I get from doing all this. I just broke the 300 barrier in my Facebook friends which is more than half from last year at 125 friends.
I realize that it's the stuff I do that reels people in, and I am very grateful that I have good people who are there when I log into Facebook and other interwebs. I am praying for that moment that I get a video recorder and do the You Tube thing (so you can see how funny I REALLY look). For now, I am still gaining a group of people on Facebook and I am still learning on what the people want.

The reason why I am writing this, or as my mother says "rambling on", is because I just watched an old doc about The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour. The program was centered on Tom Smothers and the writing team that build their success on controversy. Even though the 2010's are a far cry from the late 1960's, the same things remain-- war, politics, the economy, and general distrust over the "establishment". The rift between the public and the "suits" in control have always been there-- whether it was in 1968 or even now as we approach 2012.

The censors was the biggest enemy of the production for the Smothers Brothers. Even though censorship is not as a big deal as it was over 40 years ago, we tend to censor ourselves. When I put stuff on Facebook, I would ask myself "what would my Conservative friends think?", "how would the thumpers react if I post this or write that?". I am sure that many others feel the same way about what they do on the Internet. In my case, I live in North Carolina where things tend to be a little red state-ish around here. It's pretty much what Tom Smothers went through when him and his brother Dick worked for CBS in the 1960's. Although I have a little more elbow room in NC, there was no leeway in Tom Smothers' situation with CBS. Sketches were pulled off the air, musical guests were heavily edited, and Tom Smothers who was the overall producer of the show was always at blows with the top brass at CBS. "Having blows with the top brass", that sounds pretty familiar to most of us, doesn't it?
In this age of the Occupy Wall Street Protester, or even the "Occupy Anything Protester"; the establishment is something that we like to defy. It's pretty much no different from the hippies of the 1960's and the bad taste that remained in the mouths of those that had been prodded and teased by the Establishment.
Although we have a lot more in freedom of speech and we're so technically advanced nowadays, we are still angry. We're still on the outside looking in. We never got invited to the party, but instead of crashing we made our own. Vietnam is long gone, but it has been replaced by Iraq and Afganistan. The days of  LBJ and Nixon are gone as well, but the political chaos today is still ripe for picking. Like Tom Smothers before me, all these political things that surround us can be dealt with some good natured ribbing and a few laughs. Even though some guy's Facebook page has nothing to do with a 1960's comedy/variety show, the basis of entertainment remains.

In my time posting weird crap and writing my "rambling" blogs on the interwebs, I discovered an audience and I thank you for being that audience. If I make your day by asking you what your favorite movie is or posting a picture of a Santa dangling out of a reindeer's butt-- THANK YOU!  If people
don't like my stuff they can go to someone else that can entertain-- there's something for everone but one can never be something to everybody!