Will the Real Black Men Please Stand Up

This is why Barack Obama is the first African American male public figure to come along in my lifetime that I can actually say I look up to:

He just hit what being a real man is all about. You're not a man if you don't take care of your children. And like he said it's time for the black community to stop making excuses. Children who grow up with out a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, 9 times more likely to drop out of school, and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. And our community has fifty percent of our children growing up without a father. No wonder we have the problems we have. It's time for our men to stand up and start acting like men.

As someone that grew up with out a father for the majority of my childhood, I understand how difficult it is to succeed when put in that situation. Like Barack, I was lucky enough to also have my grandmother and my great-grandmother around covering the areas that my young mother couldn't. But not all black children in single parent homes are as lucky as I was. 

My man Taalam Acey also spoke on how there is no justification for not taking care of your child:

Like Barack, although the experience growing up without a father in my life was difficult, it definitely made me stronger. I've beat the odds. I already have a college degree and I'm working on my law degree. But just like Barack, no matter what I accomplish in life, my number one goal in life is to be a great father to my children. I just don't see how that couldn't be a priority for any real man.

A Little Tribute to George Carlin

Stuff White People Like

Two weeks ago, my new lady friend sends me this link to a blog called Stuff White People Like. But of course attached to the link was a note stating: “this blog is all about you”. Really? Only one problem there…I’M NOT WHITE! I’ll dive more into that at a later date. Anyhow, after clicking on the site, I started to die of laughter. A lot of it was very, very true stuff. Only thing was that it was not so much about white people, and more about white yuppie liberal types, or just yuppie liberal types of all races.

I can admit that I do like a lot of the stuff that they post about. I like good healthy food, recycling, bikes, hybrids, the NY times, and expensive sandwiches. I also aspire to live by the beach and have multi-lingual children. However, that doesn’t make me white. It makes me an educated yuppie liberal type. Believe me, I know plenty of white people that don’t like any of those things (see: Red Staters that voted for Dubbyah).

I think the thing that distinguishes me from most of these individuals is that I come from and can relate to people from all backgrounds. Most of the yuppies that the blog seeks to make fun of totally lack perspective. A good majority of them are white and come from middle class and higher socio-economic backgrounds. Nate Jones on the other hand grew up in a poor single-parent black family in mid-city Los Angeles, and only grew to know the yuppie life style after getting the chance to go to school in Beverly Hills. No doubt, I love that lifestyle. But the connections I have to my family and my roots as well as my will to make it so that more people that come from similar backgrounds as mine will have an opportunity to go to college and graduates school like I have distinguishes me completely from those many of my yuppie brethren. For me it’s all about choices. I never want to be the person that does things just because everyone else is doing it. I don’t want to something because that is what black people do or because that is what yuppie educated types do. I want to do things because I truly enjoy doing them. Yeah I listen to pretentious indie rock by acts such as Andrew Bird, Beirut, and Sufjan Stevens, but late 80s early 90s New Jack Swing and late 70s, early 80s stirs my soul like no other. Balance and diversity is what I’m all about. I grew up in Los Angeles, and am a reflection of the diversity of the city. That includes the yuppies that think MCafe and Joan’s on Third are the greatest places on the planet. If you wanna make fun of me for that, go ahead, because I wear my yuppie badge with pride.

Side Note #1: If the authors of Stuff White People Like were smart they’d already have a book deal. Seriously, the blog has only been active since the first of the year, yet it already has 7 million hits. If there is one thing, yuppie white people love to do, it’s make fun of themselves. They should package the first 100 posts in a book and sell it at places yuppie white people love to hang out such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, American Apparel, and Urban Outfitters. It will be the new funny gift that yuppies get all of their friends.

Side Note #2: Lots of the yuppie aspects of my life have been put on hiatus recently, as I’m a poor law student these days (and unlike most yuppies and many of my classmates, I don’t have Mommy and Daddy supporting me…shit I don’t even know my daddy). Not having money these days has forced me to give up a lot of things. The only real aspect I’ve been able to keep is the good food. I don’t go out to eat, but I do buy good quality food and drinks. For me it’s a health choice. I can’t perform if at peak levels if I’m not putting good things in my body.

Side Note #3: Someone started Stuff Black People Like. It's not as funny and not nearly as creative as the white folk blog, but I still subscribe to the RSS feed. Here's a suggestion for a post on that blog: matching from head to toe. Like John Witherspoon's character in Boomerang said: "You gotta cooooordindate!"

I'm Back for 2008

It’s been a long while since I've posted anything here on this blog. When I first started this blog, I meant it to become so much more than it has to date. I planned to put the heart and soul into it that I once (and still occasionally) put into JONES ON THE NBA. However, the last year or so of my life became all about process of getting accepted to a good law school. Mission accomplished in that regard (I’m at UCLA, if you haven’t heard), but there was also something called the first semester of my 1L year that I kind of sort of had to dedicate most of my time to from late August until around Winter solstice (or what the powers that be has now layered over as Christmas).

As well, during that time, my one and half year relationship with a wonderful young lady came to a close. After the initial bitterness and complication that comes with ending a relationship that two people were fully entrenched in, I was able to get my stuff together and finish up strong during finals (I might have to edit this after I get my grades back).

During my winter break I had planned to travel to South America with said young lady, but wisely decided otherwise. Although I did want to be in South America with someone I care deeply for, it was time for me to be the one to stand up and say “This is over right? So what the hell are we doing trying to go to South America together and complicate things more for?”

I’ve basically spent the entire my break trying to recuperate and get refocused on myself and my goals. I’ve spent my days playing basketball, strumming my guitar, hiking in Leo Carrillo, stuffing myself to the gills with Holiday food and cuisine from some of my favorite restaurants, reading a great Roberto Bolano book of short stories that a new friend gave me, getting reacquainted with friends that I’ve outright ignored over the last year or so, catching the Lakers short-short parade live and in person, seeing a couple of really outstanding films, listening to all sorts of great music, checking out the Dali’ exhibit at LACMA, and meeting a few lovely young ladies. I’ve also spent a good amount of time thinking about what I wanted to do more of in 2008. One of those things is to get back to writing. I love writing, but have not dedicated nearly enough time to it. As part of my goal to write more, I’m going to force myself to get a post up over here at least once a week. It’s a promise. Stay tuned for more. Happy New Year!

Victor Marsh on Tavis Smiley's Young Voices Blog

Check out my cousin Victor Marsh on Tavis Smiley's Young Voices Blog. He's one of three young academics posting there that definitely have a lot to say. Anyhow, check him out and be sure to add the blog to your favorites. He's currently a Masters Canidate at the Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Policy. Basically the kid is a superstar!

NY Times: Lawyers Debate Why Blacks Lag at Major Firms

Here's an interesting article that reviews a debate overy why black attorney's don't advance at major law firms. Please take a look at it when you have a chance, for it's well worth the read.

Etan Thomas: A Brilliant Man

I was going to title this post "Etan Thomas: A Brilliant NBA Player", but that would just be a slap in the face to him. Etan is more than a brilliant NBA player. He's a brilliant individual that could hold his own amongst various groups of people. I invite you all to check out his first post at SLAM Magazine online. It attacks the issue of stereotypes head on. Which for this balanced negro is the only way that we should attack such an issue.

I remember seeing Etan in person for the first time at the UCLA mens gym years ago. He and Jamal Magloire were working out with a personal trainer preparing themselves for the NBA draft. Little did I know that I'd one day be admiring him for his intellectual attributes. Maybe I had a little bit of the stereotype bug myself back then.

Anyhow, please take a look when you have a chance.

NY Times: What It Takes to Make a Student

New York Times columnist Paul Tough composed an excellent article in today's paper that outlines reasons behind the educational gap in this country and the methods that should be employed to close such gaps. As you all know, education reform is something that I am a firm believer in. I think that the disparity in the quality of education one receives is the single most important reason children born to poor families will most likely grow up to be poor themselves. Anyhow, take a look at it and tell me what you think...

White Men Should Not Dance

As always, it's all about the Benjamins

From Wikipedia's entry on the history of African slave trade:

"At the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban South Africa, African nations demanded a clear apology for the slavery from the former slave-trading countries. Some EU nations were ready to express an apology, but the opposition, mainly from the United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States blocked attempts to do so. A fear of monetary compensation was one of the reasons for the opposition."