Rape Used As A Cure?

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE52C3MN20090313

I honestly don't even know what to say about this news. Ignorance, intolerance, and the need to feel powerful and in control has been the catalyst for all the hatred, violence, and discrimination in our world. Those who lack something inside of them, at their core, feel the need to compensate by attempting to control the actions of someone else. It's just sad...and I really don't know what else to say.

CHRihanna

It's hard to find a news source that isn't talking about Chris Brown's assault on Rihanna, and with new details leaking everyday day (it seems) the coverage will no doubt continue to dominate our air waves.

What causes a woman, and in some cases men, to live with the abuse of someone they think they love and that they love back? My guess would be: emotional and financial dependence, poor self esteem and minimal value of self worth. It would appear that Rihanna has everything, but there has to be a void that has allowed her to let her boyfriend control her, and that IS what she has done. It is impossible to control the actions of someone else, but we can choose how we deal with circumstances and situations that arise, right? While listening to The Steve Harvey Morning Show today, I listened to Angel Burt-Murray discuss the many angles, perspectives, and opinions her magazine, Essence, has received about what I heard DeDe McGuire dub, CHRihanna Gate. During the conversation, Mrs. Burt-Murray spoke about violence in teen relationships increasing, and how 80% of abused women return to their abuser. Now, I knew this was a prevalent issue and a taboo, but 80%? That stat struck me to the core. I mean, just imagine the lasting effects that could have on someone, on the children who may witness such violence...look at Chris Brown. He has publicly spoken about the abuse he saw his mother be subject to, and Knew it was wrong, but now here he is.

Now, because this unfortunate incident took place with celebrities at the forefront, there has been widespread attention and countless opinions given about what the parties involved should and/or shouldn't do, but this also gives way to the discussion of a very serious and potentially deadly problem. What Rihanna decides to do with her life regarding her relationship with Chris Brown will no doubt have it's ramifications to her life and career, but what about her young fans. Especially those who may be experiencing similar circumstances, what message does it send?

I hope for her sake, and for the subsequent implications it will have on her young fans, that she is able to obtain the help, strength, and guidance she needs to leave Chris Brown and move on with her life. Then I hope she'll take it a step further and let women know that a man who hits you, chokes you, bites you, smashes your head against a window, and tells you that he is going to kill you, as Chris Brown did to her (among other things) doesn't deserve the least bit of the love you have to offer. However, if she is unable to leave, she could face the similar fate of countess women who are no longer here because the did not leave or those who snapped and are now incarcerated.

As Oprah Winfrey recently stated, as too many women can attest to, if a man hits you once he Will hit you again. According to a statement given to police, this wasn't the first time that Chris Brown had been violent with Rihanna and it's even more sad that this wasn't the first time that she went back.

Talk to the kids in your life. And, I don't want to hear that she provoked him and somhow deserved what she got. I read the reports that she slapped him first or pushed him, but did she send him to the hospital? No. It is never right for a male to strike a female, regardless of age or status. Someone told me about a relative of theirs being assaulted by his girlfriend. He was stabbed in his back while trying to leave. Many would say that he would have been more than justified if he had opted to smack the hell out of her, but he didn't. He left, called police, and moved on with his life. Being a real man or woman is about having control of your actions and being responsible for them.

You can check out http://www.ndvh.org/ for more information about domestic violence, including seeking help. You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

The BIG Leagues

In life, I've often seen how people make poor decisions, and carry them out with confidence and enthusiasm. It isn't until they get caught or someone gets hurt that they feel sorry and want to shift blame, among other things....I will proclaim that I'm not a baseball fan, I usually only watch the world series, but I don't like how the powers that be have handled the situation.

So, why is it that the commissioner wants to pretend as though he, along with management, doesn't deserve blame for the steroids era? I mean, wasn't MLB dwindling until Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa started launching home runs? Now those in charge seem to be obsessed with punishing and embarrassing the players who "cheated". Recently, the commissioner even thought about suspending A-Rod. For what? The now banned substances weren't being tested for during that time.

Most of the major names from the pre-testing steroids era, ie. Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, among others were power hitters, but since they've begun testing the overwhelming majority of those who tested positive are pitchers. This tells me, or at least makes it reasonable to assume, that the majority of the users were pitchers...so if the pitchers were "juiced" and the hitters were "juiced" they were on a level playing field - sort of. Also, why is it that current players who test positive for banned substances aren't put on blast at the same level as those who "cheated" before they tested? Yes, I know superstar status has a lot to do with it, but you get the point.

The solution? Just slap an * in the record books and get over it. At least they are testing for enhancers now, which is a step in a positive direction. In life when people make mistakes, what do we do? We acknowledge the mistake, seek help, make a correction, and move on - MLB should do the same.

...Robbie Tolan Dec. 31, 2008

Where was Rev. AL Sharpton when this happened? I maintain, he doesn't generate the media buzz (the majority of the time), he follows it.... If the mass media isn't talking about it, it seems as though he doesn't care.

This was a classic case of racial profiling, and it takes place everyday. A serious problem for a lot of minorities. While most instances do not end in this manner, it is still a major problem that should be discussed and explored.

I took the Implicit Association Test, or I.A.T. (select "I wish to proceed" then select the Race IAT..follow instructions from there), a while ago, and I was somewhat amazed by the results because it showed that I viewed African Americans in a negative light. My first thought was, "Why?". Once I thought about it, it was clear that media depictions had helped to form my views...against my own race. Think about it. In music, movies, TV, the news, etc. African Americans tend to get a bad wrap. Yes, I know that there are examples in these formats of African Americans doing well, but I think that the negative dominates the characterization. I also know that this is not necessarily a racist stance, because America loves violence and drama, and it may be due the fact that there are so relatively few of us in the U.S. Nevertheless, it's not right. There were people who feared for their lives because Obama sought and ultimately won the presidency. It was because the images of people of color had not been positive, and they apparently never met any that dispelled what they saw and heard from new sources and entertainment.

I was prompted to write this after speaking to a friend and learning of the piece done on Real Sports (Clip 1, Clip 2), and wanted to speak on it. I hope people will make the term "open-minded" a verb instead of just an adjective. And you know what I mean....(People like Bill O'Reilly who claim to be open-minded, but yet are surprised when they see black people in a restaurant using utensils and speaking and acting like people and not animals...) Being open-minded is about accepting & respecting people for who they are and not judging them based on what they look like or how they're dressed.

Zoning The Political Landscape

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/09/high-court-decides-against-expanding-minority-voter-rights/

This isn't the first I've heard about states redrawing the lines, and as a result change the voting dynamics of certain districts to be more favorable to Republican candidates. Is this intentional voter disenfranchisement or not?

Reaction To Obama's Budget...

Okay, this will be brief...
Why are people still going crazy about the proposed budget? If the government would have been taking action on energy, education, health care, etc. we wouldn't need this much money to fix the problems. I get sooo tired of people who remained passive in the past all of a sudden deciding to get pissed off and block someone's attempt to actually try do something (& that's to Democrats & Republicans alike). The only reason the price tag is so high is because our elected officials were so lax in doing the right things for America and too busy lining their pockets.

When will we reach a point where we take time to THINK about problems, and work together to bring about solutions. Regardless of political ideology, I feel that on most issues (non-moral issues) there is common ground that solutions could be generated and implemented.

The Invisible Controversy

I know that I'm late commenting about this, but I had to talk about the NY Post cartoon (people are still talking about it).

I saw Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC and immediately changed the channel. I am one of those post racial kids who have no interest in Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. I am an African American woman, so I know that discrimination & racism are alive and well in America, and I've experienced them myself, but this isn't what my blog is about.

The only way I can describe it is to say that when you have spent the majority of your life seeking and bringing light injustices and unlawful act against minorities, you kinda start looking for them everywhere, even if you don't mean to. Al Sharpton saw the cartoon and immediately said, "that's Barack Obama!". I stared at that cartoon for at least 2-3 minutes and saw nothing racist about it. Maybe because I know that congress writes legislation and there was nothing else to suggest that the dead chimp was a depiction of our current president. Once word spread about Mr. Sharpton's displeasure, protests broke out and it seemed that everybody was pissed off, it was like mass hysteria or something. People were mad because someone told them they should be mad.

Needless to say it irritated me. I was disappointed with the reaction and the hype the situation received. Black people tend to be reactive as opposed to being proactive. No one stopped to ask the question, "Why did they think it was okay to print this? They should have known that it could be interpreted in a negative way." It was because there wasn't a person of color contributing to the decision to print the cartoon. An older African American or at least someone aware of our recent history would have said, "I'm not sure about this. I see your point, but this could be viewed negatively. Let's try something else." I get tired of people seeking to be the victim all the time. Instead of reacting to why something happened, think about what could have been done to bring about a different outcome.

Now, I'm not bashing anyone, because Al Sharpton and others from his generation, of all races, have done a lot to bring American to where it is now, but they have to learn to change and adjust in order to be more effective. Being angry and demanding apologies isn't going to change anything or help anyone. There was nothing wrong with the cartoon, I got the point.

Intro

I'm glad I finally started a blog. I always have something to say about everything, and now I have a place to say it! I also enjoy hearing other perspectives and I look forward to the comments and criticisms.

I Hope You Enjoy TheStr8Up truth about what I feel, how I think, and what I have to say!