A million little lies?
I've been hearing stories about thesmokinggun.com's report on the false statements in the book "A million little pieces." I haven't read the book, but I have a largeer question: do we spend too much time lauding over people who are former criminals and create circumstances of their own doing and then reform themselves? What about the people who go the right path all of their lives? What do they get?
As a trilingual poet/mc who has never been arrested, I often ask my friends and family if I would get more exposure as an artist if I was a former drug dealer, sex offender, pimp or something. Would people then praise the fact that I went to some of the world's greatest schools and spend my life and time trying to motivate young people to respect one another and live in peace?
On a more important note, society is going in the opposite direction. I believe in prison reform (especially in the U.S.) and other programs designed to help those who may have gone done a particular path of negativity. At the same time, I also believe that we cannot brush to the side those young people who have lived on the straight and narrow all of their lives. They need attention. They need respect. They need to be lauded. Believe it or not, there are young people who believe they will become more popular once they go through the criminal justice system or even if they get shot. Call it the "50 Cent effect" if you like, but 50 Cent exploits the problem, he is not the cause of it. This is a systemic problem in a society that from its leadership on down condemns intellectualism.
This is the world according to "O". We must begin again to reward intellectualism and to not glorify violence and drugs. For you young people out there, don't glorify a life you don't live and don't try to gain notoriety by who you hurt. You are better than that. This is a movement that needs to be led from the bottom up, starting with the return of parents and community elders to their rightful authority role. I find it interesting that so many elders talk about the good old days when a community raised children but we are the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of this community and we hate eachother so we must examine where this disconnect occured and why. We have become too critical of each other. The old hate the young and vice versa. The buck stops when we talk and not point fingers. Changew will occur when we look in the mirror and reward righteousness and responsibility. Let's grow together! Peace.
As a trilingual poet/mc who has never been arrested, I often ask my friends and family if I would get more exposure as an artist if I was a former drug dealer, sex offender, pimp or something. Would people then praise the fact that I went to some of the world's greatest schools and spend my life and time trying to motivate young people to respect one another and live in peace?
On a more important note, society is going in the opposite direction. I believe in prison reform (especially in the U.S.) and other programs designed to help those who may have gone done a particular path of negativity. At the same time, I also believe that we cannot brush to the side those young people who have lived on the straight and narrow all of their lives. They need attention. They need respect. They need to be lauded. Believe it or not, there are young people who believe they will become more popular once they go through the criminal justice system or even if they get shot. Call it the "50 Cent effect" if you like, but 50 Cent exploits the problem, he is not the cause of it. This is a systemic problem in a society that from its leadership on down condemns intellectualism.
This is the world according to "O". We must begin again to reward intellectualism and to not glorify violence and drugs. For you young people out there, don't glorify a life you don't live and don't try to gain notoriety by who you hurt. You are better than that. This is a movement that needs to be led from the bottom up, starting with the return of parents and community elders to their rightful authority role. I find it interesting that so many elders talk about the good old days when a community raised children but we are the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of this community and we hate eachother so we must examine where this disconnect occured and why. We have become too critical of each other. The old hate the young and vice versa. The buck stops when we talk and not point fingers. Changew will occur when we look in the mirror and reward righteousness and responsibility. Let's grow together! Peace.
posted by Omekongo @ 10:42 PM
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