There should always be room for humor in hip hop. It’s nice change of pace from either the obsessively socially aware, excessively violent, embarrassingly ignorant, and impressively lyrical music that fills the very diverse genre that we call hip hop.
Call it want you will, I like Humorcore, but it’s no different than much of the music that came from the likes of the Bestie Boys and Biz Markie back in the day.
Last night I walked into a CVS in Olney, Maryland. A tiny little town that recently adorns a much more diverse racial make up that it has in previous years. Today, almost 11% of Olney’s population is black, like your truly.
I marched into this store swiftly as I hate to dawdle while shopping, grabbed my blank thank you cards and marched just as swiftly to the self checkout. When a woman, maybe in her late 40′s turns to me and asks “oh, can you help me.” I reply “yes”, and walk her way. Assuming the bags are either too heavy or she’s having trouble with the machine. But no, she wanted me to fix her transaction. She forgot to swipe her bonus card. So I told her ‘Oh, sorry. I don’t work here.” with a smile of course. I take a few steps back and continue to wait in line, when a younger woman injects completely unsolicited “It’s the shirt.”
I thought, “really?” I looked around, and then noticed what I had failed to see upon entering into the store. Every patron at least in my plane of view was white, including these two women. Every employee at the front of the store… was black (and female if you want the specifics). I then noticed something else, all employees where wearing dark blue shirts. While I was a wearing a rather vibrant red shirt. So, how was it the shirt?
I thought it was weird, but went ahead and paid for my cards and walked out of the store before I digested what I had observed. Upon reaching the car I wondered…
… and if so, what was more racist? The older woman assuming I was an employee or the younger woman feeling the need to explain away the elder woman’s assumption?
What do you think?
I spent Easter Sunday, playing with JavaScript and watching movies. When the family returned from church we headed to my mother in law’s to have Easter dinner and a few drinks. No more than 5 minutes into the drive my 5 year old asks “Dad, why don’t you like Church?”.
Obviously when asked, the misses bombed. So I fixed his understanding. I replied simply “Daddy went to church A LOT as a kid, and I mean A LOT. Now, daddy just needs a break. I’ll go back… when I’m ready to.”
My son, in his infinite wisdom continues “Oh ok. It’s like us, we used to go to McDonalds and now we’re taking a break. At school, I played Transformers a lot but took a break and now we play Power Rangers!”
Exactly son. Exactly.
The wife asks “Why are you always moving things around down there?” and my reply was:
Imagine, three guys in a small elevator, blind folded and trying to get comfortable.
Yep ladies, that’s what goes on in men’s pants. Just thought you’d like to know.
When it comes to ideas and principles, it’s easier for me to stand alone than with others. The hive mentality of the human race is a dangerous thing.