Society: March 2007 Archives

Facts. They are a show stopper! Ignorance mixed with a touch of condescension and a complete lack of self-knowledge make for a very strong common pattern among these so-called conservatives: they come off like sophomoric fools. The recent interview by Jon Stewart of John Bolton on a recent episode of The Daily Show is a grand example of this common pattern. Bolton's comment, "[Officials in the administration] should be judged on their performance," is particularly poignant. By that standard alone, Bush's presidency is a near-complete failure. (To those who think that the lack of a major terrorist attack in the US is proof of competence, I have one word: Katrina.)

Bolton interview (about 9 minutes):

And the recap setting the record straight (about 5 minutes):

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was asked recently what I thought was the state of hip-hop today. I felt inspired:

Hip-hop is an art form that in classic African style, unites the word and the drum. It lives on in the hearts and minds of the true heads. You, me, that white girl with the nipple rings that knows every word spit by Talib Kweli, that Korean cat in Seoul who memorized every one of Rakim's joints. It is alive and well and forms the nucleus of an entire urban culture to which you and I take part. Rhymes, skills, things of that nature...

Now that segment of the music industry (as opposed to art) often misnamed "hip-hop" and confused with the art form is a pimp game with large corporations as the pimps, "artists" as the whores ("This is Why I'm Hot"), and the music buying public as the johns. It too is alive and well and with some hubris purports to BE the former. Don't get it twisted...

Make your next move, your best move. ;-)