Thursday, April 26, 2018

What I Love and Hate About Atlanta (Spoilers for Season 2)

"Too late. You wanna make it right, but now it's too late..." -Redbone, Childish Gambino

Yo, so after tonight's episode of  "Atlanta," I'm really tired of fangirling over it to only two people, and since I have a final tomorrow, I'm trying to procrastinate crying. There will be spoilers, and no this is not a typical blog post from me, but who's going to whoop my ass the way Tracy did Earn's this episode? (I was going to call myself a pacifist as a disclaimer that I'm not challenging anyone to a fight, but that word literally means someone doesn't believe in war, which I do, so now I don't have a name for myself and feel dumb for mislabeling all these years.)


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Now then, let's get started.

I love the fact that Earn is the main character (one of the three, but like he's the main-main), yet for once there's a character in a lead that isn't all "Yeah, I'm perfect and more developed than everyone else." Nope, they're all f*cked up, which is why I enjoy looking at their chemistry on-screen. There's just an astounding level of authenticity. Like we all know somebody strikingly similar to each of them. Speaking of effed up, let's talk about Van because the "Champagne Papi" episode is what officially wrote her off for me.

How the hell do you leave your high friend by herself at a party? I was so scared for what could've happened the entire goddamn time. Van is just so annoying. I'm looking forward to seeing the actress that plays her in Deadpool because I really want to see her as a character I possibly won't resent. At least we know she's doing her job because I don't think there's a way to make Van likable. For one thing, her and Earn both a little stupid, so we all know their child is going to be a little...

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She's just not going to be the brightest crayon in the box. She won't even be Crayolas. Straight Rosearts. Poor, poor creature.

Anyway Van is the biggest hypocrite on the show, and that's saying something. Sis always preaching about being a good example for Lotti, yet she doesn't accomplish anything in any episode. Every episode she's in becomes a random "People belittle the fact I'm more than Earn's baby mama" dialogue but she was too stupid to efficiently get some piss for her drug test. She expects Paper Boi, an entire drug dealer, to be a good example for her child, yet she can't even stop lurking on Earn's Snapchat long enough to be a decent friend or mother. 1+1=5? Sh*t don't add up. I was glad she Love and Ping-Ponged Earn so that they can officially stop pretending they work well together because they highkey just don't. (And why the f*ck did we just find out she's from Germany?)

Darius had my entire heart until he literally put his foot in some pasta he was cooking. That just...we're done. All in all, I love his consistency. Honestly, I love all the characters' consistency. They don't switch up, which I guess some people would equate to them not really growing, but I disagree. I really think they're going at a pace that's normal for most people.


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It also doesn't hurt that Lakeith is a snacc.

Now then, the most predictable thing about this season was the fact that Earn was going to get fired as Paper Boi's manager, and it happened. I knew it would happen. Anybody with eyes and ears knew it was going to happen. Earn thirsty-for-a-partial-come-up facea*ss does not know how to execute plans. He literally ran into decent money at least twice this season, yet the storage where he was living got repossessed. Homie decided to ball out because he was tired of being "shitted on," not realizing he would feel the exact same way episodes later when he had to hit that concrete because Paper Boi's apartment had an unexpected guest. This guest was Tracy. Tracy is the ultimate nigga of Niggadom. Like after you beat all the gym shorts, 2K, I-Smoke-Blacks-Daily niggas, you have to defeat Tracy as the final boss.

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He wore a durag to a job interview.

He's mad annoying. Like I know he's the type of person I would have so much anxiety around as well as relentless irritation, so I understood when Earn was like

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"pUlL oVeR, i WanNA bEaT dIs nIGga aSs."

I knew Earn wouldn't just necessarily whoop ass like talm 'bout, buuuuuut I was expecting at least one lick. I honestly like when Earn is mad. I feel like he's a Libra, and so they always try to have this fake insouciance and a nonchalant type of vibe. To see him kicking doors and pulling fire alarms and trying to fight was refreshing. Like, yes, get mad. I know you mad. Baby moms won't let you kick it, you homeless, you just got fired from a job you barely had to begin with; I know you mad.

Anyway, I still have work to do, so I'm going to go ahead and wrap this up. On a final note, I'm mad that PaperBoi thinks he can still maintain the same lifestyle while being Paper Boi. I like that about him though. He wants to remain authentic because he's making business personal and not understanding a brand is just that: a brand. I look forward to seeing his inevitable growth, though. After all, the show is really about him.

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Disclaimers: Yes, I know it's a scripted show, which is why I spoke about the characters, not the actual actors portraying them. I did not create and do not own any of the images. No copyright infringement is intended by the use of them.

Goodnight, y'all.




Tuesday, March 13, 2018

tOxiC BlAcK sOciAl nOrMs

"Why would I hop in some beef when I could just hop in the Porsche? You heard she gone do what from who? That's not a reliable source..." -Migos feat Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, Motorsport

I do not own any of the GIFs.

As promised, here are the main toxic social norms in the Black community. Let's go!

1. The Oldheads Always Come With Their...Negativity

It seems that the only thing elderly Black people enjoy doing more than checking their blood pressure (no tea, no shade) is throwing dirt on the younger generations. Now when I say elderly, I don't even necessarily mean people that are nursing home-bound. I'm speaking more of the people in their late forties, early-to-mid fifties. I was in the car with my boss the other day screaming every note of "Love on the Brain" for obvious reasons, and my mans really got hot. "All y'all do is steal!"


He then went on rant about how Rihanna's sound is super familiar to Prince and other artists before her time. I guess influence was supposed to expire or something? He went on to say his generation was "inventive." Okay. Me trying to be a different kind of Andrea, I've decided to try and figure out why the old folks are so...goddamn...bitter. If you are as clueless to the issue as I was, feel free to check out this insightful article that helped me put a few things into perspective.

https://melmagazine.com/why-gen-x-is-so-pissed-at-millennials-fdc1f2cc2e2c


2. We Associate Discipline With Abuse

-Trigger Warning With the Video Link-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3708682/Official-investigate-mom-livestreamed-daughters-beating.html

Whippings? Fine. Normal. I understand not every child is a "time-out" or "let's just talk about it" type of child, but around the time I was eleven, I started getting hit in my face and before that was being called out of my name. The same oldheads that gave birth to our parents are the same ones that believe abuse is okay and marvel in sharing tales of how if they had done the things my generation does, they'd have been "knocked on the floor" or in prison. (On a sidenote, I'm not passing judgment on the mother in the video. From what I recall about the mother-daughter duo, their relationship was fine after the incident and the daughter recognized where she was wrong in her own actions. I believe what happened sincerely came from a place of love, concern, and fear. In the mother's mind, it was better her daughter have some welts and bruises than a teenage pregnancy or an STD/STI.) Every situation is different, and I respect parents' intentions as I truly believe for the most part they do mean well. A good bit of parents, however, are abusive and are able to blend in with the parents that are just concerned about their children and drive it to extremes. The only way to know the difference is to stop condoning extreme measures of "discipline" that are interchangeable with abuse.

3. We Condone Physical Violence and Other Abuse in Our Romantic Lives

In all honesty, I passionately dislike Facebook just because prior to deleting a lot of people off of my page, I saw nonsense being shared so regularly such as images where women's faces would be beaten and there would be some b.s. story about how the woman cheated and her man came home and caught her. You've probably seen them. Along with the bogus, poorly written backstories come all the people (men and women alike) flooding the comments with approval. To top it off, there is a Twitter thread where an alarming number of men shared their own assault wounds that had come from scorned lovers. It goes on and on even to the extent where people brag on social media about destroying their significant other's personal belongings. Even I have an ex that I slapped on a couple of occasions (He gave me permission to when I was angry at him, but it was still wrong.). DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER!



4. We Shame Female Sexuality

We shame female sexuality! We shame female sexuality! We shame female sexuality! Black women are not allowed to have (and this is the disgusting part) consensual sexual relationships and enjoy them. From the time little Black girls are old enough to walk, however, they are being made to seem like seductresses instead of children. "She's going to be fast. Need to watch her. Put on some pants. Your brothers/uncles/cousins are here." Black women that are sexually active are shamed and labelled by Black men AND women alike regardless of their age, social status, etc. At the same time, men are expected to sleep around and even taunted if they don't.

5. The Black Community is High-key Still Homophobic AF

No matter how many Pride parades we have, gay marriages that ensue, or gay cousins no one talks about, Black people still just can't let go of homosexual slander. Black men especially have low tolerance for homosexual men and bash lesbianism (only if it's a stud or dyke since they picture having threesomes with fems-what a joke) constantly. Black families are quick to cut off gay family members but will allow shady ass Uncle Mike to babysit their children.

In conclusion, as a community we have a lot of growing to do. Thanks for reading. Be sure to comment, share, and have open discussions with one another!

SIKE! You thought I forgot?

6. BLACK PEOPLE THINK CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY RELIGION ON THE EARTH AND HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR OTHER RELIGIONS, DEISM, OR ATHEISM. BLACK PEOPLE JUSTIFY EVERYTHING WITH THE BIBLE, YET ARE TYPICALLY HYPOCRITICAL AND LIVING IN OBVIOUS SIN BUT JUSTIFY PASSING JUDGMENT ON OTHERS BY IT BEING THEIR "CHRISTIAN DUTY." WE HAVE TO STOP. 

*Clears throat* Thank you for reading and until next time...

Accolades

"But I don't wanna give up. Baby, I just want you to get up..." -H.E.R., Focus

Things I Used to Want Trophies For:

-Being "rebellious"
-Having hair that grows quickly
-Being a writer whether I was actually good or not
-Never covering up
-Being broke/humble...real humble

My first post of 2018 was supposed to be about toxic Black social norms, and believe me it's coming. At this very moment, though, there are more personal things on my spirit. Your girl has been...confused. Now I know what you're thinking. "Bitch, you always got some shit going." In all honesty, you're not wrong. This, however, is positive shit. I'm moving in a different direction. I'm so serious about this that I literally have been refraining from the use of social media (other than occasionally looking on Twitter to see what's going on in the world of hoodrat), I've been drinking more water, minimizing my intake of sugar, submitting my writing practically every other day, dancing with no draws on (Okay I've been doing that, but still.), and no one can reach me after 9:00 P.M. because your girl is tired of being a vampire.

My confusion has been more or less about what I really want from life. A secure income? Sure. A fruitful writing career? Most def! A college education? Sounds good; I'm pursuing one, but I do understand it's not the end of the world if I don't obtain it. I guess you can say I'm stuck between "Let's buckle down and get serious about every little thing. Time you're wasting is your own" and "YOLO." Somehow in the midst of my pre-midlife crisis, I've been happy as fuck. Been pinpointing all the ways I'm toxic to those that I love the most and have actually removed myself from them. Remove is harsh and really permanent sounding. I'll say I've distanced myself until I do a liiiiiittle more soul-searching.

More than anything, I want to say thanks to you! Whether you're new here or an old follower that's been wondering why the hell I've been so absent after months of consistency, whether you're a hater hoping I've been in jail again, or whether you're a friend just wondering if I'm straight, THANK YOU! Not a lot of people know what they mean to others, and I honestly don't think I want to know, but I will say it warms me to have consistent readers and supporters. That being said, what are some things you'd really like to see me explore on here? I'm trying to expand, y'all. Since I'm no longer as accessible on social media, feel free to send me an email.

yesitsdrea@gmail.com

Resources for Reaching YOUR Political Reps

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