The Weekly Dream: The Land Of Make Believe
January 22, 2007
Question of the Week: How Can you use your imagination more?
As a child, I loved watching Mr. Rogers. My favorite part of the show is when he would go to the land of Make-Believe, with the hand puppets and all. It was a place where anything was possible. But it did not stop at Mr. Rogers; I spent much of my childhood in a fantasy world. Rather than watch television, I opted for books on fairy and folk tales from different cultures. I loved stories, to believe that anything was possible and nothing was too absurd.
But something strange happened. The older I got, the less I used my imagination. Until one day, I found myself exiled from the Land of Make Believe.
The Peter Pan Syndrome
The rise of the Information Age, Reality TV and All-Access technology has ruined our imagination. There is nothing that cannot be known about anything, at any moment of the day. Let’s face it, there is not much wonderment left in the modern world. What is even sadder is that no one seems to care.
I believe that this is because we have forgotten what an imagination is for. Furthermore, in this fast paced world there is no time for Make Believe. We have all been exiled to the Land of Grown-ups.
What is an imagination for? Well, to me it is to explore not only your creativity but also what is in your subconscious. For all of our knowledge, very little is known about the subconscious mind. But we do know this, it is always on, soaking up everything we are exposed to. Too often our subconscious is only active at night, in our dream state, but day dreaming and imagining can be a powerful way to approach problems if we bring it under the discipline of our conscious.
Free Your Mind
What happens is that your conscious mind is constantly laboring under constraints imposed upon it from the outside world. We are always jumping from what is possible to what is not possible and back again. As such, we tend to get boxed in. Using our imagination opens up a world of possibilities and offers fresh eyes to the situation. Spend more time imagining things, absurd things, silly things in order to shake the shackles from your mind. Give yourself a little mental release; because quite frankly, reality can get a little drab. Remember to dream big, if you remember to dream at all. However, as Rudyard Kipling said, “You must dream, but not make dreams your master.”
I don’t know about you, but I am and forever will be a dreamer. And who knows, maybe I can win my citizenship back to the land of Make-Believe.
Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas
Categories:
The Weekly Dream
Collective Action and The Talented Tenth
January 22, 2007
“I love black people, but I hate niggas”
-Chris Rock
Right now, I am watching the Colts receive the AFC Championship trophy. However, one of the major things the commentators kept bringing up was that this is the first time that two African-American coaches will be in the Super Bowl. Before they would bring up the games, the win, their intelligence as coaches-race was the primary focus, as this was a milestone for all African Americans. And it was. However, it got me to thinking: “Will African Americans ever stop being considered as a collective, homogenous group and is this necessarily a bad thing?” Just as we are quick to appropriate the good, what about the bad or less than spectacular aspects of our community?
I have long been of the opinion that there are two characters in African-American society, African-Americans and Niggers. And the gulf between the two is growing so wide that soon we will not be able to hide behind skin color anymore, and it will come down to economics, which is what race has been a red herring for all along. But I digress. African Americans are known to complain that niggers make the rest of the race look bad and are holding us back by their ignorance (read: Bill Cosby). And Niggers say that African Americans are too uppity, self-righteous and tame. As such, there is no small amount of animosity between these two sub-groups in African American society. And this concerns me deeply.
First, to answer my own question, I believe that African Americans will never stop being considered a homogenous group in America and as such, the actions of the few will forever reflect on the majority. We do not have the luxury of Caucasians, who do not concern themselves with hillbillies in the Appalachians. Unlike them, we have African-Americans and Niggers often sitting at the same table, in the same family. So, for those individuals who wish it would not happen, and think it should not occur anymore where we are viewed as a collective, do not hold your breath, it aint gonna happen (my thoughts as to why is another post in and of itself). We are so mixed together that we can hardly tell the difference between the two. We still unconsciously view ourselves as a collective.
However, here is a little insight that Bill Cosby and others of the Black intelligentsia might not understand. In fact, it is borderline heretical, as a member of the progressive African-American constituency: African-Americans need Niggers and Niggers need African-Americans. It is the yin and yang of racial politics. God creates duality for a purpose. In every African-American, there is a part of him willing to “burn this so and so down” if he feels like he is being disrespected, and it goes past being assertive. And it goes the other way also.
Now, here is the million dollar question: “How do we help each other as members of this collective ethnic group?”
I will not lie; I was supremely frustrated with certain aspects of the African American community. And my frustration culminated in a heated discussion with Garlin. At that point, I was ready to turn my back on the Niggers, and like Noah, focus on saving my own family from the impending doom and finality of the decimation of the middle-class and the haves v. have-nots. We knew all too well the threat of some segments of our ethnic community being a permanent underclass in America. And we could not understand why more people did not see it and why we seemed powerless to stop it.
Even in my own family, I could not understand how some of my family members chose not to follow my example. I tried in vain to encourage various cousins to go to school and consolidate the gains of my aunts and uncles so that we could make that power play to prosperity.
But on the other end, when I would speak with middle to upper class blacks and listened to their characterization of those perceived as Niggers, I was not satisfied either. It was a characterization that lacked compassion and understanding. Only then could I understand why we cannot come to the table and collaborate. Somewhere down the line, we received a distorted view of one another.
So, I pose the question, what is our place in this mess? How do we help our brothers and sisters who are characterized as Niggers and how can they help us, since they are here for a reason? I don’t have the answer. I have not even figured out how to get those who are not like myself to listen to me. But I do know that I have to check my self-righteousness, ego, and frustration at the door. I do know that I need them and they need me, and I will always go back to the ‘hood, whether they want me there or not. And no matter how high a barrier my education and professional achievement erects between us, I will be there. No matter how some of us glorify the Thug Life and our impoverished backgrounds as a badge of honor, and others of us who believe money entitles us to special treatment. We need each other. Why? Because at one point, in American society, we all were Niggers. Whether we like it or not, we have and probably always will be treated as a collective group in America. But only now, do we have the benefit to refer to ourselves as African Americans.
The Consigliere
P.S. For more commentary, go to this link.
Categories:
Black Issues
Senator Barack Obama is running for President!!!
January 16, 2007
Senator Barack Obama announced his intentions to file presidential exploratory committee and said he would talk announce more details on February 10th. This means that for all intents and purposes, the Senator will be running. I am excited about this campaign because if win or lose, we may be able to realize a paradigm shift for thinking about race, class, and opportunity. I hope that the ensuing debates over his running will spark substantive debate over his proposed policies.
And a note to my Black people:
1) Please don’t decide you like or dislike the Senator because of his identity
2) This is a critical time that we really start to collectively stamp out the crab bucket mentality
3) White people liking Senator Obama does not mean that he is a sell out
4) Read his books, study his voting record, go to his website, and be conscious of what sources are informing your opinion of him
5) Senator Obama is not the leader or spokesperson for all Black people and be critical of people that paint him in this light
6) Pray for the Senator and his family
7) Senator Obama will make mistakes. He is human and therefore fallible. Don’t hold him to unrealistic expectations
Categories:
Senator Barack Obama
politics
The SuperSpade Interview on Radio Nation with Dr. Laura Flanders
January 15, 2007
Family,
Here is the audio (1 min 51 sec, wav file) from my brief interview on Radio Nation with Dr. Laura Flanders this past Saturday night while I was in Memphis, TN at the Free Press National Conference on Media Reform. I used this time to describe what the mission and vision of The SuperSpade is to a broad audience.
This gathering was one of the most inspiring and energizing assemblies that I have ever attended. I will reflect more on the conference, who I met, and what I learned a bit later. The SuperSpade was very well received.
I am back in Seattle for all of one day before I go to Detroit for a few days this week.
Happy MLK Day everyone. Use this as a day of learning and not of laziness.
Categories:
SuperSpade
Speech
Radio Interview
The SuperSpade live on Air America Radio
January 13, 2007
Right now, resident SuperSpade Garlin, will be on Air America Radio at the National Conference on Media Reform. This show is being streamed live right now and you can listen right now at www.airamerica.com, then click on listen.
We will continue to reach out to the people and invite them to the family. And if at all possible, we will try to bring you a recording of Garlin’s segment. Good work G,
Categories:
Radio interview
Garlin
The Weekly Dream: One Day We’ll All Be Free
January 12, 2007
Not strong, only aggressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite, now who’s the nicest?
Not good, just Well-Behaved
Chasing after death so we can call ourselves brave
Still living like mental slaves
-Black Star, Thieves in the Night
“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph”
-Exodus 1:8
Question of the Week: Are you free and in what way? What are you willing to give to protect your freedom?
The Martin Luther King holiday is right around the corner. What does that really mean? For most people I know, the King holiday means a day to catch up on things around the house and an extra day off of work. For a while, my observance of the King Holiday was sacrificed at the altar of my own procrastination. At some point, I began to wonder whether the holiday had lost its significance, especially for people of my generation and younger.
Let Freedom Ring
The change for me came when I researched the history and heard accounts from my elders of what it was really like back then. When it became real to me as to how much Dr. King and others in that era had to give up just so we can exercise our basic human rights, I felt that at the very least, I could take a few hours out of my day to pay homage to one of the greatest leaders in American History.
But recently, Dr. King has come to represent something more to me, something I did not associate with him explicitly in all my years of hearing about Dr. King, and that was freedom. Freedom is defined as “the absence of hindrance, restraint, confinement, repression and subjection to an arbitrary power.”
Now, there are varying levels of freedom and different kinds of freedom. In society, we sacrifice some of our personal autonomy in order to reap the benefits that come with security. Dr. King and others heroes of that era cast away their own personal security by courageously speaking the truth about America and its “Animal Farm” notion of equality. However, speaking truth is insufficient; the truth must be seen in action to possess true freedom.
Looking at the state of race relations in America and the state of my own community, I often wonder if I am selfless enough to put my life on the line, give up time I could spend with my family and friends, in order to fight for the rights of others? That is the challenge and call to leadership. That is the challenge posed to us by the legacy of Dr. King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and others. As soon as you begin to live the truth, security goes out the window. You become a target. But if we do not protect the truth and freedom, who will?
Lest We Forget
In Exodus, the children of Israel were enslaved in the land of Egypt. Many years earlier, their ancestor Joseph saved the country from one of the worse famines in early recorded history. Joseph was a national hero and as a reward, pharaoh allowed Joseph’s people to live in the land. However, as time passed, it says that there was a pharaoh that did not know Joseph. He did not really forget, but the significance of what Joseph had done lost meaning as time passed. As a result, the pharaoh enslaved the same people who had saved his nation so many years earlier. And apparently, as the Israelites lived in slavery, they adopted a slave mentality, learning to love their chains instead of freedom. Thus, they had to go to the wilderness in order to learn to be free again.
What about us? Are we free? Or have we allowed ourselves to be enslaved by internal and external forces? The greatest crime is to forget the legacy of those who went before us and live our lives in a way that makes their sacrifices null and void.
To combat this, we can start by doing something to honor the legacy of the man with a dream.
Truth and Peace,
Steven M. DeVougas
Categories:
MLK
The Weekly Dream
In Bush’s speech, nothing changed but Iran
January 11, 2007
Originally, I was going to post a detailed analysis of Bush’s speech from last night but my analysis was in line with what most political and military experts described as, “More of the same.” However, one marked difference is Bush’s change of tone with respect to his stance toward Iran and Syria.
In a major speech concerning Iraq given in March of 2006, Bush said,
“Some of the most powerful IEDs we are seeing in Iraq today includes components that came from Iran. Our director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, told the Congress Tehran has been responsible for at least some of the increasing lethality of anti- coalition attacks by providing Shi’a militia with the capabilities to build improvised explosive devices in Iraq. Coalition forces have seized IEDs and components that were clearly produced in Iran. Such actions, along with Iran’s support for terrorism and its pursuit of nuclear weapons, are increasingly isolating Iran. And America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats.”
This excerpt is important in what was not said. Bush does not explain how his administration would help isolate Iran and more importantly, he makes no threat if Iran continues to support terrorism.
Now pay attention to the shift in tone in Bush’s speech on Iraq from last night, January 10th, 2007;
“Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.”
Here is how the logic breaks down,
1. We must succeed in Iraq
2. Succeeding in Iraq requires defending its territorial integrity
3. Iran and Syria are compromising Iraq’s territorial integrity
4. Therefore, we must seek out and destroy networks within Iran and Syria to defend Iraq’s territorial integrity
And not without irony, the same day as Bush’s speech, US forces stormed a building in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil and seized six people said to be Iranians, prompting a diplomatic incident. The building that was raided was an Iranian consulate. This may not seem like real news but I am convinced the United States will continue to push and probe Iran with similar incidents until Iran responds. And if Iran even coughs in response to any U.S. provocation (no matter how small), the neoconservatives will waste no time selling the Iranian response as an act of war and worthy of an overwhelming military counter attack.
These are sobering times we live in. My hunch is that this won’t be the last “surge” we will see deployed to the Iraqi region. What’s more scary is that I feel that our “surge” isn’t really intended for Iraq.
God please grant us wisdom and discernment.
Stay up fam,
Stay up fam,.
Categories:
Iran
Bush Administration
The SuperSpade at The National Conference for Media Reform
January 10, 2007
Happy New Year family. I pray that everyone had a blessed and safe holiday season and is refreshed and energized for a prosperous and positive new year.
My year is starting off excitingly, in part because I will be attending a conference this weekend hosted by freepress called The National Conference for Media Reform. You may remember me mentioning this before when I shared my essay on the importance of media reform.
While there, I will share with you all the experience and what I learn. I am looking forward to having a lot of fun and gaining a lot of knowledge. I may record & share some of the sessions, and, if I get some good ones, I’ll take & share pictures too.
Categories:
Media
The SuperSpade in the news…
January 8, 2007
What’s up fam!!! I wish everyone a Happy New Year and a year of growth and fulfillment. My year started off great as I was able to participate in a press conference with the Change America Now Campaign. The Change America Now Campaign is a national effort to pass the economic elements of the 100 hour plan as outlined by the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation would increase of the minimum wage, lift the prohibition on Medicare negotiating with pharmaceutical companies for lower prescription drug prices as part of the Part D prescription drug plan, cut the interest rate on student loans in half to make college more affordable and end tax breaks for big oil companies and invest new resources into alternative sources of energy.
I was asked to discuss the why Congress should cut the student loan interest rates in half. And for those of you who think legislation doesn’t touch you personally, cutting student loan interest rates in half would save the average college student $5,600. We must take the necessary steps to make college more affordable.
Now if I was smart like Garlin, I would have recorded my remarks. However, I was quoted in some newspapers and I wanted to share them with my Superspade family.
1.5.07 Groups Back Congressional Action read more
As the 110th Congress convened Thursday under Democratic control, a coalition of organizations said in Lansing they were calling on their members to help get passed an agenda that included an increase in the minimum wage and cuts in the interest rate charged for student loans.
1.5.07 Michigan Coalition Nudges Congress read more
A Michigan coalition has embraced the new congressional Democratic Party agenda to hike the minimum wage, reduce the cost of college loans and allow more competition in setting prescription drug prices. Michigan Citizen Action (MCA) wants all of that done in the first 100 hours of the new session in Washington.
1.5.07 Michigan Groups Push Bills in New Congress read more
The democratically controlled Congress should boost the federal minimum wage, reduce by 50 percent the interest on college student loans, and give the Medicaid system the authority to bargain with major drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.
Categories:
Higher Education
Politics
The Weekly Dream: Cruel Intentions
January 2, 2007
Question of the Week: What is your New Year’s Resolution?
Happy New Year! I hope everyone rung in 2007 safely. I, for one, am full of optimism and anticipation as to what the next 12 months will bring. As always, I began by writing my New Year’s Resolutions and asking others to share their own. And as always, I am surprised by the amount of people who still do not make New Year’s Resolutions. We all know the statistics, most people who make them have broken them by February. Does this mean that resolutions are pointless? Au contrare!
Resolutions Remixed
In truth, most people do not make resolutions, they make New Year’s Intentions. A resolution is a formal expression of will. Intent is more of a thought or sentiment. The difference? Deliberateness. Most people are not deliberate enough to birth intent into resolve. As Jesus said, “The Spirit is willing, but the Flesh is weak.” However, I am confident we can OVERCOME our human frailty and have what we DESIRE in 2007.
What Do You Know?
First thing’s first. We need a course of action in order to achieve our goals. However, what do you know about the process you need to get from Point A to Point B? As Jesus so eloquently stated, “Who undertakes a work without first counting the cost?” We need to look at ourselves and be honest with ourselves as what we are really willing to give. If you know you do not get out of bed before noon, then do not plan on early morning workouts. I love bread and pasta, so I know the Atkins diet is not in my future for 2007. You must shape the process to conform to your lifestyle constraints. There is no shame in baby steps.
Strategize
Next, we must take what we have learned about the process and put together a plan. This plan should be more definite, but it should possess some flexibility. For example, losing weight is not a resolution. A better way to state this is saying you will lose weight by drinking more water or not eating fast food. This is not a full plan, but you get the idea.
Make sure you write your plan complete with the reason why you are doing what you are doing. Capturing your motivation is key, so on those tough days, you can get back on track.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Also of the utmost importance, is to make sure you put your beautiful resolution in a visible place, so you can see it everyday. Do not let a day pass where you have not looked at it at least once, preferably at the beginning of the day. You must meditate on it day and night until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Furthermore, this will enable you to track your progress. If you are off track, then you know where you went wrong and how to get back on track. Monitor yourself, it is a constant feedback system in order to achieve your goals.
Lastly
This year is a fresh start, so treat it as such. Predictions simply serve as a baseline for planning. So do not be dismayed by getting off tracked. However, you make a grave error by not having a theme for the year. We must become more accountable for our time and other resources. Let us never again let another year pass and we do not know what we accomplished and what we learned. As always, I wish all of you truth, because it sets you free and peace, so that you are missing nothing.
If there is anyway we can help you, either through allowing you to share your resolutions and plan and, from time to time, your progress, feel free to do so. Studies show that goals are 90% more likely to be accomplished when you are accountable to someone else. So let us be your life coach ;).
Here’s to an excellent 2007!
Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas
Categories:
The Weekly Dream
