Grad Student of Cultural Rhetorics

Hip Hop Chicano and you dont stop

[victorjdh]

me as a kid: I will never smoke weed.

me now: turn the music down I can't see

[heathens-and-kings]

Hey kids, your favorite black barista here. So I am the only person of color employed at my specific shop (I live in suburbia and it’s a living hell), and today we had this as our trivia question (answer is B). I didn’t pick it, although almost every white person who came in assumed I did. I thought I’d share some of the gems I heard because of it:

Older White Man who always answers the trivia every single fucking day and has NEVER complained about the questions: Who the hell cares?? They’re all idiots anyway. I hate this question. White Co-Worker: Couldn’t agree more! Me: *horrified silence*

White Woman: Wow this is a tough one, I don’t think many people who come in here listen to rap music. Do I look like I listen to rap music? *laughs* Me: Well I’m pretty sure you don’t need a certain look to listen to music, just…ears. So yeah, you do! White Woman: Oh…sure…

12 different White Customers throughout my shift: Did you write this question?

White Woman #2: Why would you choose a question that only certain people would know? Me: *almost rolls my eyes into oblivion*

College-aged white guy: Hmm… *turns to black guy waiting in line behind him whom HE DOESN’T FUCKING KNOW* You got the answer to this right? *laughs* Black Guy: *gives me the “can u believe this fucking cracker” look* Me: *gives him the “I know brotha just pray to the lord for strength” look*

And much more. Y’all it was fucking wild to see white people so uncomfortable with something as simple as a trivia question that even hinted at blackness. We have questions about everything from fucking astrophysics to types of cheese but it was this one that was just “too much” or “outside their knowledge.” Soooo ridiculous and childish and…welp, racist.

[raggedick]

this is an important post

[skyliting]

5 seconds on Google will answer this, and the white people rather moan than look it up. And assume the only other black people in the room just mystically know.

[j-moriarty-blog]

the only surprising thing about this post is that snoop dogg’s name is calvin

[crissle]

the only surprising thing about this post is there are people who didn’t know the answer.

[unoppressedactivities]

white girls are having a crisis, y’all.

[victorjdh]

lmao!

[ithelpstodream]

[victorjdh]

Detroit and Juarez

Couple weeks back i made my first trip into Detroit, SW Detroit to be precise. Ever since I got to Michigan last August I couldn't help but draw parallels between the two border states that I have called my home. Of course bordering Canada and Mexico are extremely different but the cities on the southern borders felt very similar...Driving through seemingly empty/abandoned areas of Detroit felt eerily similar to Juarez even though I didn't know it at the time. Juarez was just like that at the height of the recent drug war. Whole blocks and guarded parking lots. Only thing missing was the Mexican Military on corners or converted trucks as caravans for soldiers. 

Of course further providing familiarity, I was in SW Detroit aka Mexicantown. Stopped to eat and parked at funeral home. I've done that many times in Juarez. More than that there was an energy of the people in SWD that reminded me Juarez. Spent the afternoon in Clarke park with the Raiz Up talking about Gentrification. I coulda been in Parque Borunda, especially after hitting up a panaderia for churros, roca, and empanadas. No mas faltavan los Borunda Dogs...SW to SW, Rio Bravo to Great Lakes

[victorjdh]

Cont.

still reading Ana Castillo

Pete Rock CL Smooth

~mecca and the soul brother~

[victorjdh]

Back to Reading

currently reading Ana Castillo's Peel My Love Like an Onion 

but also

Pac's Makaveli The 7 Day Theory

and Common's Be

the bass line on Life of an Outlaw

Toss It Up, probably one of the most interesting songs ever

"I'm not a killer but don't test me"

How deep "Me and My Girlfriend" is, you could write a (Diss)ertation on that

"It wouldn't be LA without mexicans, brown love and black pride in the sets again" 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Kanye and Common coulda been the next great Producer/Emcee group if they wanted

The Corner/Chi-City near perfect songs

2005 was the beginning of the end for the East Coast but the south and midwest were killing 

*********************************************************