My Ode Of Loathe To The Hipsters

I fucking hate hipsters. Yes that's right I said it and I'm not taking it back. You do not own Brooklyn, Berkeley, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington DC or any other city. You come into the cities, the reverse of white flight and make everything kitschy and cute.

No the crack head on the corner isn't an allusion to Andy Warhol's take on the rapidly increasing urban culture in Manhattan in the 1960's- and what the hell does that mean anyways? Stop tossing around artists, and historians, and writers, and theorists as if the more you say with less words between them the more important you sound.

No the too tight, too short pants, and the overly dyed and then purposely distressed one of a kind designer label version of some vintage jeans from the 1960's are not cool. Neither are those ridiculously over-sized glasses you got from Urban Outfitters but scratched off the label so no one knows are not cool either. Or the plaid shirts, or hand me down looking print t-shirts that cost you a minimum of $30 and have your favorite witty phrase about drinking, politics, or sex. Nor is the forced awkwardness and humped shoulders and overly emotional nature.

They are a imitation of a reality that is a little too real for us working class folks of color because the real reality is that every one of US has a picture of ourselves or our parents with these exact outfits in the 60's, 70's and 80's because we lived what you're pretending to. The forced awkwardness was real. The print t-shirts left over from events long past, dad's flannel, and cousin's jeans were just that. Those glasses were the ones my mom had in her drawer but I had to change the prescription of the lenses because I was nearsighted and had an astigmatism before I could spell those words.

You can redo our classic Etta James, Nina Simone, Drifters, Supremes, Stylistics, Donnie Hathaway, and Billie Holiday all you want but all the lessons you take, all the albums you buy, and all the looks you imitate will not buy you what they all had- real soul based on real emotions because they were dealing with real shit. You think "Strange Fruit," is actually about fruit and "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," can somehow be paralleled to the the experiences you gained growing up in the suburbs trying to define your identity against your parent's definition of you.

NO. I will not stand for it anymore. You cannot appropriate pieces of our culture and our community and our history and separate it from our black identity as if somehow doo wop just created itself. You're image, you're new culture is simply a cheap imitation of what really existed, what we really experienced.

Next time you get off the train in my neighborhood and push gentrification a little farther with each one of your steps, new stoops, and new spots realize you're wack.

That's it.

Sole Vibe on MTV U

It's difficult for artist to make it in this world. I know this because my boyfriend is an artist. I have alot of friends who are in the music biz, just trying to get their lives together. I have a friend named Mario Dones, he is in a group called the Sole Vibe. There are like at least 10 of these dudes in this group, kinda like the Wu Tang Clan without Ol' Dirty Bastard... actually nothing like that. These dudes are talented as hell and super creative. From the CA to the VA and the PA all the way down to Memphis, Sole Vibe is coming to a television near you. They got picked up by mtvu, so without further ado... the Sole Vibes Keelay and Zaire

Check K'naan out

I think that between my and my friends, I am dope enough to give musical reccomendations, so here is my first. This dude K'naan is in here. A dope hip hoper from Africa. Check it out.

Spin

Where is my bailout

I am starting, well starting isn't a good word, I am neglected by the federal government. This morning the headline on the huffington post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/23/feds-consider-plan-to-res_n_145856.html was about the $306 billion Citi group bail out and it made me a little sick. It made me upset because right now I am sitting in my house, waiting for a per diem check, my cell phone is cut off because I am out of money, I have no food in my house and my loan providers are calling me off the hook. I am upset because, me, the little guy, the person who is in an unsurmountable amount of debt, the person who works really freaking hard for their measly paycheck is being harassed by the credit companies, but the people who screwed up get a bailout. If we all make mistakes, then why can't my mistakes be forgiven? I am not saying that the government owes me a dime, because they don't, but they could make it possible to bankrupt your private loans. They could ask the credit card companies and the private loan providers to lower their interest rates. I am actually really nervous about my future. Clearly, I am VERY progressive, but when does being progressive and working in nonprofit really have it's payoff. I think some people can judge or say your fucked up for working at a corporation or for shopping at walmart, but its also a privilege to be able to say, hey I make under 40,000 dollars a year AND I don't shop at walmart. I am frustrated. I am frustrated because I know I am a good person. Because instead of going and working at a bank, I choose to work at a nonprofit that would pay more if they could but they can't. It is really sad to me that dedicating your life to other peoples happiness and future can somehow lead to your financial demise. And that isn't to say that no one makes money in nonprofit, because that certainly is not true; however, comparatively, when the CEO's of these major companies are making 6 and 7 figure salaries and all I can look forward to and maybe attain is $100,000 and peace of mind ... ha thats uncomparable.

I am nervous because I might be broke for the rest of my life. Once I really start paying back these loans, once I try to buy a house and I am denied. Once I want a car and it has to be used. Is my future bleak because I wanted a career in a field I know I can't pay off my loans in? Am I going to suffer the rest of my life, because I have dedicated my life to helping others? I know there are people out there who are far worst off than me. People with law degrees who work at nonprofits, doctors who aren't paying back their 300,000 dollar loans. But it shouldn't be this way. Good people who do not have alot of money, alot of family wealth, who want to receive a decent education, who want to have a fulfilling life and work for a nonprofit shouldn't have to suffer. And banks like Citi bank shouldn't get my bailout money. I would rather that money go to a head start program for pre-kers or go to the Pell grant or a senior citizen home. I understand the logic in bailing out the banks, but it isn't fair. It isn't fair when there are people who are literally starving. It isn't fair when the price of everything goes up but my paycheck but the people who started the problems in the beginning get a bailout. I actually owe citi bank money. I have a private student loan through citi. I am sure that the interest rate is like 19% or something wild like that. And where as they are steadily getting 306 bil from the fed, I am still writing myself early perdiem checks to pay them off. Something about this doesn't seem right. Something about this doesn't seem fair. But I guess it doesn't matter. Because there is no logic is screwing people over. There are no hurt feelings in business.

Corporations are like herion dealers or cocaine pushers. They prey on peoples weaknesses. Of course most of us want nice things, and we want them because they tell us to want it through ad's and television. They tell us we will look like them if we get the product. So we do whatever it takes to get that product because we want to attain status and wealth. And we get the credit cards and we max out our loan values and we do whatever it takes, to achieve this preconceived wealth that somebody should have told us we can never achieve. And then we get it. The purse we've always wanted. Those shoes that fit so good. That suit that makes me look sharper than a mother fucker, that college education, you know you can't afford. And then, you owe them. For the rest of your life. You owe them because you wanted to be like them and now you'll suffer. And even though you already owe, youll buy MORE just to achieve this perception of wealth. Well I have stopped this nonsense. No more will I purchase things for the perception of wealth, because I don't want people to perceive me as wealthy until I am. I can't afford anything. Not even the principle on my student loans. Not even a loaf of bread. I am broke and there are people out there who are worst off than me.

But I'll tell you this much, I will get out of this, and so will alot of other people. But I hope these predators, these big business CEO's who get to fly to DC on their private jets to talk about how broke their companies are get a wake up call. The fed needs to stop bailing out big businesses who have preyed on people who just want to attain the American Dream and start reprioritizing the american people

spin

Single Ladies?

Folks, as a fat person, I try not to make fun of other fat people too much, but this is irresistible!
Spin

What's worse- Closeted Conservatives or Passive Agressive Nonsense?

At this point you've been introduced to both Carmen and I in one way or another. So now its just time to get into it.

I just got back from California this week- for business- and through the hectic logistics, car accident, and overall madness I learned a couple of things- well more of reiterated some things I already know.

So everyone is talking about the closeted conservatives of California- shocking. No not shocking, not at all. I mean come on the Terminator is our governor, some of the richest cities and counties are located in within our borders, the Conservative revolution of the 1960's started in our version of the deep south, and we create a new proposition for each election rather than addressing issues through passing positive legislative reform. We put out fires legislatively instead of focusing on the building real infrastructure to make sure we don't have large parts of the state being burnt in the real fires that need to be put out every year. We want medicinal marijuana and free range chicken, but health care, rights for undocumented students and workers are too much of a stretch. So yes California is the state of the closeted conservative. So next time we build a propositional campaign I say we make them the targeted audience instead of preaching to the choir.

Now I understand the closeted conservative, however what continues to perplex me is something that lies not on party lines- its more of an equal opportunity hate. There is no better way to describe it than calling it passive aggressive nonsense. For example...

When you hear "What's the problem?" or "Well- what do you think we should do?" and my favorite " I mean do what you want to" these are all signs that someone is being completely passive aggressive. I know you all know this but I realized over this week that my response to passive aggressive attempts at making points result in 1 of 2 things in me: 1) Looking dumbfounded and shocked and probably appearing to be borderline offensive and 2) Repeating what you have just said back from my perspective (I.e. You mean what do you think we should do?). See the common lesson learned here is- nonsense out will only get you nonsense in return. Don't be surprised when people respond to you this way or when you get slapped in the face I mean that's "What I thought I should do," to answer your question.

And really if we're going to go the nonsensical route why not just do it upfront and out loud. It'll save us all some time, decoding, and aggression. I mean save the aggression for the bedroom- alright?

Welcome to the Jungle.

I guess I will be the first to say, welcome to our blog. Jess and I are two crazy, 20 something ,BBW, Black women who are attempting to live the big city life, while working at progressive/politic non-profit organizations. We started this blog because we both have really wild life situations that we wanted to document, but we are also dangerously cool, have great friend, and we wanted to gloat on the fact that we like really good music and that we are sexy and amazing.

I am sure that if you become a regular follower of our blog, you will come to realize that we are both wild as hell, but we have good intentions. Jess lives in New York City. I, Carmen, live in DC and yet we still manage to have equally wild experiences. From taxi cab sexual harassment to old bitches fighting on the bus, you never know what a day in the life of one of us will bring. Please feel free to comment and add to our blog, because we are like a community bicycle, everyone can get a ride.

There is a little history behind our friendship that I feel is necessary to document for the sake of understanding our relationship. We met through this cult, eh eh, organization, the United States Student Association about 3 or 4 years ago... I mean who is counting... okay I am... 3 years and 9 months. I remember the first time I saw her, we were at a conference in DC. It was March and she had on a skirt with leg warmers, being that she was from California and I am from Pittsburgh, PA, I immediately judged her. I thought what the fuck is she wearing? But as the years went on, I came to except Jessica's unique style and soon learned to embrace the fact that Jessica does not look like any one else, ever, she has her own style which is important in a world where people are striving to look like everybody else. When she started working at USSA as a staffer and I was still a student, somehow she was sent to my school to be our vote organizer, which might I add was a mistake and a blessing. A mistake because, well it was tragic, but a blessing because we became best friends. Over time, I started working at USSA and Jess and I had the priviledge of being best friends who worked in the same office. Everyday, I thank God that our friendship was able to make it through USSA, I mean we had some rough spots, some girl fights, some fucked up back stabbing moments, but we made it. Sushi, purses, Rainbow, liquor, airplanes, cars, Go-Go clubs, PG Plaza Mall, Metro are all words to describe our time together in DC. Jess helped bring out my fun side and I am her voice of reason. We just work. Even though we are different in many ways. She is vanilla and I am chocolate. She likes mayonaise, I think she is disgusiting. It works.

Jess just moved to NYC, which I cried and bitched about for about 2 months and I am still crying and bitching about, but we still try to keep our friendship intact becuase it's important. And I think that is the lesson for this post. It is really important to have a good girl friend. I think alot of women can't have girlfriends because they are too busy stabbing each other in the back and no doubt, we had a period like that. But, I think that at the end of the day, everyone needs a girl friend that they love and trust, who will call them on their shit and tell them they look beautiful. Jess calls it a sister girlfriend. I just call it a best friend. So cheers to Jess and to me, for sticking through it and welcome to our world.

It's fucked up, but at least it's comical.

Love, Peace and Hair Grease,
Spin D