After a weekend of Tony Robbins, Eldridge Cleaver, Frantz Fanon and King James' Bible, pardon me if I seem a bit eclectic. Now that I've gotten back into the swing of things, I feel the veil of antagonism does not suit me well. It seems that the perceived "anger" in my writings does my work a disservice, as it detracts from the message I try to convey.
I'm actually a happy-go-lucky type of guy (look, I'm smiling in my picture). No matter how good I say my day is going, my mailbox is full of responses asking me the source of my frustration. My reply is thus: As an African-American (no matter how paradoxical the pseudonym) I love America just as much as any other patriot, I just dislike some Americans (mainly the ones who fly Confederate Flags next to "The Star-Spangled Banner" with a bumper sticker that says "United We Stand"). Well, I really don't indulge them so, but I had to find a way to get that into this week's column.
In retrospect, I've discovered that it's easier to write about "being me" in Muncie, than try to educate the world on the African Diaspora (not to be confused in usage with cornucopia) or reparations. Of course, I "never picked cotton" as I've been reminded, so I have no justification for even raising the issue of reparations. I also don't benefit from years of free labor in a capitalist society either, but we don't want to go tic for tac, do we?
In order to start anew, I must first shed some bad habits. First, I'm going to stop calling my graduate degree "Massa of Science," no matter how fun it is to say. In the new millennium corporate knowledge factory, after hearing a faculty member say, "If I can get a Ph.D., anybody can get a Ph.D." brings new meaning to the phrase "piled higher and deeper." I'm going to give up on trying to start my own non-hazing Russian fraternal organization because other than being absurd in concept (Black Russians -- other than the drink), it's simply too irreverent to my African ancestors.
As far as writing goes, I guess I'll leave the terrorist updates and hysteria inducing commentary to the front page, as they tend to take that stuff more seriously than I do. I'm just as anxious to see this "war" end as anyone else mind you, but I'm comforted by the fact that the only top 10 list Muncie is on is Letterman's, and that's only during football season. I'm also going to leave the political analysis to my Democratic/Republican colleagues, as I find it to hard to tell the difference between the two as is and I don't want to tread on political minefield. (I'm a parsimonious liberal ambidextrous (left and right) Republicrat myself).
OK, enough of this "coonery (buffoonery)!" As nonsensical as this column has turned out, (not to be outdone by Ben Baker of course) I don't fear any backlash unless some desperate undergraduate is vying for some extra credit points.
Write to Anthony at neonegro@blackplanet.com
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