My Truth about The A

When I was asked:

I would like to know a little something about the ATL. How is life in the ATL?

My response in commentary:

Atlanta Life for me has not been that pleasing since I have been here, 7 years. Living here is definitely a different look than visiting for a weekend, as I did for years. I have yet to fully assimilate and accept that life in The A is not progressive. The lack of internationalism forward-thinking e.g. an understanding that Atlanta is a speck on the world map and the inescapable intellectual shallowness exasperates me. But to be fair, the make-up of the Atlanta metro area resembles most urban black cities...plagued by transplant-ism and an overwhelming sense of apathy that exudes from the natives, Atlantans. I get the sense that people come here to say that they are living in Atlanta or have lived in the Atlanta City Limits...when in fact –in most cases- they reside or resided in a country ass city that's 25 minutes from Atlanta. Mecca of the bible belt…? May be it was years ago e.g. Auburn Avenue - but from my view of vision Atlanta is an accepting victim of black flashiness, senseless crime, white people discontent that's boiling over (e.g. home and vehicle break-ins and stick-ups in the neighborhoods that they have successfully revitalized), pathetically acquired reputation-glory from strip club prowess, horrible educational administration and non-professional amity e.g. not much hands of hands washing among the black elite. Again, there are several cities that are defined this way. Nonetheless, Atlanta’s prides itself on the opposite of my definition. Therefore, projecting a false image of a glorious black existence…

A honest assessment without unhappiness...happiness for me is in what I have accomplished while here: fatherhood, wrote a book that was published, completed a honorable stint with the Peace Corps, started the writing of another book, gained a good professional reputation, and have become MORE comfortable with my complexity...so those of you wondering if I am happy...I AM with My Truth about The A...

The Black Rebel

Comments

Black Leader Rift

Egos are deadly. Toxic. Destructive. Al has a big one and Tavis has a gigantic one! Both men are good at what they do. Al is the last of the Frontline Go Getters and Tavis is still evolving. Tavis actually despite popular opinion has worked hard to help black people get to where they need to be: Over the Hump. His State of the Black Union ran its course thus the reason he “abandoned” it. I don’t too much plan him. He did his part. He re-started the dialogue. Challenged us to address our self-induced problems and encouraged us to defeat the American system-generated barriers. Al speaks the conscious of countless blacks. He is relentless in his efforts. Tough in his approach – more than likely not ‘bought’. Owned by an unseen force. He is criticized by many – but no one can take away from what he has done and doing. Unfortunately, both black men are now doing what The Powers can appreciate: Division Sadly, the beef is really over differences of opinion pertaining to President Barack Obam...

Derrion Albert’s life was brutally taken by the brutality that lives in the depths of the black community – but ultimately he is the latest Sacrificial Lamb offered up for no reason at all. The Beating http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#33063688 http://news.aol.com/article/derrion-alberts-beating-death-captured/690024?icid=mainmaindl1link1http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fderrion-alberts-beating-death-captured%2F690024 Open Letter from NAS http://globalgrind.com/content/1020340/Open-Letter-To-Young-Warriors-In-Chicago/ The Black Rebel's Say I began to formulate my thoughts yesterday after seeing the disturbing video. Video images that honestly forced me to think: ‘What are these savages thinking/doing?’ I referred to the black boys featured in the video as what I think of when thinking about untrained, short-fused, uncontrollable mammals: SAVAGES . I later scrolled down the AOL web page to read the comments. Not surprisingly, I was able to determine which responses were poste...

The Forgotten Sacrificed

Picked up my expensive gourmet coffee this morning. Headed over to get some cheap gas. Pulled up to pump – and it happened: a man creeped-up on me and asked me for some money. “Hey, sir, I am not a drunk. I actually work, but…I have been a foreign car mechanic for years. Fell on some hard times. I am 61. Too old to be out here needing money for some gas. I will have to do something else now. Don’t know what. All I know how to do is fix cars. Do you have a couple of dollars to give me?” A 58 year old man forcefully admonished me one day during a ReInvent Oneself seminar, “Would you please stop talking about that reinventing yourself crap. I am a brick layer. Have been since I was 14. I don’t know how to do anything but lay brick. What am I to do now that the construction business is down? I need answers. Not some fancy talking-to from you. You have a job!” I hear this sad commentary almost every day from men and women that are well over 50 years old. The message is simple – but new...

Rebellious Sacrifice

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