Category Archives: Opinion
Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 Six Good Reasons I Smoke Weed
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
I am the founder of, and lone contributor to, a blog in which smoking weed is a primary focus (to put it lightly). It kind of goes without saying, I like to smoke marijuana.
Anyone who smokes weed often enough has been asked, usually condescendingly, some form of the following question:
- Why do you smoke weed?
The other day a friend asked a similar such question. I smoke weed every day, yet it had been quite a while since the last time I reflected on the actual reasons for my continued use. Since the questioner was respectful and seemed genuinely interested in my answer, I wanted to put some thought into it. When that failed, I promised I would compose a ridiculously thorough response in the form of an article for my blog. Enjoy. Continue reading this article ›
Tags: Cannabis, Drug, health, Humor, lifestyle, Marijuana, random, reasons to smoke weed, smoking, weed
- 5 comments
- Posted under Humor, Marijuana, Opinion
Friday, February 1st, 2013 The Volkswagen Super Bowl Commercial & Vainglorious White People
Some people just love being offended. I hate people like that.
I bring this up because Volkswagen posted a commercial on Youtube which is slated to run during the 2013 Super Bowl. I learned of it while watching the news. While it should have been considered newsworthy on the merits of its humor and charm, that was not the reason it was being covered by the 24-hour news cycle clusterfuck. It was being covered because there are allegedly a lot of people out there who found it very racist.
It is not racist. But before I elaborate on why, you should watch the commercial for yourself. Provided you aren’t a frigid, self-important white person, it will leave you with positive and happy feelings. Without further ado:
Solid commercial, right? You’re probably wondering, upon viewing the commercial yourself, exactly how big an object one must have up their ass in order to perceive the delightful commercial above as racist? Answer: really big. And wide.
I want to make clear, my opinion is not that this Super Bowl commercial for Volkswagen is not racist. That is an observable fact, and only my opinion insofar as, “Everything Wrong with Today’s Youth is a blog,” is my opinion. It is fact, not opinion. It is not up for debate.
Yes, that the commercial doesn’t seem to include a single black American doesn’t help its case. It makes it easier for someone to decry it as, “verbal blackface,” which is the stupidest characterization of this commercial I’ve heard so far.
My opinion on the commercial, for what it’s worth, is that it’s funny. Cute, even. But to call it racist would mean anything that ever mentions or alludes to race – a commercial, a statement, an article, a TV show, etc… – in a humorous or lighthearted manner is racist. If the 2013 Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial is racist, then what isn’t?
The most intellectually defective argument for why this commercial is so racist is that it implicitly assumes all Jamaicans are happy. It doesn’t. At most (if we must get theoretical), it posits that there is at least one happy Jamaican, the persona of whom is co-opted by people as a result of driving a Volkswagen. That’s not racist. The condescending assertion that this commercial is racist because Jamaica, with all it’s social and cultural issues, does not house a single happy Jamaican, is racist.
The thing is, no one who really matters is calling it racist. Which, being a person who doesn’t matter, is why I feel qualified to opine on it.
Further Reading
- That Volkswagen Super Bowl Ad: Pretty Clever, Slightly Racist, Kind of Wrong
from Forbes | by Jeff Bercovici - Volkswagen’s Super Bowl Ad an Unfunny Slight to Culture
from The Daily Beast | by Pia Glenn - VW Jamaica-theme Super Bowl ad: Racist?
from USA Today | by Bruce Horovitz - Racist Super Bowl Ad: Jamaica Embraces Controversial Volkswagen Commercial
from The Huffington Post | by David McFadden - 2013 Super Bowl Ads: Commercials Released Online Before Big Game [Videos]
from The Inquisitr | by Dan Evon - Canadians search for Super Bowl ads more than anyone else on Earth
from canada.com | by Misty Harris
Tags: culture, Jamaica, Politics, society, Super Bowl 2013, Super Bowl Commercials, thoughts, Volkswagen
- 2 comments
- Posted under Journal, News, Opinion
Thursday, November 8th, 2012 The Cost to Educate a President
The following info-graphic was emailed to me by a fellow from Degreejungle.com. As you can imagine, I felt like a super important and revered blogger slash political commentator by being asked to blog my reaction to it. Yes, I’m aware they’re more interested in getting my readers to their website than any “commentary” I might produce, but it’s actually a very useful resource for prospective college students. If college is – or may be – in your future, give them a visit.
On second thought, bookmark it. I know none of you will actually use it unless you absolutely have to at this moment. But really, you’re going to wind up using a similar website eventually, and they’re legitimately better than the others.
Continue reading this article ›
Tags: Election 2012, Obama, president, Romney
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- Posted under Briefs, Media, Opinion, Politics
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 “Honey Boo Boo” – Shitty Television or Exploitation?
I came across this article on nbcnews.com the other day.
It contemplates the nature of the TLC program Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Namely, whether it constitutes entertainment or exploitation. I would argue neither. However, being an openminded individual, I am capable of recognizing the possibility that others may interpret this program to be “entertaining.” So I’ll work from there. Here’s a snippet of the article.
Continue reading this article ›
Tags: 1promo, culture, entertainment, Honey Boo Boo, lifestyle, random, thoughts
- 3 comments
- Posted under Humor, Journal, Media, Opinion
Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 E-Cig
I’m a smoker. I also am a longtime resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia. I read this advertisement for electronic cigarettes and it hit me, the is a real war on smokers. I recently left Atlanta, GA where Mayor Kasim Reed signed a ban on smoking in public parks in the city. This means that people who are smokers can face serious charges for smoking in these parks.
Now, before I go any further I must admit that I am aware that cigarettes:
Continue reading this article ›
- 4 comments
- Posted under Media, Opinion
Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 “Gabby’s Crab Problem..”
My father used to say that black people are like “Crabs in a barrel” and he also warned me to never “be the first black to do anything” because blacks are among some of the most jealous of people. Throughout my short-lived life I have found some truth to those statements and I have found some not-so-truths to them, too.
Continue reading this article ›
Tags: 2012, Fashion, Gabby Douglas, Hair, Haters, London, Olympics
- 3 comments
- Posted under Humor, Media, News, Opinion
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012 The Great Race
I love election year’s! To me, its like the ultimate reality television show that never gets old. The thing I love most about election year is the Vice President selection. In 2008 Obama and McCain chose safe candidates to be their running mates. Democrats hated Biden because he talked too honestly, too much. Plus they thought that Obama/Clinton sounded and looked a lot better. Republicans on the other hand, knew absolutely nothing about Sarah Palin but that quickly changed and ruined the election for John McCain and the GOP.
Continue reading this article ›
Tags: 2012, Christie, Elections, GOP, Government, Jindal, Obama, opinion, Palin, Portman, Presidents, Romney, Rubio, Ryan
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- Posted under Humor, Opinion, Politics
Sunday, August 5th, 2012 Adam Smith: When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong!
“When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong” was a skit performed on the infamous Chappelle Show. Usually it portrayed a person getting what they deserve because they were doing something they had no business doing. Sometimes, what they were doing needed to be done, but not at that particular place or time. It was one of my favorite skits! It was my favorite because it happens all the time in “real life” situations.
Adam Smith knows about this. Here is a guy who thought his actions were going to be rewarded by the gay community and most people who don’t like Cathy’s comments and Chick-Fil-a’s anti gay donations and sponsorship’s, only to find himself, unemployed and humiliated after his episode a few days ago. I have no sympathy for the ignorant man and after some intense thinking, it lead to my revelation.
His actions DON’T only speak to the type of man he is, but also partly to the “gay movement” itself. When we think of social change and progressive political movements we think of anti racism, anti poverty, and anti-homophobia. However, as one of the Youtubers commented, “there is just as much hate from the “social left” as there is from the “social
right“.”
You may say I’m jumping the gun, but I’m not. liberals can and sometimes are ignorant, backwards, selfish, self-centered, unintelligent and hateful creatures too and this man, Adam Smith (ironically named) is proof of this sheepish, cowardly attitude polluting the left. The fact that people who work for this company are now being subjected to this amount of harassment is evidence that our discourse is so skewed that its beyond repair.
Here is his apology with a Q&A. This guy should have been fired, and I hope the anti Chick-Fil-a people have denounced his actions.
Honestly, no one cares about your politics, most of these people are hard working individuals simply trying to make a living. NO ONE works at Chick-Fil-a because they support Cathy’s political agenda/views.
Come on now!
- 3 comments
- Posted under Media, News, Opinion, Politics
Saturday, August 4th, 2012 “Identification Please”
Jim Crow still exist! The new “voter ID laws” popping up all over the United States affecting rural and urban communities are solid proof of that fact. It is unfair and one would think illegal to require such boundaries for citizens who wish to vote in this country. Clearly no one will raise a fuss about it until Obama losses though. These new laws don’t prevent fraud, and they aren’t proper national security measures either. They are deliberate and focused on stopping minorities and poor people from carrying out their civic responsibility.
1 in 10 Americans who are eligible to vote won’t be able to because of these requirements which are just as serious as poll taxes. Obviously, what our leaders think they are stopping is illegal immigrants from stealing the election, but in reality they are halting the American process of voting for hundreds of thousands of people who already don’t vote.
So, now along with the excuses of “my vote doesn’t count” and “the power is in the electoral college” we can now add that “I don’t have a drivers license” to the list.
The Real Issue is:
While working in Atlanta, GA last year I worked on a few different projects to try and get homeless men and women their basic ID’s. Since we live in an age of fear I understood how important ID’s were for everything. People who don’t have ID’s are literally nothing.They have no proof of existence, legally, which is dangerous not only because they can “commit crimes” and “still others identities” (Things the “right” want you to be fearful of) but also its dangerous because the person without an ID is vulnerable to legal and illegal penalty’s, too.
My biggest surprise while taking on this challenge was noticing that not all faceless people were homeless. Some of these people had families, and were looking for jobs and were unable to get jobs or any sort of income because of lack of identification. Some were young (my age) and weren’t able to get a job or get into school because they lacked ID’s. The real catch is that, in order to get an ID you must have documents that are either:
- too expense for many people to get new copies of
- impossible to get copies of in a timely fashion
So, its fair to say that voting is the least of these peoples concerns. Most had great disdain for voting and government at all levels, which I now sort of share because of this discovery.
So in conclusion, I understand everyone’s angst with this in relation to voting, but there lots of people who are affected by this in everyday life. And that needs to change.
Cover Photo © 2012 Virginia Guard Public Affairs. Taken from their Flickr.
Tags: ID, Jim Crow, Minorities, Poor people, Suppression, Surpression, Voters, Washington
