She's gorgeous
This is a true typing out loud: This entry is messy and disjointed. I'm not sure I'm making any of the right points, but maybe I'm getting there.
My New Year's resolution for 2025 has been to keep a diary of daily occurrences when I have learned something new. I'm keeping it in a purple notebook covered in stickers and the way I'm filling it, I will need a new notebook by the end of April. My 2/10/25 entry is timely and going in all sorts of directions; I need to type it out to figure it out.
White middle-aged lady alert! It started with me learning what a crip walk is.
A crip walk, known as the c-walk is a dance move created in the 70s by first-generation gang members. It was intended to be a method of communication among members, but as it has gone worldwide, it's lost the linguistic aspects.
The dance involves the movement of the feet to spell C-R-I-P to show gang affiliation. To date, the only reference I have is tennis star Serena Williams doing it twice - first at the Olympic Games after winning her gold 12 years back, and again at the Super Bowl.
People are outraged at her because one of her sisters was murdered by a crip and also for bringing "ghetto" to a general audience.
I don't know, by doing this, maybe Serena is reclaiming her sister's dignity, kind of how the black community reclaimed the n-word as a term of affection? It is often noted the word is offensive from white mouths, not black. I get it.
Also, it appears the rapper Drake's popularity is a sore point in the black community and Kendrick Lamar used the greatest tennis player ever - she is also Drake's ex-gf - to publicly dismiss him.
Many in the black community are saying whites don't get it and that's the point. They are tired of being sanitized entertainment, palatable for our society. They don't want to stay in their lane. With Kamala, they were ready to take the reins. They will call out injustice and wrong-doing, even if it's one of their own in Drake.
I'm still trying to unpack everything about the halftime show, but I feel like it was also a message that the black community is calling out those who voted for Trump - it's time for the revolution, but you picked the wrong guy.
There is also Kendrick Lamar's pleas to "turn off the TV." Don't fill your head with other's notions, and if I have to use a GenX reference for connection, as En Vogue said, "free your mind."
I'm still thinking about this days later. I'm turning the performance around in my head like a large crystal to see all the facets.
So who is the white people Drake? Justin Timberlake. His crimes against society?
Slut-shaming Britney Spears. Result? She got a conservatorship, he got a solo record deal and collaborated with Madonna.
Exposed Janet Jackson on live TV at yet another Super Bowl, 20 years ago. She suffered the consequences in her career; he got movie deals.
He abandoned his band N'Sync and appropriated R&B sound. He got a #1 album.
He got a DUI and canceled his world tour. He's planning his redemption tour.
The public forgave him.
I should have seen Trump's re-election a mile away - the general public loves a mediocre white bad boy.
In the court of public opinion, Kendrick Lamar - thug, worst halftime show ever. Trump - cowboy, a rebel!
Mind blown.
This led to me musing about the consistent outrage over Kanye lately. He is currently being lambasted for his online web store this week, which sold one thing and one thing only - a white t-shirt with a swastika.
He is also under fire for parading his white wife in public wearing see-through clothing.
He is being called a misogynist, racist, and worse.
Is he those things or is this one big performance piece? Is Kayne calling out white America, who can get away with our systematic racism with a wink, but when a black man does it, he is vilified? By parading his white wife around in this manner of undress, is he saying our emperor has no clothes?
Whoa.
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