Your Election Opening Thread

I already voted during early voting, which I never have done for presidential elections. I actually like going to the polls on election day. I think I was so tired of hearing about the election, I decided to just get it over with. In any event, I have never had to stand in a line as long to vote for anything. 

I want to thank CNN for bleeping out the word b*%%& at this election rally performance by Jay-Z, unfortunately they left in H(*%. Yep. Yep. Yep. 

Happy Black Woman has an interesting post called Be the President of Your Own Life. 

I quit the internet for about 96 hours. 

The Beyonce Effect- Another Attack on "Empowerment" Anthems

We listen to songs marginalizing and dehumanizing Black women all day long and there is almost NEVER any response to the lyrics from the masses. But like clockwork anytime a Black woman puts out something that might slightly sound "empowering" and it catches the hearts, minds and imaginations of women, there is almost an immediate "remix" response from a  male artist or some editorial analysis. Note I don't think its empowering, it just "sounds" that way, but I shan't get into the contradiction that is Beyonce Knowles Carter today.

So apparently some people are taking Beyonce's latest contradictory "empowerment" ditty "Single Ladies" aka "Put a Ring on It" to heart in the club. I wouldn't know because I don't go to clubs. When I was 21 in the club, I always looked on the old men and older women in the 18 and up club with pity.  Then  I entered the world of grad-professional student house parties and saw no need to pay a cover charge to be around foolishness. But I digress.

Now If you haven't heard the song, I don't know how you missed it, but if you haven't heard the song, surely you've been bombarded by the YouTube videos of various unfortunate souls attempting the recreate the choreography in the Single Ladies Video. Including little Black girls Yes, its like virus, its spreading everywhere. But I'm not here to talk about inappropriate dances for children...today.

Basically the theme of the song is that a man had the opportunity to be with Beyonce, but he didn't marry her so now he's lost out and shouldn't be jealous that Beyonce is up in the club bumping and grinding on another man. I said contradictory. If he wanted her "he should have put a ring on it."

But to the point about there being no room for jealousy if a woman moves on to another relationship when a  man refuses to commit to her...What's controversial about that. She wanted commitment, he didn't. She moved on. Seems reasonable. Oh no my friends, SOME men couldn't abide Black women around the country beginning to get the radical idea that if you wanted to continue living with them like husband and wife, you might want to enter into some type of contractual obligation recognized by the state and enforceable by a court of law.

So The Fly Guy, (hattip necoleb*tchie.com) posted letter from a reader in response to an ex's statement that he "shoulda put a ring on it" called I Only Liked It..So I Didn't Put a Ring on It. He started out the piece with this disclaimer:

This piece is dedicated to every woman who takes Beyonce’s latest single “Single Ladies” literally. Please understand that her world does not provide a true depiction of every day life, so you have to view her songs purely for what they are … entertainment only.

IN other words, the idea of demanding a commitment in exchange for fulfilling "wifely" duties is a myth. How convenient.  He then goes on to post a letter from a guy that blame a woman for  pointing out that his jealousy was unwarranted in light of the fact that the man didn't want to commit to her.

Did I miss you? Of course I did—which is why I let my emotions get the best of me when I saw you with that guy last night. I can own up to the fact that my behavior was wrong, but your response was way out of line. To suggest that I had no room to get angry because I never asked you to marry me … well that’s just ridiculous.  [Um no, I think that that was a reasonable conclusion to reach, if you want exclusivity and don't want to see her with anyone else, marriage to procure her exclusive affections isn't "ridiculous " at all]But if you really want to play that game, then let me explain to you the real reasons that I never popped the question.

You can read the whole letter over at the Fly Guy Chronicles, but to sum up the reasons why the writer didn't pop the question, there was something WRONG with the woman, yet he stayed in a 3-year relationship with her before she got tired of waiting.  You have to read the comments over there. What has the world come to when an "anthem" about expecting marriage  so outrageous?

And that my friends is the point. Can you imagine the terror running down the spines of some men if all of a sudden women got wise and started to demand something or a more permanent in order to continue "relating" in relationships. Oh the HORROR of a generation of Black women running around demanding marriage.

This isn't the first time this has happened. I vaguely recall "No Scrubs" by TLC, there was an instant remix "response" attacking it. There was also  remix "response" to "Irreplaceable" . BUt there is almost NEVER a response to the foolishness pumped out by male artists.

So my question is this, why don't women analyze and respond to  all these anti-Black women anthems bombarding the airwaves ? Why aren't we in the studio?

It is interesting to note that the Census bureau is "reporting" an uptick in Black children being raised  in two parent families. OH the HORROR! We can't have that can we? Actually, the Census bureau is attributing the rise to immigrants, not "native born" Black folks. I don't believe it.

Disclaimer By no means am I endorsing the thoughts, views, or behavior of Beyonce Knowles Carter. Like I said, she a big ole walking contradiction, but that''s another post.

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