Dressing for Success- for activism and finding a job.

The culture of Hip Hop, and maybe why some people like BLING.

Bling guns, Gilbert Arenas and Rappers

Sharp Dressed Man sung by Kenn, originally by ZZ Top,

These are some cultural, taboo topics that no one knows how to talk about it without alienating, or being racist. It’s tough, but we are going to open this can of worms and talk about it, I don’t have any solutions, I am just going to spill it out, maybe collectively we can figure it out.  This just might be part one of a longer conversation, I don’t know.  You’ll have to let  me know on feedback.

When someone gets involved in the gun culture, they shun all the negatives they can to learn.  They are often alone in their research until they find someone of like mind and the proper education.  If you are a person of color, it is often even harder because you got a lot of help keeping you from wanting to be a gun owner.  We have history, Hollywood, and hip hop to blame.

I wanted to start off with the history and end of talking about Gilbert Arenas but I don’t know if I am going to make it.  There is lot of STUFF in between.

Will you be patient with me?  If I don’t get to it all can I cut it off and hit back next week?  I didn’t want this week’s show to be too long.  What do you say?

We know that guns are personal items.  Like a car, you can customize it.  But believe it or not, people of color sometimes are anal about it because culturally some of us want to accessorize our guns and it might look a little gawdy or over the top in mixed company.  You know we are different but we have failed to be comfortable with who we are.  Some folks don’t want to be looked down on or stereotyped when its going to happen anyway with the uneducated or racist you might run into.  Not only do we have that issue, but we have to worry if that is a good word about being an uncle tom.  What if I like Willie Nelson and ZZ TOP?  Am I selling out?  I like Willie Dixon, T-Bone Walker and Stevie Ray Vaughn too.  We got all this junk in our trunk.  I got Gil Scott Heron, the Last Poets, and Biggie, Tupac and TI on my ipod too don’t you know?  But culture, and in particular the hip hop culture influencing a lot of  stuff.

Its now a multi-billion dollar industry and influences the entertainment, auto, fashion, alcohol, energy drink and a boat load of other things you may not have even noticed.  It has always been a part of the gun culture.

This culture, connected to the people that created it has more negatives associated with guns than positives.  Our young people, black, white, yellow and brown, like Hip Hop. Its more international now than anything.  Its anti establishment, it’s the dark side, and a whole bunch of rappers, most, prefer being a thug than not.  Having street cred and all that.

Interested on your thoughts.

Zombie Strike #18  Look for a complete cd of 20 episodes and a PDF in the future.

New USP app is being developed.

Special thanks to all the active duty military.

The Singing Survey:  Keep going or Stop?