tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42325458030384589782024-03-13T19:26:54.274-07:00THE CRITICAL THINKER"For those who choose to move beyond the sound-bite"Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.comBlogger379125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-26443116180071415592023-10-08T18:53:00.000-07:002023-10-08T18:53:34.125-07:00What Is Our Children Learning From Our Leaders? <p><br /></p><p> <i></i></p><blockquote><i>In general, the role of a leader is to coach, guide, and inspire others. They motivate teams through challenging times and guide individuals through their career progressions. A leader manages individuals to keep teams aligned and working toward shared goals. They foster a collaborative culture and <b>lead by example.</b></i></blockquote><i><b></b></i><p></p><p><br /></p><p>When I Googled for a definition of leadership, the answer above appeared as one of my choices. The last three words in the description caught my attention,<i> "lead by example," </i>which is why I am writing this post. As an educator, I am genuinely concerned about the examples set for our children. I see children every day exhibiting the same behaviors as some of our leaders on the national, state, and local levels, and quite frankly, there is not much that I can say to them because they are mimicking what they see in the news from people who have the title of leader. Just this week alone, while scrolling through a couple of news apps, I saw stories of city council members threatening each other and nearly getting into a physical altercation. In fact, the city councilman who had left his seat and towered over one of his council colleagues shoved a police officer trying to intervene. In another story from a different city, a city councilwoman's husband and son entered into a physical altercation with a citizen who had made commentary during the public portion of the meeting about his wife, the councilwoman. Not to mention the circus surrounding the twice impeached and four-time indicted former 45th president of the United States.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkq1vaCt2VsGC89YbDSjkmbeY9UuVS1dgSTG8M_5zTEB-puJr_CyRErME_pOBjc0GwsNRi9Ydceqjd8IWtJI63Jb0px6Am3UAhsq32QKQFDF2MoVVPtp3cohEyNlbvHPGFZZGOy8XlenWXmsaTbt_XwEfk1DwrwdjhouBfS_lBwzV4qfdtxvmpjSBJlcE/s1099/TrumpIndictments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="1099" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkq1vaCt2VsGC89YbDSjkmbeY9UuVS1dgSTG8M_5zTEB-puJr_CyRErME_pOBjc0GwsNRi9Ydceqjd8IWtJI63Jb0px6Am3UAhsq32QKQFDF2MoVVPtp3cohEyNlbvHPGFZZGOy8XlenWXmsaTbt_XwEfk1DwrwdjhouBfS_lBwzV4qfdtxvmpjSBJlcE/w512-h257/TrumpIndictments.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><p>I have students who refuse to take accountability for their actions, just like the leaders in the news before them. I have students who believe the only way to solve an issue is by fighting or physical altercations, just like the leaders who are in the news before them. I have students who believe that being verbally abusive is the way to solve a conflict, just like the leaders in the news before them. I have students who believe cheating, lying, and stealing are okay, just like the leaders in the news before them. </p><p>The definition above states that leaders are to lead by example. Leaders are supposed to set an example for those whom they lead. Set an example for those who follow them. What type of example are our leaders setting for our children and our adults, for that matter? </p><p>As I pursue my fourth academic degree focusing on leadership and social justice, examples such as those mentioned above are not good. I am studying all leadership styles, and none involve physical fighting, cheating, lying, being verbally abusive, stealing, etc., as part of any leadership characteristics. </p><p>In most instances when we experience leaders who are leading in the opposite direction of morals and ethics, they are usually looking out for their own self-interests, and their followers/people are pawns who are being used by these types of leaders to further their own agenda and not really what is in the best interest of the people. Think about it: the chart above shows charges against the most powerful person in the free world. This individual was actually leading the country. Sadly, there are still a lot of people who are OK with this corruption and continue to support it. In fact, many would like for this individual to lead the country again. Who have we become? To heck with morals and ethics, let hatred, greed, and self-centeredness abide. </p><p>Our children will be the biggest losers when all is said and done. They are growing up thinking that one can treat people any old kind of way and get away with it. They are growing up normalizing abusive behavior based on what they see our so-called leaders doing. Why should our children feel they need to be held accountable when the adults around them do not take accountability for their actions? </p><p>Leadership is not what I read about or witnessed in the news or social media this week. Let me rephrase that it is leadership, bad leadership. Terrible leadership. </p><p><i> </i></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-16579303378856467832023-02-28T16:38:00.001-08:002023-02-28T16:38:28.172-08:00<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Betrayed
and He Had Done Nothing Wrong<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Luke 22:3-4</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<i>3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas
went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed
with them how he might betray Jesus.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Matthew 21:8-11</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
</span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">8
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches
from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him
and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When
Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Matthew 27:21-23</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
<i>21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called
the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What
crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder,
“Crucify him!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Put yourself in Jesus’ tunic and sandals for minute…..
All He did during his time on earth was to do what was right; do what was good,
teach, heal, perform miracles, uplift people and make life better for others.
And yet, He finds himself betrayed after having done nothing wrong. He was
imprisoned unjustly and some of the same folks who were shouting “Hosanna to
the Son of David” in Matthew 21 were now some of the same folks shouting
“Crucify Him” in Matthew 27. Think about it; it was one of his Cabinet Members
(Judas) who sold him <i>out (cheaply I might add,<b> only</b> 30 pieces of
silver??).<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you have ever suffered any type of betrayal, then
you have an inkling of what Jesus must have felt as He was indeed human just
like you and me. He felt the same emotions as we do depending upon what we are
experiencing in life. Jesus wasn't just a godly person with great spiritual
insights, nor was He only a great moral and spiritual teacher. He was more than
these, because He was both <b>fully human</b> and fully divine. Think of it:
God became a man, and that Man was Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, "God
was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him" (Colossians 1:19).
Therefore, He could feel hurt, sadness, betrayal, happiness, gladness, excitement
and any other emotions that we experience today. I don’t know about you, but I
know what it feels like to be betrayed when you have done nothing wrong, so
does the King family, the family of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela and in some
respects I can imagine the Kennedy family knows the feelings as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Now herein lies the difference between us and Jesus.
His ability to truly and sincerely <b>FORGIVE</b> his betrayers. If we are
following Christ for real; denying ourselves and developing ourselves, we must
learn to let go and forgive our betrayers just like Jesus did. As his betrayers
were</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">dividing
His garments and casting lots, Jesus was praying, <b><i>“Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they do.” </i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know about you; in all transparency, I
am still trying to get there. Yes, I have needed to be forgiven and there are
folks who have wronged me who I must forgive if I am going to follow Christ for
real. I don’t think I’m the only one. So, as we go into this Lenten season, let
us seek to forgive others as we need to also be forgiven. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Prayer:</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <br />
Father forgive us because in some instances we know not what we are doing and
help us to forgive others just as we have just asked for Your forgiveness. Forgive
us our debts as we forgive our debtors. In the name of Jesus, Amen. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-5891915782085188022022-12-18T07:31:00.000-08:002022-12-18T07:31:01.567-08:00WHAT DEPRESSION LOOKS LIKE - IT CAN BE HIDDEN <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk4zm60RnoTSwpiKydJrIugh15scDF7ZnJ7mY7k8wsWTJF5bdrMMz4bkD8tadZ7tcLBLkRObL1nH21LJt4l4MQuLsPNnFfu0FldLC6hXK05R7peHXyx6TIySV2j2RUdg1pEkJjJZeKaoFtELGBrsrlal_wN0JnMboAhHl70PyOBAGKVtTPQ3bzG4PTg/s810/suicide%20prevention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="810" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk4zm60RnoTSwpiKydJrIugh15scDF7ZnJ7mY7k8wsWTJF5bdrMMz4bkD8tadZ7tcLBLkRObL1nH21LJt4l4MQuLsPNnFfu0FldLC6hXK05R7peHXyx6TIySV2j2RUdg1pEkJjJZeKaoFtELGBrsrlal_wN0JnMboAhHl70PyOBAGKVtTPQ3bzG4PTg/w400-h195/suicide%20prevention.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Am I the only one struck by the collage below? I know I cannot be. When I saw this photo come across one of my social media platforms, I was deeply moved because I know firsthand the damage that depression can do. In fact, I can add some up close and personal photos to this collage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_4cCNki6iDTxLsRYY5jewsYvr-zpS2oeZY2eC2u4_aYFBqcuQmznMgsHEFF1JoJysTdNtvgO0YUy9rbUZG5_OSQ3EEkwYYhe0ekQKSO7axqTallHFCCZGYehy3dqiCJKkh4-H3c7Jpc0IXk9JqTAeGs0mGus4YKk0SAffdCsExEB-7ncAKUJ73E-FA/s1169/IMG_9008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1169" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_4cCNki6iDTxLsRYY5jewsYvr-zpS2oeZY2eC2u4_aYFBqcuQmznMgsHEFF1JoJysTdNtvgO0YUy9rbUZG5_OSQ3EEkwYYhe0ekQKSO7axqTallHFCCZGYehy3dqiCJKkh4-H3c7Jpc0IXk9JqTAeGs0mGus4YKk0SAffdCsExEB-7ncAKUJ73E-FA/w400-h396/IMG_9008.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I’ve seen the destruction of marriages from depression and I’ve watched my sister battle with health issues that incessantly feed her depression monster. Depression and mental illness are real and they are deadly as evidenced by the photo above. All four of these people had everything to live for and yet each took his/her own life. What struck me in the photo and I am sure the reason the creator of the collage chose these particular pictures is the fact that they are all smiling and looking oh so happy, hence the title WHAT DEPRESSION LOOKS LIKE. People don’t fake depression, they fake being okay. Think about that……… One of the reasons that depression is so hard to detect is the sufferer looks and acts just like someone who is not suffering from depression on the outside while on the inside they are all torn up. They are in pain. They are hurting and covering up the hurt. Childhood traumas, past relationship traumas and the list can go on. The four people in this photo were all celebrities in their own rights. To the average Joe and Jane, they had it all. The fame, the fortune, the looks, the money, the families, the everything and yet it was not enough to keep them alive. In each instance, family and friends did not know that their loved one was suffering in the manner that he/she was until the suicide occurred. Until it was too late. Very few signs to no signs were seen. Many relatives expressed how the depression was hidden very well from them by their loved one.</p><p>I choose to use my various platforms (talk radio show, podcast and blogs) to spread awareness about mental illness, depression and other health issues such as cancer. If you are struggling in any way, please seek the help that you need. There is no shame in the seeking of help game. Four people who had everything to live for, who I am sure had bright futures are now gone due to self inflicted death as a result of suffering in silence. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">HELP IS AVAILABLE.</span></b></p><p><b>The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)</b> is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.</p><p><b>The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) </b>is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. NIMH is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency in the world. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).</p><p>I pray that not another family is destroyed by depression. Not another marriage, not another life taken, not another heart broken, not another silent sufferer. Please seek the help that you need if you feel yourself struggling within. Find me at marcamedley.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-30149067524138247682022-03-26T10:13:00.001-07:002022-03-26T10:13:48.928-07:00 PERSEVERE<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Guest Post By Miles Jaye</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGjpJN6mgNiNg9OEIsvTCnkI_ft9xbs0Au5pTapYS6ShaenEAtlCYr7Dgg8sSVIf1JXU8kY-ABxNagQ0HT9nd2q2tF9HPhR6nYSumiFqHetJlgrpZMNegZcvb9IK0TCk5y8wPQaCLRBT2mlQ8AZ2F3wErH0-kxuyolLoaBArLOxWrz7crgY6Rz5k0XQ/s900/persevere.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGjpJN6mgNiNg9OEIsvTCnkI_ft9xbs0Au5pTapYS6ShaenEAtlCYr7Dgg8sSVIf1JXU8kY-ABxNagQ0HT9nd2q2tF9HPhR6nYSumiFqHetJlgrpZMNegZcvb9IK0TCk5y8wPQaCLRBT2mlQ8AZ2F3wErH0-kxuyolLoaBArLOxWrz7crgY6Rz5k0XQ/s320/persevere.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">There she sat, calm and dignified, seated across from the U.S. Senate Judicial Committee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, in full view of the world, fully engaged in what can be best described and characterized as a highly contentious Senate Confirmation hearing, when she uttered a word, I had said on many occasions was a favorite of my own mother—<b><i>persevere.</i></b> Judge Brown-Jackson recalled the advice given her by a stranger on the grounds of Harvard University in what was, by her own account, a very trying and difficult freshman year. This was a time, she remembered, when she doubted herself and whether or not she was cut out for the Harvard experience.</p><p>To persevere by definition is to <i>continue a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.</i> In less formal, more common parlance, to persevere is to face the discomfort or obstacles of a less than ideal situation and deal with it. Push forward or stand fast-- but <i>deal with it.</i> Figure it out, accept that circumstances may not be fair or just, then buckle down and beat the odds, outpace the naysayers and silence the haters. Excuses will never serve you well, but perseverance will separate those who could have from those who did.</p><p>Senator Corey Booker, in his passionate and heartfelt closing remarks to the SCOTUS nominee said she reminded him of his mother. She, just by virtue of that word persevere reminded me of mine, as it was a favorite of hers. Yes, the full facial features of a broad nose, high cheek bones, full lips and dark chocolate brown complexion, could remind many of us of a family member. She doesn’t appear to be Indonesian, or Polynesian or any other kind of <i>esian</i> or Asian for that matter, but Black American. She, enjoying the freedom to marry the man of her choosing, although that choice only a few generations ago, would have broken laws over which a judge not unlike herself would have had to rule, is not in any way or to any degree in denial of that fact. She embraces her heritage. It would appear by her testimony that her parents, siblings, aunts and uncles are an essential source of her pride and fortitude, her perseverance.</p><p>It should not be overlooked that entering her freshman classes as Ketanji Onyika Brown, a West African name meaning<i> Lovely One,</i> might have won her more attention than she may have wished to have at a critical time when most young people want nothing more than to fit in-- to be accepted. Her name may have even been the source of unwarranted humor and teasing among the ranks of what she called, Prep School students. If so, she persevered in spite of it. By distinguishing herself as a top undergrad as well as a Harvard Law student, her name will be long remembered in the hallowed halls of the Harvard campus. If she is confirmed as only one of four female Justices in the history of the United States Supreme Court, the first Black female, the name Justice Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson,<i> Lovely One,</i> will long be remembered in the pages of American history. She, along with others in American history who share her gender and heritage, by their examples, will teach generations to come what can be accomplished and what can be achieved if only we would persevere.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Meet Our Guest Blogger Miles Jaye</b></p><p><i>Singer, songwriter, Miles Jaye, is a native New Yorker; it is there that he studied music theory and classical violin for more than ten years at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Saratoga School for Orchestral Studies and Brooklyn College. An accomplished musician and producer, Jaye is best known for his chart-topping hits, "Let’s Start Love Over", "Heaven" and "Objective" featuring Grover Washington, Jr. His heart wrenching "I’ve Been A Fool For You" has become one of radio’s favorite R&B classics. While Jaye laid the groundwork for excellence with his three highly acclaimed CD’s on Island Records, MILES, STRONG and IRRESISTIBLE; he continued that standard of excellence on his own Black Tree Records with titles such as the ODYSSEY, DIVINE ASCENSION, ROMANTIC STORM and HUMANITY. Under the Miles Jaye Davis Productions label, his extensive training as a classical and jazz violinist is evident on his latest release "ATTENERGY", the voice on the violin which is an exceptional musical “coming out celebration” with sixteen beautifully crafted performances. Now a Floridian, Jaye enjoys a long-standing reputation as an R&B and Contemporary Jazz writer/producer, having partnered with some of the giants of jazz on his recordings such as George Duke, Roy Ayers, Nat Adderley, Jr., Rachelle Ferrell, Grover Washington, Jr., and Branford Marsalis. The list of notables with which Jaye has shared the concert stages of the world is too extensive to include here. Jaye is especially proud of writing and producing six tracks on the certified Gold JOY CD from his mentor, legendary R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass. A prolific composer, Jaye has penned and recorded more than 50 original compositions and has the unique distinction of recording no less than 12 different musical instruments on several of his critically acclaimed CD’s. In addition to side-man duties early in his career for the songstress, Phyllis Hyman, balladeer, Jon Lucien, and jazz guitarist Eric Gale, Jaye served two years as lead-singing Cop for the hit pop group that brought you YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE. Jaye is also a novelist, playwright, art student, and an award-winning journalist. He is an active supporter of campaigns for AIDS Awareness, Breast Cancer research, and an advocate for victims of domestic violence. He also actively supports arts education in public schools. Miles Jaye Davis, like his namesake, legendary trumpeter, Miles Davis, is one of music’s most gifted, distinctive and dynamic artists.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>www.therealmilesjaye.com<br />www.milesjaye.net</p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-76815928930083236422022-03-06T05:40:00.001-08:002022-03-06T05:40:46.632-08:00Is There Such A Thing As Customer Service Anymore?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXeGdVQv1mMkuw26w8U2sJKn0Crw1IdahZu-KdiTh33ypSwJ9-qTxvoY3gSr7_dvK6EH7CDco75LNfh7Lfhh-r88UdEa8lZbWuhZJwuIcWm93UdchdCFtVbUUrsiGaqb8nmoTcH-W1FZuAgGVS0FWd_d3puTAc0t8lZe82JS3nbi6eWa5yqXdqxllcQQ=s800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXeGdVQv1mMkuw26w8U2sJKn0Crw1IdahZu-KdiTh33ypSwJ9-qTxvoY3gSr7_dvK6EH7CDco75LNfh7Lfhh-r88UdEa8lZbWuhZJwuIcWm93UdchdCFtVbUUrsiGaqb8nmoTcH-W1FZuAgGVS0FWd_d3puTAc0t8lZe82JS3nbi6eWa5yqXdqxllcQQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /> For me, as it may appear to be a rhetorical question, the answer to my question in the title, is a resounding “NO.” Company executives attempt to promote, pitch or position concepts such as “self check out aisles,” “automated teller machines,” “conversant or automated voice response systems” as improved customer service options, when in reality the jury is still out. While these systems are gaining favor, there is still a significant percentage of us who would rather have the human experience, i.e. to check out at a grocery store with a cashier and not scan our items ourselves, or to talk with someone live when we call a company if we have a question or need to express a concern.<p></p><p>While the executives are pitching these systems as customer service improvements, the reality is, they are a cost savings for them. And to add insult to injury or salt to a wound, these savings are not passed along to the consumer. I still have to pay the same price whether I use the self checkout and scan all of my items myself or if I go to the cashier line and have the cashier total my order. I might be able to see the “so-called” customer service option of self checkout if a discount on my total order was given for me checking out my own items (I’m doing the work). Think about it, at an automated teller machine (ATM), you actually pay to retrieve your own money. The bank has cut the cost of having to pay a teller and are charging you a fee to withdraw your own hard earned and saved money. The fees are now ranging from $3.25 to $5.00 or more that is tacked on to your withdrawal per transaction. Better customer service, yet I am paying for performing a job that a cashier used to do and being assessed a fee for withdrawing my money. Does this make sense to you? If it does, I can tell you as of this writing that it does not make sense to me. It’s almost as if we are lemmings that just go along with anything that we are told. The companies say that this will improve customer service and we go right along with it, not questioning the logic of what is actually happening. The same holds true for soundbites that are given to us on the news each evening by the way.</p><p>According to a 2021 State of Self-Checkout Experiences report, self-checkout is a feature that customers value highly. Just about 60 percent of the 1,000 American consumers we surveyed said that they will head to a self-checkout kiosk rather than a cashier when given the choice. I am willing to bet that the 60 percent surveyed never really thought about the fact that they are either paying the same or more for doing what was once someone’s job who was being paid to do it. Why aren’t we feeding back to companies that we would be willing to check ourselves out, if you pay us (discount on our purchases that are self scanned out)? Why aren’t we fighting with banks or the Feds to say that we are not going to pay these extortion like fees to withdraw our own money? Again, lemmings. Less service being given while more money is being taken. Not to mention the reduction in package sizes/volume at higher prices. Companies think the consumers are stupid about that too (that’s another issue for another article).</p><p>Maybe I’m the only one out on this limb; however, I don’t think so. I do not believe that I am the only one who has seen a drastic reduction in customer service over the years under the guise of “do it yourself.” As I write this article, I am disgusted with META, the company formerly known as Facebook for not allowing its users to communicate with them when a problem arises. They’ve become so big that I guess they don’t give a hoot about what their customers think about them or feel the need to provide a communications vehicle for their users to address their concerns to them. I predict that if META continues down this path, that there won’t be a META in the long run. Facebook has its place, however, like any other company, it must be concerned for its users/customers. Without users/customers, there is no META.</p><p>I will end with the very familiar fable of The Goose that Laid he Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>There once was a man who owned a wonderful goose.</i></p><p><i>Every morning, the goose laid for him a big, beautiful</i></p><p><i>egg — an egg made of pure, shiny, solid gold. Every</i></p><p><i>morning, the man collected golden eggs. And little by</i></p><p><i>little, egg by egg, he began to grow rich. But the man wanted</i></p><p><i>more. “My goose has all those golden eggs insider her,” he kept</i></p><p><i>thinking. “Why not get them all at once?” One day he couldn’t</i></p><p><i>wait any longer. He grabbed the goose and killed her. But there</i></p><p><i>were no eggs inside her! “Why did I do that?” the man cried!</i></p><p><i>“Now there will be no more golden eggs.”</i></p></blockquote><p></p><p>It is my hope that the moral of the fable is understood in the context of where we are headed in terms of “customer service.”</p><p>For more about me, please visit marcamedley.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-36687038853198002292022-02-21T07:02:00.003-08:002022-02-21T07:02:37.802-08:00A Chance In The World Is A Must See Film <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ0pnYXhwEzQIrp-jHeIA8H-08_oqilNugSsfWbz5MYBR8g3wXOx0Bi8pjRVhKEJNxbBWejeNIWGE5L11HiG4rv4tn4s2tqBxnEkYFERbkEYZT3iwtfOtWfvZ_vR1BvHfDVE9cj-TMyS6PT9PrwoOtxzpxCwkpDJeAF_0tpH76PrY-y5vIs1747vlY2g=s1393" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1393" data-original-width="940" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ0pnYXhwEzQIrp-jHeIA8H-08_oqilNugSsfWbz5MYBR8g3wXOx0Bi8pjRVhKEJNxbBWejeNIWGE5L11HiG4rv4tn4s2tqBxnEkYFERbkEYZT3iwtfOtWfvZ_vR1BvHfDVE9cj-TMyS6PT9PrwoOtxzpxCwkpDJeAF_0tpH76PrY-y5vIs1747vlY2g=s320" width="216" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Well it has been nearly a year since I shared my thoughts on this platform, <b><i>The Critical Thinker</i>. </b>Within that time life got in the way serving as a great distraction for both my writing in this blog and recording my podcast. My only constant throughout was my radio show broadcast live each Saturday from 6-9 a.m. ET on gobrave.org and 88.7 FM. Well, while life is still in the way, so to speak, I am back in my groove of writing in <i><b>The Critical Thinker</b></i> and recording on <i><b>The Marc Medley Show. </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>
My reintroduction to writing in <b><i>The Critical Thinker</i> </b>was brought about as a result of my watching a movie based on the life of a recent guest I interviewed on <i><b><a href="http://marcamedley.com">The Reading Circle with Marc Medley.</a></b> </i>My guest was <a href="https://www.stevepemberton.io/">Steve Pemberton</a> and we discussed his recently released book <i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Effect-Ordinary-People-Extraordinary/dp/0310362326/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&qid=1617308084&refinements=p_27%3ASteve+Pemberton&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Steve+Pemberton">The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World. </a></b></i> During our time on air together we also discussed his previously released book<b> </b><i><a href="https://www.stevepemberton.io/book"><b>A Chance In The World,</b> </a></i>a book based on Mr. Pemberton's life that birthed a movie by the same name. I took the opportunity to watch <i><a href="https://www.stevepemberton.io/achanceintheworldmovie"><b>A Chance In The World</b> </a> </i>last night and afterwards was prompted to pen this post. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I watched <i><b>A Chance In The World,</b> </i>my mind immediately went back to a film I watched with my children when they were small<b> </b><i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113442/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk"><b>It Takes Two</b>,</a> </i>a 1995 American romantic comedy film starring Kirstie Alley, Steve Guttenberg, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. In<b> </b><i><b>It Takes Two,</b> </i>Amanda Lemmon is a nine-year-old orphan who is being sought after by the Butkises, a family known to <i>"collect"</i> kids. My mind went back to <b><i>It Takes Two</i> </b>when watching <i><b>A Chance In The World </b></i> because of the uncanny similarities between the the Butkises and the Robinsons the foster family portrayed in <i><b>A Chance In The World.</b> </i>The Robinsons like the Butkises<i> "collected" </i>foster children. Now, it is bad enough that the word <i>"collected" </i>is used in terms of children, however, it gets worse as the children were not only collected, they were abused and traumatized on a daily basis.</div><div><br /></div><div>Steve Pemberton in his transparency about his childhood experiences as a foster child blows the lid off of the horrific circumstances that are unbeknownst to the general public because the exploitation and abuse is often hidden by foster parents who are great actors. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were great actors in front of the public while mentally and physically abusing their foster children behind closed doors. In the movie, Steve was subjected to ridicule and physical harm and was threatened with even more if he were to tell anyone the truth. I could not imagine what must have been going through Steve's mind and nervous system as he was being taunted and teased by people who he thought were supposed to love him. All he ever wanted was a family to love him and to know who his biological parents were. I won't tell you anymore as I highly recommend that you watch the film. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have had very few traumas in my life, however, having experienced some recent trauma, It it beyond my comprehension of what the mind of someone who has been repeatedly traumatized must be like. There are children who are traumatized on a daily basis before they come to school and when they return home from school, and then educators wonder why they behave the way that they do in school. I highly recommend <i><b>A Chance In The World </b></i>for teachers and guidance counselors and even students for that matter. Abuse of any form must not be tolerated and no one should be subjected to it. If you suspect child abuse is occurring in the life of any child that you serve or know, please do not hesitate to report what you believe to the proper authorities. While Mr. Pemberton's experiences ultimately made him stronger and built resilience, no child or adult for that matter ought to suffer from any type of abuse. If you have been traumatized, abused or struggling mentally, do not hesitate to seek professional help. </div><div><br /></div><div>I invite you to visit my website marcamedley.com and to listen to me live each Saturday from 6-9 a.m. ET on gobrave.org and 88.7 FM radio in the northern New Jersey/New York areas. The Marc Medley Show is heard on all of the major podcast distribution platforms. </div><div><br /></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-81330202701763488872021-04-24T08:52:00.000-07:002021-04-24T08:52:01.200-07:00One Man Dead And One Man Going To Jail Is Nothing To "Celebrate"<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Ktay0XqHd8U" frameborder="0"></iframe>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-36814991228409488972021-01-31T11:35:00.000-08:002021-01-31T11:35:06.529-08:00 Is Our Psyche Being Damaged By This Pandemic? <p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-57Q_x2K770Y/YBcEWJ4nCyI/AAAAAAAAEgU/GujTUy1jQyQ14kuJricB1VRpYJQPBtzrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/lepers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-57Q_x2K770Y/YBcEWJ4nCyI/AAAAAAAAEgU/GujTUy1jQyQ14kuJricB1VRpYJQPBtzrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/lepers.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #265667; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #265667; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">Leprosy:</span></p><div class="row vg-header" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; font-family: Lato, "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 18px -15px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="col" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; flex-basis: 0px; flex-grow: 1; font: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px 15px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 760px;"><p class="entryNumbers" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #265667; display: inline; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.3px; line-height: 26px; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p></div></div><div class="vg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="sb has-num" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 33px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sb-0" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 15px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="sense has-num-only" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sn sense-1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="num" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; left: 0px; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span></span><span class="dt " style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="dtText" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #303336; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">a chronic infectious disease caused by a mycobacterium (</span></span><em class="mw_t_it" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; font: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mycobacterium leprae</em><span style="color: #303336; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">) affecting especially the skin and peripheral nerves and characterized by the formation of nodules or macules that enlarge and spread accompanied by loss of sensation with eventual paralysis, wasting of muscle, and production of deformities</span></span><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mdash" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">—</span> <span class="intro" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">called also</span> <span class="cat" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hansen's disease</span></p><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cat" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="cat" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leprosy</span></p><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #303336; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><i></i></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #303336; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><i>“Unclean! Unclean!”</i></span></span></p><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #303336; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i><span class="cat" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; font-variant-numeric: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></i></span></p><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #303336; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><i>We all know about lepers in the Bible. They had to live outside the regular community, call out “Unclean!” to passers-by, wear torn clothes and cover the lower part of their faces (Lv 14:35). Contact with a leper made one unclean and unable to attend any religious service.</i></span></span></p></blockquote><p>The quotation above was the opening line excerpted from <a href="https://www.thecompassnews.org/2016/10/famous-lepers-bible/" target="_blank">Famous Lepers of the Bible</a> by Patricia Kasten written in <i>The Compass,</i> October 7, 2016. I used Ms. Kasten's opening to illustrate how someone who was diagnosed with leprosy had to live during that time. </p><p>I liken what was happening then to what is happening now to some degree. I raise the question, is our psyche be damaged by this Covid-19/coronavirus pandemic? I raise that question because since we learned of the deadly virus nearly a year ago in the late winter of 2020 we have either contracted the virus or have been doing everything in our power not to contract the virus. We are never sure if we have it or if someone we have come in contact with has it. The constant safety guidelines that we must follow such as social distancing, the wearing of a face covering, the frequent washing of our hands, staying home as much as possible, and not being able to eat in a restaurant or shop freely keeps all of us feeling as if we have the disease or the people we are around have it even when neither may be true. You nor the people that you are interacting with may have Covid-19 and yet we are made to feel as we or they do. We just don't know, so we almost automatically default to everyone must have it and keep our distance from everyone. The mask seemingly screams "Unclean! Unclean! whether you have the coronavirus or not. When we do make our way out of the house, we make sure that as soon as we return home, that we strip, place the clothes that we have worn in the laundry and immediately take a shower as if indeed contact with anyone has made us unclean. Even if you don't have Covid-19 and have never tested positive, you almost can't help but feel as if you have it based on how we have to interact with each other. </p><p>Which brings me to my question. What is all of this social distancing and everything else that we have to do to hopefully remain coronavirus-free doing to our psyche? What is the constant feeling of either I have a virus or someone thinks I have a virus doing to us? Think about it. On a daily basis, we either act as if we have it or as if whomever we are going to come into contact with has it. What is that doing to our minds? What is that doing to our spirits? Not for nothing, what is it doing to our bodies? (they are all connected, you know). </p><p>Personally, I hate this feeling of someone thinking that I have a contagious disease that I don't have and me having to think that someone else has a disease that they do not. I hate this assumption that I am going to catch this deadly disease from family members, friends, co-workers, or even strangers on the street if I do not have a face covering over my mouth and nose and wash my hands every five minutes. Yet, by now, we all have suffered a loss or losses of people that we know and love to this killer virus. As of this writing, according to The New York Times, we have had 439 thousand deaths in the United States and 2.22 million worldwide with 103 million cases worldwide. Again, I ask, what is this doing to our psyche? </p><p>Even when we gain control of Covid-19, what has this done to our trust of what was prior to Covid-19 taken for granted such as eating in a restaurant, flying on an airplane, or staying in a hotel? Yes, we always have known that when you stay in a hotel that someone else had slept in the same bed that you were sleeping in or showered in the same shower, and yet as we move forward will we always be questioning now if the beds or showers were sanitized enough for me not to catch the virus if by chance the person before me did have it? (remember, we are assuming everyone has it). </p><p>These are just some thoughts that come to mind that I thought I'd share. I believe it is something to critically think about. Please stay safe. </p><p class="ca" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #303336; font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-variant-ligatures: no-common-ligatures; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><i></i></span></span></p></span></span></div></span></div></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-11004978306669243592021-01-16T10:54:00.003-08:002021-01-16T10:56:08.874-08:00American Reckoning - A PBS NewsHour Special Report <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jYh4c42Jprg" width="320" youtube-src-id="jYh4c42Jprg"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-70862131969426535002021-01-09T08:09:00.001-08:002021-01-09T08:09:54.292-08:00THOSE WERE NOT PATRIOTS<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/YsW64y0fSeY" frameborder="0"></iframe>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-25587657994120990192020-12-30T09:19:00.002-08:002020-12-30T09:19:31.999-08:00We As Adult Children Must Show Compassion and Have Patience With Our Senior Adult Parents<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4S1tiAct5k/X-y0zASlLeI/AAAAAAAAEfc/b3WAR_bXycsML7APj5bIOKuZEwSQG6OBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/IMG_7122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m4S1tiAct5k/X-y0zASlLeI/AAAAAAAAEfc/b3WAR_bXycsML7APj5bIOKuZEwSQG6OBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_7122.JPG" /></a></div><br />The story that I am going to share with you in this post touched me so much that I have shared it on all of my podcast platforms and decided to share it in this blog format too. I know that people receive information in different ways so I am providing it auditorily in my podcasts and visually in this blog. Maybe the story touched me so much because my mom is eighty-two years old. Maybe it touched me because her sight is not as good as it used to be. Maybe it touched me because her hearing is not as good as it used to be and maybe just maybe it touched me because her hands are not as steady as they once were. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older.<p></p><p>What I think got me the most though was....................<i>(I won't share that here, I'll share the story and let you decide what moves you.)</i> The story below is from a book written by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FTAH3W/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Robin Sharma titled THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI.</a> </p><p></p><blockquote><p>"There was once a feeble old woman whose loving husband died. So she went to live with her son and his wife and daughter. Every day, the woman's sight grew worse and her hearing grew worse. Some days her hands trembled so badly the peas on her plate rolled onto the floor and the soup ran from her cup. Her son and wife couldn't help but be annoyed at the mess she made and one day they said enough was enough. So they set up a little table for the old woman in a corner next to the broom closet and made her eat all of her meals there, alone. She would look at them at mealtimes with tear-filled eyes from across the room, but they hardly talked to her while they ate, except to scold her for dropping a spoon or fork.</p><p>One evening, just before dinner, the little girl was sitting on the floor playing with her building blocks. What are you making? her father asked earnestly. I'm building a little table for you and mother she said, so you can eat by yourselves in the corner someday when I get big. The father and mother were moved to silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then they started to weep. In that instant they became aware of the nature of their actions and the sadness they had caused. That night they led the old woman back to her rightful place at their big dinner table and from that day on she ate all her meals with them. And when a little morsel of food fell off the table or a fork strayed onto the floor, nobody seemed to mind anymore." </p></blockquote><p></p><p>The moral of the story: <b>Compassion and daily acts of kindness make life far richer.</b> Something to think about. </p><p><a href="https://anchor.fm/marc-a-medley/episodes/We-Adult-Children-Must-Show-Compassion-To-Our-Adult-Parents-eocevt">The Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often Podcast </a></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-39907017226952737662020-12-24T09:42:00.001-08:002020-12-24T09:42:31.235-08:00More Than Just The Number In The Year Need To Change<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--D900cwcJAA/X-TRMwC2MKI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/zIb7RUiuX6cgJ658ZmPHRHprigYydCmDACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1024" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--D900cwcJAA/X-TRMwC2MKI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/zIb7RUiuX6cgJ658ZmPHRHprigYydCmDACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/2021.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Well, here we are at the end of another year, and what a year it has been because of COVID-19 coronavirus. I keep hearing and reading how everyone cannot wait for 2020 to be over and I get it; however, in my mind, more than just the change in the last two digits in the year must change. It's great that we are going to move from 2020 to 2021, yet, if the only thing that changes is the 20 to the 21, we are going to have the same thing that we had in 2020. The fact of the matter is, COVID-19 coronavirus will carry over into 2021 and we are really nowhere close to being out of the woods with this deadly pathogen. Yes!, it is great that we have a vaccine that will help us slow the contraction of the disease, but we must still do our part with social distancing, the washing of hands frequently<i> (which we should have been doing anyway),</i> and the wearing of a face-covering over the mouth <b>AND</b> nose. <p></p><p>Beyond these measures to stem the spread of the germs, more importantly, what needs to change beyond the last two digits in the year are our hearts, thinking, attitudes, and how we treat each other as human beings. The last four years under the leadership or lack thereof of Donald J. Trump has brought out the absolute worst in people. His evil spiritedness unleashed closeted hatred among those who had been harboring these feelings for decades. Trump became the poster child for Eurocentric thinking Caucasians who in their mind feel they are disenfranchised due to some entitlement not being received by them and being taken by people of color (African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and any other group believed to be immigrants and of non-European descent). "Making America Great Again" actually materialized into "Making America Hate Again." </p><p>It is heart and soul thinking that must change if 2021 is going to be any better than 2020. Our year was so horrid not just because of COVID-19, but because of how we treated each other as human beings. Folks were being blatantly and needlessly killed such as the George Floyd debacle where that white officer seemed to be celebrating with his body language and facial expression the fact that he was slowly and mercilessly taking the life of another human being. One who was calling out to his mother and pleading with him that he could not breathe. Not the first African American male to tell an officer that he could not breathe as a result of the hold that he had on him. We saw countless other violent acts and actions that impacted us as human beings. I keep using the term <i>"Human Beings"</i> because regardless of our skin color or ethnic backgrounds, at the end of the day, that is what we are........human beings. We are all somebody's son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, grandmother, grandfather and the relational list can go on and on. And yet, we are being taken away as if we don't matter. Pure unadulterated hatred and it's sad. </p><p>If we carry over into 2021 the same old hateful behavior that we had in 2020, we will get more of the same. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. These words are usually credited to the acclaimed genius Albert Einstein and I find whether it was Mr. Einsteinn or whoever said it to be a correct observation. If we hate the same way we hated in 2020, we will continue to get the hate and destruction in 2021. It's that simple. In the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." The question is, will we learn to live together regardless of skin color, political affiliation, sexual preference, gender, religious belief, ethnic background, or any other "ism," or are we going to continue to perish together as fools? When you really think about it, all of the differentiations listed really don't matter in the grand scheme of things.</p><p>Yes, my dear readers of this blog, much more need to change than just the last two digits in the year. Much more than just 20 moving to 21 must change, otherwise, we still will just be getting more of the same. If you want to get a Biblical idea of what we have been experiencing particularly over the last four years, I invite you to go in the Bible to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%208&version=NIV" target="_blank">1 Samuel - Chapter 8</a> and read it in its entirety. It is the story of Israel asking for a king. God gave them their king and everything that came along with him. </p><p>Folks, when all is said and done, and all is done and said, it is US who must change and not just the year. Have a Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year and as Michael Jackson can sing, let's start looking at the man in the mirror. </p><p>marcamedley.com </p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-10005900963456391202020-12-21T17:00:00.000-08:002020-12-21T17:00:09.728-08:00We Survived Thanksgiving 2020 Without A House Full Of Folks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wYvASqHHteE/X-FD_QPO3yI/AAAAAAAAEfE/CyJn5S_8vtQvNjLJEXAtGx4FpWi7VevRACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wYvASqHHteE/X-FD_QPO3yI/AAAAAAAAEfE/CyJn5S_8vtQvNjLJEXAtGx4FpWi7VevRACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/thanksgiving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Yes, believe it or not, we survived Thanksgiving 2020 without a house full of folks. I'm sure by now you are wondering and asking what is meant by the title? I'm glad you asked. I don't think it can be repeated enough that 2020 has been a year like no other. If I had a dollar for every time the word <i>"unprecedented"</i> was used this year, I'd be a very rich man right now. The COVID-19 coronavirus blindsided the world like no other in recent times. <div><br /></div><div>With the virus came guidelines and restrictions to stop it from spreading. Guidelines that were put in place for our safety, became foolishly politicized. Comparisons to slavery and the civil rights movement were ignorantly bandied about by those who hated being inconvenienced by not being able to go to the gym, restaurant, or to the bar. Our daily routines were indeed altered. Who knew when we learned of the virus in the first quarter of 2020 that we would still be grappling with it come the fourth quarter of 2020 and beyond? Vacations were canceled. Weddings, births, and deaths occurred in ways that were absent of customary rituals and celebrations. We actually spent more energy fighting to stay alive than we did living. We were and still are being treated as lepers not knowing if we are going to catch the virus from someone or give the virus to someone. </div><div><br /></div><div>The guidelines to keep us safe were met with much more resistance than needed, particularly the wearing of a face covering and not gathering indoors in large crowds. Folks stubbornly held large parties and blatantly refused to wear a face covering to the point of holding "No Mask Wearing" protests and rallies. The life of Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer was threatened because of her desire to keep her state safe. There actually was a plot to kidnap her. Can you believe that?<i> (Oh how far we've fallen). </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A face covering is a piece of cloth just as a seat belt is a piece of cloth. Both are worn for protection and the saving of lives. It has nothing to do with freedom or constitutional rights or anything political for that matter. One of the primary ways that the virus is spread is through droplets in our saliva that gets inhaled by others when in close proximity to one talking, coughing, sneezing, or any other way of expelling the droplets or mist containing the highly contagious germs. As a matter of fact for those who think they are complying by wearing the mask just over the mouth and not the nose too, might as well not wear the mask at all because it is through the nose, just like the mouth that the contagion enters the body. </div><div><br /></div><div>The politicization of the virus and safety guidelines did America far more harm than was needed. Other countries that followed their guidelines experienced a significant decrease in cases and deaths in comparison to the United States. We were so busy politicizing the disease that we cut off our nose to spite our face <i>(no pun intended). </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Which brings me to my title. There were a whole bunch of folks who didn't think we would survive Thanksgiving without a cast of thousands <i>(I'm being facetious and sarcastic but you get my point)</i> in their houses sitting around the dinner table as we traditionally and customarily do. Guess what? We survived with two or three gathered. Believe it or not, thanks were still given, dinner was still had and people managed to make the best of a very challenging situation. The reason for this post is that it's going to be the same for Christmas and New Year's. The COVID-19 numbers have spiked back up causing the safety restrictions to be re-enacted and enforced especially where indoor crowds are concerned. It is winter and the weather is colder forcing most to be indoors. It is indoors in groups where the virus does its thing. </div><div><br /></div><div>So if we want to be able to get back to having the cast of thousands around the table for Thanksgiving in 2021, we must do what we need to do now in order for that to happen. Is it a sacrifice? Yes, it is. Do we want to at some point get back to some semblance of normalcy? Yes, we do. We won't get there any time soon however as long as there are those who stubbornly refuse to comply. At this point, we are our own COVID-19 worst enemies. The virus is not a hoax or a joke and you can ask anyone who has experienced it or the 300,000 plus family members who have lost a loved one to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>So come on folks, in the words of Sgt. Phil Esterhaus of Hill Street Blues "Let's be careful out there." Do not put yourself and your loved ones at risk by having large gatherings in your homes for the holidays or going out clubbing in densely populated bars. It's not worth it. Wash your hands frequently and stay six feet apart from each other and by all means, WEAR A MASK!!</div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-57153519959054212152020-12-12T09:19:00.001-08:002020-12-12T09:19:47.443-08:00The Leader, The Law of Attraction, and This Pandemic<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/LLbNHXySgTQ" frameborder="0"></iframe>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-41306442161245626932020-12-03T09:44:00.002-08:002020-12-03T09:46:26.884-08:00Marc Medley Appears on Get Out There and Get Known With Pam Perry <p><br /></p><iframe src="https://www.linkedin.com/video/embed/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6740048291083403264" height="284" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post"></iframe>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-23653103057234655532020-11-23T06:34:00.001-08:002020-11-23T06:34:09.536-08:00You Love Me<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h0rfCYy9jbI" width="320" youtube-src-id="h0rfCYy9jbI"></iframe></div><br /> Fact! <p></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-26985674654264620392020-11-03T10:19:00.001-08:002020-11-03T10:19:45.717-08:00Get Out There And Vote!<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YbdfJKdYee8" frameborder="0"></iframe>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-42725875924873616882020-09-03T15:34:00.000-07:002020-09-03T15:34:58.786-07:00Give Them A Sense Of Pride<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5o7rxgxIJzA" width="320" youtube-src-id="5o7rxgxIJzA"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>As we start this new school year filled with challenges, I am encouraging all of us, particularly educators and parents to be intentional about instilling a sense of pride in our children. I find this to be especially <div>needed in the communities who are considered “People of color.” </div><div><div><p></p><p>During the summer I had the opportunity to read BREAKING THE CHAINS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SLAVERY by Na’im Akbar, Ph.D. and while the book is copyrighted in 1996 and on its Twelfth printing of September 2019, the content contained on the pages are more relevant now than ever. We are living in a world where one race/ethnic background is valued and highlighted while the others are demeaned and debased whether consciously or subconsciously. Whether through codes, obvious remarks or "dog whistles." This has occurred historically, yet with the plethora of media and social media platforms, the blatant disregard for anyone who is not of European-American descent is smack dab in our faces up close and personal on a minute by minute basis. Make no mistake, this constant barrage of hurt, harm, and danger to people of color is impacting our children both of European-American descent and children of <b>EVERY OTHER </b>family/nationality origin. </p><p>Given that we are in a world that is constantly showing by its actions that people of color don’t matter (hence Black Lives Matter - BLM) or are nothing, we must, particularly in the communities comprised of people of color, intentionally give our children a sense of pride. The following excerpt below is from BREAKING THE CHAINS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SLAVERY.</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>“We must learn to comfortably celebrate ourselves. Self-celebration (we must again emphasize) does not necessitate the degradation of others. It does unapologetically, sing the greatness of our accomplishments and special blessing to the world. It tells each new generation something about the value of the fabric from which they are made. Cultures and institutions put considerable resources into creating images and opportunities to sing the praises of their accomplishments. This process is an essential part of maintaining a free mind, but it becomes even more fundamental in freeing a captive mind. Certainly, one of the major strategies for enslaving the mind was the degradation of the Black/African self. The story of natural Black inferiority and ugliness were constant stories told to destroy the worth of the Black mind. The fantasies of African backwardness as incapable of technological development and characterized by superstitious and humanly regressive acts of cannibalism and savagery were all constructed in Tarzan stories, Little Black Sambo images and thousands of other derogatory ideas and illustrations to destroy the Black person’s self-image and to further the idea of Black incompetence and deficiency.</i></p><p><i>Celebration then becomes a healing. If Europeans could comfortably identify themselves with every image from Santa Claus to the son of God in order to celebrate who they are, why shouldn’t we find images (both real and imagined) that communicate to Black African people something about our potential greatness. Perhaps, Kwanzaa is not an actual African Holiday, but why shouldn't we have a week-long celebration that brings pride and dignity to our culture. Why shouldn’t the entire nation stop on the second Monday in January to celebrate the battle for human dignity by Martin Luther King, Jr. If black people decide to call an assembly of one million black men in Washington, D. C., on a Monday in October 1995, then why question the celebration since the very structure of the city of D. C. so emphatically celebrates the greatness of European-American accomplishment. The hundreds of statues, museums, galleries, libraries, plaques, and monuments which blanket the city consistently celebrate the greatness of being European-American. One could very easily walk around D. C. for an entire day and conclude that only European-American males built this great country. It is not accidental that European-American males continue to run the country and that the celebration and information they receive continuously reinforces their greatness.</i></p><p><i>We must unashamedly display our images and great ancestral figures throughout our environments. From pictures on the walls to statues in the park and street names, we should celebrate our heritage and those people who have distinguished themselves as African people of greatness.”</i></p></blockquote><p></p><p>To contribute to our children’s sense of pride, we must direct their attention to strong images like themselves to help them grow in self-respect and love for themselves. This must be intentional and not left to happenstance. The histories of <b>ALL </b>cultures must be studied and taught with their heroes and sheroes put on display. While there is nothing wrong with being an athlete or an entertainer, we are so much more than that. The display of greatness has been lopsided for too long. An African-American male is just as worthy as a Caucasian male and the same holds true for women and people of every other ethnic group and culture. At the end of the day, we are <b>ALL</b> human beings with one race, culture, or ethnic group not being any better than any of the others. </p><p>Our children need to know the flaws of research that claim that any group is superior to the other. Our children need to know the contributions that people who look like them have made to build this country and the world for that matter. Our children need to know that there is nothing wrong with skin being dark or light. Our children need to know that they are loved and are somebody regardless of their being Caucasoid, Mongoloids, or Negroid. They need to know that red, or yellow, black, or white, all are precious in God’s sight.</p><p>So as this school year begins amidst this pandemic, let’s make it our business to give our children a sense of pride. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p></div></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-19752384660462192632020-08-29T08:28:00.000-07:002020-08-29T08:28:06.733-07:00BLACK<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Guest post by Miles Jaye</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzbUxiln4WE/X0pyoY0xAhI/AAAAAAAAEco/BCKmQ10fQfIJ3WyF2sWNfgkUFGEJtWARACLcBGAsYHQ/s224/sayitloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nzbUxiln4WE/X0pyoY0xAhI/AAAAAAAAEco/BCKmQ10fQfIJ3WyF2sWNfgkUFGEJtWARACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/sayitloud.jpg" /></a></div><br />Negro is a fundamentally simple term. In Spanish, it’s negro, in French, negre. The pronunciations differ but they all mean Black. Colored is equally simple. Even African American is a fairly simple concept to grasp. It wasn’t until recently, however, that I realized the complexities of the term Black. <p></p><p>James Brown declared, “Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud.”. It was a clarion call, a boldly liberating call to action, it was 1969. It never occurred to me that it begged the question, who was James Brown speaking to? It didn’t occur to me, but I should have asked, aside from people in fros and dashikis, who responded to that call? It certainly never occurred to me to observe, as indeed I should have, who did not respond-- who remained conspicuously silent.</p><p>Being a Brooklyn kid, growing up in the proverbial melting pot of New York, I assumed brown-skinned people, as an unspoken rule, identified with Black. That included my brothers and sisters from the West Indies, the Caribbean, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Panama, Puerto Rico, the D.R., Haiti, Cuba, Brazil Columbia, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Guyana, throughout Central and South America, and of course, Africa. These were my neighbors and my schoolmates. If you were brown-skinned and riding the train or walking down Flatbush Avenue and I didn’t have the benefit of hearing an accent to indicate otherwise, I assumed you were Black. </p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJGKvtaXVU0/X0pzROHVGtI/AAAAAAAAEcw/ctqXroFh89MuSSsEt1rPGUknf1xINYU6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/CB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="118" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJGKvtaXVU0/X0pzROHVGtI/AAAAAAAAEcw/ctqXroFh89MuSSsEt1rPGUknf1xINYU6gCLcBGAsYHQ/w210-h118/CB.jpg" title="S.I.P. Chadwick Boseman" width="210" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">S.I.P. Chadwick Boseman</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A new Black family moved onto my block this week. Actually, they were here before me, but I thought they were Indian. In spite of the fact that the dad is as dark as I am, it never crossed my mind to think of him as Black. In fact, I didn’t think of them as Black until Kamala Harris declared herself so, in her DNC convention acceptance speech. Prior to her announcement, I had never known East Indians to identify themselves as or align themselves with Blacks. Even now, I can’t imagine myself congratulating my new neighbors on the first Black woman to be selected as a major party candidate for V.P. They might be offended, indignant. Indians are very proud people and to them, Kamala Harris is Indian, Southeast Asian-- not Black.</p><p>This new Black thing is beautifully orchestrated and equally complicated as it allows us, or forces us, to explore cultures outside of our normal experiential sphere. It pushes us out of our comfort zones, expands our playlists and opens our eyes to languages, music, foods, art, philosophy, religions, and history we may not have otherwise had a reason to explore. For instance, we speak of slavery as though it only existed in the Triangle Trade, when in fact, slavery, though illegal throughout the world, is still practiced in India today. Women are bought and sold into forced labor and sexual servitude in 2020 in towns like Mewat, not far from New Delhi, the capitol. Perhaps Southeast Asian women have their own reasons for celebrating Kamala Harris’ success. </p><p>Indian food and music are wonderful, but the caste system is so deeply entrenched that it is virtually impossible to elevate from one level into another-- it’s oppressive, it discriminates and it’s generational. India is a huge continent, thousands of years old, with language, culture and history so intermingled with other cultures from Africa to China that this whole Kamala Harris/Black thing should be our excuse, our license to delve deeply into the world to discover the true scope, scale and extent of the human condition and experience as it relates to color. We’re bound to color in America. We’re so distracted by Black that it can only be a conspiracy. </p><p>We’re tethered so tightly to a psychology, sociology, history, religion, education, economy, and political landscape designed to suffocate, that it’s no wonder we can’t breathe. White Supremacy is the knee on our collective necks, and it exists on both sides of the aisle. Systemic racism, which some say doesn’t exist, might better be identified as tactical, or strategic racism. We are prisoners of war, and Blackism is the shackle that binds and confines us. James Brown meant well, but his clarion call could have shaken the earth off its axis had he spoken to the world, not just America, and demanded the Black world reply. So now it’s our turn, it’s on us to call on the Black world to say it loud. </p><p>Kamala, like Barack, chose to be Black. That she attended an HBCU, joined a Black sorority, collects Converses, and likes to dance, is all well and good. However, I insist, I demand that she is honest with us about her Southeast Asian culture. Don’t play us! Bring something new to the table. You claim Black, you have to represent Black. That’s the deal! Barack misspoke when he said; “Democracy is not transactional.” Of course, it is Sir, or did you mean not for us? Kamala laughed when she said it is not her intent to make special provisions for Black people. Do! From now on, you have to pay to dance!</p><p>And, while I unapologetically take issue with the exclusion from the halls, corridors, and towers of power, deserving Black folks whose lineage date back to the American slave experience, folks like Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Jordan, whose ancestors for centuries, have drenched this soil with blood, sweat and tears, and filled this air with screams and cries of horror, for the appointment of folks with skin color just brown enough to appease us, I welcome the opportunity, the challenge, to choose culture over color for my thesis, my protest. I contend culture, not color is where liberation lies, and where justice will be found. Just as all peoples of the world, Asians, Africans, Europeans, Jews, Gentiles, White, Black, Red, Yellow, were at one time or another slaves, let us not forget that we, Black peoples of the world, were mariners, explorers, inventors, scholars, merchants, gifted artisans, astronomers, brilliant scientists, skillful linguists, warriors and great spiritual leaders. Say it loud…</p><p>Black… it’s complicated, but so are we. Genius is always complicated! </p><p>That’s what’s on my mind!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Meet Our Guest Blogger Miles Jaye</p><p><i>Singer, songwriter, Miles Jaye, is a native New Yorker; it is there that he studied music theory and classical violin for more than ten years at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Saratoga School for Orchestral Studies and Brooklyn College. An accomplished musician and producer, Jaye is best known for his chart-topping hits, "Let’s Start Love Over", "Heaven" and "Objective" featuring Grover Washington, Jr. His heart wrenching "I’ve Been A Fool For You" has become one of radio’s favorite R&B classics. While Jaye laid the groundwork for excellence with his three highly acclaimed CD’s on Island Records, MILES, STRONG and IRRESISTIBLE; he continued that standard of excellence on his own Black Tree Records with titles such as the ODYSSEY, DIVINE ASCENSION, ROMANTIC STORM and HUMANITY. Under the Miles Jaye Davis Productions label, his extensive training as a classical and jazz violinist is evident on his latest release "ATTENERGY", the voice on the violin which is an exceptional musical “coming out celebration” with sixteen beautifully crafted performances. Now a Floridian, Jaye enjoys a long-standing reputation as an R&B and Contemporary Jazz writer/producer, having partnered with some of the giants of jazz on his recordings such as George Duke, Roy Ayers, Nat Adderley, Jr., Rachelle Ferrell, Grover Washington, Jr., and Branford Marsalis. The list of notables with which Jaye has shared the concert stages of the world is too extensive to include here. Jaye is especially proud of writing and producing six tracks on the certified Gold JOY CD from his mentor, legendary R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass. A prolific composer, Jaye has penned and recorded more than 50 original compositions and has the unique distinction of recording no less than 12 different musical instruments on several of his critically acclaimed CD’s. In addition to side-man duties early in his career for the songstress, Phyllis Hyman, balladeer, Jon Lucien, and jazz guitarist Eric Gale, Jaye served two years as lead-singing Cop for the hit pop group that brought you YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE. Jaye is also a novelist, playwright, art student, and an award-winning journalist. He is an active supporter of campaigns for AIDS Awareness, Breast Cancer research, and an advocate for victims of domestic violence. He also actively supports arts education in public schools. Miles Jaye Davis, like his namesake, legendary trumpeter, Miles Davis, is one of music’s most gifted, distinctive and dynamic artists.</i><br /><br /></p><p>Website: www.milesjaye.net<br />Podcast: https://bit.ly/2zkhSRv<br />Email: milesjaye360@gmail.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-64576099280301591122020-08-09T09:13:00.001-07:002020-08-09T09:13:30.520-07:00My Review of the Book Too Much and Never Enough on Goodreads and Amazon<p> </p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54114950-too-much-and-never-enough" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592290619l/54114950._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54114950-too-much-and-never-enough">Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20417270.Mary_L_Trump">Mary L. Trump</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3446793213">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<strong>I Believe Every Word In This Book</strong><br /><br />Mary Trump's book is the culmination of all of the books I have read about Donald Trump. While I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, she confirms everything that I always thought was driving Mr. Trump's aberrant behavior. I've always said and believed that what happens in our childhoods greatly impacts our adulthoods. I can't think of a better example than this story. The truth of the matter is Donald Trump needs help and truly does not belong in the seat of the most powerful person in the free world. It truly is a sad story about a very dysfunctional family that has now impacted the world. Ms. Trump's book corroborates with so many authors who have written about their experiences with Donald Trump. Everyone can't be lying with only Donald and his sycophants telling the truth. I applaud Mary Trump for putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together for readers (and hopefully there are many) to make an informed decision when going into that voting booth or mailing in that ballot in November. Mary Trump, job well done and as an AV geek and former jet engine mechanic for the United States Air Force, I salute your father as flying is a calling unto itself and a very noble profession.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2777753-marc-medley">View all my reviews</a>
Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-17666147810583075902020-08-04T13:19:00.002-07:002020-08-04T13:20:36.866-07:00It's Not Cute No Matter How You Spell It Or Say It The photo below appeared in a post on my Facebook timeline. My response below the photo is this blog post. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gFQordENzkA/XynCI0oR9-I/AAAAAAAAEcI/fZO_e_FmzB4D1W1jnq_dffbYuyvJCbO5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/coach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="515" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gFQordENzkA/XynCI0oR9-I/AAAAAAAAEcI/fZO_e_FmzB4D1W1jnq_dffbYuyvJCbO5ACLcBGAsYHQ/w412-h512/coach.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXyQ4lkoOLU/XynCNeBYs7I/AAAAAAAAEcM/vYjGX7C9CPQQMenth1ttzUc1cq1ZiEnqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s506/response.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="506" height="367" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXyQ4lkoOLU/XynCNeBYs7I/AAAAAAAAEcM/vYjGX7C9CPQQMenth1ttzUc1cq1ZiEnqgCLcBGAsYHQ/w405-h367/response.jpg" width="405" /></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-42405597555176836552020-07-18T15:17:00.002-07:002020-07-18T15:17:49.293-07:00"If We Begin To Direct Our Children's Attention To Strong Images Like Themselves, They Will Grow In Self-Respect"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUifSM-R1Zw/XxNxqmqKHsI/AAAAAAAAEbA/6jP-5kh2drwv-mOd0tdeTYQBMROQkzDkACLcBGAsYHQ/s750/IMG_9123%2B%2528Edited%2529.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="750" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUifSM-R1Zw/XxNxqmqKHsI/AAAAAAAAEbA/6jP-5kh2drwv-mOd0tdeTYQBMROQkzDkACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h220/IMG_9123%2B%2528Edited%2529.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The title of this post is a direct quote from the book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Chains-Psychological-Slavery-Akbar/dp/0935257055">Breaking The Chains Of Psychological Slavery </a></i>written by <a href="https://g.co/kgs/NyeKJr">Na'im Akbar, Ph.D.</a> Dr. Akbar has been described by <i><a href="https://www.essence.com/">Essence</a></i> magazine as <i>"one of the world's preeminent African American psychologists and pioneer in the development of an African-centered approach to modern psychology. </i><div><br /></div><div>I write this post the day after the passing of a living legend, <a href="https://g.co/kgs/gKPvxh">Congressman John Robert Lewis </a>and two days subsequent to the passing of yet another legend, the <a href="https://g.co/kgs/LdoDsS">Reverend Cordy Tindell (C.T.) Vivian.</a> While not a betting man, I am willing to wager that our children, particularly our African-American children do not know who these two African-American heroes are. I would be willing to bet that if you approached an African-American high school senior who just graduated in June of 2020 or perhaps even an African- American Class of 2020 college graduate and asked them about these two gentlemen, they would not recognize their names much less tell you anything about them or what they did. Why??? Because they were never taught about them, that's why. They were not taught about them at home or at school. </div><div><br /></div><div>While I love the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (and I do), our children must learn about more than just him and Rosa Parks. It is incumbent upon us as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, teachers, principals, superintendents, pastors, and preachers to direct our children's attention to strong images like themselves in order for their self-respect to develop and grow. According to Dr. Akbar, we must honor and exalt our own heroes and those heroes must be people who have done the most to dignify us as a people. I could not agree more. Your average Caucasian or African-American child can only name Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks when pressed to name an African-American hero. In most instances, you will get the name of an athlete or entertainer. Quoting from <i>Breaking The Chains Of Psychological Slavery </i>again: </div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>"Entertainers and athletes are the popular heroes of the African-American community. Physical prowess or comic exploit are the only characteristics Black heroes are permitted to express. Intellectual acuity, prophetic vision, moral integrity, technological know-how, and managerial efficiency are characteristics seldom, if ever, portrayed."</i></blockquote><div>The African-American community must do a better job to educate its own children. Black history curriculums, Amistad laws, and teaching mandates have their place; however, they do not surpass the teaching that is handed down from generation to generation from parents, grandparents and great grandparents. We [African-Americans] must help our children connect the dots between themselves and their ancestors. <br /><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvOXbXpAINo/XxNzSjHvb6I/AAAAAAAAEbU/fY2Aj8ophLUSzGCmAyL1KYcqlbexIlkcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvOXbXpAINo/XxNzSjHvb6I/AAAAAAAAEbU/fY2Aj8ophLUSzGCmAyL1KYcqlbexIlkcgCLcBGAsYHQ/w205-h136/IMG_0112.JPG" width="205" /></a></div>Last week I visited for the second time in a number of years the <a href="https://ferncliffcemetery.com/">Ferncliff Cemetary</a> in Hartsdale, New York. It's only about 30 miles away from my home and a nice little drive just to relax. There are many <a href="https://ferncliffcemetery.com/visit-ferncliff/celebrities-notables/">notables </a>buried in Ferncliff including Malcolm X and his wife Betty, Paul Robeson, James Baldwin, Jackie "Moms" Mabley, Adolph Caesar, Whitney M. Young, Jr. and Northern J. Calloway (I visited all of their gravesites). Many more notables such as Judy Garland and Cab Calloway are also entombed there. As I visited each grave, I literally felt connected to each one even though I had never met any of them in person. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YFjMeLhcXU/XxNzvFI0RkI/AAAAAAAAEbg/noxZcMH8RAYwyJJb9rYqEJOCh0FWbYZLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YFjMeLhcXU/XxNzvFI0RkI/AAAAAAAAEbg/noxZcMH8RAYwyJJb9rYqEJOCh0FWbYZLQCLcBGAsYHQ/w205-h136/IMG_0096.JPG" width="205" /></a></div>I placed flowers on the grave of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and his wife Betty. As I visited each grave, I reflected upon his/her contribution to the world. Now I know for some of you reading this, it may seem strange to walk around a cemetery, however, for me, it is an experience of connecting with my ancestors. I know the spirit speaks because the very next day someone posted on <a href="https://g.co/kgs/8iVp6U">Vero - True Social,</a> a social media platform similar to Instagram, a debate between Malcolm X and James Baldwin (see below). </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t2_ksQn0iUA/XxNu1WilBWI/AAAAAAAAEZk/OynBss5dRCgPg6kvm3VtQRruEzaVXW8wwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t2_ksQn0iUA/XxNu1WilBWI/AAAAAAAAEZk/OynBss5dRCgPg6kvm3VtQRruEzaVXW8wwCLcBGAsYHQ/w205-h136/IMG_0103.JPG" width="205" /></a></div>I had literally been at the gravesites of those two men one day prior to the post and whoever posted that post on Vero did not know me from Adam's housecat, yet that post appeared. It was as if Malcolm and James were letting me know that I had visited them the day before. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://g.co/kgs/i8nykq">Carter G. Woodson</a> stated:</div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>"to handicap a student for life by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless, is the worst kind of lynching. It kills one's aspirations and dooms him to vagabondage and crime."</i></blockquote><div>I'll wager another bet that most of the names that I listed above would not be familiar to a teenager in 2020. Maybe Malcolm X and that's a maybe. Folks, we must do better in educating ourselves and our children in terms of where we have come from and the great contributions that African-Americans have made to the world. By doing so, the self-esteem and self-respect of all of us and particularly our young African-Americans can do nothing else but increase. Let's get out there and make our ancestors proud.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FJ2bdWj3tOA/XxNvFOwOQMI/AAAAAAAAEZo/gysrKNkGFZwX79dU6-zcPkFlq3C7-jLWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FJ2bdWj3tOA/XxNvFOwOQMI/AAAAAAAAEZo/gysrKNkGFZwX79dU6-zcPkFlq3C7-jLWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/IMG_0106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50fzksoawl4/XxNvgMS9EpI/AAAAAAAAEZ8/MNliNaN0_UkPDkXFcV-kUT52YsQJ_TR1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50fzksoawl4/XxNvgMS9EpI/AAAAAAAAEZ8/MNliNaN0_UkPDkXFcV-kUT52YsQJ_TR1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/IMG_0118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8BckgW6MSqc/XxNwPcXv22I/AAAAAAAAEaU/FDcRsJVBwnsxhGGFXUyiZKosPvtGz2FuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8BckgW6MSqc/XxNwPcXv22I/AAAAAAAAEaU/FDcRsJVBwnsxhGGFXUyiZKosPvtGz2FuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/IMG_0110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQbdS5N21ek/XxNwYS_3PGI/AAAAAAAAEaY/GRBEzgVv3yUyOeos6C2fVho_U7j7Wbm7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQbdS5N21ek/XxNwYS_3PGI/AAAAAAAAEaY/GRBEzgVv3yUyOeos6C2fVho_U7j7Wbm7ACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/IMG_0126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> </i></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-btIcV0p5HCI/XxNwhQATeBI/AAAAAAAAEag/ZJJwHITyOEQu8OoGKhxGubHJbUyiOEesgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-btIcV0p5HCI/XxNwhQATeBI/AAAAAAAAEag/ZJJwHITyOEQu8OoGKhxGubHJbUyiOEesgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h213/IMG_0115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sVNVb7sKwoU" width="320" youtube-src-id="sVNVb7sKwoU"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-22097924510153215122020-07-09T09:19:00.001-07:002020-07-09T09:19:31.607-07:00 "KING"<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Guest Post By Miles Jaye</b></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZKENdg5i1I/XwdDJkx1pWI/AAAAAAAAEY4/VasagdsTJsoNUbaO5e52WSOydxEBiJBmACK4BGAsYHg/s1200/king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZKENdg5i1I/XwdDJkx1pWI/AAAAAAAAEY4/VasagdsTJsoNUbaO5e52WSOydxEBiJBmACK4BGAsYHg/s320/king.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><i>I have a recurring dream in which I imagine where we might be had they not taken our King.</i> King, like David, had a heart for God. In the Old Testament, the book of Judges and both books of Kings illustrate the fate of a people whose hearts stray from the will of God. When corruption, idolatry and greed infect God’s people like a virus, the punishment is horrible, the outcome-- predictable. It was the job of the prophets to remind them of the consequences of disobedience and unfaithfulness. In my dream, America was Judah, America was Israel and King was our prophet.</div><div><br /></div><div>King was always recognized as a legitimate Negro leader. He was respectable, predictable, and his peaceful protests posed no threat to the status quo or the power elite. His rhetoric and methods may have been considered weak and ineffective by some, but the government found him useful, pliable, so they indulged and tolerated him. </div><div><br /></div><div>What may have been overlooked is the fact that a true leader, a gifted tactician conceals his strategy until time to strike. Also underestimated was King’s willingness to interact with other influential Black leaders. In this essay, <i>which I admit is more of a collection of timely and relevant quotes, </i>I share the wisdom and warnings of a prophet to his people. My comments are simply an attempt to apply a 2020 context.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>“Urban riots are a special form of violence. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or obtain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community, but most of all, alienated from society and knowing society cherishes property above people, by abusing property rights.” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Here he stresses their value of property over human life, begging the question, <b>do Black Lives Matter?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“We suffer domestic colonialism. We must achieve self-determination.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>If,</i> </b>according to Webster, <i>colonialism is: “the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically”, </i>what is<i> domestic colonialism </i>and how do we apply it to our condition?<i> </i>How do African people best achieve<i> self-determination</i> within a Western societal construct? <i><b>Diasporic Identity? Diasporic Double-Consciousness?</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“Throughout our history, laws affirming Negro rights have consistently been circumvented by ingenious evasions which render them void in practice. Laws that affect the whole population-- draft laws, income-tax laws, traffic laws, manage to work even though they may be unpopular; <b>but laws passed for the Negro’s benefit are so widely unenforced that it is a mockery to call them laws.”</b> </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, it is a mockery, as they were never actually for our benefit, <i><b>nor are they now.</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“There aren’t enough white persons in our country who are willing to cherish democratic principles over privilege.” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Agreed, but is the issue democracy or capitalism and <b><i>can the two co-exist?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to “justice”; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice…” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>I suffer no such disappointment. If the <i>“justice”</i> I seek is fair treatment from the very one, the very system which benefits from my oppression and maltreatment, <b><i>I’m disappointed in my own naivete.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“I’ve come to the realization that I think we may be integrating into a burning house.” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, and either we are so resolute, so determined to demonstrate our fidelity, by attempting to extinguish the fire, <b><i>or we simply enjoy the smell of smoke.</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“White people view Black people as inferior. A large percentage of them have a very low opinion of our race. People with such a low view of the Black race cannot be given free rein and put in charge of the intellectual care and development of our boys and girls. I don’t see school integration successfully happening right now and being beneficial… It will be disastrous.” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>It amazes me that we agonize over leftovers and hand-me-downs as though whatever they have is better? I waste no time with their low opinion of me or of my race. What white people think of our intellect is irrelevant. It’s what we believe that is relevant. Have we not educated the world? <b><i>Do we now beg for participation in a brain-numbing education system that perpetuates the perception of our inferiority? </i></b></div><div> </div><div><i>“There are Negroes who will never fight for freedom. There are Negroes who will seek profit for themselves from the struggle. There are even some Negroes who will cooperate with their oppressors. The hammer blows of discrimination, poverty and segregation must warp and corrupt some. No one can pretend that because a people may be oppressed, every individual member is virtuous and worthy.” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>So sad, so true! No names please! <b><i>Have one of those hammers handy?</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“The trouble is that we live in a failed system. Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That’s the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we’re going to have to change the system.” </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Fifty years later and we haven’t changed the system. The question is, has the system failed or has it worked perfectly well for descendants of the small privileged few you call Framers and Founding Fathers. <b><i>I don’t hear them complaining.</i></b></div><div> </div><div><i>“At the very same time that America refused to give the Negro any land, through an act of congress our government was giving away millions of acres of land in the West and the Midwest, which meant that it was willing to undergird its white peasants from Europe with an economic floor. But not only did they give the land, they built land grant colleges with government money to teach them how to farm. Not only that, they provided county agents to further their expertise in farming. Not only that, they provided low-interest rates in order that they could mechanize their farms. Not only that, today many of these people are receiving millions of dollars in federal subsidies <b>not to farm</b> and they are the very people telling the Black man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps. This is what we are faced with and this is a reality. Now, when we come to Washington in this Poor People’s campaign, we’re coming to get our check.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Once King’s strategy became evident, his <i>“neutralization”</i> became inescapable, a foregone conclusion. Already a target of Hoover’s COINTELPRO program, King was no longer deemed harmless, but was now a clear and present danger-- an enemy of the state. Regrettably, the speech he planned for the Poor People’s Campaign, <b>“America May Have to Go to Hell,”</b> was never heard. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>That’s what’s on my mind!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Meet Our Guest Blogger Miles Jaye</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Singer, songwriter, Miles Jaye, is a native New Yorker; it is there that he studied music theory and classical violin for more than ten years at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Saratoga School for Orchestral Studies and Brooklyn College.</div><div><br /></div><div>An accomplished musician and producer, Jaye is best known for his chart-topping hits, "Let’s Start Love Over", "Heaven" and "Objective" featuring Grover Washington, Jr. His heart wrenching "I’ve Been A Fool For You" has become one of radio’s favorite R&B classics.</div><div><br /></div><div>While Jaye laid the groundwork for excellence with his three highly acclaimed CD’s on Island Records, MILES, STRONG and IRRESISTIBLE; he continued that standard of excellence on his own Black Tree Records with titles such as the ODYSSEY, DIVINE ASCENSION, ROMANTIC STORM and HUMANITY.</div><div><br /></div><div>Under the Miles Jaye Davis Productions label, his extensive training as a classical and jazz violinist is evident on his latest release "ATTENERGY", the voice on the violin which is an exceptional musical “coming out celebration” with sixteen beautifully crafted performances.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now a Floridian, Jaye enjoys a long-standing reputation as an R&B and Contemporary Jazz writer/producer, having partnered with some of the giants of jazz on his recordings such as George Duke, Roy Ayers, Nat Adderley, Jr., Rachelle Ferrell, Grover Washington, Jr., and Branford Marsalis. The list of notables with which Jaye has shared the concert stages of the world is too extensive to include here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaye is especially proud of writing and producing six tracks on the certified Gold JOY CD from his mentor, legendary R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass. A prolific composer, Jaye has penned and recorded more than 50 original compositions and has the unique distinction of recording no less than 12 different musical instruments on several of his critically acclaimed CD’s.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to side-man duties early in his career for the songstress, Phyllis Hyman, balladeer, Jon Lucien, and jazz guitarist Eric Gale, Jaye served two years as lead-singing Cop for the hit pop group that brought you YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaye is also a novelist, playwright, art student, and an award-winning journalist. He is an active supporter of campaigns for AIDS Awareness, Breast Cancer research, and an advocate for victims of domestic violence. He also actively supports arts education in public schools.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miles Jaye Davis, like his namesake, legendary trumpeter, Miles Davis, is one of music’s most gifted, distinctive and dynamic artists.</div><div><br /></div><div><img height="51" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mo62y6PyOEAHaAr-5cRknm7k8Eq3zGCJChfv_ZhfH7GkGgL4ZRRlhcpnaobvCBEy8I1SqhWAW3fFEsXZk7N4hXVVs0IAIYitGTRHuvZ-EN0jEClkfsBX2QhrjdDwXBnCf9sLPkjFHRVpcgKuQQ" style="font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;" width="624" /></div></i></div><div><br /></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-58093644380651667342020-06-26T08:00:00.001-07:002020-06-26T08:00:34.607-07:00What’s on Miles’ Mind?<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>“TIRED”</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>By Miles Jaye</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfDgKDwqZ5I/XvYNKTEFYuI/AAAAAAAAEXc/hSUTBGvpO0ohqYkAKFzuQo7ENql9X_iXgCK4BGAsYHg/s896/I%2Bam%2Btired.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="896" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfDgKDwqZ5I/XvYNKTEFYuI/AAAAAAAAEXc/hSUTBGvpO0ohqYkAKFzuQo7ENql9X_iXgCK4BGAsYHg/s320/I%2Bam%2Btired.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In 1964, Fannie Lou Hamer, one of this country’s greatest folk leaders ever, made famous these humble,</div><div>yet powerful words; “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” I say, in 2020; “I’m suffering from a</div><div>severe case of <i><b>rhetoric fatigue</b></i>.” Different times, different words, same fatigue.<br /><br /></div><div>I’m tired of the same rhetoric, the same questions, the same answers, the same interviews with the same familiar names and faces, the same broken promises, and the same fake empathy. I’m tired of the same old analysis of racism and the “problems that plague America”, as though we don’t know. <b>We know! </b>It’s inconceivable that we do not know!<br /><br /></div><div>I’m tired of hearing about<i> <b>a few bad apples,</b></i> or about <b><i>the good cops.</i></b> I’m tired of having MLK quotes</div><div>thrown at me like smoke bombs. I’m tired of White folks cherry-picking good Black folks to interview. Interview Pence, Barr, McConnell, Graham. Interview Joel O’Steen, not T.D. Jakes. Interview the KKK Grand Wizard, not Kamala Harris or Cory Booker. Give Van Jones and brother Bakari Sellers a break. <b><i>Give me a break!</i></b> I’ve heard it all... all my life, and <b><i>I’m tired of it</i>.</b> And please, <b><i>Stop Begging!</i></b> Stop begging evil, hateful folks, for kindness and humanity. <b><i>Stop it!</i></b><br /><br /></div><div>If you’re not Black, but you’re <b><i>human</i></b>, and you somehow do not understand why we are sick and tired, spiritually and emotionally fatigued, then read the words spoken by Ms. Hamer dating back to the early sixties. If you have a heart, if you have a soul, you may find that you too will feel some degree of spiritual exhaustion, your heart heaving, your soul weak and weary, your eyes swelling with tears. If not, I know I’m supposed to pray for you, <b><i>but I’m tired.</i></b> I know I’m supposed to love you anyway, <b><i>but I’m tired.</i></b><br /><br /></div><div>I suggest<b> <i>you pray!</i></b> Study the Beatitudes in the book of Matthew and you pray. <b><i>I’m tired!</i></b></div><div><b><i>“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”</i></b> Matthew 5:6<br /><br /></div><div><b><i>These are the words of a simple, but brilliant, and courageous, country girl, who ‘shook up the world’.<br /></i></b><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div><i>“See Mississippi is not actually Mississippi’s problem. Mississippi is America’s problem. Because if America wanted to do something about what is going on in Mississippi it could have been stopped by now. It wouldn’t have been, in the past few years, between 40 and 50 churches bombed and burned. You see, and this leads me to say, you know, all of the burning and bombing <b>that was done to us,</b> and the houses, nobody never said too much about that, and nothing was done. But let something be burned, you know, by a Black man, and then my God. You see, the flag is drenched with our blood. Because, you see, so many of our ancestors was killed because we have never accepted slavery. We had to live under it, but we never wanted it. So, we know that this flag is drenched with our blood. So what the young people are saying now, give us a chance to be young men, respected as a man, as we know this country was built on the black backs of Black people across this country, and if we don’t have it, you ain’t gone have it either, ‘cause we gone tear it up. That’s what they’re saying. And people ought to understand that. I don’t see why they don’t understand it. They know what they’ve done to us. All across this country, <b>they know what they’ve done to us. </b>This country is desperately sick, and man it’s on the critical list. I really don’t know where we go from here.” </i></div></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote><div><i>“It wasn’t too long before 3 White men came to my cell. One of these men was a state highway patrolman. He said, ‘we going to make you wish you was dead’. I was carried out of that cell into another cell where they had two negro prisoners. The state highway patrolman ordered the first negro to take the blackjack. The first negro began to beat. And I was beat by the first negro until he was exhausted. After</i></div><div><i>the first negro had beat me until he was exhausted. The state patrolman ordered the second negro to take the blackjack. The second negro began to beat and I began to work my feet. The state highway patrolman ordered the first negro had beat to sit on my feet. To keep me from working my feet. I began to scream and one White man got up and began to beat me in my head and to tell me to hush. All of this on the count of we want to register to become first class citizens. And if the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America, is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to</i></div><div><i>sleep with our telephones off of the hooks, because our lives be threatened daily because we want to live as decent human beings in America. Thank you”</i></div></blockquote><div></div><div>I’m tired, but I still pray for <b>peace, justice, and righteousness! M</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>That’s what’s on my mind!</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Meet Our Guest Blogger Miles Jaye</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Singer, songwriter, Miles Jaye, is a native New Yorker; it is there that he studied music theory and classical violin for more than ten years at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Saratoga School for Orchestral Studies and Brooklyn College.</div><div><br /></div><div>An accomplished musician and producer, Jaye is best known for his chart-topping hits, "Let’s Start Love Over", "Heaven" and "Objective" featuring Grover Washington, Jr. His heart wrenching "I’ve Been A Fool For You" has become one of radio’s favorite R&B classics.</div><div><br /></div><div>While Jaye laid the groundwork for excellence with his three highly acclaimed CD’s on Island Records, MILES, STRONG and IRRESISTIBLE; he continued that standard of excellence on his own Black Tree Records with titles such as the ODYSSEY, DIVINE ASCENSION, ROMANTIC STORM and HUMANITY.</div><div><br /></div><div>Under the Miles Jaye Davis Productions label, his extensive training as a classical and jazz violinist is evident on his latest release "ATTENERGY", the voice on the violin which is an exceptional musical “coming out celebration” with sixteen beautifully crafted performances.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now a Floridian, Jaye enjoys a long-standing reputation as an R&B and Contemporary Jazz writer/producer, having partnered with some of the giants of jazz on his recordings such as George Duke, Roy Ayers, Nat Adderley, Jr., Rachelle Ferrell, Grover Washington, Jr., and Branford Marsalis. The list of notables with which Jaye has shared the concert stages of the world is too extensive to include here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaye is especially proud of writing and producing six tracks on the certified Gold JOY CD from his mentor, legendary R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass. A prolific composer, Jaye has penned and recorded more than 50 original compositions and has the unique distinction of recording no less than 12 different musical instruments on several of his critically acclaimed CD’s.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to side-man duties early in his career for the songstress, Phyllis Hyman, balladeer, Jon Lucien, and jazz guitarist Eric Gale, Jaye served two years as lead-singing Cop for the hit pop group that brought you YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jaye is also a novelist, playwright, art student, and an award-winning journalist. He is an active supporter of campaigns for AIDS Awareness, Breast Cancer research, and an advocate for victims of domestic violence. He also actively supports arts education in public schools.</div><div><br /></div><div>Miles Jaye Davis, like his namesake, legendary trumpeter, Miles Davis, is one of music’s most gifted, distinctive and dynamic artists.<br /><br /></div><div><div><b>Website: www.milesjaye.net<br /><br /></b></div><div><b>Email: milesjaye360@gmail.com</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div></div><div><br /></div></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4232545803038458978.post-8820865302094710112020-05-31T12:53:00.001-07:002020-05-31T12:53:30.870-07:00Has God "Damned" America or Has America "Damned" Herself?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aYahF-ClGzw" width="320" youtube-src-id="aYahF-ClGzw"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Has God damned America or has America damned herself? is the question and topic of this post. In 2008 the <a href="https://g.co/kgs/ZohPTP">Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright,</a> then pastor of the <a href="https://www.trinitychicago.org/">Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago</a>, and who now serves as the pastor emeritus of the church used the words <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/DemocraticDebate/story?id=4443788&page=1"><i>"God",</i> <i>"damn"</i> and "<i>America"</i> </a>in the same sentence. He was juxtaposing this line with what is commonly said, which is "God Bless America." The attention to this sermon came as then Senator Barack Obama was seeking the presidency as Senator Obama was a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ. Pundits tried to use Reverend Wright's sermon as one of the reasons that Barack Obama should not become President of the United States. The rhetoric surrounding the sermon was a usual divide and conquer tactic as well as yet another way to share distorted and<i> "alternate facts" </i>with the American Public. Thankfully, the tactic did not succeed even though it did cause some uneasy moments given the relationship between Senator Obama and his pastor. Ultimately, Barack Obama did become president and served for two terms and Reverend Wright's words have manifested into reality over and over again even up to the writing of this blog post in May of 2020. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqeAiQmJTYg/XtQFskJ0N_I/AAAAAAAAEVo/HZ3Y1mnSzcAaP2jb99V0KkSRdUP9J4rSwCK4BGAsYHg/damn.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="647" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqeAiQmJTYg/XtQFskJ0N_I/AAAAAAAAEVo/HZ3Y1mnSzcAaP2jb99V0KkSRdUP9J4rSwCK4BGAsYHg/w400-h230/damn.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="1">Definition of Damn</font></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's the Cliff Notes backdrop to this post today and my question that is an offshoot of Dr. Wright's statement in 2008. My question though is, Is God the one doing the damning, or is America damning herself? As a child raised in a Christian home, we were taught <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20%3A7&version=KJV">never to take or use God's name in vain</a> and to steer away from profanity; in fact, of all of the profane or blasphemous words that could come out of one's mouth, <i>"Goddamn" </i> was at the top of the list. That word you just did not use. You might be able to get by with <i>"Hell,"</i> <i>"Ass,"</i> and maybe even the <i>"F"</i> word; however, you just did not say the word <i>"Goddamn." </i>Yet, Rev. Wright was using the term in his sermon in a church, and in my view he was absolutely, one hundred percent correct. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had the honor of meeting Reverend Wright on a few occasions and he made a lasting impression on me each time. My first experience with Reverend Wright was at a <a href="http://minconf.hamptonu.edu/">Hampton University Ministers Conference</a> in the late '80s or early '90s on the campus of Hampton University. His sermon title was <i><b>Prophetic or Pathetic?</b> </i>and it was taken from 1 Kings, Chapter 13. I've never forgotten that sermon and have cited that very book of the Bible, chapter, and verse in prior posts as I see parallels between Trump and the character in that story Jeroboam. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KipCzc0J878/XtP6EA4ChfI/AAAAAAAAEVM/fpq2EdgI80Ef9zAynwlx0uvGe0fThZ5yACK4BGAsYHg/Will%2BSmith%2BQuote.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KipCzc0J878/XtP6EA4ChfI/AAAAAAAAEVM/fpq2EdgI80Ef9zAynwlx0uvGe0fThZ5yACK4BGAsYHg/w200-h200/Will%2BSmith%2BQuote.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="1">Will Smith</font></td></tr></tbody></table>So here we are in 2020 making our way through a world-wide COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic while at the same time racial atrocities are continuously on the rise. Those of us on social media are encouraging readers to <i><b>"Say the names"</b></i> of <a href="https://g.co/kgs/G3aWgM">George Floyd</a>, <a href="https://g.co/kgs/PcyG2H">Breonna Taylor</a>, <a href="https://g.co/kgs/jeLA4b">Ahmaud Arbery</a>, and countless others who have not received major media coverage. Protests have broken out all over the country eerily similar to the protests during the '60s. I even wonder if Making America Great Again (MAGA) meant taking us back to the '60s because it is so strikingly similar. I guess <a href="https://g.co/kgs/qyqaUG">Will Smith</a> said it best where he is quoted as saying <b>"Racism isn't getting worse, it's getting filmed."</b> And even when it is filmed dating back and beyond to <a href="https://g.co/kgs/eFqsuo">Rodney King</a>, people of color wind up with the short end of the stick. The <a href="https://youtu.be/wLN4PAJEYc8">video</a> of the gunning down of Ahmaud Arbery was immediately questioned upon release. Even when we are <i>"seeing"</i> it, the oppressors try to make us not believe what we are seeing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Going back to the Bible again, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, it reads:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i></i></b><blockquote><b><i>“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”</i></b></blockquote><div>In my view, America has not turned from her wicked ways nor has she humbled herself. If anything we have become more wicked even during this pandemic crisis. So to paraphrase this verse and put it into context and for the premise of this post, since we [America] are refusing to turn from our wicked ways or humble ourselves we are indeed "<b>damning"</b> ourselves. What else can you call it but damning when we are not hearing from God/Heaven because of what we keep refusing to do? It is not necessarily that God is damning America, however, we are damning ourselves with our behavior and lack of love for mankind and each other. Ahmaud, George, Breonna, and so many others were human beings just as their perpetrators are human beings. In a previous post, <a href="http://thereadingcircleblog.blogspot.com/2020/05/there-are-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this.html#.XtQDEVVKiUk">(There Are A Lot Of Things Wrong With This Picture)</a> a woman held a sign that read something to the effect of <i>her</i> being human compared with a dog and a slave who I guess are not considered human. A dog is not a human; however, slaves were humans. Sadly, there are folks out there who treat dogs and cats better than they do fellow human beings. <a href="https://youtu.be/ceFK5S7ACs4">Amy Cooper,</a> a Caucasian female had absolutely no reservations whatsoever about making a hysterical call to the police accusing <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/05/27/who-is-christian-cooper-birdwatcher-who-filmed-amy-cooper-video/">Christian Cooper</a>, a Black man (no relation) of harassing her when he was not knowing full well how the police would react to a White woman calling about a Black man harassing her (sound familiar - <a href="https://g.co/kgs/CJ4TWM">Emmett Till</a>). That's what I mean by wickedness or us not turning from our wicked ways. The misery, hatred, and wickedness that is spewed from the White House whether it is by Tweet or from the microphone is the wickedness and not humbling of oneself that I am referring to. From where I sit, unless some big league or <i>"Bigly"</i> changes are made, our land is not going to heal and this pandemic may only be the beginning. I'm sure you Bible scholars out there know about the 10 Plagues. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I share THE CRITICAL THINKER across platforms, I always ask folks to read, think, reflect, and share. I really do not care if you agree or disagree; however, I encourage you as the reader to at least think about the premise of the post. Where are you based on the information that is written in the post? Are you a part of the problem or the solution? Are you the oppressor or the oppressed? I encourage you to ask yourself these questions and as always, thanks for reading, and of course, this is something to critically think about. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Marc A. Medleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891538348892498227noreply@blogger.com1