Blacks and The Racial Litmus Test

It didn't take long for Black bloggers to show their ignorance once the photo of Sandra Bullock and her adopted son emerged this week....and I knew it wouldn't take long. As soon as I saw the photo I knew that certain people from the so-called "Black Community" would have something stupid to say. (No I won't link to their sites). But at least one suggested Bullock's adoption attempt was a possible publicity stunt. Another mentioned that special sensitivity training should be required for Whites... you know... gatekeeper nonsense. Basically, some just seemed annoyed that a Black baby had been adopted by a White woman.

Apparently the adoption isn't final.... but she is continuing with the process.
I'm all for it.

I lived in an abusive home from a toddler until I was about 11 years old. My bio mother (egg donor) was neglectful and was consumed by a world of alcohol, drugs and men. I wasn't at the top of the priority list. What kept me alive was my grandmother.... who was the only responsible adult in my life at the time. She basically raised me. And even then, I came close to death a couple of times. It was my father who saved me once and for all in the Winter of 1984, removing me from a St. Louis ghetto. Before that, I would have loved the idea of someone (ANYONE QUALIFIED) adopting me.... no matter what race they were.

Blacks (at least some of them) are being hypocrites on this.... ignorant hypocrites to be exact. If Black women were not having children out of wedlock at such high rates....or having children that they could not care for, then there wouldn't be such a big need for trans-racial adoption in the first place. But they don't want to talk about that. They also don't want to mention the fact that Black children are over-represented in Foster care systems across the Country. The fact is.... there are not enough Blacks stepping up to take care of their own children. Nor are there enough (qualified) Blacks stepping up to adopt Black children once they are in the social services system. But rather than wrestle with reality... (at least some) Blacks would rather criticize those who are willing and able to adopt.

I'm tired of the Black litmus tests. They annoy me to no end.

I'm tired of the color based litmus tests for relationships, adoptions, Supreme Court justices, Congressional districts, and the rest. Don't get me wrong... I love it when an African American reaches high office or achieves an important milestone... but is it necessary for Blacks to create a racial test for every situation?

Why All the 'Oscar' Fuss?

Why any human being would sit at home on a Sunday night and watch a bunch of zillionaire Hollywood actors and actresses pat themselves and one another on the back is beyond me. But there they were last night, parading before the cameras on 'Oscar' night at the annual Academy Awards.

I mean, I do get it for the actors and actresses themselves, of course. Almost every industry takes time out during the year to recognize and honor those in each profession or business who excelled during the previous year. Dinners are shared, toasts are made, speeches are given, trophies and plaques are handed out.

But while the nation's leading architects, novelists, construction workers, police officers, firefighters, bankers, small business persons, mass transit employees, entrepreneurs, secretaries, priests, and many others receive their honors in near-anonymity surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues their exploits are almost never celebrated in front of a television audience.

Why would any office worker, home maker, student, or businessperson care who took home what trophy for some movie that the vast majority of them have never seen and likely will never see? Why should I care what kind of dress Sandra Bullock or Meryl Streep wears as they walk down some red carpet and into a theatre to receive their awards?

Frankly, I don't. Which is why I never watch a minute of the Academy Awards, the Emmy's, the MTV Music Awards, the Grammy's, the Espy's or any other awards show. The fact of the matter is that James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Koby Bryant, Fergie, Ray Romano, Jay Leno and every other celebrity could care less about me beyond whether or not I spend my hard-earned money on one of their products or artistic endeavors. They wouldn't watch a police awards show if their lives depended on it.

This all falls in line with my similar thoughts on television shows such as 'TMZ' and 'Entertainment Tonight' and 'Extra' as well. Why should any normal, regular, hard-working, family-raising American give a damn about what is happening between Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston? Why do you care how many African babies Madonna is adopting this year? Why should you be giving up your valuable time to watch a bunch of paparazzi stand around and bust on some borderline star who took their baby for a walk in the park today while wearing giant sunglasses and an unflattering sweat suit?

You shouldn't, and that is the point. Now I can just hear the celebrity addicts who do watch these shows whining now. "Who are you to tell someone else what they should like or enjoy, Veasey?" Legitimate question for sure. And of course the answer is, I am no one. So why are you reading this in the first place? Why do you care what I think about anything?

My advice is simple. Stop watching these pieces of trash, junk television shows. Stop caring about Halle Berry and Sarah Jessica Parker and Tiger Woods personal lives. You want to spend your money to enjoy their music, their movies, their sporting contests? That's a whole other story, and a valid method of entertainment and enjoyment. But caring about what dress they wear or who they are sleeping with this week? I don't and never will get it. Why all the fuss?