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Toward A Hip Hop Christology
When
we see Jesus’ life in context, we can then begin to see some connections to Hip
Hop culture. First, Jesus had baby-mamma. Jesus was born to a
virgin—right? Well, in the Jewish context of His day and time, the word “virgin”
could have meant either without having sex or a “a maiden; by
implication an unmarried daughter”[1] This is a problem, not just for contemporary understandings of who
Mary—the mother of Jesus—actually was, but also for Mary during that key moment
in time.
Within that context, an
unmarried woman with child could only mean one thing—someone’s been dippin’ in
the field! Joseph was, in Hip Hop language, straight trippin’ with Mary when he
heard that she was pregnant. I mean come on, Mary’s never been with Joseph
sexually. They are supposedly engaged, but Mary is pregnant. What are people
going to say? Moreover, how was Joseph to maintain his reputation in...
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The Curious Case of Racial Discourse
President Obama has his hands
full. On one end, if he presses too hard for equality and justice, he will be crucified
for “playing the race card.” On the other side of it, if he sits still and says
very little, at the end of his presidency not only will Blacks remonstrate but
many other ethnic minorities will bawl for justice and equality against the
beast of racism. In the recent weeks, we have seen the struggle President Obama
has had; Shirley Sherrod is case in point. Moreover, now you have Charlie
Rangel and Maxine Waters being probed by the ethics committee; both are African
American. Does race play a role in all this? Of course.
This country has never dealt with
its deep embedded history of racism. From the U.S.’s inception (and beyond for
that matter) racism has been at the forefront of politics, the economy, and
“expansion” (e.g. Manifest Destiny). During the 1960’s we...
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Social Constructs of Race & Oscar Grant
It is difficult for some people
to comprehend police brutality. For many, they accept the notion that a police
officer is provoked and or is entitled to use brute force; moreover, if and
when that force is used, it must have been justified. Therefore, it is almost
impossible to understand someone wanting to take action (as in a lawsuit or
criminal court case) against an officer who was simply “doing his/ her duty.”
After all, if you were not doing anything wrong, why would you have to run or
put up a fight? Therein lies a very large misunderstanding and thus enters in
the multifarious nature of the social construction of race (Click here for
another examination of the social construct of race).
In our society today, we have a typology of racial awareness that resides in the inner core of our psyche a lot of us are unaware is even going on. For example, when one is...
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Communicating Post Colonialism within Immigration Reform
This week, Congress is taking
legal action against the now infamous Arizona
law passed a few months ago. At the same time, a Washington Post poll reveals
that most Americans actually support the new law in Arizona. Proponets ot the law assert that
Arizona is doing nothing but enforcing what has already been on the books;
moreover, they are protecting a border that has gone unchecked. While still
others call the new law racist and part of an ongoing trail of racial profiling.
What do we make of all this? How can this “debate” even be a debate? Are we not
just protecting our borders and keeping Americans safe? Isn’t it in our best
interest to keep those “bad people” out of the country? Well, these are all
important issues—no doubt. However, there is a mask which covers the ugly
countenance that most are unaware is happening. For example, in the 1980’s Danilo
Blandon—known for his...
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Our Money Which Art In Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name
In the wake of the BP disaster and ecological nightmare, which is unfolding in our Gulf of Mexico, I sit back and ponder the deeper elements of our current social climate, worldview, and social progress. I look at the seriousness of the close to 22% unemployment rate in California (based on the actual 10% unemployment rate and factoring in those who are discouraged workers, entrepreneurs, and those who are independent employees who cannot claim unemployment insurance), a government without any real “teeth” to tackle the greed of our country, and an economic system which seems to only benefit those who are wealthy, I am saddened. Moreover, I am also enraged by the sheer amount of greed, which exists in our country today—and not just our country, but it is passing onto other nations too.
Economic inequality is nothing new. This country was founded on the principles of thievery and...
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Dad
Father’s day is an interesting day. It is a day to remember
the fathers of the world—at least in this society here in the West. Father’s
Day is a day to recognize the influence, presence, and significance of the male
in a family unit—however one would define a “family unit.” This day is also a
time of clever marketing to get dad that special “hammer” or lawnmower he has
been wanting, or to treat him to a nice meal at his favorite burger joint—all
with special “incentives” like 50% off this and or “no tax” on that. Father’s
day presents itself with a myriad of choices on what to do for dad. But, the
deeper issue is, what is a dad? What does a dad really look like in today’s
public sphere? Is dad someone who is relegated and minimized to tools, beer,
food, and ties? Or is dad someone bigger than that? Is dad a male or a female?
Let’s...
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Birthday of A Ghetto Saint:Socio-Theological Insights from Tupac Amaru Shakur Pt 2
(Read...
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I Wonder if The Lord Ever Heard of Me? Socio-Theological Insights from Tupac Shakur Pt 1
(Please note: There is graphic language which may be offensive to some.)
These days can be a crazy time to
live in. There are all sorts of issues that arise on a second by second basis.
One begins to ask the very real theological question, “Where is God in all of
this?” Moreover, “Does God even care?” Tupac was no different, he asks the
question in context and from a marginalized perspective: I wonder if the Lord
ever heard of me?
If you have ever had some tough
times to live through, then these are questions that are real. They get at the very
depth of theological understanding that I look for and where I want to find
God. But, they are troublesome in nature; they question existence; they
question reality; they question dogma; they question tradition & culture; they
even question God—a blaspheme worthy of the auto de fé in the Spanish
Inquisition....
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Busy
For those of you who follow my humble little blog, you will have noticed that I’ve been absent for the last couple of months. My last blog entry was dated April 11, 2010 and I’ve not been able to get at my passion as much as I’d like. I do apologize for that. Should I give the more and more common excuse of, “Man…I’ve just been busy!” Should I just say, “Work got the better of me!” Or should I just say, “Shoot, I’ve been too dang tired to even do what it is I actually love to do!” Well, there is a little truth in all of those statements and the reality is, the busyness of life can be a daunting drudgery done in vain labor at points. I mean, what are we really that busy for?
Yes, yes, I get the common worldview that says we do...
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Its Good To Be A Man!
As I sit here and reflect on manhood and masculinity, I’m bothered once again by the double standard we still painfully have in our American society. What double standard you ask? Well, the one that says almost any man can have as much sex as he wants to and is considered a “stud;” shoot, there are even other men who might want to take classes from him. But when a woman has that same amount of sex or less, she is considered a “slut,” “whore,” and/or even a “bitch.” Even worse, that label sticks with her for almost a lifetime and unless she has a real integrated identity and knows herself well, that label can do disastrous things to the self-image, her social context, and even career.
Where might this even apply? Well, this week I watched Tiger Woods basically “come back.” He had his news conference seeming very...
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