"A college degree is one of the most blatant forms of oppression"

What’s really relevant? Is it more useful to spend your life climbing up the academic ladder, getting countless graduate degrees validating your academic worth, or immersing yourself into the world and learning things that no class will cover? The obsession with “name brands” takes away from the human focus. People put themselves in a lifetime of debt to go the “name brand” schools and learn about great people and how they lived their live. This path seems to guarantee some form of a successful future….success by the “American” standard. But success isn’t something that can’t be measured on a customary rubric. Success is an individual journey but it seems that we take the formal, nationally accepted path to our own success.

Is college really the answer to a bright future? It is the only way that you will learn, and become intelligent? Is the goal to become as smart as you can, or to become smart enough to make money? The obsession with college almost seems to come back that notion of personal celebrity. “So, what is it that you do?”…”It doesn’t matter I went to Harvard”. People graduate from “brand name schools” and don’t know anything. I’m not knocking these schools at all, but this is a fact in any college.


A college degree is one of the most blatant forms of oppression. You spend foolish money to learn a bunch of abstract ideologies. Then you apply for a job, and they tell you that everything you learned over the last four years was bullshit so they put you in their “training” program and hire you anyway. Then it’s that same degree that they deemed worthless that dictates how much money they are willing to pay you. Ironic

We need to learn to valid success by our own measuring stick, and focusing on educating ourselves, but opening our minds to new places, cultures, and ideas. We need to step outside of our comfort level and put ourselves in positions of great responsibility. This is how you learn, grow, and mature.

Just some food for thought......

*I wasn't able to articulate this point as well I wanted to due to my concentration on the CAVS MAGIC game. My apologies

The obsession with these social networks (facebook, myspace, twitter) has become a paradigm shift in the digital world over the last few years. But what is the real addiction? Is it that you can find your first girlfriend from the 4th grade after not talking to her for 15 years? Is is that you use it as a great networking tool for jobs and internships?.....very possible....or is it that people are so obsessed with themselves that they want people to know what they are doing at all times? Are we that narcissistic that we need to have 15 albums of face shots in countless poses?

It seems to be a combo of both, but the "thc"(chemical in weed that gets you high) in these networks are the responses we get from other people. The "someone commented on your photo". The "someone likes your status", or 12 person threads on a picture/article/or video you posted. The affirmation of your friends and strangers makes us feel important, and we all love that feeling. When you log onto facebook, and you see that number icon above "inbox", it makes us feel good. You were important enough for someone to message you. On twitter, you have to "follow" someone. How ego boosting is that? " say man, I have 467 "followers" on twitter now. How many do you have?"". These social networks definately bring our personal celebrity into fruition. But its funny how a lot of these online celebrities tend to be very quiet in real life.

So I've been following the HBO series Brave New Voices for the last couple weeks, and every time I watch it I get goose bumps. These kids are using language to massage souls and stimulate minds in ways I never thought were possible. To publicly recite your most private of inhibitions, in a way that's therapeutic not only to an individual but to an ideology, is nothing short of amazing. The show gives us a true understanding of how powerful language really is. Talented teenagers across the globe show us how to use language to love, to fight wars, to apologize, to grieve, and most importantly heal. To be brave enough to tackle some of these issues and the reward that comes along with it is something I think we all should aspire for.

If people are placed here for a reason; then does that mean if a person misses their mark (meaning, they do not fulfill their purpose here on earth) that they can be considered not worth keeping or maintaining; or in a word: expendable? Just a thought: For those who believe in the Purpose-filled Life; what significance or reason for living does a person have when they've totally missed their mark in life and constantly are ignoring all the signs pointing towards their calling? Is it fair or even humane to go as far as to say that the wages of negligence and negation are death?

One has to wonder: what's the difference between two people, both seemingly healthy and "successful", and good people; however one freakishly dies out of nowhere? Was God; or the Universe; or Life disappointed with this particular person for their continued "failure" at even looking towards their purpose? Why, why, why...What separates people and their, perhaps, not so inevitable fates: Is it their negligence; maybe it's their stubbornness and unwillingness to pursue their presupposed "destiny"; what is it? Is it just Life: You live; you die?

What a scary thought though that should you, right now, not be on the right track in life; should you be ignoring your calling or have missed your mark -- you could be, at any moment, be wiped out! This is only a thought though...

Lately in the news, "Swine Flu" has become the newest scare tactic implemented by the U.S. (to keep us reticent and docile, and thwart our efforts in raging against The Machine). Isn't ironic that we have a Black president named "Barack Hussein Obama" and now he has to protect an entire country from a disease that stems from PORK!? Funny. Let's look at the facts surrounding this "cold":

1. Supposedly originated in Mexico

2. Comes from a pig ::oink oink::

3. ONE AMERICAN has died -- an infant -- and you can probably accredit that death to the child's underdeveloped immune system

4. And...it's no different than the "Flu Flu" (for lack of a better word) which kills on average --ready for this...36,000 people a year!

Now listen: The media cries "Swine Flu" and we all wear mask; the media cries "AIDS" and we don't wear condoms!? -- C'mon people! In 2007 alone, 2 million people died from AIDS, GLOBALLY! Swine Flu kills one American and a bunch of Mexicans and we panic? --No offense: condolences to our Mexican brothers and sisters, but there's evidently something we as Americans have (or don't have) that is sustaining our civilization amid this "pandemic." The cowardice and bitchassness of America lately is awfully sickening and very disturbing.

Challenge to the readers: take your thumb, stick it in your mouth; BLOW!; and puff your chest out. MAN UP! Take the mask off America! Slip on a condom! Go find Ol' MacDonald and find out what he's doing on that farm of his: first Bird Flu; then Mad Cow disease; and now Swine Flu!?! Stay healthy....it's allergy season, too.