Thursday, December 28, 2006

"If I said it, I meant it; bite my tongue for no one"










Quote by Notorious B.I.G.
www.vacantlot.org
Case Studies @ Vacant Lot

“If I said it, I meant it; bite my tongue for no one”

Virtues: Self-fulfillment, self-respect, courage

Case Study from: www.vacantlot.org


An ode to the 'Stand Up Guy'; the one who has too much pride to admit when he's wrong. Another common word; being 'stubborn'. I have been labelled as such a person, but those who said it are foolish. However, it can be said that there has been a decrease in people 'sticking to their words'; it seems like in the face of any adversity or opposition, people are quick-fast to switch up their story or script. Yes, it may be better to bend than break, however one who repeatedly does so can not be taken at their word any more.


P****FICATION OF THE WORLD

I wish, but nah, I didn't make this word/theory up, but it happens on a daily basis and is based on several factors. Before I get into the factors, the pussification of the world relates to people in general, but more specifically men, not speaking their mind; biting their tongue -- because of the growing concern for sensitivity and accommodating people's feelings .... (i'm making baby crying sounds). Oh yes, here are the several factors that have cause the pussification of the world:

- Feminist movement

- Activism

- Technology

- Fall of Marxism


If you can make a rational, reasonable, and logical argument about any topic in the world (yes, even concerning race), then you should not bite your tongue because someone might be 'offended' with your comments. As long one does not talk with ignorance, then you should be free to voice your opinion, we do live in a free society, correct? However, one must also consider the consequences of our freedom of speech; as some may respond back with an argument, or worse, in a physical manner. If you are not going to bite your tongue, you can be considered a 'loose cannon'; a loose cannon that had better be ready to scrap it out when need be.


EVEN to RELATIONSHIPS

Furthermore, a lot of you dudes need to man up; a woman wants someone to mean what they say, and say what they mean. None of this 'Oh baby, I didn't really mean that', listen, when you say that, you might as well throw up the white flag, hand in your concession, cut off your manhood, because your girl now owns you. Even if you are wrong, and might of said something in the heat of the moment, you obviously said because you meant it. Don't take back your word.


A man really only has two things that distinguishes him from everyone other species: his balls and his word.


It is a dependent connection.


Stand Up!


 

:: For more case studies, and quotes check out:www.vacantlot.org



Friday, December 22, 2006

"You're selling wolf tickets; and we ain't buying them"

"You're selling wolf tickets; and we ain't buying them"

This quote derives from the Dirty South and refers to those that 'talk the talk', but can not 'walk the walk'; essentially those that talk a big game, but never act to manifest their actions -- primarily because they are scared or are not 'built' tough. Thus, these types of people can not be believed; there word is not bond, but is full of filler and B.s.

There are a couple of reasons to why certain people feel the need to talk tough
- Identity Crisis: One becomes fixtuated with someone whom they admire and/or aspire to be
- Masking: Acting out to cover up another aspect of one's life that may be troublesome (parental problems, low self-confidence)
- Socio-Learned Behavior (Natural Selection): One has adapted this behavior because it will increase the chance of survival in a particular environment.

Wolf Ticket Sellers, that you should Buy:


George W Bush
Whatever dudes says, usually goes -- no matter what is advisers or you know, the public says

Young Buc
Anyone foolish enough to attack someone on live television should be taken seriously at their word

DMX
Probably the realest rapper out who means what they say -- that reality series was so real, but also so sad.

Beanie Sigel
His 'legend' is infamous throughout Philly

Fidel Castro
Dissenters beware

Mike Tyson
Crazy mofo. Not much to say, but he has been well documented

School Yard Bully
Probably will beat you up for your lunch money and then some.


Wolf Ticket Sellers, that you should NOT Buy:


80% of the rappers in the game.
Deductive logic here, if half of the stuff in their videos is not there, then it is highly likely that their message in the video is also questionable

R&B artists talking 'Gangsta'
I just don't see a dude who can croon the ladies in one instance (being all luvey dovey), to being straight up 'g', 'dat nah mek it!'

Pretty bwoy's who try to bully
Would be too scared about their looks to actually engage in any physical interactions.

Rich kids
Too much to lose: daddy's trust fund.


At least if you are going to talk tough or talk real, those that listen to you need to be able to validate what you are saying, or at least know that you 'practice what you preach'. And the only solidified way of doing so is by staying true to your word -- no matter how insightful or negative your word might be, one must at least be respected. Or as the quote suggests, no one will believe what you say -- and the 'wolf' now becomes a source of amusement and/or even prey.

Furthermore, the only way to really ascertain whether someone is selling wolf tickets is to 'test their Gangsta'; force them to act. However in testing someone, you must be ready to handle the consequences though.

Sound Off | |




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Thursday, December 14, 2006

"Call me 'Miami', because this is where the Heat's @"

"Call me 'Miami', because this is where the Heat's @"

A witty and cocky assertion of one being 'hype' the 'ish', and other virtues of that sort. However, a question has to be asked, what does it take to be hot? Is it various physical characteristics? How much money one flashes? Material worth? Or could it be, possibly, just maybe, come down to the individual -- their style, charisma, behavior, attitude, and intellect?




I know growing up, the 'hottest' people fell into the following categories:
Thugs - they had the 'bad boy' appeal so naturally the girls fell for them
The Athlete - they had the attention of everyone because of their performance on the field/court
The Desired - They had natural good looks and was the beauty that everyone wanted or to 'get with'
Style Peeps - Had the latest fashion wears and kicked the newest lingo and trends.

No matter what category one falls into, the main thing about being 'hot' is attracting attention. For some reason, man has a desire to be coveted for their actions and behavior. Western society is built upon the ideals of individualism; saying "look at me", "see what I can do", "I did this". Myspace.com and other social networking sites and even blogs are an extension of individualism; everyone is promoting themselves, and telling the world how 'cool' they are. Which in hindsight is not necessarily a negative thing, but the question becomes whether such a society filled with individualistic behavior can work collectively towards a common goal. Which ironically, was the intention of the Internet when it was first developed by the U.S. Defense Department and Universities: to allow people to collaborate on projects and share information.

In summation, I want you all to look at me, and see what I am doing, look at my posts, dive deep into my thoughts, question my logic, because in the end, I yearn for attention too .... but, does that make me hot?

-- chew on that.



Wednesday, December 13, 2006

"If your a scared mutha**** go to Church"

"If your a scared mutha**** go to Church"
A Vacant Lot Case Study
Virtues: fear, religion, self-confidence
www.vacantlot.org


FEAR
l first laughed when I even considered adding this as a quote, but its simplicity, and its meaning is very rich. Now coming from West Coast gangster staples such as Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube, one may draw the conclusion that this quote is for some gangster-esque connotation, perhaps. But a further analysis would show that this piece of wisdom can be applied for any & everything.

What Cube is trying to convey is the concept of fear. I guess the best way to describe fear is to associate it with a set of feelings & emotions that cause one to avoid engaging certain types of stimulus. When one fears something, the most likely response is either fight or flight. The fight response confronts the stimulus and attempts to subdue it. The flight response involves either escaping and/or avoiding interactions with such a stimulus. The action of ‘escaping’ and ‘avoiding’ can be appropriated to ‘fear’.

Thus, if one has fear, a possible remedy that one can take to overcome it is by placing one’s soul within a religion/church for guidance. The Church is an ideal solution for one who is ‘scared’; as the belief in the Church and its doctrine should provide one with solutions (of course which fall under their doctrine).

So if you don’t have the heart or courage for something, maybe its time you walk through those holy doors and find yourself, find courage. As we know that ‘fear’ is mostly in our minds and is a mental barrier that we must jump in order to be free.

.:: More knowledge at www.vacantlot.org



"Why are you acting like a hard rock, when you really are a gem."

"Why are you acting like a hard rock, when you really are a gem."
A Vacantlot.org Case Study
Virtues: self-respect, confidence, perception, media


A classic line from Lauryn Hill's debut album which suggests that some ladies try to 'be something that they are not'; living up to a role/stereotype, to illicit a certain response. Furthermore, those that 'play a role' usually try to imitate/mimic a rough badboy-type persona - because for whatever reason, the those that deviate from the norm and behave badly are somewhat idolized and coveted. Thus, this line does not necessarily refer to females, but plenty males constantly try to be something that they are not so that they can be deemed 'cool'. Which in turn, loosely implies that those that deviate from the norm (behaviour) are 'cool' because they are different.

Now nothing is necessarily wrong with that interesting logic, but I guess the issue of 'genuine' comes into play; Is she behaving this way because that is her true essence? Or, is he acting like that because 50 is doing it? I'm sure in your personal life, you have a lot of people that 'fake it'; from moderate faking (like claiming they robbed so and so, and beat up so and so), to more extreme levels of faking (lying about where you grew up, where you have been, etc.).

Faking Cues
Meaning, what are the sources of information that would propel one to fake. I'm going to make a big target, and put BET on blast, or better yet, put Rap Music/Culture on blast in general. The main proponent behavior in rap music is to be 'gangsta' and to be a 'tough guy', thus the music videos on BET reflect that notion by showing visual images that are very graphical, heavily testosterone-laced (i.e. misogynizing/degrading women), and show rough environments. Now, due to the psychological fact that youth, and adults even, are impressionable people (more so youth), it is very easy for people to mimic the behavior that they see on T.V. Now, I don't think that the music should tone down its content because hip-hop is very vast; it touches on the bad, good, and everything in between. HOWEVER, your BET only chooses to promote those songs/videos that discuss the bad, which in turn you can not blame BET entirely because the record labels only invest in those artists (heavily) that touch on the bad.

The real issue is with the viewer - the viewer must be competent and knowledgeable enough to know that what they are viewing either flows with their current behavior or against their current behavior. And if it flows against, then that viewer should not try to be something their not, but stay true to thy self ... nothing is worse when one is trying to be hard, but is soft like a twinkie filling.



Friday, December 08, 2006

"I'm out for Dead Presidents to represent me''

"I'm out for Dead Presidents to represent me''
A www.vacantlot.org case study virutes: hustle, money, respect

An ode to the hustle. One's belief that, essentially individuality is lost when compared to the almighty dollar. Honor, pride, respect, perseverance & other related virtues that once defined a person's character is irrelevant. Sadly, I concur with this notion in respect that in Western culture, the amount of money one has speaks volumes. We are constantly defined by what we possess & what we wish to obtain - we frequently are able to gain insight of one's wealth by what car they drive, size of their house, and type of fashion attire. Thus, the faulty logical fallacy of appropriating money with personal character ensues - which creates a behavioral of 'financial equality'.

Financial equality (term I made up) is one's belief that they can only engage in meaningful dialogue with someone that is equal to them, financially speaking. In laments terms, a 'snob' of some sorts. Unfortunately, I think that a lot of people adopt this shrewd mentality; which is especially prevalent amongst the rich & those that have power (i.e. 'Movers & Shakers').


Thus, I understand where Nas is coming from with this line -- it is only fitting to be seen as one that has Dead President's in order to be taken seriously.


The problem here is obvious, but the problem does not lie with the stimulus (money), but our conditioned response to it.


Classical Conditioning at its finest.

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