Reality TV: Our Generation's Disco

Think back to the 1970s and disco music. When disco hit it hit big. It came in like an annoying relative who rings your doorbell unannounced. For almost ten years disco was all over the country. There were disco clubs all over the place and every artist worth salt was making disco records. One-hit wonders were a common trend in the 70s. What ever happened to A Taste of Honey, Silver Connection, Andrea True, and Hot Chocolate? Disco was so huge that A Taste of Honey won the Best New Artist category at the Grammy’s beating out such future legendary artist The Cars and Elvis Costello. The telecast also added a Best Disco Category (the category has since been dissolved). Studio 54 was THE hangout of the day where you had to be somebody to get in. Yes, disco was making a huge cultural impact much to the chagrin of Rock and Roll fans, and R&B funk musicians, who sometimes unfairly got grouped into the disco categories. Also hit makers such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Ray Charles careers took a back seat with music fans in favor of disco. Towards the end of the decade, disco became overkill and was getting on the nerves of a lot of people, which lead to an “I Hate Disco” rally/demolition in Comiskey Park in Chicago on July 12, 1979. Add to that the fact that legendary rock artist Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart felt it necessary to keep up with the musical Joneses by making disco tracks and then disco became a huge joke when Ethel Merman recorded a disco album and legendary disc jockey Rick Dees made a parody of the music genre by recording “Disco Duck”. By the early 80s, disco was out; rock and hip-hop was in. A lot of the one hit wonders star power from the 70s had faded. Nobody can argue the cultural impact that disco had, but it is safe to say that is was overkill after a certain point.
Now fast forward to some thirty years later, there is a new type of disco craze. It has been sweeping the nation for twenty years. It is a horse that keeps on running and running and that my friends are called reality television. Nowadays, you can turn to any channel on your television set and you will find some type of reality show on. My mind flashes back to 1992, when MTV made television history by producing the groundbreaking television show The Real World. At the time, I thought the concept was genius. You had several people from all walks of like, from different backgrounds, religions, sexual orientations picked to live in house and have their lives taped. What a great concepts. Then Survivor came and introduced the concept of reality competition television and The Osborne’s gave us glimpses into the private lives of celebrities with their show of the same name. Like disco, reality television hit and hit hard. Yet now, it is becoming too much to deal with. When you have television shows that show people getting their cars repossessed, entertainers with little to no star power popping up with reality shows just so they can keep their names out there, shows about trailer park trash, and exterminators, I think we have reached a point of no return.
Even gospel artists such as Mary Mary, Marvin Sapp, and Karen Clark-Sheard have jumped on the reality bandwagon and are doing reality shows based on their lives. Sound familiar? Does this not sound similar to what Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart did in the late 70s with disco? No disrespect to the gospel acts, I am sure their intent is pure, but it’s vaguely familiar to the disco concept. But perhaps the biggest blow to the reality genre is the conception of the show Splash that debuted this week on ABC. On this show you get to see such D-List celebrities such as Louie Anderson, Kendra Wilkinson, and Nicole Eggert compete by jumping off of a diving board to see who can be the best high dive jumper. It is presumable that ABC is trying to capitalize off of the success of its predecessor, Dancing With The Stars. However, its cautionary to ask is Splash our new Ethel Merman making a disco album? Do we really want to see Louie Anderson in a wet suit jump off a diving board? How do we consider Kendra Wilkinson a celebrity when all she has done is reality based television? Something is seriously wrong with this picture.Reality based programming has made such a splash that like with disco, The Emmys have added three reality categories to their show, Best Reality Competition and Reality Program just like the Grammy’s did with disco in the 70s. Kim Kardashian, arguably the Aretha Franklin of reality television even laughably asked the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame and asked them to consider a reality television category. Kardashian was instantly turned down.
Even huge groundbreaking rating blockbusters such as Dancing With Stars and American Idol have lost some momentum. With the exception of DL Hughley, Winona Judd, and Dorothy Hamil, this year’s cast seems hardly recognizable. The last few years of winners of American Idol have not nearly had as much mainstream success as say Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia. The focus has been much more on the revolving door of judges that have come in and out since the departure or original judges Paul Abdul and Simon Cowell. While the ratings of these two shows are still decent, they are nowhere near where they once were. Is this a sign that the genre is on its way out? Have we gotten too much of a good thing? How many of the couples from The Bachelor have found there happily ever after?
Now do not get it twisted, there a lot of reality based television shows that I think are worth merit but unfortunately, the media does not focus on those shows (see list below). However, I think we have sunk to a new low when we have “celebrities” jumping off diving boards, what next Pewee Herman and Pauly Shore competing on a bull riding show? Reality television has made such an impact that has lasted longer then even disco did, but just how much longer will the genre last. Like the “I Hate Disco” punk rockers, and funkateers, you have had a few celebrities speak out against reality show personalities and their 15 minutes of fame, arguably because of all the hard work they have put into their careers, the dues they paid, the blood, sweat, and tears, and when you see these reality stars sitting at the same tables as them after only five minutes of fame, one can see how it would leave a bitter taste in their mouth. After all, it would be a bitter pill to swallow. A-List celebrities such as Kevin Hart and The Wayans family are even cashing in on making fun of the genre by creating spoofs of famous or infamous rather reality shows. Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood has become a ratings bonanza for BET making fun of such shows Basketball Wives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, and others.
There is a place for reality television, but like disco, everything has its time and place, and this time is slowly but surely fading. Exactly how many “real” housewives shows do we need? The “Real” World is not longer real and many of the cities have been reused. Like everything, all good (and in this case bad) things must come to an end and I think the genre has run its course.

Reality Shows Worth Watching

There are some really good reality shows out there that aim to inform the public, make us laugh, and inspire us. Yet half of the time, these shows do not get focused on. If only the mainstream media would focus on some of these shows, then maybe it would increase or add a more positive image to the genre of reality television. Here is my list of some reality television that is worth watching:

Beyond Scared Straight (A&E)
Intervention (A&E)
Undercover Boss (CBS)
The Biggest Loser (NBC)
The Real Husbands of Hollywood (satire) (BET)
2nd Generation Wayans (satire) (BET)
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Hoarders (A&E)
Parole Diaries (TvOne)
Save My Son (TvOne)

Never A Dull Moment: A Tribute To My Grandmommie

Never A Dull Moment!


On February 16, 2013, my Grandmother Christine Gilrath received her heavenly award for a life that was full of joy, laughter, happiness, and service. As I am writing this, it is still very hard to comprehend that my grandmother has left us. But it is also comforting to know the memories and the legacy that she has left us with.
My first cousins and I did not call her grandma or grandmother but we called her “Grandmommie”. Growing up, I always wondered why we called her that. As a child, we just called her that and it just stuck. It was not until her interment when my aunt handed me the banner that had “Grandmommie” written in gold lettering that had been beautifully placed on her casket that I was the one that started calling her that name and that is how the name came to be. Because of that, I was given the banner that was quite an honor.

As I stated at her homegoing services, there were a lot of things that I learned from my Grandmommie.I learned that you did not have to be loud or overbearing to get your point across. Most of the time, all my grandmother had to do was point to know she meant business. If we caught her pointing at us, we knew that we were in trouble. If she began to point and move, then you had better get out of the way. Protecting your family was another valuable lesson that I got from my grandmother. I cannot tell you how many times my grandmother would go to bat for not only her children, but her grandchildren, siblings and countless other relatives. There were times I had to stop her from coming to my aide even as an adult, that was just who she was.

Because of grandmommie Christine, I learned about Victor Newman, Katherine Chancellor, Jill Abbott, Cricket, and Nikki from a little show called The Young & The Restless. My grandmother, her sisters, and her mother watched the show religiously. For a few years, during the summers, she would watch us and we dare not come into the house during 11am, because that was then Y&R was on and we better not disturb her viewing. The ultimate rule was that you could not call Bonner Springs in between the hours of 11am to 3pm (when The Guiding Light) would go off. You did have that reprieve from 12-12:30 when the news came on but that was only for thirty minutes until The Bold & The Beautiful came on. To this day, I still watch the show when I can and most of you reading this know you watch it as well.

You cannot say the name Christine without thinking of the following people Johnnie Taylor, B.B King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and of course Charles Brown. She was a HUGE fan. She loved the songs “The Ghetto”, “These Last Two Dollars”, and “The Blues is All right..” not to mention countless other songs. Her and her sister, my Aunt Alleyne would do the “Around The World” dance at every wedding reception, birthday party, picnic, and family reunion. Much like the Soul Train Line, Christine’s around the world was a given at any of those events.



My grandmommie also taught me that no matter what you went through in life, it was not worth being sad and blue about it. According to my cousin Bobby, when she received the news that she had cancer her response was, “Whatever”. That was her take on everything good or bad. That is how I am trying to carry on. I think we should all take a cue from her book and live life that way. Sure, life gets us down at times and that is okay, but do we have what it takes to get back up on that horse and ride again? My grandmother certainly did.
Age was never an excuse for her either. Nobody ever believed my grandmother was in her 80’s and that someone who loved to dance and party was that age at all. At a time when most people in their 80s were huddled in front of a television down and depressed or grouchy or reflecting on life, Christine Gilrath was living life to the fullest. That is a trend in our family, living life. All of my great-aunts and uncles defy age. They got it form their parents, my great-grandparents Arthur & Ruth Bolton who lived to be 101 and 96 respectively . I used to always tell myself that if this is what senior living looked like, I could not wait to get there.


So while I am sad and missing my grandmommie terribly I am thankful for all of the memories. I know there is a heavenly reunion going right now in heaven with all of the loved ones. I am sure her and my Uncle Wallace is cutting a rug with Johnnie Taylor singing “These Last Two Dollars” and KoKo Taylor singing “Wang Dang Doodle..” In honor of her memory, lets continue to do the “Around The World”, “Picking Up Greens”, and “The Mess Around” in her honor. Life goes on, and we honor her memory by living life to the fullest as that is what she would want.

Love you Grandmommie. Rest in Peace.

Your #1 First Born Grandson,

Chris II

The "Okie Doke" Pass

“The Okie Doke Pass”
Name: Janette VictimBehavior: Freeloading Moocher Reason For Pass: Father was not present in life.

Name: Tyrell Drama Behavior: Constant negative attitude, self-centeredness, gossip Reason For Pass: Family is poor

What you see above is what you would normally call a hall pass. The hall p ass in a school setting normally allows a student to go from one area of the school to another without getting in trouble. It allows a student permission to be somewhere where they normally are not allowed to be. It also stops someone of authority from asking a lot of questions and reprimanding a student for not being where he or she is supposed to be. In the movie Hall Pass two wives give their husband a “hall pass” for the weekend so that they can sleep with as many women as they wan t with the hope that by weekend’s end the husbands will stop talking about having sex with other women as much. All would be forgiven on Monday because of the hall pass.
After watching that movie and thinking about what the word “hall pass” means, I began to think about people in all of our lives that are given hall passes. Meaning no matter what they are doing to others, or no matter what kind of negative behavior they are displaying, society normally gives them a hall pass and the bad behavior is excused and often forgiven without question. Now since a lot of us are not in school anymore, I thought I would change the title of hall pass to the “Okie Doke” pass. Okie doke usually means, “Ok, whatever, no problem.” That is often the attitude we have when someone in our lives causes turmoil and stress. Constantly, we are excusing issues that others are creating for us day to day. For example, do you know people who never ever bring anything to a party? They come with nothing but their hunger, or their thirst. They want to drink up everyone’s alcohol, eat up all the food, and then carry out a plate. Often times we let them do this because someone says, “They are poor, and they can’t afford to bring something.” Yet we see them out at the club kicking it or buying some new shoes, or even a new car, yet they cannot stop by the store and get two bags of chips? Often times, we are told to “Let it go.” Thus they have just been given “The Okie Doke” pass meaning, their bad behavior has just been excused and they are allowed to continue on with their negative behavior because of their life situation.
Everyone has that relative or friend that is constantly stirring up trouble. They are constantly raising hell, finding fault with everyone or everything, and gets on everybody’s nerves. Yet instead of addressing the behavior, we are walking around on eggshells around this person for fear of confrontation or for fear that they are going to go off. “Well he or she has had it hard.” “They got a lot to handle...” Who doesn’t? We all have problems. This person has just been given The Okie Doke Pass. The behavior has been excused because of a situation that happened years ago.
Where is the accountability? When do people begin to learn from their situations and use them as a vessel to get them to where they need to be in life? Often times, we just say “Pray for that person.” Yes, that is well and good as prayer is always in order, but that in essence can sometimes be an “Okie Doke” pass. Sometimes, the behaviors that are frustrating us need to be addressed. How is a person ever to learn from his her actions if there is no consequences from the negative actions? Why do we continue to give people the same old “Okie Doke Pass”? What is up with that?
We see this pass given out a lot in our public school systems, particularly our inner-city or urban schools. Often times, we give students passes for their behavior based on our assumptions about their situations. We excuse a child for not bringing in the adequate supplies to class, because “he is so poor…” yet they have expensive cellular phones and shoes. We continue to allow students to return to the classroom after they have cursed out teachers, harassed other students, and are a threat to the overall safety of the school but, “he has no father in the home..” is the excuse that is given and the student is let off the hook, he just received “The Okie Doke Pass” These children then turn into adults who continue to think that this behavior is normal and accepted and that society will continue to give them a pass for their actions. Most of these kids then get the shock of their lives when they realize the rest of the world simply is just not that way.
We have to stop excusing negative behaviors and actions, while yes we do not want to give energy to a lot of negative actions and behaviors, sometimes we have to address it otherwise the person will continue to think that their behavior is okay and acceptable because it has been allowed to go on for so long unchecked. While yes, it may not change the behavior, the more people that challenge the person’s ways, the more uncomfortable they will become with the negative actions.

Trim The Fat in 2013

Trimming The Fat in 2013


As we looked to the end of 2012 and realized that the Mayans were wrong, it is time to think about what we want for 2013. As cliché as it is to talk about the word “resolution”, I do believe that it is important to set some goals, discover ideas, and get rid of our lose the things that are going to hinder you from having a successful 2013.
Before you can begin to look at all the things that you want to achieve in the upcoming year, I think you first have to look at the issues or people that are making are impacting your lives in a negative way. Day after day, we continue to allow people that are close to us that are really not doing anything for us to continue to take up our energy, and thoughts.
Often times, we make resolutions to lose weight, and trim the fat from our physical bodies, but I think that is important that we trim the fat and lose the dead weight from our mental and spiritual areas as well. So many times we hold on to things that in the long run we see are probably not good for us to begin with. These are what I call deadweight friendships or relationships. You have tried and tried, made excuse after excuse, defended to you are blue in the face, but to no avail. Then you finally realize like the En Vogue R&B hit you have reached an impasse, you have to let go.
Friendships are like gems they should be treasured. No friend should treat you as if you were an inconvenience in his or her life. It is understandable that everyone is busy with careers, family, drama, and just life in general, but that is no excuse to blow off friends or loved ones who you claim to care to care so much about. If a friend is treating you badly, makes no time for you, rarely checks in then you have to wonder.
If you have friends that have such little expectations of friendship that they do no communicate with you, initiate conversation only when they want gossip, or when they need to talk about them, you have to wonder is this a real friendship.
We have to let go of the people who also cause us drama and stress. There are way too many people who continue to take up space in our lives and they are not contributing anything.
We also have to stop giving what I call the “okie doke” pass to people who continue to exhibit negative behaviors that affect each of us, yet they continue to get passes because we do not want to address their behavior or they get a pass because of whatever hardships they have experienced in the past. This has become a very frustrating epidemic. We continue to let people in our lives mooch off us, throw temper tantrums, gossip about others. We ourselves exhibit petty jealousies, hold grudges, and become unwilling to forgive others. We still trip about things that happened in 1983, 1994, and 2004 rather than focusing on 2013. That is also fat we need to trim, the fat of the past. Let it go, move on. We need to continue to grow and focusing on what someone did to us in the past and what we did to someone else in the past needs to be cut. We can never move forward if we continue to rewind the tape of our past on the negative things that have happened. The important lesson is what did you learn from the negative incident to make your life better?
As we move forward in our 2013, lets trim the fat in our physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional areas. If not, we will continue to let that fat cause us harm in so many ways. Its time we all trim the fat for a leaner 2013.
Happy New Year!

Random Observations & Questions: People Watching

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So just a few random observations as you all know I am avid people watcher. I have been watching a few things and events over the last few weeks that have left me extremely puzzled. Maybe you all have the same questions. So lets talk about it. Here we go.

Observation/Question #1:
Why is it that when people are driving and they see a sign that says “Left/Right lane closed ahead.” Or see the giant arrow that is obviously indicating for them to merge over they wait till the very LAST minute to merge over and jam on their breaks causing a backup in the lane everyone else is trying to merge in? What is the deal with that? Come on, did you not read your driver’s license manual?

Observation/Question #2:
Why is it that Lindsay Lohan is not in jail yet? If Lindsay Lohan was LaKesha Lohan from Compton or Linsday Lohan from Dayton, Ohio she would have had the book thrown at her by now. Why is it that she continues to get a free pass? When will she take accountability for her actions instead of blaming the media, the world, her parents, the Easter Bunny etc. Why did she blame media bias on her bomb of a movie Liz & Dick? Did they give her acting lessons?

Observation/Question #3:
Why is it that people post some of the most random and insignificant stuff on Facebook and Twitter? Do we really need to know that your child is on the toilet? Must we know every single detail about the joy’s and trials of parenthood? Posting about funny things your child said is one thing. Posting monumental moments is cool, but seriously posting about your child’s eating and bathroom habits. Do you really need that much attention?

Observation/Question #4:
Why is it that some people are so extremely rude at the checkout lane? When you know you are up, you should be ready. Yet when they get to the checkout lane they do not have their purse, wallet, out and ready to go. You should be writing your check out as you are being rung up. Then it should not take you fifteen minutes to get all of your stuff back into your purse. Has anyone else noticed this?

Observation/Question #5:
Are we really going to be subjected to daily updates on the news about the “Royal Baby” for the next nine months? I mean I know people are fascinated but do we really need to know about Kate Middleton buying diapers and baby crap for the next nine months? Speculations about baby names, baby clothes, etc is too much. Are people really this interested in people this much? So much so that it sometimes takes precedence over MAJOR news?

Observation/Question #6:
Why is it that people take up two parking spaces to avoid their cars being hit, especially this time of year when most businesses are hecka busy? Now it may be a little understandable if it is a 2012 model car but some of them are like 1983 Hondas. Really? Why are you so rude?

Observation/Question #7:
Why are people so desperate for attention lately? If you look at people’s social media updates you can tell they are just starving for attention. Some of the posts are so dramatic and so needy. Let’s not even get started on the pictures.

Observation/Question #8:
What do some ADULTS get out of not speaking to you when they see you? I mean do you really think you are hurting my feelings, especially if we are not even friends to begin with? Get your life together. If you are so desperate to be back in high school, I am sure that can be arranged.

I would love for some answers to these questions. Maybe you all can provide some in the comments box. Maybe you feel the same way. Just some random observations and questions from what I have observed over the last few weeks.

People watcher in full effect!
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"It's Mine! I Want It!" The Temper Tantrums from GOP

Warning: This article is about politics and last week’s election, if that is not your bag, you probably do not want to waste your time reading any further…


Ahh, last Tuesday, November 6, 2012,I remember that day so clearly. It was a gut-wrenching day to say the least. I remember just wanting the day to be over win or lose. I was hoping for an Obama victory, but with all the polls and commentators I could not be so sure. My best friend told me we had it in the bag, but sometimes overconfidence can be a person’s downfall, so I did not want to claim anything just yet. Then on my home from work to go vote, my mother called me. She said, “It wasn’t looking good for the POTUS (President of The United States).” I paused and asked her why. She said that Romney had the entire south. I breathed a sigh of relief and told her that was to be expected and there would be times that Romney would appear to have the lead because of the timing and the way some states had turned in their election results. I knew that the media (both right and left) would hold Ohio and Florida (the two top battleground states) dangling over our heads much like The Academy Awards keeps us watching the entire night for the Best Actor and Actress award. This was no different. Of course had they called Ohio and Florida early, we would have known the outcome of the election and of course they had to wait and string us along, as that is the nature of the business.

Then came the news that Pennsylvania went to the POTUS, then Minnesota, Michigan, and we began to know that it was looking better for Obama, not so much for Mitt Romney. Still, I sat there nervous in anticipation like a child waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney. I knew the prize was Ohio, my best friend Don kept saying we had it, we had it, but still no Ohio, and no Florida as they were still “too close to call.” Let me tell you by the end of the night, I was so tired of hearing those four words. Then 8pm rolled around (Pacific Time) and not surprisingly the West Coast (California, Washington, and Hawaii) came in inching Obama even closer and I was able to breath a little easier but still not convinced, we needed some more battleground states, that is when it happened, Don said “We won Ohio! 2nd Term starts now!” I was excited but not yet convinced, as I did not see it yet, then it came in on CNN and then TvOne that the POTUS was projected to be reelected, still I needed more. I knew Ohio was too close and that would not be enough for the conservatives as I knew they would contest, they would drag it out, but that did not happen. Then everything else came in all at once: Nevada, Colorado, Iowa then Virginia all going to Obama . Romney only was to get two more states Missouri and Alaska, alas it was over. Obama was to be reelected. I went through the roof in a good way. I was excited because he got a second chance. All of the efforts to oust him, discredit him, question his citizenship, call him demeaning names, threaten him, attack his wife, his policies, his children , challenge his religion were all now an effort in futility, Obama had won both the popular vote and electoral vote, it was over, it was done.

Or so I thought….

Florida was still too close to call and due to record numbers of people voting, it was going to be a while possibly two to three days. However, at this point was unfortunately, irrelevant because the POTUS had everything he needed to be reelected. I know that had to be frustrating for those people who stood in line for hours and hours only to hear that despite that fact, the incumbent had won anyway. Does not do much to dispel that statement that voting makes no difference. In Obama’s word from his victory speech, “By the way we need to fix that.” Yes sir, we certainly do. But for now, we had the victory. Our President won. He would have another four years to continue his policies and unite the nation. Mitt Romney accepted it and made a very gracious yet brief concession speech at a very somber and downfallen Romney headquarters in Boston, MA. It would have been safe to assume at that point, the worst was over. No more ads, no more political commentators commentating, no more John King from CNN touching that smart board, it was all over..

Or So I thought….

Then came all of the sore losers of the Republican Party. I was very embarrassed

for the GOP party by how some of the members of the party were acting. You immediately saw pictures over the Internet of people crying hysterically like someone had just told them their child had been murdered. Then came all of the angry rants on social media sites some from people who were very famous and others who have huge spirits of influence on countless readers, viewers and regular everyday people. I thought I had stepped into a time warp and was transformed back to 1865 when Lincoln had freed the slaves and you had people going crazy about how the “blacks” were going to ruin the country. Didn’t that sound familiar guys? The remarks were just so ridiculous here are just a few of the comments that I heard that went from just plain rude and racist to extreme and dramatic.

Donald Trump: Trump had a number of angry rants on Twitter that he has since had to remove since several of them were hugely inaccurate like this one:

“He lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in this country!”

Trump later removed this when it was revealed that Obama had actually won the popular vote by a few million.

Sarah Palin: The Kim Kardashian of politics of course had nothing positive to say about our Commander In Chief. While talking to Greta Van Susteren, Palin went on to attack the voters and while the race had not been officially called yet in Obama’s favor, Palin at that point knew it was inevitable and rather than following Mitt Romney’s lead and being gracious she went on to what I call an attack on the voters and questioning their decision (this coming from a woman who always encourages the American people to stand up for what is right and follow their hearts):
"I just cannot believe that the majority of Americans believe that incurring more debt is good for the economy, for our children's future, for job creators. I just cannot believe that the majority of Americans believe that it's OK to ignore the constitution and not have a budget."

Karl Rove: He just flat out refused to believe the election results when Fox News called the state of Ohio and thus the election for Obama despite the fact that over 70% of the vote was in, and those remaining votes still out was in the democratic territory of Cleveland, Ohio. Yet Rove refused to believe it. Can you say denial?

Several others went to blast the American people on social media sites for doing something they always profess to have the right to do and that is to exercise their rights as an American citizen. Now sadly, a lot of the people who were for Mitt Romney reduced themselves to acting like spoiled children on the playground who were mad when they lost the softball game or even better still a child who is at the department store and throws a huge temper tantrum when they cannot get the toy or candy they wanted. You have all seen children like that. They jump up and down, yell, scream, and kick and go, “But I wanted it! It was mine! I want it now!” How many of you seen a website or seen a Romney supporter do that on Tuesday night and the following Wednesday? They threw a tantrum resorting back to the name calling such as calling the POTUS a “Muslim”, “ Anti-Christ”, and “Devil”, “Nigger”, and “ Jerk” those are just a few things I saw on social media sites. A few other sites called for Obama to impeached but yet none of the people who called for it could offer any true reason for wanting this. Others blamed “the blacks” and “those Mexicans” for it. Bill O’Reiley (another GOP sore loser) said we voted for him because we “wanted stuff”. What “stuff” are you talking about? Let me just clarify that I am a hard working, young educated African-American man who has had to work for everything I have. I have not expected nor do I expect the government to give me anything that I have not worked for. I guess people are so mad because deep down they knew that Romney did not do enough to reach African-Americans, Latinos, young people, and single women (who all voted almost unanimously for Obama).

Rather then asking the questions about why and how they can reform and change this, they attacked us, they attacked the President, and they threatened the President, and showed such bad taste and class. Any decent, God-fearing, American-loving Republican should be downright embarrassed.

I find it comical when people ask, "Why is it when someone critiques Obama, we are racist?" The answer is simple. A critique of someone would be, "I don't agree with Obamacare." This is not what I am seeing. People are calling him "Muslim" often as my friend Brandon said with such self-righteous indignation that they are implying that Muslims are inferior to them. Also, the assumption that Obama is Muslim because of his name? This is racism folks plain and simple. If his name was Bill O'Bradley we would not be even be having this conversation.

As an American, I am deeply disturbed by this chain of events. Several of the comments had racial, sexual, and condescending implications. Several of the comments had self-righteous indignations affiliated with them. I respect Mitt Romney for his gracious concession speech and so many of his followers should have followed suit. As a Christian, I am embarrassed by those who profess to be a Child of the King and then were on social media sites being so racist, so vulgar, and so superior, please know that Christian believers follow the example of Christ not man.

It is time we get our acts together on both sides. It is time out for the bickering, the blame games, and the temper tantrums. We are adults not children and we are setting a poor example. If we don’t get it right, we are going to have more of the same. It is time to grow up and all step in and come together for the sake of this country that we all claim to love so much. God is watching us, and he is not pleased.

Forward…
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I'm Just Not Wired That Way

I’m Just Not Wired That Way
As I continue to walk this earth, I am growing increasingly disturbed with the way people continue to treat each other.
I was at lunch today, and I ran into a coworker who has normally really never cared to speak to me or say a kind word. Every time I see him in the hall, this person never speaks or I have to be the one to initiate the conversation. Still, the person never speaks or says anything kind. I thought that today at lunch, it might be a little different because we not at work and maybe this person would be a little different, WRONG. Of course I took the high road and politely spoke first; the person only looked at me and gave a slight yet phony grin. At first I was a little disturbed because I am not used to people not liking me or having an issue with me especially if you do not know me, but then I paused. I asked myself, “Gilrath would you really want to be friends with a person that treated others this way?” That snapped me back to reality and I was able to brush it off. You see, I am not a person that knows how to be rude to others, even to those who have been rude or have offended me personally. I am just not wired that way. I believe you gain a lot more by following the example Christ showed us by treating others with love and kindness. Sure, I am human and I do get frustrated with people, but to this day I believe I can count on one hand the people I have been unjustifiably rude to.
I have seen people be rude to others because they do not agree with the way a person is doing his or her job. While that can be frustrating it does not justify rude behavior. When I was a supervisor at a bank, I experienced a lot of rude behavior from people who did not agree with the way I was handling the job. I remember one girl actually resorted to giving me the silent treatment and was extremely disrespectful towards me in front of other co-workers and used her frustration with my job performance to justify her immature behavior. Eventually, she relented but I never looked at her the same. Situations truly magnify a person’s true nature. That was quite a learning experience. I do not understand how people can be so rude because you disagree. There have been several coworkers in the past that I did not agree with yet I was always nice to them because what was being rude, cold, aloof, and mean going to accomplish? The old saying that you catch more flies with honey then you do with vinegar is definitely a true statement.
I have seen people get mad and give silent treatments or treat people coldly when a mistake is made. You get to a point where you become afraid to make mistakes because you know that person who obviously is “mistake free” will go off and make you feel three feet tall or like you are six years old. I really hope that I am a person that you can come to and admit when you make a mistake or mess up. I am just not the kind of person that can stay mad or be rude for a long period of time especially if the incident that happened against me was not intentional. I pray I continue to be that kind of person. There are too many people walking around with an intimidating presence and that is not cool. I was under the impression that everyone made mistakes. Am I wrong?
I am careful not to be mad or be rude towards someone who thinks differently than me. Yet with this election season we are seeing more and more of that. It is no secret that I am voting for Barack Obama and I am a democrat, yet I have many friends and relatives that are Republican and are supporting Mitt Romney. That is okay with me. That is their choice as an American citizen. Yet we have so many on both sides right now being rude and mean-spirited. Donald Trump is prime example of someone who is rude and mean-spirited. I have had people harass me on Facebook, instant message, text message me and blow my page up because I support Obama. I would never harass anyone for their beliefs even if they go against mine; I am just not wired that way.
Sometimes, I tend to be on the sensitive side, I own that. I think in some ways we all need to be sensitive. We need to be more sensitive to others around us and what they are going through, sensitive to people’s ideas and beliefs. We should never feel justified in being mean or rude towards each other. Silent treatments are for elementary school kids at recess not adults. We need to be aware of how our behavior affects others and the implications for treating people rude. I like the person I am. I am glad I am not wired to be mean or rude to people, that does not make me weak though. If and when I need to get my point across to others, I can do that. It is a mistake to misinterpret my kindness and compassion for weakness. But I am not going to be rude to people for being them, I am just not wired that way and I am proud of it.
Spread love its, a lot easier.

CG2