PRODUCTION FOLKS vs. GIVING FOLKS?

When I think about producing a child of great things, I look at the father of Cynthia McKinney, the disgraced former senator. A parent, mom or dad sometimes both, will induce their kids with their superiority complex in subtle ways. Most choose the Andrew "Dice" Clay model for example, put down everybody except Jews. Non-Achievers, love everyone. Funny thing about that, the best achievers are the ones who don't hate anyone: MLK, JFK, Mahatma Gandhi, and Tiger Woods. However, at least one parent with the exception MLK, were haters. Joseph Kennedy was the only anti-Semite in the group (Richard Williams has been questioned) but got along with Tony Curtis.

A few weeks back, the Charlotte at Museum of the South, Levine Center held a symposium about women in the pulpit regardless if they were Christian, Muslim, Jews, or Hindus. It ended up being about race and racism within religion due to the fact they weren't any Hindu's, Muslims, or Jews there. Likewise, they talked about living in a multi-cultural society and how it would affect the achievement of children. My observation, parent or parents use race or religious hatred to induce their child for success in life regardless of their religion or race.

Jorge Prado, a pastor from Cavalry Church in Charlotte, gave a talk about race and relgion at the syposium concerning his church. He talked growing up poor and dealing with racism in his native Brazil as well as America due to his Afro-Brazilian heritage. His original ambition was to be a lawyer but racism combined with classism gave him a new calling being a preacher. First in Brazil, later in New York and now in Charlotte, NC. The experience thought him that in order to build a society, you try to find people who fit with one another and are willing to give to one another. His belief with the production model is that you have to follow the American model of trying to be white, though in subtle ways. My confusion is: aren't you dependent on the white model to attract and survive even if you are a minority, racially or religiously?

Most folks at the symposium didn't stick around for the snacks and drinks provided by the center. The few who were there were mostly white and Catholic (one Jewish lady was there). Based on my conversations with those folks, they didn't seem to fit in with the Catholic Church though very proud of their Catholicism and how it gave them their identity. They complain about internal disorganization within their church in Charlotte. Yet when it came to race though sympathetic, they seemed to put expectations on minorities to achieve even though they didn't fit those expectations. Inducing more confusion.

After the symposium, I left to find a place to stay for the night. On the way, I noticed a baseball game going on near Central Piedmont Community College in downtown Charlotte. The game was between 15-16 year old kids, played at night with lights blaring on the infield but not so much on the outfield. One thing that stood out for me is the bad fielding, moms' agonizing over their sons' play, and conversations between fathers, scouts, and friends. The parents and fans were mostly white as well as the players with one or two minorities from each team.

In the stands, there was a guy whose car stood behind the cobble, stone seating area behind home plate. He mentioned that his car wouldn't start and asked me if I had jumper cables. I said no. He and I asked around. The ladies said no as well as some of the fathers. But one guy said he had one. With that jumper cable, my car was parked in front of his, jumper cable put in place, and his son started the car. Once the car started, I went straight to a gas station without saying a word due to my low gas tank. When I came back, the game was over and everybody left. Some things are best left unsaid.

By Davan Mani, 2009

NO LOVE FOR THE DREAM

I was reading the Atlanta Journal Constitution while doing arts & crafts at my job for folks who are physically and mentally challenged. Sports page, of course and those box score of baseball and basketball. I tried to make a box guitar out of popsicle sticks like guitar legend, Bo Didley. Working with two other fellows, I realized that the job was stacking three popsicle sticks on top of each other using glue and tape.

To prevent glue stains on the table, my boss asked me to put paper underneath the popsicle sticks. She reminds me of Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith show. LOL. Needs to be in total control but unlike Barn, competent. She is no Andy Taylor but can read tendencies of certain people. She noticed my co-worker looking at a clothing advertisement while doing the popsicle project on top of the newspaper. With my other co-worker, they got into a argument of why this project. Then, she noticed my sticks were on top of an NBA Finals box score between the Lakers and Magic. Meanwhile, my mind wandered to a match that I saw the night before on the Tennis Channel, the 1973 Wimbledon final, Chris Evert vs. Billie Jean King.

My impressions of that match was of shaky confidence from the 18 year old, Chris while the 29 year old, Billie Jean was of confidence and fight. The score ended up being 6-0, 7-5 in favor of Billie Jean. From this match and others, I usually remember more from the losing player than the winning player whether it was her behavior, a certain shot, or a failure. Since Chris lost, I remember her graciousness towards a winning Billie Jean (she held her trophy when Billie got tired holding it to the cameras), a top-spin lob over a net approaching Billie, and her drop shot over the net with Billie standing on the service line. Some points later, Billie tried to hit a drop shot and ran towards the net. Remembering the lob, Billie tried to go back but Chris hit a shot right at her feet. Finally, Chris's serve failed in the first game of the match, the first game of the second set, and in her final game.

We finished the required work of fifty-four stacks of the three-stick popsicle set though we all shook our heads of why the work. Meanwhile, my boss put a barcode sticker over the NBA box score because I was discussing to the workers how a box didn't tally up for one team's score. However, the box I was discussing was for the WNBA, Atlanta Dream, whose box score was on the next page. Their tally showed them at fifty-seven points instead of the sixty-seven points they scored against the Connecticut Sun who scored 62. Maybe, she or Aunt Bee knew. But, what did I learn?


P.S. This article is dedicated to my two nephews.


By Davan Mani, 2009