April 13, 2006

Another Inhumane Moment in Pledging History

In a story that reads like one I’ve read before, a young man had a gigantic hole beaten into his ass by the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi at Florida A&M University.

Oh yeah, I have read this before. Just in Baton Rouge at LSU.

I’ll skip the pleasantries–this shit has to stop, and it has to stop now.

Those that know me are aware of my distaste for the black Greek universe. Beyond my issues with phony, ascribed notions of elite brotherhood, I just can’t reconcile any practice where beating the shit out of people is treated as beneficial or where getting the shit beaten out of you is supposed to be noble. Fuck that.

But on campuses all over the country, young men are assaulted–and allow themselves to be assaulted–in order to join a frat and get all the liquor, weed, and trim that come with letters.

Oh yeah, and they get brotherhood also…though it’s clearly a strange definition of brotherhood considering how many people have to get their asses beaten.

But there’s no point I can make about hazing that hasn’t been made a million times over. No one really believes that shit is cool. But people do perpetuate the practice because they believe the rigors of getting mollywopped were essential to making them the people they ultimately became.

Such is one of the follies of youth, I suppose. Kids are more likely to look at an end result, check some of the things that took place on the way to that destination and determine that everything that happened on the way was essential to making them the people they ultimately became. That’s well and good, but I’m sure there has to be a better way than this for frats and sororoties to create bonding on lines.

But there’s no need to belabor that point. Let’s check some great quotes from the FAMU situation. This is from LeNedra Carroll, the PR chief at FAMU.

“Secondly, we want to make it very clear that hazing is not condoned, supported (or) tolerated here at Florida A&M University. It’s illegal; it’s against the law.”

And try this one from Sam Hamilton, Kappa Alpha Psi’s polemarch.

“Kappa Alpha Psi has a zero tolerance of any behavior involving hazing. It’s something that has no place.”

For the both of them, I have one word–bullshit.

That’s right, bullshit. Stop pretending as though hazing isn’t condoned or tolerated because it is. Every black fraternity I know of has a ridiculous process, one where getting beaten is just par for the course. Lines are “underground,” but everybody knows the deal. I’m tired of these organizations and schools pretending like they don’t know what goes on during pledging processes because they do. In fact, many university administrators endured these same processes themselves, so they’re just trying to piss on my head under the guise or rain when they say they don’t tolerate this stuff. Schools have spent years turning blind eyes to students walking around like zombies because they don’t get sleep, probate shows where the neos wear shades to cover the bruises on their faces, kids walking around with limps and hair that hasn’t been cut in weeks and kids going ghost from class for weeks because they can’t be seen in their physical conditions because it would give away that they’re on line.

So save that shit for someone that doesn’t know the deal. If schools and organizations really want to do away with hazing, they can. They can supervise intake processes and establish stronger penalties against those that abuse pledges. They can do better jobs of protecting those that decide to report the abuses they suffer while on line. Basically, they can do something.

But really, they don’t. That’s why this prehistoric system continues. And until someone with some clout takes a stand, it will never stop.

But how sad is it that people are willing to put themselves through these things just to be members of an organization? The easy argument many Greeks put forth is that students willingly enter into processes, so they take whatever they get when they walk in.

Nice try.

Now that I’m closer to 30 than 20, I look at college kids differently. Basically, they’re morons. I don’t mean as badly as that sounds, but they are. They do stupid things, make stupid decisions and typically have fucked up priorities. Just because a 19-year old kid is willing to get his ass beaten to join an organization doesn’t mean it’s cool to beat his ass.

Cats mostly pull this shit in pledging because they can. When grown men decide to pledge, I guarantee you they don’t go through the same hell that the kids in college do. Why? Not only do they have too much to do to be dealing with all of that, they also ain’t goin’ for that shit. Run up on a 35-year old man and threaten to hit him in the face and see how that shit really goes down. Go ahead, try it.

And if he takes it, he’s a stone cold bitch. Yeah, I said it (first time I’ve used the word “bitch” in that context on this site, so you know I mean it).

So I pose this to Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Iota UPS, and Phi Beta Sigma–if you really want hazing to stop, if you really don’t condone or tolerate it, then make it stop. Go to these schools and put the fear of God into these kids and make it stop. And those old heads that come back for the privilege of whoopin’ ass, send them home. Put them out. After they get out of jail, that is.

That’s what you can do. If you really want hazing to stop, that is. But if you all think that abuse is a necessary part of being in a Greek organization, just shut your fuckin’ doors. If that’s the only way to do it, kick rocks. You all contribute a great deal to the community at-large and to college campuses. But if you can’t do it without dehumanizing those that want to be members, than keep your service and programs and get off every yard on campus.

Had this kid at FAMU been my son, someone would be dead right now. Might be me, might be one of the brothers, but it’s unlikely we all could have walked out of a room breathing. And I think it’s a matter of time before something like that happens.

So get it right or get gone.

And I’m done.

April 13, 2006

CORRECTION

It’s probably too late, but I’ll be on in Tallahassee at 8:05, not 8:40. I think. Either way, the link is in the previous post.

April 12, 2006

Two Radio Spots

Yo, just got calls about two radio spots. I’ll be on around 5:25 EDT on the DI sports network. Check them out at www.d1sports.net.

And tomorrow morning around 8:40 EDT, I’ll be appearing on a station on Tallahassee to talk Duke lacrosse. Thanks to Eric Eggers for that, and you can check them out at www.1270WFLA.com.

April 12, 2006

Crotch Punching Must Cease

Business…here’s a ditty decrying nut shots in sports. Please join the movement.

Also if you’d like to see the Outside the Lines clip, send me an e-mail at my first name at this domain dot com. Viewing will require Quicktime 7. The file is also available in iPod format.

And big thanks to Rex for being kind enough to convert those files from DVR. Might be the nicest thing someone’s done for me in the ‘06.

And since I was awake all night making a few deadlines, I’m going to sit around here all day and play PlayStation. The beauties of the home office.

April 10, 2006

Behind the Scenes: Baba on OTL

Okay, so lemme break down for you how this Outside the Lines thing wound up happening. Friday evening, I was in the kitchen whippin’ up a steak on the Foreman when I heard an e-mail notification on the computer. I go toward the computer and, at the same time, my phone started ringing. So with my left hand I’m trying to cue up the e-mail while getting my phone out my pocket with the right. By the time I finished reading the interview request, I’d finally gotten the phone to my face and was able to see it was Fred Batiste calling me. And I just said the first thing I could muster.

“I’m gonna be on mu’fuckin Outside the Lines, baby!”

Then I called my mother and told her I was going to be on ESPN on Sunday morning. Her response was, “how do I get to that?” I said, “you turn on the television.” I’m guessing she just thought I was gonna be online or something, not TV. Hell, I wouldn’t imagine that I’d be on TV.

I’ll tell you this–she figured it out quick. Early Sunday, I sent an e-mail blast out to my folks to let ‘em know I’d be on TV. My cousin Alan replied with the following.

Thanks for the heads up cousin, but you’re a little late. You have to start REAL early to beat the “Proud Mama Network”. Already have the VCR set!

Spent Saturday tracking down a barber shop–mine was closed–and doing an impromptu Encyclopedia Brown impression as I tried to figure some things out as I considered the timeline offered by both sides in the alleged crime. Nothing special, really (except for the trip to the barber shop, which I’ll discuss when that becomes appropriate).

Wake up Sunday and can’t find my suit. Somehow, it wound up in a laundry hamper in my storage closet. So not good, pimpin. Emergency pressing was in the house, but I got it done for the most part. Had the jacket done well enough to pass on TV and the pants enough so that the people at the studio wouldn’t laugh at me. Shoes? Waist-up shot, baby. Had on the Nike Shox Classix, shit.

Anyway, got there just on time after thinking I was lost. The show taped live. So I got there at 9:00, but I couldn’t find anyone. The door was open, but no one was anywhere. So I violated one of my general rules in life–I started walking around looking for people. When you’re from Texas, you understand that’s a great way to have your name changed to “Anotherloverholeinyhead.”

So I head left down some corridor, and I see a tall black gentleman with a dark colored jacket and tie on, so I wondered if he was a security guard. I said, “excuse me, I’m here to record a segment for Outside the Lines.” And buddy didn’t say anything back. I knew he could hear me, so I waved my hand. And when I waved my hand, he waved his hand.

And it turned out to be a mirror. I peeked my head in an office, but no one was in there. Looked up, and I had the beejeezus scared out of me when I looked back up and saw some dude standing at the end of the hallway.

Yeah, it was me again.

And I made that same mistake at least one more time.

Not bright am I.

Anyway, we got it all straight and led me to the room where we were recording. If you’ve never done anything like this, just always know the rooms look like warehouses with a small background set up. They do amazing work with that. When you see the MJ documentary I’m in–if you choose to see it, that is–you’ll be amazed to find out the shots were done either in a hotel room in the Millennium UN Plaza in New York or the Thistle Bloombury in London. They do amazing work with those screens.

But the problem was that I sat in the seat at 9:15 or so and was there until I was set to go on the air. They affixed the earpiece, and I was too stupid to notice at it was done in a way that made it impossible to move my neck. So there I am in the chair, shooting off text messages to let folks know I’d be on after the Barry Bonds discussion–I myself was worried that I wasn’t airing that day, even though I was told that would be the progression of the show two days before.

And I sat a little while longer and got a little bit stiff. Various people in Bristol came through the earpiece to keep me apprised of what was going on, and Bob Ley came on at one point to let me know I was going to be coming on soon. All good.

Then a woman said that I’d be on in a “second.” Or a “moment.” Something like that.

Whatever the word choice, it was literal. Next thing I knew I was hearing, “with us is Bomani Jones….”

And man, I got scared to death, jack. Every nerve in my body popped up. I figured I’d have a chance to thank the folks for having me or something, which would relax me a little bit.

Nope. Shot the folk straight out of a cannon.

And while I was talking, I sounded nervous to myself. But generally, my nerves aren’t detectable to other people. I keep that on the low like that. But there were a couple of points I thought to my self, “self, you sound like you’ve got Tourette’s.”

That’s not good to think when you’re the person on television with your neck immobile and damn near everyone you know watching.

But we got through that one okay, and I felt pretty comfortable the rest of the way. Called my brother immediately after the show was done, and he told me I did a good job and that time would allow me to develop a comfort and personal TV persona.

That was important because my brother is straighter with me than anyone else. If something’s good, he’ll let me know. If it’s bad, he’ll let me know. But most importantly–if it’s good with things that need to be improved, he’ll let me know both.

And he said it was good and was chill outside of that. That felt good.

As did the 17 text messages I got between turning off my phone a couple of minutes before the airing and turning it back on when I got to my car immediately after.

Good times for me.

Now, let’s answer a few questions I’ve received.

1. I’m not sure if online footage will be available of this one. Not sure this is on Youtube (hint).

2. No, I did not deepen my voice on purpose. Just worked out that way. And when I’m not animated, my voice is usually around that pitch.

3. The facial expression thing was tricky. There was only so much fun to be had with a topic like this. Figured keeping it level was the best way to get the point across, particularly when dealing with a sordid set of events. And when you’re nervous, the most readily accessible facial expression is the one that says, “I think I just peed on myself.”

4. I think people liked my suit more than me. More people commented on the suit than anything else. Moral of the story–don’t be afraid of buying threads on the Internet.

5. Ben came online and called me “blinky.” Up yours, Ben. But yeah, that was definitely real on his part. It’s wild takling to a camera like it’s a person. Just strange in a way that’s hard to explain. Much easier when the person asking questions is right off camera. Much more comfortable.

6. The questions on shows like this are sent to the participants in advance. So if you’re wondering why I didn’t talk about (insert issue here),. that’s not my call. They give questions, I give answers. There’s really nothing I hate more than when people get on TV and reach to bring up a pet topic and disturb the flow of things.

7. I told people it was gonna be three minutes on the air, and it wound up being two. That’s what happens when Tiger’s starting to do things in The Masters, good or bad.

8. Will I be back on the air? Not my call. I’d like to, though. A lot.

And I’m done. Maybe two joints this week, but definitely one on a scourge infiltrating sports–crotch punching.

That’s right–the G Code will return.

April 8, 2006

BOMANI ON ESPN???

That’s right…someone fell asleep at the wheel and is actually having me on Outside the Lines. The show airs Sunday morning at 9:30am. You’re welcome to comment on the show, my performance or lack thereof on the comments here.

April 7, 2006

25 Essential Southern Rap Albums

The more people get into Southern rap, the clearer it becomes how little people know about Southern rap music. So, here’s a quick primer. These are 25 albums worth a listen.

Here’s the thing–some of these are records I happen to really like and some are not. For example, I’m not the biggest fan of TRU’s TRU 2 Da Game, but I think it’s historically significant. So in recommending you check these records out, I’m not just saying that the albums are top-notch and I’m definitely saying these are the 25 best Southern rap albums (I’m purposesly not repeating any artist or group more than once, but cats can have a group and solo album on here). I’m also mentioning milestones that will make it easier to see how Southern rap progressed to where it is now.

And here we go, in no particular order…
Continue reading 25 Essential Southern Rap Albums…

April 6, 2006

From Duke’s President

Business…here’s a comparison of the travails Brett Favre and Steve McNair are having with their franchises. Fun stuff.

(And lemme hit the faux militants before they start–we can’t call their different treatments racism because they’re not dealing with the same tea. Race, in this case, is an insufficient evaluative criterion.)

Moving on, it seems that Duke President Richard Brodhead agrees with some of the things I said yesterday. What follows is an e-mail he sent to the Duke community.

And necessary after reading this editorial about my home (yes, it’s my home…I pay property taxes, mu’fucka).

The e-mail is after the jump.
Continue reading From Duke’s President…

April 5, 2006

Interesting Editorial in Duke Chronicle

Check this one out.

I am purposely avoiding any public declaration of innocence or guilt of the members of the lacrosse team because it would be irresponsible for someone in my line of work to say anything in either direction at such a preliminary phase of the legal process. However, I can’t let this line pass without saying something. From the above link,

Yet when the nation’s most respected and widely consumed media are showing Duke students opening professing our status as a “white supremacist” university, suspicion of the protesters is entirely warranted.

Ummm, why’s that?

Without question, I’d say that Duke is a white supremacist institution. It’s hard to imagine such a concentration of rich white people–or rich any people, really–without there being a palpable air of white supremacy. But Duke shouldn’t feel too singled out. I feel the same way about the University of North Carolina, a school that I attended and that also has slave owners and Klan supporters’ names on different buildings on campus. And I’d say that many black colleges suffer from white supremacy, with their curricula frequently more about teaching black people how to do things instead of cultivating their students’ ability to think and create new scholarship.

White supremacy is everywhere, folks, lurking deeper than most people are willing to look. It’s in white people, it’s in black people, it’s in everybody. It’s so insidious and it is an unavoidable characteristic of American life.

And Duke is not immune.

So yes Dukies, I think your school is steeped in white supremacy. But then again, so has been the case with every school I’ve attended, including Clark.

Don’t take that so personally. Just do something to fix it.

And Clark. And Carolina. And the Claremont Colleges. And every other school that I have not attended.

April 4, 2006

Prince on American Idol

Before I go any further, whoever had March 31st in the pool for The Day Rush Limbaugh Would Say Something Stupid About the Case at Duke, you’re a winner.

Moving on…

So it seems the lil’ fella will be on American Idol. He may have already been on, but I don’t watch Idol. Never again, at least, and I never watched it that much. Just enough to write about it way back in the day.

Anyway, that lil link got me thinking…what Prince songs would be cool for American Idol? And which ones wouldn’t be cool, meaning they’d be the ones I’d want to hear?

(And I gleaned that they would be performing his songs like was done with other artists. I could be wrong. But no matter what, act like they will be performing his songs and appreciate the fun.)

Ten For American Idol

Still Waiting
I Wanna Be Your Lover
Gotta Broken Heart Again
Diamonds and Pearls
Slow Love
Kiss (though someone will wind up sounding just like Tom Jones)
I Wish U Heaven
Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Purple Rain
Thieves in the Temple

Yeah, all pretty standard fare. Nice and tame for the kiddies, yanno?

But here’s what I’d love to hear people sing, along with highlighted lyrics that would set the censors afire.

Ten More for Idol

Little Red Corvette. “Guess I must be dumb/she had a pocket full of horses/Trojans, some of ‘em used.” And if that ain’t enough, “girl got an ass like I’ve neeeeever seen.”

Sister. “My sister never made love to anyone but me/she’s the reason for my sexuality/she showed me where it’s ’sposed to go/a blow job doesn’t mean blow…” And later, Prince says that, “incest is everything it’s said to be.” Wow.

Erotic City. “If we cannot make babies, maybe we can make some time/fuck so pretty you and me/erotic city come alive/we can fuck until the dawn/makin love til…/’rotic city, can’t you see/fuck so pretty you and me.” Simon, your thoughts?

When 2 R In Love. “When 2 R in love/the thought of his tongue at the V of her love/in his mind, that thought/it leads the pack.” Paula, why did you change the way you were sitting?

Sexy M.F. Really, just to see someone try to emulate some of the brutal “rapping” on here. But also for the entire Idol cast to say, “sexy motherfucker, shakin that ass/shakin that ass, shakin that ass.” Get crunk, Randy!

Darling Nikki. “I knew a girl named Nikki, I guess you could say she was a sex fiend/met her in hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine.” Wait, why are we going to commercial?

Let’s Pretend We’re Married. “I’m not saying this to be nasty, but I’d sincerely like to fuck the taste out of your mouth/can you relate?” Whatcha say, Paula? Straight up.

I Hate U. Just for that bit about covering up the girl with a sheet. America loves S&M!!!

Jack U Off. Yeah, just what you’d expect. Except the beat is borderline campy.

Scarlet Pussy. “She can make you shoot your ego all over her sheets/all is hers in love and war/my little scarlet pussy.” Yup.

More I think about it, the more likely I am to actually watch that.