I’ve said before that Michael Eric Dyson is That Dude. My respect and admiration for him has never been a secret. His oratory skills are ridiculous. He can crush you with a smile and a wink. That said, he went off on this following clip.

Now there are a few things to note.

1. Tom Horne is the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. He is also apparently an idealist.

Anderson Cooper asked why shouldn’t other races have their history taught and his response was that it is, “We require that all social studies class teach different cultures. We want all kids to be exposed to a lot of different cultures.” Well that’s cute. But let’s be honest. That is not occurring in these schools. As a product of Virginia Public Schools, (Yes. Virginia. Home of the Confederate History Month.), I can attest to the fact that we are not being taught other cultures unless it is in reference to their inferiority to White America. Slavery. Mexicans got their land stolen. The Japanese were put in camps. Oh yeah Native Americans were in there somewhere. We are only taught other cultures as a responsive teaching. Black/Mexican/Native American in response to White colonialism. The point is, it’s great to have that ideology but if you see it is not being carried through that is when additional Ethnic Studies Classes are needed. Or you could just change your curriculum to put your ideology into practice. Like Brother Dyson said, “If there was an integration of [these cultural studies] into the broader curriculum there would be no need to have these subgroupings.” Choose one.

2. A class on X race will not only attract X race.

Another explanation that Mr. Horne gave for supporting an Ethnic Studies Ban is because he doesn’t want to segregate the races. He is acting off the assumption that an African-American History class will be a class full of Black kids and an Asian-American History course will be the same. Story time! I am an African-American Studies minor and I’m really excited about it. I’m excited for a few reasons. The first is a reason I mentioned earlier. Virginia Public Schools did me wrong. Everything I learned about my people was due to my awesome parents teaching me what was important. So I decided to learn some more while I was in school. The second reason is because I go to a predominantly White institution and thought my African-American Studies courses would be the few classes that I wouldn’t be the sole Black student in. I walk in and shockingly I’m still the only one. Womp. My point? Black kids don’t just take Black classes. White kids don’t just take White classes. Asians don’t just take Asian classes. Surprisingly enough there is still some good in the world. Not everyone is so self-involved and egocentric that they refuse to learn about other races (in the atmosphere of higher education. I’m not so convinced about post-graduate life yet). Therefore, his assumption that Ethnic studies will segregate his public schools is entirely incorrect. In fact, if he were correct, classes are what 45 minutes or 90 minutes if you’re on Block scheduling? That’s not major.

3. More idealistic propaganda

Did this school superintendent just say one of the primary goals of public schools is bringing kids together and teaching them about other cultures? This is America. A thoroughly Capitalistic society. The primary goal of school is to make people competent enough to get a job and make money. Don’t hit us with that Declaration of Independence-style lofty language.

4. These classes teaches kids that they’ve been oppressed. And this is bad?

I’ll just let Brother Dyson speak on this one: “And finally, if we are talking about American History and shying away from the history of oppression, we’re not talking about American History. I live in Washington, D.C. Right next door the Governor of Virginia failed to mention that Slavery was a critical part of the Civil War. This is why we need these area of studies. To remind us of the true history of America…. all of that needs to be told along with the great celebration of American democracy.”

Horne: “We should be teaching these kids that this is the land of opportunity and if they work hard they can achieve their dreams and not teach them that they’re oppressed.”

Anderson Cooper: “So is there no racism today?”

Horne: “That’s not the predominant atmosphere of America. America is the land of opportunity.”

Michael Eric Dyson already said it. Mr. Horne’s comments are relatively absurd. We shouldn’t teach people their oppression? That’s that revisionist attitude.  Dyson brought up Thomas Jefferson as the perfect example of this. My friend Johanne attends the University of Virginia which was founded by Thomas Jefferson and is known as “Mr. Jefferson’s University”.  The other day her Facebook status said:

Blacks whether originally or a distinct race, or made distinct by time and circumstances, are inferior to the whites, in the endowments of both the body and mind. ~ Thomas Jefferson…. Hmmmm and to think I go to his school…SMH

Someone responded to her status, “Where did you find that quote? I know that’s not one of the many ones pasted around this university!”

The point is, we can’t withhold the truth out of fear that it will depress people. They should know the truth.

4. Just because I’m mean

Let’s talk about his over-enthusiastic spanish pronunciations. We get it. You know how to roll your r’s. We’re all so very proud. And wow! You’ve heard Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech? You must have really done some research for that one.

Is Superintendent Horne right in wanting to ban Ethnic Studies? Shouldn’t we keep kids together in classes and not separate them by race? Or is Michael Eric Dyson accurate in saying that the schools are not pulling their weight and that is why these subgroups are necessary?

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Yes. I’m writing a post about MLK.[1] It may seem cliche but I’m not just writing this because it’s his day. There are actually several reasons why I wanted to write this. First, because of my second favorite character on The Boondocks, Riley Freeman.

Like Riley, many people today seem to have forgotten about the impact Martin Luther King, Jr. had. It isn’t their fault, though. I blame the schools. Partly. Kind of.  Every MLK day and Black History Month what are we taught? Slavery was a bad time for everyone and then born unto us in Bethlehem was a child by the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. who saved all black people from eternal bondage and then Barack Obama was elected President and racism ended. So I wrote this for my Rileys out there.

Another reason I wanted to write this is because I didn’t want to write about the “I Have A Dream” speech. Why? Because it’s played out. Yep. Played out. I said that.  Then I immediately retracted that statement and said, “Self, shame on you.” It is indeed a shame that something so monumental and powerful is now deemed played out or routine. Everyone knows he had a dream. Something about the content of characters. Let’s try not to forget not only how far we’ve come but the other things MLK did.

The third reason I wanted to write this was for a reason to finally talk about my favorite piece of protest literature. Letter From Birmingham Jail.[2] If you haven’t read it, I strongly, strongly, strongly recommend that you do. It is incredibly inspiring! Essentially what it is is Martin Luther King, Jr. was in prison because of a sit-in and had heard people talking smack speaking out in opposition of his methods. Clergymen were saying that King shouldn’t causing a ruckus about all the injustice in the streets and should let the courts handle it. His response? Amazing.

This is how his letter begins. Keep in mind he has been imprisoned for a peaceful protest and then hears that people are talking bad about him for being down for the cause. How would you respond? What sort of state of mind would you be in?

“Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas.  If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work.  But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.”

Boom! Basically he said, “Usually I don’t do this but uh because I have much more important things to do.” And don’t think that mention of his secretaries was accidental. King, Jr. was saying, “Yo. I do have other things to do, you know. My secretaries usually handle these matters. But for you kind gentlemen who clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m about to break this down.”

“I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Who talks like that anymore? In light of what is happening in Haiti we are blessed to have leaders stand up and say things like, “whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” So for those who think King’s “dream” has died, try not to overlook the small victories like our country, who was indirectly affected by the Haiti Earthquake, coming together to help Haiti who was directly affected. Many have made statements like, “If MLK were alive today he would…” Well this is one of the very few things I can say without a doubt. If he were alive today he would definitely care about the people of Haiti.

“Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts. There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good faith negotiation.”

In other words, “We tried the cordial legal way. Now we have to do it our way… which by the way is still cordial.”

“Some have asked: “Why didn’t you give the new city administration time to act?” The only answer that I can give to this query is that the new Birmingham administration must be prodded about as much as the outgoing one, before it will act. We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham.”

Another reason why King was a great man, he didn’t rely on the bringing in of a new Mayor to change things. He still kept the course. Obviously I’m talking about how people immediately thought President Obama meant a new day and age. King wouldn’t have stood idly by and relied on one man to change an entire nation.

“For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”"

When speaking about waiting until the new administration was in place, King maintained that waiting is like running out the clock, “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” This excerpt coming up? This excerpt right here? This is why I absolutely love Dr. King and his Letter From Birmingham Jail. It’s kind of long but please do read all of it. It is so impassioned.

“Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, “Wait.” But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: “Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?”; when you take a cross county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading “white” and “colored”; when your first name becomes “nigger,” your middle name becomes “boy” (however old you are) and your last name becomes “John,” and your wife and mother are never given the respected title “Mrs.”; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of “nobodiness”–then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.”

What more can I say? If that isn’t the most brilliantly crafted letter that ever entered the prison mail system I just don’t know. He covered everything. From how segregation can hurt just as much as lynch mobs to the hatefulness of policemen that we are supposed to be able to trust with instilling justice in our communities. From how unfair it is to live in an affluent society and rich country but see our brothers and sisters failing at alarming rates. From fighting to ensure that his daughter doesn’t develop a sense of inferiority because of segregation to having to justify the hatefulness of others. From the degrading signs and names to standing up for a cause and still being shot down by people you thought supported you. These are issues we still deal with today but King was so impassioned that he stood up and made a difference.  Who today can say the same? We vote. We blog. We make music. We educate ourselves. But what more can we do to be like Dr. King? He did sit-ins and marches. Some might say that that was the old way and made sense for the time. Due to segregation they won’t serve you? Sit in. Well there are many things we can still do today. Speaking out is huge. How can people know there is a problem if we do not tell them?

“Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.”

Another reason why we should be more like Dr. King is because yes he was a Reverend so this is expected of him, but because he wasn’t afraid to mix his politics and his religion. It’s so taboo these days to even mention that your political stance on a subject was influenced by your relationship with God but King wasn’t afraid to say that.

The second to last reason that we should be more like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is because he did not blame white people for the problems that Black people faced.

“I had hoped that the white moderate would see this need. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality.”

He expressed his disappointment at how little some were willing to help and then he kept it moving. He said he understood and thanked those who were willing to aid the cause. Then he turned to his own people.

“But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church… Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world?… I stand in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community. One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, are so drained of self respect and a sense of “somebodiness” that they have adjusted to segregation; and in part of a few middle-class Negroes who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because in some ways they profit by segregation, have become insensitive to the problems of the masses.”

In other words, yes I didn’t get the white support that I hoped for but I did expect that the church would have my back because regardless of skin color we all claim to serve the same God. Secondly, there are two types of unfortunate Negroes. First, the type who has become used to segregation and isn’t moved to change it. And second, the type who in spite of the circumstances has succeeded in life and therefore thinks everyone else should do the same without their help. These type of people still exist. We should constantly and consciously strive to not be like that.

The very last reason why we should be more like Dr. King is because we don’t need to be a great Reverend, have “Dr.” in front of our name or be a civil rights activist in order to make a difference. One of the last things he wrote in this letter was,

“One day the South will recognize its real heroes… They will be old, oppressed, battered Negro women… They will be the young high school and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and a host of their elders, courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience’ sake.”

In other words, the people who are going to change this world are you and me. Try not to be like Riley.

P.S. go to Google.com and look at their logo. It’s pretty cool.

[1] Yeah, I call him MLK. He calls me Hux. It’s all good.

[2] Letter From Birmingham Jail text

“That Dude” is a series here on Michelle-Huxtable.com. In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to. He influences the crowd and girls love him.”

I know. You’re wondering where I’m going to go with this post. Is Mr. T the man because he pities fools?  While that empathy is admirable, that’s not the reason. Is it because he has not changed his image at all in pretty much his entire career? Not really. Is it because of that killer Mohawk and gold bling? Actually, yes.

To preface[1] this I spend more time than I care to admit perusing[2] through Wikipedia pages. One day I’ll make a list of the most interesting Wikipedia pages I’ve come across. Mr. T’s would have to be number one, though. Assuming everything on that page is correct, because it would crush many of my hopes and dreams to learn that they weren’t, Mr. T is most definitely that dude.

First, some background. He grew up in Chicago, got a scholarship to a university, joined the army, and became a bouncer. One reason why he’s That Dude is because he’s freaking innovative. Those gold chains and rings he rocks? People who got in fights at the bar or club he was a bouncer at would frequently lose jewelry so he rocked them publicly. That way, if they came back and were banned from the club there he was up front outside with the jewelry so that they could claim it. Genius? I think so. As you would imagine, a lot of people didn’t come back so his collection got pretty big.

That’s all good and well but the true reason Mr. T is a) much more deeper than you could ever imagine and b) That Dude is because of the following two points. Warning: I’m about to blow your mind.

1) I’m just going to full on rip this from Wikipedia word for word:

While reading National Geographic, Mr. T first noticed the unusual hairstyle, for which he is now famous, on a Mandinka warrior. He decided that adoption of the style would be a powerful statement about his African origin… Occasionally, he slept with the heavy neck chains and bracelets on, “to see how my ancestors, who were slaves, felt.”[3]

Go ahead and reread that. Mr. T should be the litmus test for ‘That Dude’ from now on. When was the last time you changed your hairstyle to reflect your origin? That Mohawk wasn’t just a fashion statement! The gaudy gold that he wears so much? He was doing in-the-field cultural research! He was conducting empathy social psychology experiments. Okay, so it may not have gotten that deep but really, that’s pretty amazing.

2) We should praise him for his wearing expensive estimated $300,000 jewelry right?! Just when you think you figured Mr. T out he pities you for being a fool.

In 2005, Mr. T stated that he would never wear his chains again. He arrived at this decision after seeing the effects of Hurricane Katrina… Mr. T donated a great deal of clothing and money to Katrina victims.

Mr. T does wear some of his jewelry for promotional events like commercials and stuff but still… wow. This man took his signature gold jewelry and just gave it up. You don’t understand. Branding is everything. And he just gave it up so easily because he realized his money could be better spent. If he’s not That Dude I just don’t know who is.

[1] Do you say pree-face or preh-fuss?

[2] Were you aware that the word peruse actually means to examine carefully?

[3] Source

So as you know, “That Dude” is a series here at Michelle-Huxtable.com.  In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to.  He influences the crowd and girls love him.” Well, there should be a female-counterpart to “That Dude”. “That Chick” sounds… you know… Lil Kim-ish. And that’s no bueno. [1] “That Girl”… eh I don’t know.  How about “That Dudette”? Corny maybe but it’s staying for now. If you have a better title leave it in the comments, por favor.[1] So, the second “That Dudette” article is dedicated to Susan Boyle!

Yeah. Susan Boyle. If you don’t know who she is, don’t fret. Susan Boyle was on Britain’s Got Talent which is basically the British American Idol. Well actually American Idol is the American Britain’s Got Talent but that’s neither here nor there. So she appeared. And you know how it is on American Idol when you see a contestant and you just know they can’t sing… Or even if they can sing you know they can’t win because they don’t have the look. That’s Susan Boyle.

So she goes to audition and off the bat people are laughing in the audience. Simon’s given his usual scowl, the other faceless judges are snickering. It looks like any other hilariously horrible audition. Check the 1:24 mark. That evil spawn of someone is rolling her eyes like she’s trying to have a look at her occipital lobe.[1] Don’t fake. If you saw her you’d judge her too. It’s okay. Now watch this video.

Whaaaaat?! That just happened!! So why is Susan Boyle That Dudette?!

Because she’s 47 and unemployed. Most people would say, “Wow. Give up. Life’s pretty much over for you and you’ve done nothing.”[2] She received a standing ovation! Now her song may not be your kind of music. It sure isn’t mine. But you can’t deny her success when her soon-to-be released CD is “the largest global CD pre-order in the history of Amazon.com”  and “the biggest around the world in Amazon’s 14 year history”.

Moral of the story it’s never too late to accomplish goals or dreams. Don’t get me wrong. As a young person, I love seeing other young people out there doing our thing – especially since we’re notoriously known for being so apathetic about causes and issues. However, I do have a great deal of respect for people who go back to school at age 75, or just up and decide to switch professions at age 50. It takes guts not to get stuck in your routine and to switch it up like that. Props to Susan Boyle. The video was moving[3] and I think we can all take something away from it. It’s never too late to get a goal accomplished.

Oh and follow me on twitter. And tell your friends to follow me on twitter. Twitter.com/MichelleHux

[1] The occipital lobe is in the back of your head. Just saying.

[2] By “most people” I mean cold and cruel people who hate babies and Christmas.

[3] And by “moving” I clearly mean I cried like a baby.

So as you know, “That Dude” is a series here at Michelle-Huxtable.com.  In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to.  He influences the crowd and girls love him.” Well, there should be a female-counterpart to “That Dude”. “That Chick” sounds… you know… Lil Kim-ish. And that’s no bueno. [1] “That Girl”… eh I don’t know.  How about “That Dudette”? Corny maybe but it’s staying for now. If you have a better title leave it in the comments, por favor.[1] So, the inaugural “That Dudette” article is dedicated to Regina King!

Yes, yes. You’re excited. So there’s a few reasons why Regina King is “That Dudette”. First of all, she’s from Los Angeles, California so cool points there. But second, let’s break down her resume into three major roles that she plays.

1. The Real Wifey

What is a real wifey? Quite simply a real wifey is one who will do anything for her husband. It doesn’t matter what it is or what the circumstance may be. Jerry Maguire for instance, Regina King’s character Marcee was the real wifey. You know the story, Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr) isn’t really showing anybody the money and his wife is there. She’s egging him on supporting him and telling him that he can do it and didn’t get a sudden case of nuptial amnesia and go find a different athlete or up and leave him.

My favorite might have to be Regina King’s character in Enemy of the State, though. Carla was the best and most realistic wife. So first of all, Will Smith (her husband in the movie) has had an affair previously. Then, some people send her pictures of him and that woman together! Conversation:

Regina King: You know what I’m looking at? Pictures of you and Rachel taken today.

Will Smith: Listen honey, I think something’s going on.

Regina King: I went to the store today. My money and credit cards don’t work!

Will Smith: I gotta go.

Regina King: How in God’s name can I trust you? I want you to leave! I want you to leave!

I mean granted this is a conspiracy theorists movie with the government after Will and what not and they were wrecking his life, but look at that conversation! She’s accusing him of cheating and by the way her credit cards don’t work. He’s just like “Deuces.” I know I claimed her as a ride or die chick and this seems contradictory to what just happened since she told him to leave but that’s just realistic. She later helps him out and takes him back and what not.

As evidenced in her roles as Marcee in Jerry Maguire and Carla in Enemy of the State Regina King can play that real wifey who will always be there no matter what, better than anybody.

Real Wifey Honorable Mentions: Ray, This Christmas

2. The Real Chick Period.

Note the 40 oz.

Shalika from Boyz N The Hood. That should be the point where I say, “Nuff said”. But I’ll explain. She had one of the greatest lines of all time in this movie, “Why is it every time you talk about a female you gotta say b—h, ho, or hootchie?” Her whole role in that movie was just pretty legitimate.

Honorable Mention: Dana from Friday[2]

And her greatest role of all… Huey Freeman and Riley Freeman on The Boondocks. I can’t tell you how awesome these two kids are. Huey being the political, intelligent, and radical older brother. Riley being the exact opposite, ignorant product of mainstream rap music younger brother. The two characters together might be the best representations of black people. Without getting into why The Boondocks is amazing, let’s get back to Regina King.

She consistently plays the best supporting actress and never the main actress which is unfortunate. From playing the ghetto chick (but doing it somehow in a classy way) to playing the wife that is there through the thick and thin, Ms. King injects her personal flare into everything she does.

[1] Yeah. Bilingual for the win.

[2] Maybe I should do a “That Dudette” on Nia Long. She tried to fight freakin’ Debo in this movie.

“That Dude” is a series here on Michelle-Huxtable.com. In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to. He influences the crowd and girls love him.”

The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

John Singleton attended USC which already gets him some cool points in my book. He won three writing awards while there. Because of that he signed a contract with the Creative Artists Agency. His Sophomore year of college. The man was putting in work! He graduated from USC in 1990. A year later Columbia bought his movie Boys N the Hood for $7 million. A year out of college he’s selling scripts for $7 million. In this fickle economy where job security is a major concern for people, how can you not think John is That Dude?!

Not only that, but the movie he sold the script for wasn’t just some action script starring Denzel Washington or some romantic comedy starring Denzel Washington, or anything starring Denzel Washington. He makes a “hood movie” as Wikipedia so eloquently puts it. And then he chooses relative unknowns at the time to star in it- Morris Chestnut, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ice Cube in his acting debut.

Classic.

1 year out of college + Hood movie + All Black cast does not sound like a recipe for success to most. Well Boyz N the Hood was nominated for two Academy Awards that year - Best Director and Original Screenplay. John Singleton became the youngest person ever and the first African-American to be nominated for Best Director.

A year later the United States Library of Congress preserved it in the National Film Registry because it was “culturally significant”. Aside from that ridiculous resume, he’s done a lot of other great stuff. He directed Four Brothers, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Baby Boy, Shaft, Rosewood, Higher Learning, and Poetic Justice. His movies have meaning behind them. Rosewood about the 1923 Rosewood Massacre. Higher Learning about finding college students finding themselves on a racially sensitive college campus. He makes movies that are not only amazing, but makes you think. And when he’s not making you think he’s entertaining you in the best way possible.

Remember the Time by Michael Jackson is one of the greatest videos of all time.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyypZMD9bo

Yep. John Singleton did that. He’s inspiration to young people everywhere. One year after graduating college he was accomplishing his dreams. You don’t even have to wait that long. You can start now. I can’t say it enough. A year fresh up out of college he writes a movie, directs it, casts an all Black cast, gets nominated for two Academy Awards, and gets his film inducted into the National Film Registry. Yeah. John Singleton is That Dude.

“That Dude” is a series here on Michelle-Huxtable.com. In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to. He influences the crowd and girls love him.”

Michael Eric Dyson is that dude. I’m sure you’ve heard his name mentioned before. It’s usually in the same breath as Hip Hop Intellectual or Uppity Negro. However you heard of him, good or bad, you’ve heard of the man.

There’s many reasons why people would think he’s That Dude. Because he’s from Detroit? Because he got his Ph.D. in religion from Princeton? Because he’s a minister? Because he’s taught at DePaul, UNC-Chapel Hill, Columbia, Brown, University of Pennsylvania? Because now he’s a University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown? Wikipedia tells me that University Professorship is the highest position you can have at Georgetown so he’s kind of a big deal. Is it because he’s published 18 books?

It’s none of that. Actually, it’s all of that. But the reason that solidified in me the fact that Michael Eric Dyson is that dude is because of this following video:

Oh. My. Goodness. Did you see how he virtually back slapped the rest of the panel?

That just happened.

The way Dyson debates is something we can all learn from. How many of us in that same situation would have said, “You know what Joe? Ya mama voted for Obama.” Instead, Dyson laid out his argument clearly. He mentioned the fact that people compared Obama to a monkey.  He brought up the email that circulated about Obama turning the White House front lawn into a watermelon patch. Dyson even agreed on some counts with the panel. He gave them their due credit and then moved on to the issue at hand. People hate that. They thought they were either going to have a puppet up there to get on tape a statement of a black man agreeing with them or an angry black man talking about why Obama is the chosen one. Instead, Dyson came with the realness.

BOOM. Dyson can go all day.

And what does Joe do? Oh Joe. He talks about how people called Bush an idiot and Clinton a murderer. Pretty sure we were talking about race here, not just insults.
And when they zoomed out and showed the 4 different screens? The look on their faces after they realized Dyson was gonna keep it real and not just read cue cards? Beautiful.

Back Slap Aftermath

Yes Dyson’s accolades are amazing and yes he’s done a lot for the community. He’s a great speaker. He’s smart. He’s charismatic. But the reason he’s that dude is because he holds his own. He doesn’t change his view to make people happy. Watch that video 10 more times. He’s not an obsessed Obama lover and he’s not a hysterical Obama hater. He speaks the truth. Michael Eric Dyson is That Dude.

“That Dude” is a series here on Michelle-Huxtable.com. In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to. He influences the crowd and girls love him.”

I started reading The Boondocks in my local newspaper back in like 1999, 2000. What attracted me to it of course was the fact that there was this black kid with an afro in the Washington Post. The Washington Post?! I was used to Doonesbury and Family Circus and Marmaduke. But a comic about a black kid? I had to read it.

I expected some wholesome laughs about his funny family or maybe how school was that day. And instead I got this:

Did you read that? These kids are in elementary school. This is when Bush was in office in case you didn’t get the joke. And that’s not the radical outlier that I found after hours of scouring the web. That’s the norm. On the daily Aaron McGruder was cracking eggs of knowledge like this all over the place.

This a comic strip. A nationally syndicated comic strip. And they are talking about the Klan.  No issue was safe. Back in ’99, ’00 people were still supporting BET because it was “our channel” and stuff like that. You know what Aaron McGruder was doing? Not support BET. That’s what.

BET = Butts Every Time (c) The Boondocks

Click the Picture to Enlarge

Personally, I’m more a fan of the comic strip than the TV show because I think he was able to say more about current events when you have a weekly deadline instead of the months it takes to make the TV show. But he also successfully transformed a comic strip about two black kids in the suburbs from a campus newspaper comic to a major network TV show. It’s pretty obvious now that he’s that dude.

What author, cartoonist, blogger, etc has not only the audacity to talk about the Klan, the President, the CIA, numerous former presidents, and the all-evil BET but also has the skill to make it absolutely hilarious and accessible? Aaron McGruder. From discussing how it isn’t that surprising that C-Murder was arrested for murder to talking about the obvious flaws in the decision to go into Iraq, Aaron McGruder talked about everything. Which is why he is That Dude.

McGruder’s politics aside and whether or not you agree with them isn’t important right now. His take on current events and on the current black state in America is unrivaled. He doesn’t only take the pro-black side and he doesn’t always show the negative. He says what everyone thinks and he pays for the consequences. Yeah he’s been banned from the Washington Post and countless other newspapers. But that’s the price you pay for being that dude.

“That Dude” is a series here on Michelle-Huxtable.com. In case you aren’t familiar with what exactly “That Dude” means, Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The person that everyone is trying to be like or looking up to. He influences the crowd and girls love him.”

Marvin Gaye

Self explanatory title. Marvin Gaye is that dude. I’m a little ashamed to say but I came to this conclusion after watching Four Brothers. Yep. Mark Wahlberg turned me on to Marvin Gaye. Just shameful. But anyway. That CD cranks you should probably go get it.

Four Brothers CD Track Listing

Jackson 5? Marvin Gaye? The Temptations? The Miracles? The Four Tops?! Steve Hightower and the Hi-Tops? OK I don’t really know The Miracles or The Four Tops. But don’t that just sound like straight Motown Success to you?

But back to the point. Why is Marvin Gaye that dude? Play this song and find out.

We all know the classics – “Sexual Healing”, “Let’s Get It On”, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”… etc. I know you probably expected “What’s Going On” and some deep post about how he spoke out against the war or how he was a successful recording artist but…

Did you just hear that?! Go back!! Listen again!! That is the smoothest song known to man. Who can rival this dude? Nobody. Which by default makes him that dude.

I don’t want to sound old and crotchety here but nobody makes music like Marvin Gaye anymore. We try to by remaking his stuff – “What’s Going On”.  I didn’t realize he made “You’re All I Need To Get By” because it’s been redone so many times. DC rapper Wale sampled this on The Remake of a Remake on the Mixtape About Nothing. Michael McDonald, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin. All people who have covered his music.

And then in 2005, Four Brothers – a movie that was set in the present, not a period piece like Dreamgirls or Cadillac Records – uses mostly Marvin Gaye and other artists from his time to compliment the movie. That just shows how timeless he is.

“Trouble Man” is very underrated in my opinion. I hope this turned you on to some classic music. You don’t always gotta get that new. Refer back to the good stuff! Also, you’re probably thinking this post is irrelevant when this isn’t a music blog. Well, Marvin Gaye did something that pretty much all bloggers strive to do – stay relevant. So, cheers to him for that.