jamesbeat23

[jamesbeat23]

Nothing to debate about.

3stacks 

[jamesbeat23]

[jamesbeat23]

Star Wars.

starwars

[jamesbeat23]

.....

[jamesbeat23]

White Jordan.

[jamesbeat23]

All together, now.

[jamesbeat23]

[jamesbeat23]

[jamesbeat23]

[jamesbeat23]

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A post shared by Kendall Gill (@officialkendallgill)

“Me, Larry Johnson, and Alonzo Mourning were young upcoming guns in the league. We were feeling ourselves in this game because we were giving it to the Bulls. After this play our Wild oats quickly became shredded wheats! Alonzo had just blocked 2 of the Bulls shots. We started talking smack. I could since MJ getting mad because We were matched up against each other. I didn’t give a crap though because I was young, dumb and didn’t know any better. MJ back doored me out of the triangle offense and put Zo on his collection of posters. Lol. Moral of this story? Callin out the Devil is one thing. Facing him is another! Never tug on Superman’s cape unless you’re absolutely ready! Did you hear me Pacman? @nba @nbatv”

[jamesbeat23]

Still too soon.

[jamesbeat23]

Friend and I are drawing something from Star Wars every day until the release of Episode VII. https://m.facebook.com/365StarWarsArtChallenge?ref=bookmark

[jamesbeat23]

How many more times are you going to draw this Space Jam? Why the Space Jam? Asian Michael Jordan Space Jam.

[jamesbeat23]

BCHS’s Charles Ruise trying to jump over people.

thegrandarchives

[jamesbeat23]

[jamesbeat23]

(Geronimo)

The other day, I read a book about the murder of 13 people at Columbine High School. “Why?” Well, because I wanted to know just that. Why? Why did Eric, and why did Dylan, do what they did (SHAKESPEARE). Well, who cares? I do. I think it is important to know why. Because once we have an understanding of why, the possibility that it may be preventable is more apparent and the more prepared we can be in the case that it ever happens again. 

But it did happen, again. Why? 

Why did it happen in the first place? Marilyn Manson, right? Satan. Bullying. Rejection. Poor parenting. Violent video games. Guns. 

Or was it just that Eric and Dylan were bad people?

Well, that all depends on what bad means, right? Or evil. Let’s blame their parents and Marilyn Manson. That’s the idea that was sold to us, wasn’t it. That it was irresponsible parents who allowed their impressionable children to listen to Satan’s Right Hand Man. Good excuse. Makes sense. He wears all that scary make-up. And BULLYING. Bullying is still a problem today. Kids get bullied, don’t know what to do, lose control, and do bad things. That works, too. 

And video games, of course. And they were in high school, so I am sure some girl said they wouldn’t go to the dance with them or something, that would be enough, wouldn’t it? And they probably didn’t believe in God, that’d do it, too. 

Or they were Homosexuals. 

Probably.

None of this was true, but that didn’t matter for most people. Most people felt comfortable in the idea that if we did something about those weird Goth kids, we’d all be alright. “IT’S HOT OUTSIDE, YOU FREAK!!” “WHY DO YOU NEED ALL THAT BLACK SHIT, FAGGOT!” And the news, too. Sold that idea. Pushed it. 

But it was wrong. Eric Harris wasn’t bullied by Jocks, he was a jock. He loved sports, and played any and all he could. And he was a bully. And he was popular in school, not some outcast. Dylan Klebold was extremely religious. Eric was part of a military family, and was considering becoming a marine. Dylan also bullied people. And liked sports. Both of them were good students and excelled in school and most social settings. 

Nearly every excuse that was made for them was untrue. 

Which is strange, see. Eric wasn’t mentally incompetent, he was a psychopath. Someone who wanted to kill people. Dylan was depressed and wanted purpose. Both were completely aware of the consequences of their actions, and they planned everything. 

And they are both white. 

Nearly every person responsible for an act similar to Eric and Dylan’s, has been white. And male. A white male. A young white male. 

Adam Lanza and James Holmes. Young. White. Male. 

And, mind you, this is purely my observation in regards to the way our culture and society reacts to certain events and I am probably wrong. 

Eric and Dylan were given every excuse. Somehow some other part of our culture contributed to their actions, whether we agree on the cause or not (Guns or No-Guns or Less-Guns), we agree that somehow we are collectively to blame. With James Holmes, it was the same thing. What was it that we should have done, didn’t do, his parents should have done, teachers, friends, could have done to fix his “situation”. 

He must be suffering from something. No one does something like this without there being something wrong with them. 

And Adam Lanza. He killed 20 children. And he was given this: 

“Those kids aren’t really dead. The Government did this so they could take away our guns." 

20 children. 2-0. 2 x 10. 10 + 10. 19 + 1. Twenty. 26 people all together, and it didn’t happen. And the government did it. 

But that’s neither here, nor there. 

In each case, they took someones life. And the general reaction is that they are crazy and it’s something else’s fault. 

But what about Jordan Davis? Or Michael Brown? Eric Garner? Tamir Rice? Terrence Crutcher? Philando Castile? Alton Stirling? Etc.

They are Thugs. 

Suddenly, it’s the individual who is to blame. Specifically. And mind you, I am talking about the OVERALL reaction to these situations, and not the random reasoned responses that come with every situation. And of course, I am not comparing Michael Brown to James Holmes or Jordan Davis to Adam Lanza. And I am not talking about the details in those two specific cases or the response from a law enforcement perspective. This is purely an observation about the overall reaction from the general public.

But suddenly, it isn’t a mental illness or the government. Now it’s an individual with a predisposition to violence, born and bred to act on all he knows: violence. And it is directed at exactly one specific demographic: Young. Black. Males. 

Inherently violent. Inherently cruel. Inherently in violation of the law. 

It’s not something we can fix, it’s not something we can change. Suddenly, there is no collective effort, there is only “Well, he should have kept his mouth shut and he wouldn’t have been shot…” 

But my question is this: 

Which is worse? 

Because let’s consider this from a racial (racist) standpoint. White people are the majority and have been for hundreds of years in this country. For all intents and purposes, white people have been and have used the rule of law to condense (or expand) and consolidate nearly every other demographic. White people have even been given the benefit of being both the victim and the criminal, at the same time. There are both white victims and criminals. And white people are also given the benefit of only considering race in regards to it being something outside of themselves. Someone else is a race. That’s why there is no white privilege, because white people never granted themselves with it. They had it the entire time. 

So, in the case that a criminal is white, he is simply a criminal. A monster. A pervert. But not white. 

But in the case that a criminal is black, he is a criminal and he is black. In that case, being black is (somehow) part of the crime. 

Or at least, that is what I have observed. 

But how does that work? 

Because we’re all people, aren’t we. 

Sure. 

If James Holmes can kill 12 people, and not make us afraid of young white men. How can Jordan Davis (maybe) having a gun (which was never found) and saying something mean, make anyone be even more afraid of young black men? 

If Adam Lanza can kill 20 children (26 people), and the first response isn’t, “We’ve really got to be on the look-out for young white men between the ages of 18 and 29, because based on the number of incidents in which they have either attempted to or have succeeded in killing a great number of people for no other reason than because they wanted to, this is a real problem that we should be concerned with. This isn’t a matter of if will happen again, this is a matter of when and how will it happen again”, but the first response to Jordan Davis is, “Well, are you surprised. Because I’m not…” 

This is something we should be concerned about. 

[jamesbeat23]

A god.

Bill Shooting Hoops

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