What’s the Matter with the World?

What’s the matter with the world,

has the world gone mad?

(But) nothing’s wrong with the world.

It’s the people that are in it.

You can depend

on the sun (because) it rises every day.

But you can’t rely on the things people say.

Rain falls from the sky

to give water so life won’t die

except you and me.   

The Charleston, S.C. Shootings: When Man Becomes the Lower Animal.

One of the major fascinations I have for the Animal Planet TV channel is the constant insight it gives into the natures of the various species of animals in the jungle. One such knowledge is the strange fact that animals have no hatred for each other. As vicious as they are, carnivorous animals will never kill another animal except strictly for food. Unless it’s starving therefore, a lion or tiger will simply look on, with no interest, while a goat, deer or some other animal strolls by.

It’s however strange and quite confounding that it’s “a different kettle of fish” with human beings, the so-called higher animals. In addition to the natural law, Man will often also have to be compelled by several man-made laws before agreeing to live together in the same neighborhood. Yet, in spite of these applicable laws, there is no guarantee of amicability in the compelled desegregation. Filled with a nature that is lacking in love, kindness and decency, most humans are conceived, born and raised with such hateful orientations that will make monsters green with envy. Unlike the lower animals, offspring of humans must be taken through various forms of refinement in terms of trainings in etiquette, educational institutions and occupational codes and ethics. Sadly however, some of them will still escape through cracks in the refinement system and end up as dregs, thieves, psychopaths, rapists, perverts, and murderers.

One such example among the many society misfits is the man who went into a church in Charleston, South Carolina yesterday and proceeded on a shooting spree. He ended up fatally shooting 9 persons, including the pastor. Their only crime was that they were black.

It's tempting to describe the cold-blooded murderer as a dysfunctional character, one of the lowest in human species. But that will be too charitable. So, he is better described as a deranged animal of the worst kind. Except that even an animal of his type is not fit to live in a jungle.

The Desperation and Hopelessness in the American Inner City.

“A young man had been shot at by another teen. He was willing to let it go. Only now he is hanging with buddies who tell him, ‘Man you’re a bitch. You let them pop your ass, and you ain’t did sh— about it.’ They’re harassing him every day, and it’s psychologically destroying him. Now, he’s got to show his friends he’s a man. So one day he gets in the car and goes looking for someone to aggress against so he can come back to his buddies with a story. He sees a group of kids, talking loud. The boy shoots at them, the kids scatter, and now he can go back to his friends and say, ‘We aired them ni--as out.’ But in the process, he accidentally kills an innocent child. That isn’t gang violence. It’s desperation, hopelessness, despair, cultural confusion.” – Essence magazine. July, 2013.

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“No Offense But…” is the beginning of Disrespect.

Usually, when someone starts a conversation with “No offense but…” he/she is not going to say anything positive. 

Definitely, that person is just about to be offensive. At that point, if they are not immediately discouraged or stopped, an avenue for them to be disrespectful will be created unwittingly. And when that happens, unnecessary problems will arise between them and the other person.

Personally, I have resolved to never wait for such an ignorant person to continue with their conversation. This way, I give a prompt impression that I refuse to be a victim of whatever ignorant thing is about to come out of their mouths. I have however witnessed several scenarios where unwary victims got prejudiced, stereotyped and insulted through spoken words that are started with “No offense but…”

Therefore, when next someone around you starts a conversation with that ominous statement, “No offense but…” tell them immediately to stop right there! Alternatively, change the subject or, run, if all else fails.

Yoruba Liberalism and the Reactionary Igbo.

Poor Oba of Lagos! He was simply unlucky to have inadvertently made a statement that got exploited to turn him into a whipping boy at the hands of a people who always hide behind every excuse to heap insults upon the Yoruba race.

Ironically, this singular issue would “unite” me with some “Internet Tigers” of old who were my major adversaries in those days of Nigerian-oriented websites such as the Nigeria World, Lagos Forum, Kwenu, Nigerians in America and Gamji. Those were the good, old days of internet “combats” among Nigerian columnists in the period between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. In the past few days, the arguments that took place between me and those guys via e-mails were reminiscent of our past encounters.

The Yoruba people are very well-known for their liberalism which sometimes, can be on the extreme side. At the beginning of the civil war (for those of us who were around) the Yoruba initially chose to be neutral. In fact, some notable Yoruba sons such as Wole Soyinka, Fela Kuti, his brother (Beko) and Tai Solarin put their lives and freedoms in jeopardy by publicly expressing solidarity with and sympathy for the seceding Igbos, some of whom were allowed to move about discreetly all over Lagos. But how did the Igbo reward us? They bombed Casino Cinema at Yaba where several innocent people, especially women and children, were murdered in cold blood. The same Biafrans went on to make an attempted incursion into Yoruba land through Ore town. This act of treachery prompted the great Awo to declare that we “Go On With One Nigeria!” (Gowon). This rallying call would lead thousands of young Yoruba men to enlist in the army, forming the core of 3rd Marine Commando.

At the end of the civil war, only the Yoruba people welcomed the ex-Biafrans back with open arms. It was only in Yoruba land that no case of “Abandoned Property” was recorded as it happened in Port Harcourt and elsewhere across the nation. In our then Ebute-Metta neighborhood, for instance, several houses belonging to Igbo owners were duly returned to them by the Yoruba friends in whose hands they were entrusted. Many of us can still remember vividly how the returning Igbo were given accommodations and allowed to settle in Lagos Island, Makoko, Amuwo-Odofin, Iganmu, Amukoko and other parts of Lagos. It was in those places they sold all kinds of stuff such as chewing sticks and roamed about as “London tailors” (ejika ni shop). Yoruba people went out of their ways to make them comfortable. But what did we get in return? All of a sudden (as in the story of an Arab and a camel) the Igbo have since been claiming that Lagos is a “no-man’s land”. They have also resorted to peddling an abominable tale that Lagos State was developed by them. One can only wonder why they don’t deem it fit to first go develop their terribly impoverished states in line with the adage of “charities begin at home”.

When Asiwaju Tinubu became the state’s governor, he exhibited the typical Yoruba liberal attitude by appointing some Igbo individuals to important positions, including that of a Commissioner. This has not been reciprocated by any Igbo State governor till date. Instead of an appreciation, these unprecedented gestures have been seen by the Igbo as entitlements in a “no-man’s land”. The same Igbo finally over-reached themselves by resolving to collectively vote against the APC at the last elections. Unwittingly, it was a crazy gamble as they “cut their nose to spite their face”.

Now that Ambode of APC has won the governorship election in Lagos State, it’s a clear evidence that the spiteful Igbo had rendered themselves politically redundant at both the national and state levels. In the new dispensation therefore, it’s absolutely unnecessary for Lagos State government to “allocate” a commissioner’s spot or any other public position to the Igbo community. If this nonsense must continue, then similar slots have to be given to the Hausa, the Edo, the Calabar and other sojourners in the state.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah Sr: Physician, Heal Thyself.

According to news reports, Chaka Fattah Jr. the son of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah Sr. is currently awaiting trial over $200,000 in various spurious bank loans. The Feds are of the view that Chaka Fattah Jr. diverted the loans to live his fun-filled life as a “socialite”. In spite of his being a drop-out, the young man is said to have his residence in a $600,000 Ritz-Carlton condo. He is also reportedly spending lavishly on exotic cars for him and his girlfriend. And lest I forget, the man is alleged to have racked up over $33,000 in casino gambling debts.

The Bible says "Physicians, heal thyself." I have often wondered how some guys can claim to be effective in running the affairs of state, as huge as it is, when they cannot manage their lives or homes. Now, which is a greater responsibility?

The senior Fattah, a U.S. Rep; is supposed to be representing the interest of millions of people at the federal level. Yet, he cannot really be said to have got his life in order. He is twice divorced and on a third wife. And here is just one of his kids that is alleged to be a downward spiral educationally, and yet living large on other people’s money. This is an irritating irony of life that is common among folks who are in the public eyes. It’s worse for political leaders that are entrusted with caring for the lives of those in their political constituents, many of whom are poor.

These public figures are like some pastors whose charity don’t begin at home. They preach about morals, being “born again” and all that. Yet, their kids are the essential anti-thesis to everything they sermonize about on daily basis.

To Those Who Rely on Fake Friends.

“Era o fe popo denu.” (Ants don’t really love wood…in spite of the appearance…they are only after the wood’s exploitation and eventual destruction.) – Yoruba adage.

SONY Pictures and its Peculiar Mess.

What a peculiar type of mess this is for SONY Pictures! In the aftermath of the leakage of her very crude and ignorant remarks about President Obama and some black movie stars, Sony Pictures co-chairman, Amy Pascal has begun a "healing process" by reaching out to some black leaders.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the woman said she “want to accept responsibility for these stupid, callous remarks."

In the leaked email exchanges between her and a producer (Scott Rudin) the duo mocked movies that featured black actors and joked about the president's possible interest in them. Examples of such movies the two "messed up" in their e-mails were DJango and 12 Miles.

What a time for a scandal like this to come up! Hackers or no hackers, this woman did demonstrate a lack of character and discretion. Someone at her level of corporate ladder should have known better than to “run her mouth” so recklessly. Sometimes, I wonder how some of these so-called corporate top shots got to their leadership positions. And now Amy Pascal thinks all she needs to sweep the stinks under the carpet is merely by reaching out to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson?

What Really is the Matter With Some American Men?

This piece was inspired by a “strawberry letter” written to the Steve Harvey Radio Show this morning.

A man left his southern hometown for a better job prospect in a faraway city. Upon his arrival in the city, he met another man from his hometown who he described as “wonderful” and they began a “relationship”. All the while, the gay lover was still resident in the hometown, making the relationship more of a long-distance affair.

Then came a point in time, when the city man had to travel to his hometown to attend the wedding of a woman who he described as his best friend. Decked in a beautiful wedding gown and grinning from ear to ear was the “lucky” bride. But guess who the groom was? It was the guy who was in a deep gay relationship with the city man.

Shocked beyond words, the city man quietly left the wedding and was now wondering if he should tell his best friend (the bride) that the groom was “On the Down Low”, a term commonly used in describing men who are having sex with women and men. They are like bats. On the one hand, they are running with rats and, on the other hand, they are flying with birds.

Now, I personally don’t care what anyone does with his or her body in the privacy of their lives. After all, this is America, a land of liberty. But it’s grossly unfair for any man, as it is with the guy in this story, to deliberately expose the lives of women to unnecessary health risks that can lead to deaths. Why can’t such men simply make up their minds on what sexual orientation to abide with instead of trying to “eat their cake and have it”?

A lot of men with this “down low” nonsense are exposing their unsuspecting wives or girlfriends to undue grievous physical and emotional hazards. Yet, among these dysfunctional men are professionals (powerfully-dressed guys), celebrities, religious folks and even clergymen. They live a double life. In public, they parade themselves as being “happily” dating or married to women while, secretly, they are having sex with fellow men.

This is a shame!



 

 

 

 

 

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.

A colleague once narrated an incident that took place in her Wilmington, DE neighborhood. After getting off work in the middle of the night one fateful day, she saw a group of people loitering around her home. Seeing the fully-armed officer approach, the group dispersed. Then she realized that among the group were teenage girls and kids ranging from seven to twelve. Angrily, the officer scolded the girls and the kids for staying up so late in the company of grown men.

The following morning, her porch played host to some furious women who wanted to know why she scolded their kids. In spite of her explanation about feeling concerned for the kids’ safety, she was warned to mind her business next time. A few days later, the same officer arrived at her neighborhood to see the teenage girls “making out” with some of the men at various corners of the street. Shaking her head sadly, she ignored them. A few months afterwards, a couple of the girls were pregnant, victims of “babies having babies”.



All over the United States, too many people are shirking in their primary responsibilities as parents. And they would not tolerate anyone getting involved in their kid’s discipline. It’s no wonder therefore that the country is replete with too many rude, lazy and ignorant young people. Unfortunately, there is a staggering manifestation of this sad consequences in schools, work places and neighborhoods across the nation.

In many middle schools and high schools across the nation, it takes individuals with lion hearts to work as teachers. With metal detectors installed at several schools to prevent lethal weapons, the job of a teacher is filled with as much hazards as those of soldiers deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

When a typical high school churns out some irate, undisciplined kids either as drop-outs or as half-baked graduates, they usually end up at the hands of unlucky employers of labor. Yet, with a sordid foundation laden with laziness and indiscipline in formative years, these individuals who are now “grown” adults will sooner or later begin to exhibit their negative attributes.

Some of the kids who are unable to fit into a regular work orientation or too desperate to get rich quick, will end up as a menace to their neighborhoods. If they are not selling drugs at street corners, they get into street gangs to unleash terror on hapless people. Before long, these characters will get busted, tried in courts and jailed. And that is if the guys don’t first get killed by fellow drug dealers, opposing gangs or a frustrated police officer who is also a victim of some very poor parenting.

There is still hope in the horizon. But that is only if we all can return to the “old school” tradition where "it takes a village to raise a child".

The Civil War in the World of Islam.

Once again, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (a.k.a. ISIS) has beheaded another fellow human being. Their latest victim was a British aid worker, Alan Henning. And the very sad irony, after the dastardly, barbaric act, must have been the guys’ usual exclamation of “Allah Akbar!” (God is great!)

However, the cold-blooded murder of Alan Henning and other foreign “unbelievers” has been just one of the two major “important projects” in the agenda of these lowest of human species. The other major objective of the ISIS (a military arm of the Shiites) is in its violent conflict against other Muslims who are called the Sunnis. Just a few months ago in Iraq, several people belonging to the Sunnis sect, were brutally shot (execution style) by these same ISIS. Unfortunately, the Sunnis are not angels either.



As an individual, I have often wondered why brothers in Islam would be at each other’s throats in such a most violent manner. The sheer mutual hatred these two Islamic sects harbor against each other is horrific. And it keeps reminding one of a similar horror that was demonstrated, in a not too distant past, by the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland. The question therefore is why the civil war between the two Islamic sects?



In the Middle East, religion is government. Scripture is law. And the past defines the future. Islam has been divided between the Sunnis and the Shiites since the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 AD.

Upon the demise of the prophet, a bitter dispute ensued over who would be the next leader of Islam. The Sunnis called for an election by which a new leader would emerge. But the Shiites preferred to support the desire of the direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad who wanted to have one of them to succeed the prophet.

This disagreement has since led to a bitter war between these two sects. And the war has been very hateful and brutal, leading to the cold-blooded murder and destabilization of people in the Middle-east and across the world.

The two sects have two distinct geographic, political, ideological and cultural identities. But so far, the Sunnis make up the 90% of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims while the Shiites (with the most militant orientation) are in a minority with headquarters in Iran.

 

The Height of Moral Degradation in Gods’ Own Country.

“The Strawberry letter” segment on the Steve Harvey Morning Show is one of my favorites. Every morning, people write letters to the show, baring their souls on some very personal issues. Some listeners are of the view that the letters are fictitious. But the presenters and, especially Shirley Strawberry, have often stated that the letters are real. And I believe them.

Today’s strawberry letter was a two-handed, heart-wrenching type. A man ( the letter-writer) wrote to say that he loved his wife (to whom he has been married since ten years ago) but that at the moment, he was at what I would describe as an emotional cross-road.

On the one hand, he started an affair with a sibling of his wife about three years ago. The sibling in question however was the twin brother of his wife. Now, the lover is threatening to inform his sister about the affair unless the letter-writer divorced her. Here was a guy desperate enough to break his sister’s marriage just so that he and the letter-writer could continue their gay relationship without hindrance.

On the other hand, the letter-writer wanted to justify the affair with his brother in-law by disclosing that his wife had cheated on him shortly after they got married. And guess who she cheated with? It was the letter-writer’s father. In fact, the woman got pregnant and had a baby boy for the older guy. The little boy is now being raised by the letter-writer. In view of this cheating issue therefore, the letter-writer believed that he had the moral right to comply with his gay lover’s demand.

Tommy Nephew’s response to the bundle of absurdities was the best in my view. At a future family re-union, Tommy gave hints about the way principal characters in that letter would be introduced?  To start with, the man’s wife would simultaneously be seen as his wife and as a step mother. The man’s gay lover would be introduced as his brother in-law and as his “significant other”. And the letter-writer’s hapless son could also double up as his brother. What a spectacle that family re-union would exhibit?

And I thought I had seen and heard everything about moral degradation in God’s own country. But that strawberry letter on the Steve Harvey Morning Show has since convinced me that I “ain't seen nothing yet"

How We Destroy Sacred Institutions in America.

In the global community, we are known as a nation that destroys every sacred institution. Nothing is sacred anymore. Here are samples:

Back in those days, even in the most rotten society, priests are revered and held in very high esteem. But in the United States, it’s no longer the case. A parent that trust his/her child to a priest, and especially, a Catholic priest, is courting trouble for the child.



I remember my growing up days when sports coaches played important roles in the lives of us kids. Apart from parents, we could easily trust our lives to coaches. Now, the “game” has changed. Sports coaches in high schools and colleges, these days, have to be carefully monitored by parents or guardians to ensure that their kids are not sexually abused.

As for marriage, no institution has been so battered, trashed and ridiculed in any part of the world as that of marriage in the United States. Now approaching 60 % divorce rate, the marriage institution in God’s own country can, at best, be described as a farce.



And what about fatherhood and motherhood? Instead of a man and a woman raising children together, we now have over half of the children in the United States out of wedlock. In some neighborhoods across the country, over 7 in 10 children don't have any form of relationships with their fathers. And among the few kids who do know the sowers of the seeds that produced them, all they have are “Disney fathers” who show up once-in-a-while to take them out shopping. And after a couple of hours together, the “fathers” leave, and not to be seen in a long time. It’s only in the United States that a kid grows up and gets to become a celebrity before a man will suddenly show up to admit paternal responsibility for the star.

 

 

 

When “Keeping it Real” is Dumb.

Have you heard these words “keeping it real” lately? These words, as simple as they look and sound, have created a lot of issues and problems for a lot of young Americans. So many of them are indeed in jails across the nation because they have no clue as to what “keeping it real” is really all about!

In many black communities, for instance, “keeping it real” among the young people is the same thing as being disrespectful, doing badly in school, dropping out of schools, speaking poor English grammar and having pride in being an ex-convict. Another form of “keeping it real” is for a guy to dress like a thug, speak like a thug and act like a thug. The irony of this stupid attitude is that when real thugs get into trouble and appear in courts, they know better than to act like thugs. In fact, they suddenly speak and dress properly. So, this means they know the right thing to do in order to be taken seriously.

It’s terribly shameful that when some other young black folks do the right things such as staying in schools, studying to acquire good education, speaking proper English, dressing decently and being respectful, they are called names. The worst is that such nice young black folks are branded as “acting white”.

But when did the resolve to do the right thing become a monopoly of the white people? As a thoroughbred African, I take a very strong exception to the idea that black people are the custodians of negative stuff while white people are solely created to do the right things. But this is the crazy message some young black folks are unwittingly sending out to the world.

 

 

 

 

 

What Manner of Justice in California?

Condemned murderers in California have every reason to smile lately. They will no longer be executed for their crimes against the society and humanity. On July 16, 2014, a Federal judge, Cormac Carney (pictured above) ruled that California’s process of executing prisoners is so dysfunctional that it amounts to “cruel and unusual punishment” and is therefore unconstitutional. And what was the US District court judge’s reason for making this decision? Of the more than 900 people sentenced to death in that state since 1978, only 13 have been executed. Among the implications of the landmark decision of judge Carney is that upon their cold-blooded murder, victims of crimes will automatically lose their constitutional rights. For instance, the pains, agonies and deaths of the many victims of Ernest Dewayne Jones (the convicted rapist and murderer pictured above) have become insignificant. This is because, according to the judge, the method adopted by California in executing prisoners constituted a “cruel and unusual punishment”. But did anyone tell the judge that all the victims of Jones were murdered in some nice, cool manners?

The Need for Parent Control in America.

In view of the pervading gun violence that is ravaging our God’s own country, and especially, the latest death of a 2 year-old kid at the hands of her 5 year-old brother in Kentucky, it has been argued among a certain school of thought that what Americans need is child control and not gun control.

Really?

Okay…fine.

However, I do also believe that parent control is as much needed as child control and gun control in this country of greatest intrigues.

Or what else can we expect in a nation where infants who, within a few minutes of their births, are fed on cow milk instead of the mother’s breasts’ milk? What manner of parents (including babies having babies, of course) will unwittingly hand-over their kids to be raised by cows (as proxy moms) and thereby having the kids grow up behaving like animals in human skins?

Yes, that’s how it’s done in the United States of America…although the perpetrators don’t see it this way. All they care about is the prevention of their precious breasts falling victims of the law of gravity, which by the way, is naturally inevitable.

It’s in fact worse where the hapless kids have parents (usually single parents) who mistake a child for a pet (dog or cat). In such an instance, the kids are turned into some idiotic, spoiled brats with no values to sustain them into adulthood. A case in point was a college kid who used to be woken up by phone every morning by a mother calling from another state several hundreds of miles away because the spoiled brat was not capable of waking up by himself, not even with an alarm clock.

It’s therefore no wonder that many kids who are unfortunate to arrive this world through those unworthy of being called parents often end up as dysfunctional individuals. Consequently, they become career sociopaths, psychopaths, pedophiles, rapists, drug dealers and serial killers.

And, as for the society at large, it’s only consolation exists either when the psychologically and emotionally-inept individual becomes a statistic among those populating the sprawling prison industries or (and) among those getting killed by judicial decisions or at the hands of similar folks?