My World is My Stage

What a week. I’m so not use to posting this frequently. I want to thank everyone who read and commented on these points. I want to spend today responding to and begin further discussion on some of the comments I received. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

21st Century Mavericks vs. 20th Century Pioneers

Comment 1-You talked a little bit about the balance between charting our own path and taking the advice of those who have come before us and I wanted to expound on that. I think you make a valid point about doing the same thing and expecting different results. But I also think that doesn’t mean we have to throw EVERYTHING out the door. “There’s nothing new under the sun” Eccl. 1:9. Yea, we need to chart our own path, but we also don’t need to re-invent the wheel on every matter - for example with relationships, we might do better to look back toward the days of the 20th Century Pioneers, judging by statistics they have much more success with relationships and keeping family together than we do. Just pointing out that I think it’s important to have a healthy balance. And more than that, not to let pride get in the way - I think often times we are humbled when our elders speak and we don’t want to be spoken to like we’re children or ignorant so we reject all of what they say when we really might benefit from humbling ourselves a little bit and taking in all of what they have to say. Will all of it be legit - maybe, maybe not but you’ll never pull out the golden nuggets if you reject it all up front.

Thanks for the comment. I agree that we don’t need to re-invent the wheel. In order to prevent that, we have to talk to our elders. I believe if we find more conducive places to have these conversations with our elders, we will find more success. Hopefully this Facebook initiative could lead that charge!

90’s Babies: where did we go wrong?

Comment 2-the405 said: This is such an old, cliche, general, and frankly bizarre condemnation of people born in a certain decade. 70’s babies have similar comments about 80’s kids.

While I appreciate the comment, I feel like it is indicative of the problem; they missed the larger point. The ultimate goal of the post was to suggest that the ways we communicate and mentor need to change. That we have a disconnect between the decades that comprise the Mavericks, and before it gets too late, we need to fix it. I wasn’t condemning their decade, just using examples to bring up a larger issue. Maybe there is a flaw in the writing of this post :(

Comment 3 (via IM with my good friend and harshest critic. I made some edits to make it easier to read)-

Me: did u read the post?

Her: i did

Me: and?

Her: uve got a lot goin on. lots of things are unfinished as far as ideas or topics

Me: unfinished? like what?

Her: but u try to wrap it up nicely at the end but ultimately..they sre still disconnected. u brush on every thing, like ur in the hors d’oeuvres line. gettin ur samplin on

Me: i think u missed it. there is a through-line. that line being the disconnect. the disconnect being what needs to be fixed. the examples are unimportant. the examples happen in every generation, we know that. no one is arguing for or against that, but what i am arguing for is the need to change it and change is ASAP

Her: well then give me more of that. dont spend 80% of the time describing the 90s babies or definin generations and then sayin well mentorship should be it and not even describing mentorship or defining it. chillin with a 90ps baby, is that mentorship? if thats the focus, then tell me what u did with ur fave picks and if anything, how that mentorship, collaboration helped address the generational gap, if it did or w/e. and thats why its empty to me

Me: the focus isn’t on me either. i’m not saying that i did it well. i am saying i want to try. i think you are right by saying i don’t give ways to try. very valid

Her: then if its not about u then dont spend so much time on u with the examples and how u felt older. like those are irrelevant details unles theres goin to be a blog after this following up then fine but this is mad rough or idk if tumblr is a place of rough drafts only or what

Me: not that i’m trying to argue with you but the personal anecdotes are key to introducing the larger issue. the follow-up will come friday

Her: well..that shit better  be more profound

Me: it will be a longer discussion, based on comments. maybe you should leave a comment so that I can incorporate them

Her: k..im not sayin eliminate urself from the discussion but u dont tie them in well. like…they are there but u dont use them as good as u could to get to the larger issue

She’s harsh right?! She does have a good point though. I missed the mark with this one. In other IMs she also told me that I need to “do more” in my posts. The personal anecdotes are fine but I need more substance. So that’s what’s gonna happen.

Why come we can’t talk?

Comment 4-oldtigbitties said: I really think that this would be a great idea. Especially with the mentorship that can be provided I’ll be first in line to sign up! Damn good idea Jude!

Thanks! I hope it catches on! I’m just trying tot think of a catchy group name and ways to get it off the ground. Currently taking suggestions.

So what to do with these comments? I’m still trying to process it at all. I think that this week has really highlighted what the first commenter said: there is no need to re-invent the wheel. I, no this movement, would be better if we look to the past. If we learn how to be leaders and mentors from our past leaders and mentors. With the knowledge that we glean from those conversations, we, the Mavericks, can then fix our own issues. The 80’s and 90’s babies can work on healing the rifts that exist between each other. Fixing these rifts will only make us, our future leadership potential, and the next generations, stronger and more successful. This, like other movements, are not a “quick fix” type of issue. There is a lot of work that has to be done. A lot of people have to invest in the work; the work will take a complete commitment. If history is any indication (and for the sake of this series, history has to indicate the future!!!) then the movement will be slow with only a few people putting in the work at the start. As the movement grows, people who believe in the cause will lend their support; some all the way but others will have one foot out, one foot in. Some will only support when things go wrong and be the firsts to criticize when things go wrong. Hey, if that’s what it takes, I’m willing to put in the work. All I want to know is, who’s with me (at least at the start)?

This post is Part II of a larger mini-series: Old School Players and Nu Skool Foolz

Yea, I’m gonna lose some followers for this one, but it is what it is.

Born in 1986, I’ve always felt older than what I actually am. In college, I really hit it off with the upperclassmen. As I matriculated, I noticed that the connection between the upperclassmen and underclassmen started to fall off. By the time I graduated, there was a big divide between the Seniors and the Freshmen. I never really understood why this breakdown started to happen but some recents events on Tumblr started to clear it up a little for me.

One of my favorite bloggers, napturality, recently got into a disagreement with some younger, female bloggers about the types of pictures they were putting out on the internet. Her point, which I totally support, focused around imaging (things are ALWAYS archived on the internet) and around a more serious and legal issue, that of child pornography. She correctly pointed out that not only could the people who “liked” or “reblogged” these young girl’s photos were in danger of being labeled sex offenders, but these young girls could face similar punishments. Unfortunately these young girls didn’t catch her point. Instead, they chose to argue back, claiming that they knew what they were doing and that they weren’t harming anyone. They suggested that Amber just back off, unfollow them, and mind her own business.

It’s sad that these kids, these 90’s babies, were so hyped up on being “grown”, being expressive, and being so damn wrong, that they really missed what was being told. For me, the previous anecdote really serves as a microcosm: there is an intra-generational divide that is becoming more and more prevalent.

I define my generation as those who were in college while I was in college. Under this definition, anyone who was in college between 2005 and 2009, belongs to my generation. While I understand that this may include a few 90’s babies, for the most part, I don’t include the children of “Family Matters, “Hey Arnold,” and “AHH, Real Monsters” re-runs in my generation.

I don’t want to come off as some “old-head” but there truly is a disconnect. There is a HUGE discord in the 21st Century Mavericks camp that we must address. Similar to any other community, the actions of a few, drastically affects the way the larger group is perceived.

The blame can’t be placed on the 90’s babies alone (although I would like to). We, the 80’s babies, must own up to our end of the bargain. Unlike the way our parents’ generation let us down, and failed to properly mentor us correctly (thus the generational divide between us and our grandparents), we can’t miss the opportunity to work with and help mentor the rest of the clan.

One of the places I failed in college (for sake of time, I’ll only list this one, although there are many) was in the mentoring of the younger students. I did it in spurts, picked and chose the students I liked the best, and was very inconsistent in my mentorship. Observing the interaction between and Amber and the young girls, and even her recent run in with another 90’s baby about the “Black Experience,” I realized that, more than ever, steady mentorship is needed. Actually, mentorship isn’t the right word; collaboration fits best.

Moving forward, we the children of the Golden Decades of hip-hop, urban fashions, the rise of cell phones, computers, and this wonderful thing called blogging, need to find more opportunities to blend instead of argue. To make the collaborations meaningful, we need to practice patience and tolerance; getting into arguments, “beefs,” and Tumblr wars won’t get it done. I love being a child of the 80’s, I love being a Maverick, and in order to gain the respect of the Pioneers, we, the leaders of the Nu Skool, need to come together. This post is my olive branch…

5 points if you catch the allusion!!

Sometimes you have to listen to people wiser than you and ironically enough, by listening to someone slightly older and much wiser than me, I have decided to dedicate the next few blog posts an ever increasing issue: the generational divide. Over the last few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to spend a lot of time talking to members of the “ol’ school,” getting their perspective on the ways things are today, how things were back then, and the ways in which we got here (the present). Through these conversations, with members of the theatre, Black Leaders and Achievers and your ‘round the way ol’ skool brothas and sistahs, a common theme always presents itself: we don’t know how to talk to each other!

It goes without saying (but since it is MY blog, I’ll say it) that there has always been a generation breakdown between the old guard and the new guard. This divide has been a problem that’s probably been around for longer than we would like to acknowledge, however, the current generation divide seems to be spreading. Not only are we experiencing idealogical conflicts between young and old, but betwixt constituents of all the life’s seasons.

During this series, which will be broken down into four parts, will feature past experiences, conversations, and hopes and wishes. As working topics, I plan to focus on the following; 21st Century Mavericks vs. 20th Century Pioneers, 90’s Babies: Where did we go wrong?, Sitting Under the Tree of Knowledge, and “With all of this technology, why come we can’t talk to each other?” Like always, I encourage much debate and thought around this topics. I’m excited about it and hope you are too!

If there is something specific that you would like me to focus on, just let me know via /ask thing (judesview or mrjjude) or direct reply. Questions?