Caloric content and childhood obesity are only a part of the problem facing the African-American community.
While I joined the vast majority watching the 2012 Summer Olympics Games, I also managed to squeeze in three cultural moments that I want to share.
One movie, one Broadway Revival and a cable documentary.
The movie. Beasts of the Southern Wild.
A six-year-old girl from the southern Delta searches for her long-lost mother after her father falls ill and her world spins out of balance in the film from director Benh Zeitlin that took home the Grand Jury Prize and Best Cinematography award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
A harsh but loving father, “Wink” (Dwight Henry) swore that his beloved daughter Hushpuppy would be prepared for the day he was no longer able to look after her.
Little did Wink realize that day would come sooner than anyone suspected, and when illness strikes him down, nature runs amuck.
As the soaring temperatures melt ice caps and the sea levels swell, a race of prehistoric beasts named the aurochs emerge to reclaim the planet.
Meanwhile, as the apocalypse unfolds, determined Hushpuppy bravely sets out on a mission to locate the mother she’s never known.
The captivating performance by 8 year old, Quvenzhane’ Wallis is a triumph and a revelation.
The Broadway Revival. The Best Man.
The action takes place at a 1960 Presidential convention in Philadelphia. Five men vie for their party’s nomination for President.
Vidal masterfully created a plot filled with intrigue, humor and contradictions in this finely acted political drama that stands the test of time and, despite the fact that it originally debuted in 1961, maintains a unique resonance today.
The production I saw included John Laroquette and John Stamos as two sparring opponents, performances by Angela Lansbury, Cybil Shepherd, Kristin Davis and James Earl Jones as former U.S. President, Art Hockstader. A Black former U.S. President in the 1960’s
The Documentary. I stumbled upon “About Face” from HBO by accident.
Fashion icons Beverly Johnson, Pat Cleveland and Bethann Hardison made great inroads as Black supermodels during the ’70s.
Before Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks achieved everyday name recognition, Cleveland was a star of the most lauded fashion runways. Hardison, too, graced runways and the cover of Ebony Magazine.
Johnson made history as the first black woman to appear on the cover of American Vogue.
“The Dollar People” expect, demand and, have figured out how they will get more for their dollar…literally.Giving credit where it is due, I have to acknowledge two McDonald’s franchise owners for “introducing me” to The Dollar People.
Thank you ladies.
Let’s start by answering the question, “Who Are the Dollar People?”
In the first example, we’ll use a McDonald’s Restaurant and a man named Paul.
Paul goes to a McDonald’s, orders a McDouble, Sweet Tea and small fries.
Three Dollars.
Several moments go by and Paul returns to the counter.
In his hand, a McDouble that is 3/4 eaten, yet he presents the sandwich at the front counter while swallowing one last bite and says,
“This McDouble has onions…and pickle. I’m allergic to onions. Didn’t want pickles.”
Really?
Yes, Really.
The end result is that Paul got another sandwich…for free.
Getting more for a dollar.
In this, yet another example, we’ll use a neighborhood Shop Rite and a woman named, Carol.
I went to the Shop Rite supermarket for three things.
What they were is not important.
I ended up with nine items and therefore figured the 12 items only express lane was my best bet.
Note to self – I’ll be in and out in no time at all, or so I thought.
In front of me, was Carol with a cart holding more than 12 items.
Maybe 30?
Note to self – This is going to take more than a few minutes.
Waiting to put her things on the belt, Carol was eating a bag of potato chips.
Barbecue.
Prior to emptying her cart, Carol apparently decided she had enough chips.
After one last big mouthul, she brushed the excess crumbs off on her pants, neatly folded the chip bag, closing it and deposited it in the magazine rack between The Globe and People.
Getting more for a dollar.
Fifteen minutes passed – Carol argued with the cashier
…about the 47(!)items in her cart (vs the 12 item limit)
…the 25c per can discount she believed she was entitled to.
…and for the 15 cans of soda that were part of her order.
To add insult to injury, Carol ended up not having enough money and ultimately had to decide ‘which’ of the 47 she simply had to do without.
When it comes down to it, I suppose there is a little bit of the dollar people in all of us.
It may very well be as simple as different degrees of dollar people.
Think about it.
Haven’t you on more than one occassion, and with increasing frequency, reached a point where you expect and, in many instances, demand that you are not going to pay full price for anything
…unless you really, really have to?!
Have you argued a financial advantage/settlement over a minor infraction, and felt justified because (you felt and believed) you deserved the small victory?
It feels good to “beat the system”…and get away with it.
It is like there is a little voice in your head that whispers
“If someone is going to come out on top today, don’t you think it oughta be me?”
No argument there.
Getting the most for your money is not only smart.
It is the unmistakeable sign of a savvy consumer.
However, stealing is the sign of a thief.
I was having dinner not too long ago with a co-worker.
After a few glasses of wine, he said that, despite the fact that he had been eligible to vote for twenty four years, he has never registered or participated in the process.
Without my saying anything, it was clear that this revelation was, for my co-worker, a point of frustration and consternation.
This is a man who is viewed as a leader…a leader in his profession, in his community and to his family.
As we talked further, it became clear that he was ashamed.
My best counsel was to tell him that what happened in the past is history.
He could change the course of the future with one simple action.
Register to vote.
Attorney General Eric Holder recently addressed a group of African-American clergy.
His message was concise and simple, ’60s voting-rights gains are at risk.
The attached article includes the primary points that he made, but the point that hit me the hardest was that an estimated 25% of African-Americans do not possess the proper documentation to meet ID requirements in some states.
That statistic is alarming. But the right to vote is more than a racial issue.
The vulnerable and ‘at risk’ include the elderly and those who live in urban environments and don’t have a driver’s license.
An article from the May, 2012 AARP Bulletin illustrates the gravity of the situation:
We are holding an election in spite of ourselves.
The League of Women Voters has shut down its voter registration efforts in Florida, and Souls to the Polls, a fleet of buses that has transported Floridians from churches to polling places since 2004, is grounded.
That is because 12 years after its hanging-chad fiasco, Florida has decided to tighten voter access and threaten, with stiff fines and possible jail, groups that help register voters.
This is how we preserve and promote the world’s greatest democracy??
If, like my co-worker, you are not registered to vote, do something about it.
Today.
Exercise Your Right to Vote.
If you aren’t clear how to, click this link.
It is that simple and that important.