Anything you can do,
I can do better.
I can do anything
Better than you.

No, you can’t.
Yes, I can. No, you can’t.
Yes, I can. No, you can’t.
Yes, I can,
Yes, I can!

Anything you can be
I can be greater.
Sooner or later,
I’m greater than you.

No, you’re not. Yes, I am.
No, you’re not. Yes, I am.
No, you’re NOT!. Yes, I am.
Yes, I am!

- Anything You Can Do, performed by Annie Oakley and Frank Butler

So today is going to be one of those controversial post that would probably have me in the dog house if I were married.

I start off with a simple question.   Are men and women equal?  I’m not asking that question in the whole, “have women came to a point where they are treated the same in society”?  I’m not asking, “has the women’s movement achieved it’s goal”?

I’m asking are women and men equal?  Can women do anything that men can do?

Should men be the head of the household or is that an archaic tradition based on an outdated idea that men are the superior of the species?

Let’s look at it from a couple of aspects.

1. Purely animal state/secular level – In all other species of animals it seems like the males of the species run the household.  Take lions for example.  Lionesses kill food and then before she gets to eat, the male eats first.  And on top of that he usually has a pack of women.  He runs the whole pride.  Him and his lionesses.  He protects them because he is the more powerful of the species.  And for this protection he gets to make babies and have his food brought to him.

2.  Religion – I think just about every major religion has some part of it’s moral code based on the idea that the man is the head of the household.  One can only infer from that that he is the superior of the species (sorry I been studying for the GMAT so ignore how I’m writing).

Now one thing thing that the animal example omits is whether the female is smarter.  Which I think if you look at the example she actually is.   All the male does is protect the pride.  She actually has to run a household.  I think that takes a lot more intelligence.

The religion this is also tricky too.  We have seen a lot of inferior men use this to dominant relationships.

So how do I feel.  Do I think men and women are equal…

Well… No…

I let you gasp and cuss me out for a second…

This is why.  I think intelligent wise women are just a smart as men and based on the stupid things we do for you guys it may be easy to prove you are actually smarter.  But when it comes to physical strength hands down men win.  If you couple that with our almost as good intelligence we win the battle.

Now I know there are a lot of outliers out there when it comes to women being superior, but in aggregate I think we are the clear winners here.

So this is a time when I’m asked should men be the head of the household.  I think so, but let me add a disclaimer here.   Men can only head a house that they are taking care of.  If he is the head, that family should never worry about anything.   With great power comes great responsibility.

Now when you stop calling me a pig and cussing I want to hear your thoughts.   People at the Cool Table… Are men and women equal?  Is one sex superior?  Which one?

Louis CK has a stand-up album called Hilarious that cause me to have an epiphany.   If you haven’t seen it you should check it out.

He has a section in it called… “Everything’s Amazing & Nobody’s Happy”.

In it he talks about how we complain about everything, but how we never sit back and just realize how good we have things.

I mean think about it.  We complain about flying, but really thinking about flying.   You sit in a plane and go through the air at hundreds of miles an hour and you don’t even feel it unless there is some turbulence.  You can go from New York to California in 5 hours.  In the 1800’s that trip would have took you 3 months and you were likely not to show up in California with the same people you left New York with.

I think about my own life.  I complain about my job a lot.  I get mad because I don’t have a enough work to do and my boss ignores me sometime.  Now let me give you some background.  I have my own office,  my boss doesn’t keep up with my vacation time, I get paid a decent salary, and I’m black.

Can you imagine me complaining to my great-great-great grandfather that was a slave?

Me: I’m tired of my job I don’t do anything.

GGG-grandfather:  Son…You’re a b!tch.  Do you want to switch places?

Your boss ignores you.  I have freaking overseer!

You have an office.  I stay in a shack with 20 people half the size of your office.

You get paid in money.  I get paid in chitlins and rags for clothes.

You get vacation time…. Vacation!  You lazy M.F.  You don’t even work that much.  I work!  I plant enough food to feed Mississippi every day.  Do you know how much a country ninja in Mississippi  can eat?

You sicken me!

So good people at the cool table I implore you to sit back and really think about all the stuff we take for granted and really start to appreciate it.

I know that’s not correct grammar, but I’m on a bit of rant.

Why are people so dumb?  I mean seriously.  I could see if this was the 40’s and there was one library in town and it was Whites Only, but information is so readily available.

I mean you can go on a computer and go this white page with a box on it.  You can type whatever the heck want in that box and wealth of information pops up (for the dumb this place is google.com).

Well the reason I’m so mad is because I get tired of people asking me questions they know the answer to or they can get the answer.  I have a co-worker that ask me some of the most elementary crap I have ever been ask in my life.  Questions like what comes after the number 4.  Google it you dumb broad!

Do you ever listen to people talk now?  It’s like wikipedia doesn’t even exist.  I’m just saying there is no reason to be dumb.  It’s too easy to learn now.

People of the Cool Table share a story of a time you said to yourself… “Ain’t no reason for you to be that dumb.”  Maybe you actually said that to them… That would be even better.

Avatar a*k*a Space Dances With Wolves has caused a frenzy of  3D movies to hit the silver screen.

I liked Avatar, but I can understand why people weren’t in love with the movie.  Although visually different, it is a movie that has been done before…

Which brings me to the newest 3D(isaster) to hit the screens:   Drive Angry starring Nick Cage.  I was watching the preview the other day and thinking, “This movie is going to be terrible.”  Then all of sudden the announcer says, “In 3D!”  Then I say, “You mean in WTH?”  I guess the movie being in 3D somehow negated all the nonsense that I just saw.

Basically the announcer said, “Get ready for the worst movie of the year… In 3D.”

<sarcasm>Well of course I want to watch it now.</sarcasm>

The problem with the new 3D technology is that it makes people think that they can make a terrible movie, throw some 3D technology on it, and then it becomes good.  Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.  (See: The Last Airbender).

It’s kind of like a lot of rap music.  Throwing a good beat on a wack song doesn’t always make it better.  (See:  Soulja Boy and Lil B)

Oh, it doesn’t stop there.  Then you get weirdos that make crap like this.

<sarcasm>Finally, I’ve been waiting on this!</sarcasm>

Call me crazy, but watching T.V. looking like I’m having a seizure doesn’t really appeal to me.

What do you guys think?  What is up with people thinking technology make bad things good?

*Also comment if you believe Nick Cage should stop acting.  I think he’s has proven he is not to be trusted to make good movies.

The daily is the new app exclusively created for the iPad that delivers news directly to your iPad for only $.99 a week. It’s being pushed by Rupert Murdoch of Fox Fame.

See, this is why old people shouldn’t be allowed to use or come up with technology.  I mean really.  With Cnn.com, google reader, and blogs like this one.  Is this really needed?

Ahhh, yes, the old routine.  You meet someone.  You fall in love.  The relationship seems great.  Then you break up only to realize that the whole thing was a match made in heaven… that set the fires in hell (shout out to Lupe).

Normally, when we reflect on old relationships, post-breakup, we always tend to self-soothe with all sorts of clichéd sayings and old adages:

“It wasn’t meant to be.”

“I should have recognized the signs.”

“If they cheat with you then they will cheat on you.”

“You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

That last statement is rubbish… foolery… complete and utter shullbit… It’s simply not true and, in fact, is a cop out.  Because the fact of the matter is… you CAN help who you fall in love with.  How can you help it?  Glad you asked.  Our two words for the day, class, are choice and action.  Let’s look deeper at these:

Choice: A man and woman meet.  They choose to exchange contact information.  Man (or woman) chooses to contact the other.  The other chooses to answer the phone (or respond to the text/email).  They choose a time and place to go out on a date.  They choose to continue seeing each other.  They choose to enter into a relationship.

Action: A man and a woman meet.  Man asks for the woman’s number.  Woman gives man her number.  Man calls woman.  Woman answers man’s phone call.  Man and woman talk.  Man and woman go out on a date.  Man and woman continue to talk routinely.  Man and woman get involved physically.  Man and woman continue to spend time together.  Man and woman finally enter into a relationship.

Now let’s say the man doesn’t smoke, and the woman smokes at least 5 black n’ milds a day.   Suppose the woman is a Christian, and the man is part of the black, boughie chapter of the Illuminati… the Illuminatae, if you will.  Suppose the woman wants children and the man doesn’t.  Suppose the man is already in a relationship but “not happy,” while the woman is looking for something serious.  Suppose the woman isn’t looking for anything serious right now, and the man is.

All of these are things that you would either know up front or find out eventually (usually after a few conversations).  Once you know enough about someone, then you choose whether to continue talking and spending time with them.  Those choices lead to actions.  I am of the belief that love is not a feeling, but an action.  If you love then you give (whether financially, of your time, etc.).

So the more you choose to be involved with someone, then the more you will be involved with someone.  With all of that action, over the course of time, someone is going to catch feelings.  And of course someone is going to catch feelings when they choose to invest (action) so much time in what will cause feelings to develop.

So remember this concept the next time you find yourself either 1) about to become involved with someone you’re not particularly sure about, or 2) reflecting about a past relationship and trying to make sense of it all.

We choose who we get involved with… and we choose who we fall in love with.

As an African American male I understand the stigma that society can place on you without a record.  I can only imagine how it views you once you have one.  Most people say once  man has gone to jail it’s likely he will end back up there.  One of the main reasons is that he can’t find a job because he’s a ex-convict.  So what is a guy to do.  Well there is one group out there that is giving ex-cons (please tell me if that’s politically incorrect) a second chance.  And their aptly named Second Chance Enterprises.  They hire ex-cons to run their businesses.  I have heard a lot of people don’t like the idea, but I think it’s great.  What do you guys think?

Here is a story on their Restaurant Business….

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=120080&catid=2

http://2ndchanceenterprises.com/

Shouts out to Heaven for the article…

Not sure about this. Sounds great from the aspect of seeing black men doing big things. But I always wonder if there is a negative aspect of segregating ourselves. How can we ever be equal if we segregate ourselves?

What do you guys think?

News Alert

Finding and Retaining a Black Lawyer Just Got EasierFirst and Only Black-Owned Nationwide Legal Services Company Launches and Aims To Help Disadvantaged and Underserved Communities – Local Offices in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Jackson, MS, and More – – Free Legal Consultations Available Via Newly Launched Web Site atwww.BlackLawyers.NET or By Calling Toll-Free (866) 654-2727 – Made up entirely of Black male lawyers, National Law Group is the first and only Black-owned national legal services company. Nationwide — National Law Group (NLG) has made history. They are the first and only Black-owned coalition of law firms that offers legal services to customers nationwide. Recently launched, the company is made up entirely of talented and experienced Black lawyers that have collectively won more than $50 million in verdict settlements. They have nearly 100 years in combined experience. Located around the country in major cities like Baltimore, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Jackson, MS, Memphis, Washington, DC and more, the company has a reach to nearly 70% of all African Americans who live in this country. They offer their clients (individuals and families) affordable representation in nearly every legal area including: Racial Discrimination, Gender Discrimination, Age Discrimination, Family Law (Divorce, Child Support, Child Custody), Personal Injury, Criminal Defense, Bankruptcy, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, and more. They are a full-service, one-shop stop. Via their online presence at BlackLawyers.NET, their aim is to especially help African Americans because of the limited availability of legal assistance and resources that’s very common in urban communities. “Our goal is to offer an affordable and quality legal service to the African American market,” says Carlos Moore, president and managing partner of the company. “In addition, we want to be role models. It’s important for young Black kids to see young Black men that can work together as attorneys across the country in one big, national company.” Moore, who is a member of the national board of directors of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc., recently won a $12 million jury verdict for a former hoops star left a paraplegic after being inadvertently shot in a nightclub. Other founding members of the company include: attorneys Bert Jennings, Bryan Wallace, Carl L. Collins, Carlos E. Moore, Jason C. Crump, John A. Moore, John W. Turner, Rodney F. Barganier, Ronald E. Dupree, Trent A. McCain, and Warren McKenna. They all met each other last year in San Diego at the National Bar Association Annual Convention, and were inspired after hearing Dr. Randal Pinkett speak at the Young Lawyers Division Annual Luncheon. After brainstorming about how to support each other, they decided to collaborate and form the only nationwide Black-owned law firm consortium. Just like that, history was made! Interested ones who need a lawyer for any reason can get a free consultation by going online to www.BlackLawyers.NET or by calling (866) 654-2727. PRESS CONTACT: Carlos E. Moore 662-614-1111 info@blacklawyers.net www.BlackLawyers.NET

I was thinking of movies that wouldn’t be good if there was a black version.  And I came to a conclusion that it’s not movies that don’t make sense in a black version.  I have to rule out whole genres.

Romantic Comedies -

Now I know most of you are thinking about those movies of the Late 90’s early 2000’s that were like Tyler Perry Presents How Stella Got Her Wood While Getting Love and Basketball with her Best Man.  Those were more like Romantic Drama.  I’m talking about Romantic Comedies like 50 First Dates and Wedding Crashers.  Those movies would not work in a Black Version.  Let’s be honest after the 2nd date on 50 First Dates that cat woulda been like this “this chick is too crazy for me.  Plus she can’t remember I spent lobster on her last night.  I’m out!”  Then you got Wedding Crashers.  I was at a black wedding this past weekend.  Trust me them cheap people would have spotted a poser a mile away. “Um…no… We got food for 25 people who are you two?!!” Then they would have been escorted out by Pookie and ‘em.

Horror Movie -

This wouldn’t work because the movie would be too short.

Example:

House : GET OUT!

(People Leave)

The End

And don’t give that Blackbuster Bull they put on BET.  Leprechaun: In the hood It’s exactly what they call it a “HORROR”ible Commedy.  (ba dum ching)

Family Movies where the kids win -

Ice Cube and Bernie Mac have disappointed me.  I know Bernie Mac Never had a movie, but that show pissed me off.  There is no way those kids would have gotten away with the stuff they did in a real man’s house.   And come on Cube.  ”Ain’t no loving good enough to get burnt while I’m up in it.  Now that’s realer than Real Deal Holyfield.” – Snoop Dogg.  Oh his show was some bull too.  See our post on Minstreal Reality Shows.

So there are some of the Genres I think are strictly Caucasian.  Can you guys give me some more?

-Trillionaire Wood