Kimye is doing it, so it must not be so bad. Source: UsMagazine.com
I’m not buying it. I’m a pretty open-minded person and I’m willing to accept that our values are changing as a society and we are beginning to accept all types of relationships. But in my opinion no one was speaking so positively about having children outside of marriage until it became a trend in white families. Trust me, I am not someone who makes everything a race issue. I’m just making some observations.
It’s kind of like when the recession hit. Being poor wasn’t a major problem In America until white people started losing their jobs too. I remember watching the WeTV reality show, Downsized about The Bruces, a white family facing the recession after the bread-winning father who once owned a successful contracting business loses his company and the family is forced to declare bankruptcy. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked the show. But after I watched an episode where the mom Laura, cried about sacrificing her Starbucks coffee every day when their financial counselor told them they had to cut back I was disgusted. Poverty is nothing new to black people. I wouldn’t say I necessarily “started from the bottom” but my mom was on the bus and not pushing a Benz like Laura Bruce. I couldn’t believe a whole show was built around a family trying to budget and adjust their outlook on life and find some financial security after being pretty fucking well-off , especially after a whole episode was dedicated to the kids pitching in to try and re-create Laura’s gourmet coffee experience in their own kitchen. They even break down over being embarrassed to use food stamps. There is a whole gray area when it comes to public assistance between using food stamps with pride to the throw a block party and using them to feed your kids when there are no other options. Watching how this family reacted to being not wealthy (which isn’t exactly the same as poor) was like watching a toddler’s reaction when the Times Square “Elmo” removes his head. Congrats Bruces, you’ve been let in on the big secret: Many of us Americans are poor. We may not all live in cardboard boxes and play guitar ballads for change, but some of us actually have to budget and forego the luxuries of life. I watched the credit counselor make great money to tell them to try and negotiate with debt collectors to minimize their payments. This is nothing new to black people. We know you can’t squeeze water from a turnip and we are quick to call up the credit card company, the cell phone carrier, the student loan lender and anyone else we owe to try to make an arrangement to pay them $10.00 a month instead of the $20.00 they’re requesting. Shit, can we get paid? We’ve been our own credit counselors long before the recession. It brings me back to my point: Shit is never a trend in America or a problem for our society until it’s significant to white people.
Bullets and Blessings 