Tue, 02 Jul 2024 08:35:10 -0400WeeblyTue, 18 Dec 2012 18:37:40 GMThttp://8to8barbershop.com/barber-shop-wit----blog/what-progressives-should-do-now-reallyWHAT PROGRESSIVES SHOULD DO NOW (REALLY)
                            By:  Armani Scott aka Mr. MAJESTIC

For the last four years, the national past time for left-wing liberals was fretting and second guessing President Obama’s every move. The hand wringing is constant “Why didn’t he push Medicare-for-All?”; “He gave up too much in he stimulus package!”; “When will he reveal his plan for moving the country forward?”; and “What has he really done for the Brothers?”
It is a criminal waste of time and opportunities for liberals (Obama Era Progressives) to not get behind our brilliantly shrewd, center-left President and implement a comprehensive agenda throughout the various institutions which constitute this country.
Rather than standing on the sidelines and second guessing President Obama’s play calling, Progressives needed to be in the game and reform every sector of American life where they genuinely feel their methodology and solutions to problems would be more effective than the prevailing conservative approach; just like conservatives did when their guys won the big elections.
As I have often written and said, this President is an All-Pro offensive line, a road grader that keeps the defenders out of your way, lets you survey the field and advance the ball to score a touchdown. No team wins without a good front line (big shout to Pittsburgh Steelers “o-line” and New York Giants “front four” defenders); and Progressives have largely squandered a dominant front line in the Obama Administration.
Stop looking for President Obama to hike the ball, block, throw the ball (to himself) and run for the score.  Get your heads in the game.
Fortunately, the second half, uh second term may be coming up…

"What Progressives Should Do Now (Really)"
I am on record as saying that this election won’t be close so moving on to What Progressives Should Do Now (Really) over the next four years…
Going hard on everything from grassroots agitation to institutional action in the context of a more perfect union is the duty of anyone who dare call themselves intelligent life.  I will not sit around while cold hearts and half-wits chart the course of my lineage.   It is not enough to watch the madness unfold or complain how the oligarchs are fronting on the little guy. Life is happening all around us and either you take control of the world you live in or get blown around like dead leaves in Autumn.  As the great actor Sean Connery said in "Untouchables"... "What are you prepared to do!"

What does that look like over the next four years?
Progressives need to apply this formula:  USA 2016 = E1 + E2 x I²
In this formula E1 = Education     E2 = Energy     I² = Infrastructure x Industry  
How do you apply this formula over the next four years?
A study of American history will show Progressives the way.
The Reagan-Bush Era, which just ended on January 20, 2009, marked the complete insinuation of a neo-conservative agenda into American life; an agenda that started to be constructed at the end of the Watergate scandal.  Now the financial, military, judicial, educational and legislative institutions of the United States were infused with neo-conservative theories, programs and operatives. Today, these institutions all reflect a neo-conservative watermark that manifests itself in their day to day operations.
By way of examples that are not by any means exhaustive, the Reagan-Bush Era gave us: 1) The deregulation of the financial industry with its resulting booms for the prosperous few and busts for the restless many; 2) The tomahawk diplomacy of bombs over Baghdad and a bloated military budget that leaves military contractors wealthy, troops without necessary armor in the field, and veterans without benefits and care at home; 3) A federal bench that through court rulings have made affirmative action programs virtually non-existent and made the prosecution of employment discrimination cases an ordeal for employees; 4) A schizophrenic public school morass where a parent in the largest, wealthiest, cosmopolitan city in the world must get up at 3 AM to get on line with hundreds of other parents to try and enroll their four year old in one of the two or three decent schools in a system that has flares of success while in the main failing to prepare entire generations of young Americans to be happy, productive citizens; 5) A legislative focus that spends more time debating and legislating the morality of adult behavior behind the closed doors of a bedroom or doctor’s office than insuring that the means of society are providing healthcare and developing the transportation and technological infrastructure to support the needs of a population hurtling towards a brave new future; 6) a withering manufacturing economy without developing a new national industry to backstop the related job loss and offer opportunity to new workers of a new world; and 7) a politically liberating energy policy that is smart, futuristic, innovative, prosperous and environmentally sound.
It is not enough to say that conservatives are shills for big business; Progressives must state clearly how their stewardship of the financial market is different from conservatives and why their approach is better. I always wondered why we were never taught about the Reconstruction Era, the Federal Reserve System or The New Deal in high school.
The focus on Education and Energy will provide immediate and long term benefits to the nation.  An educated citizenry can and will contribute to the prosperity of the country.  K-12 won’t cut it any more -- India graduates more engineers a year than the United States ok?  And by the way, for anyone who is paying attention, China has almost cornered the global market on the manufacture of solar panels…  Yeah it’s like that!     
Infrastructure and Industry are likewise deep and wide concepts that provide immediate and long term benefits.
Can we please get a national high speed rail system that moves people and product across this great land quickly, safely, efficiently, and without need for a 19th Century blood pact with oil producing nations?  Oh yea, those are at a minimum, tens of thousands of good American jobs for that infrastructure development.      
And Silicon Valley needs to get their weight up.  In the Information Technology era, American innovators need to think outside the box when inventing and think like American Patriots when doing business.  Can we get a factory to make a computer or a laptop or a “smart-phone” back here… please!?!
Then, Progressives may rationally and consistently advocate their positions to the American public as their intended beneficiaries. With a coherent, consistent advancement of Progressive policy from the grassroots, the true value of an Progressive ideals through the Obama Administration can be realized by the implementation of programs that affect the daily lives of Americans throughout the country.
Sidebar:  Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative and President Obama’s funding of programs through the United States Department of Education are huge benefits to all Americans and if the Brothers were paying attention… I’m done with that.
Stay sharp America.

]]>Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:30:20 GMThttp://8to8barbershop.com/barber-shop-wit----blog/rope-a-dope-aka-you-cant-handle-the-truth-round-2Rope-a-Dope aka You Can’t Handle The Truth!

                                By Armani Scott

Told you it was great drama!

The consternation over President Obama’s first debate performance had not abated the morning of the second debate on Strong Island, New York.

The consensus Barber Shop Wit was that President Obama needed to give Romney an intellectual beating or all could be lost.  The pleas for him to engage Romney were only outnumbered by the pugilism metaphors used to describe the debate.  Me too!

My barber and confidant Jason, counseled that there were ways to be firm and direct without losing civility.  One of our Barber Shop pundits, an attorney, sportsman and genuine American intellectual, Kevin, had been hard on the President’s unwillingness to “mix it up” since the beginning of his term.  

I agreed on the need for assertiveness but added some context.

Before we go further: does anyone think President Obama would have gotten this far (uhhh he is President) if he had shown flashes of anger and let the Gorilla out before?

In NHL hockey, after a fight, which occurs every night of the season, the players sit out for 2 minute, 5 minute, or 10 minute penalties then get back on the ice. In NBA basketball after a fight, which may occur once every one or two years, there is a season of national hand wringing, multiple game suspensions, fines and indiscriminate use of the word “thug”.

For anyone who is wondering, the object of hockey is to knock the hockey puck, a solid, black, rubber disc, into your opponent’s goal while defending your own.  In basketball the object is to shoot the basketball, a inflated, brown, rubber sphere, into your opponents goal while defending your own.  In neither game is it the object to physically beat your opponent into submission—unlike boxing.

What does professional hockey and professional basketball tell us about President Obama, Romney and America?
 
This country has a well documented history of suppressing African-American male masculinity (lynching of black men for supposedly looking at white women and any other offense like wearing their World War I uniform back "home" often included cutting off of the lynched black man's genitals).

Obama may have been self-muzzled by the sensibilities inherent in his life story as well as American history. Those sensibilities have in part allowed him to ascend so let's not knock it.

Before Round Two in Strong Island, everyone (even some soccer Moms) wanted him to let the Gorilla out...

Ok. I always said that the President has the minerals. Remember, he beat the Clinton Machine on points and they are BOTH BRILLIANT.

My bet was that the President’s ego kicked in after getting sucker punched by an average, privileged, entitled, plastic man in an empty suit and that he would impose his intellectual and emotional will on Romney.

So that night I watched not only to see Obama let the Gorilla out but also to see how all these good Americans would react to a genuine display of black masculinity.

There is another institutional barrier that Obama may be breaking if he lets the Gorilla out... and doesn't get lynched.

Before the debate, the Barber Shop Wit also offered some music suggestions for the President to pump himself up; everything from Nas, and Notorious B.I.G., to Curtis Mayfield and James Brown moved the crowd.
   
In summation, I concurred with the Barber Shop Wit for letting the Gorilla out and upped the music ante with one of my favorites, Public Enemy "Can't Truss It!"

Based on the second performance I think Brother President may be a closet P.E. fan (as he should be) and America…  well lets not rush to grade her maturity on this subject just yet.

Stay sharp America!
]]>Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:38:48 GMThttp://8to8barbershop.com/barber-shop-wit----blog/rope-a-dope-aka-try-a-little-patienceRope-a-Dope “aka” Try a Little Patience

                                By Armani Scott

American politics is the gift that keeps on giving. Where else can you watch real life global drama play itself out, for free -- sort of, on your favorite cable news channel?  

The scale of the drama is massive in that the fate of the world hangs in the balance.  

The drama also is the ultimate interactive experience; where everyone from President to school custodian can play their part.

I personally get a kick out of watching how the U.S. politicians “perform” during debates and press conferences and how the citizenry “acts” when they vote.   

The first 2012 Presidential Debate provided classic drama… a prizefight, on stage with the politicians and a sociological study, in the audience with America’s reaction.  

The conventional analysis after the Colorado debated ruled Romney the clear winner.  His supporters cited his confidence and assertiveness.  President Obama seemed perturbed and failed to make enough eye contact during Romney’s grinning insults, I mean assaults.    

The venerable moderator, Jim Lehrer, also made news allowing Romney to flaunt the rules of the debate, frequently talking over his allotted time and over Lehrer, all be it “confidently”.

The mood at the barber shop was nervous the day after.  Folk wanted to know, “Why hadn’t the President checked Romney on his lies?”  The consensus 8 to 8 Barber Shop Wit held that the President needed to fight back more, dare I say, speak up for himself and by extension, Us!      

At the time, I was neither enthusiastic nor forlorn about the debate performance of America’s first Technocratic President. The President had previously exhibited an effective rope-a-dope style in the past; remember how Obama did not bludgeon Hillary Clinton in the ’08 debates and won?  More recently, how do we really feel about that whole Affordable Health Care Act thing that he signed into law?  

As frustrating as his rope-a-dope style may be for his supporters, the President seems to always get the laugh last, especially with overly aggressive opponents (good luck with that re-election Bibi Netanyahu).  I avoid judging him prematurely.  My contribution to the 8 to 8 Barber Shop Wit was that folk needed to relax; there were two more Presidential debates coming and this President always finishes strong.    

Besides, one person’s aggressor is another’s obnoxious.  We are conditioned in this country to shoot first and think less often.  Imagine the reaction in this country if President Obama had let the Gorilla out on Romney’s insolent barbs and Lehrer’s feckless moderation.    

And is it good form to talk over the moderator and interrupt your adversary?  

From my vantage, Obama took Romney’s best shot and was still ahead on points.  And by the way, all that matters is the scoreboard.  Just ask Custer.

We already knew what was coming with the Vice Presidential bloodletting, I mean debate...  
 
Turning from politicians to citizens, American voters need to really start voting substance over style.  What is the score between those nameless, stoic technocrats from China and our hawkish, right wing cowboys stretching from Nixon through Reagan and Bush II?

The days of judging Presidential debates like a high school debates for class president are over.  Choosing the wrong guy based on juvenile criteria like race or slogans or willful ignorance place us all in further danger and Americans know it so…

Let the rope-a-dope run its course I thought.  An increasingly mature and better informed American electorate (thank you Internet) was not calling this fight based on the theme music that Romney played upon entering the stage and his first round performance.  

Stay sharp America, now more than ever.


8 to 8 Barbershop is the home of “Barbershop Wit”©                                               
  2 Northfield Ave, West Orange, New Jersey 07052]]>Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:08:18 GMThttp://8to8barbershop.com/barber-shop-wit----blog/this-election-wont-be-close“THIS ELECTION WON’T BE CLOSE!”
By:  Armani Scott aka Mr. MAJESTIC

I recently stopped by “8 to 8 Barbershop” on the way in to New York and caught some of the election news coverage.  Romney had just shot himself in the foot again and folk were talking about how clueless he seemed.  It was after he had insulted the British during the Olympics and before he embarrassed himself on the Libya tragedy.  I could sense the worry in some voices; the polls still had the race close, and President Obama was vulnerable. 

I wondered why anyone would be surprised at how out of touch Romney was and how polls that are supposed to measure the common sense leanings of the common man could be so out of touch.  What has my take on this election been for over a year now? 

THIS ELECTION WON’T BE CLOSE!

I remember waking up the day after Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan and thinking, at the tender age of six, “the adults really blew it.”  America voted with their heart back then, treated the election like it was for class president in high school or worse yet Homecoming King, and twelve years of Reagan / Bush had the country exploding debt, hemorrhaging jobs and on a crash course to the bottom in public school education.

Some might try to debate me on that, but when I tell them that one of the lasting legacies of the Reagan Administration was the gutting of the research and development budget for the Department of Energy and the removal of the solar panels President Carter had installed in the White House, they grow silent and wince.  Think about it. Think about where America would be if we had maintained a consistent, intense focus on solar and other forms of clean renewable energy development, since 1979!

Think about how far ahead of China and Germany we would be in the clean energy industry.

Think about how totally independent we would be from the Middle East oil cartel and their related strife.

Think of all the innovations that would have made it to the consumer market over the years, continually improving the lives of all mankind, leveling the playing field, lifting the tide of humanity to a new Golden Era.

Oh yea, think of all the good American jobs, (career jobs in science and technology, jobs were trying to catch up and generate for the next generation) that would be here, with all respect to China and India.

Adults back then wanted to vote for the tough talking, race baiting, studio gangster “Gipper”, whatever.

Spoiler alert:  I am voting for President Obama.  That does not make my premise any less valid.  America is not approaching this election like we’re in high school.  The stakes are entirely too high and the old playbooks of ethnic and class division have less effect on good Americans.

When your life savings gets swindled in a massive Wall Street ponzi scheme (someone explain what a “derivative” is); and veterans risk their lives and limbs only to come home to less than they deserve; and our children can’t do trigonometry or name the state capital in the state they live in; and the economy is coming out of a ditch that the last good old boy drove us into; the last thing you want to hear about is the good old days or taking America back or who someone else marries or why some buffoon running for U.S. Senate in Missouri actually believes there is a difference between “legitimate rape” and… whatever.

Sidebar:  Does anyone think that cutting Pell Grants for education, Head Start for children, and infrastructure investments to get more Americans working are bad ideas?  How is that whole “saving the auto industry thing working out?”   

Even if it is just naked self-preservation kicking in, the instincts of Americans to not just survive but thrive will spur a tide of votes for the President.  He is focused on the direction that will lead to opportunity and prosperity for more of US.  Get it, U.S. – US?  

This nation is growing up, moving towards a more perfect union every day.  The hard lessons of the last forty years starting with Watergate and culminating with the Bush recession of 2008 have forced the electorate to grow up.  In 2008 we elected the smartest guy in the room, period.  It did not matter to most of us what the history and legacy of slavery said.  We moved forward immediately and elected the smart guy, now.  We didn’t wait another twenty years for the fourth or fifth really good African-American candidate to get it right. 
Peace to Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, et al.

The shifting demographics have also aided in accelerating our maturity by forcing ever more complex dynamics into domestic political calculations.  

It ain’t just black and white any more is it?  It is a buenos dias in America for real!   
   
This election is between an incumbent who has literally spent his entire professional life in the service of his fellow man (community organizer to President) and a challenger whose claim to fame is his ability to enrich himself and his small cadre of friends (a cross between Alex P. Keaton and Gordon Gekko).

Who are you voting for, the cool, thoughtful guy with a precise trigger finger who has shown a commitment to helping others or the clumsy, plastic guy with no discernible conviction who seems to be pretty good at helping himself?
   
Never mind that the challenger has already told us exactly what he thinks of most American’s.  A friend coined Romney’s new campaign slogan after the video of him bashing hard working citizens, including veterans and seniors, went viral.

ROMNEY:  F@#! You, Vote for Me!
   
I have faith in the American people.  We will not go backward and elect a throwback candidate just because he looks like he could play the President in a movie... from the 1950’s.  We need to now and always vote for the smartest, and most thoughtful candidates.  The problems of this nation (education, energy, jobs) require vision, complex reasoning, and strength of character.  Is there really any doubt between the two candidates who is better suited for such a time as this?
   
We took a major setback in November 1979.  And like the awesome people we are, we have righted the ship and are better equipped and positioned to lead this brave new world order into the future.  Our diversity is our strength.  Our drive inspires all nations.  Our choice this November will affirm our commitment to a course for the planet that while rocky and filled with uncertainty is hopeful and leads our children upwards.  

This election won’t be close because we are a good people and inevitably we do what is right.      

What else can we do but point the planet in a direction towards better days?  

And as always, stay sharp.
    
                                                            8 to 8 Barbershop is the home of “Barbershop Wit”©                                             2Northfield Avenue, West Orange, New Jersey 07052]]>Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:31:40 GMThttp://8to8barbershop.com/barber-shop-wit----blog/welcome-to-barber-shop-wit Some of my fondest memories as a young boy growing up were visits to the local barbershop.  On Saturday afternoons, after church, if my afro was totally out of control, Daddy would take me and my older brother, “G”, to the local Jamaican barbershop in Brooklyn for a trim.  I would climb up into that big, red, leather chair, balanced on an extra booster and take it all in.    

Daddy, affectionately known at the shop as “Scottie”, would choose my no-style ‘hairstyle’ and join whatever conversation was taking place.  Once my ears adjusted to the cadence of the now popularized Jamaican patois, I could keep up with all the news.  Sports, music, women, world affairs, I heard it all sitting in that chair as a “likkle yoot”.    

I didn’t realize it then, but those trips provided some of my earliest introductions to politics (I always liked Jimmy Carter), economics (Daddy did taxes for many of the Caribbean-Americans in the area), and socio-cultural interaction (there isn’t anyone more conservative than old Caribbean folk).  I did not become a man at the barbershop, but I did learn a lot about manhood and what was going on in the big world outside my nurturing but sheltered Trinidadian-American home.  The barbershop was my on ramp to independence.  It was a place where I could accelerate, at my own pace, into the flow of American life, with all its opportunity and appeal; temptation and danger.         

When I got a little older, we moved out to Central Islip, Long Island and I started going to a Black-American barbershop on my own.  I sat in the chair like a “bigga yoot” and got my high top fade.  Every week, I talked smack with my friends (hip hop, sneakers, and fly girls were the conversations in heavy rotation).  I pushed out even further, emotionally and intellectually; no longer just listening but contributing to the dialogue.  Sometimes I even held court and set the debate (politics and sports were strong suits early on).  The barbershop was like my gym as heated and clever verbal sparring allowed my confidence to grow right along with my stature.

The second thing I did when I went away to college, after cruising the freshman girls’ dorm, was check my own dorm for a good barber.  After the first week, everyone knew who had skills and who needed to keep their clippers to themselves.  Even in the dorm, conversation would always spark up while heads were being cut.  The rhythm and hum of the clippers, music (Brand Nubians all day freshman year) and video games were was the soundtrack to our life on an HBCU campus.

Three years of law school in Washington D.C. introduced me to power in the real world and to a troubling social dynamic at the barbershop.  For all the barbers and patrons who were proud of my progress and lauded my professional trajectory, there were a few haters who, for whatever reason, preferred the lowest common denominator when communicating.  Fortunately, I was a student of life long before I became a law student and I had learned that sometimes you just need to keep it moving…  Besides, on the whole, D.C. brothers are as thorough as they come.

It is not an accident that the barbershop has become an integral part of my life.  The barbershop is an integral part of the lives of all Americans.  It is not an accident that every neighborhood has at least one and the good ones have loyal customers for years. 

My own quality of life is greatly impacted by the quality of the barbershop where I go to get my hair cut.  The skill of my barber is but one aspect of the experience at the shop.  The warmth and generosity of the barbershop can improve your day, much like a visit with a good friend or family member.  If you are an entrepreneur like me, a good barbershop is a networking goldmine where you can meet like minds, headed in the same direction.  And then there is of course good conversation. 

You can step in the place and get a jewel dropped in your ear by a bus driver or a banker.  The barbershop is a truly level playing field where common sense, logic and facts reign supreme.  It does not matter who you are or what you do, if you got a good point and can articulate and defend it, you WILL carry the day, and like they say “can’t nobody front on you.”

WELCOME TO BARBERSHOP WIT

All of the foregoing brings me to the reason why I am writing this blog. Right about now, I have a great barbershop that I go to in West Orange.  8 to 8 Barbershop is right on Main Street if you can believe it and this blog is a digital reproduction of the enlightenment, rhythm and love that I get whenever I visit there.  This blog endeavors to share the warmth and generosity of 8 to 8 Barbershop.  This blog also will bring like minds together.  If you believe in constant elevation, in doing better for yourself and those around you, check us out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and participate in an exchange of ideas that will take us all higher. 

Of course, if you want a fresh cut from my man Jason or the rest of the team, you have to come through yourself. 

No subject is off bounds and the only ground rules are to: 1) come correct with your arguments and 2) love and respect your neighbor as you love and respect yourself.       

            Seeing as I am writing the blog, I will take the liberty of picking the subjects and setting the agenda, but feel free to let me know what is on your mind. 

I’ve already got a few topics in mind so let’s keep the dialogue going and until next time, stay sharp.

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