that ain't right!

Just for the fun of it, I re-watched Chris Rock's 2003 film Head of State. Chances are, most of you haven't seen it yet. It's alright. I'm not saying it's a classic, but since we're on the brink of possibly electing America's first African-American President, there's no better time to watch this film. Get a few laughs, feel good, you know, the usual comedy flick. And boy, am I a BIG Bernie Mac fan.

But you know you feel the affliction when you literally get teary-eyed listening to Chris Rock making a speech in the movie about what's wrong in America. When I first saw the movie years ago, I just kinda thought it was brilliant script work. But sitting here, typing this entry after a long, hard day of work, with bills to pay, college to finish, a career to achieve and a faith to share, that speech hit a nerve today. Once the funny bone, but today it hit a nerve.

(Transcription courtesy of Drew's Script-o-Rama)

CR: They had a speech written for me...
about what the people need.
But you guys are the people.
You know what you need.
Better schools...
better jobs...
Less crime.

How many of you, right now...
work two jobs
just to have enough money to be broke?

That ain't right.

If you work two jobs,
and at the end of the week...
you got just enough money
to get your broke ass home...
Let me hear you say, "That ain't right!"

Crowd: That ain't right!

CR: How many of you have children
that they call stupid?
Don't be ashamed! It ain't your fault.
I asked my niece the other day,
"What's four plus four?" She said, "forty-four."
But that ain't her fault!
That's the school's fault.
If your child's school has old-ass books...
and brand-new metal detectors,
let me hear you say, "That ain't right!"

Crowd: That ain't right!

CR: How many of you work in a city
you can't afford to live in?
That ain't right!

How many of you work in a mall
you can't afford to shop in?
That ain't right!

How many of you clean up a hotel...
you ain't never gonna be able to stay in?
That ain't right!

We got nurses that work in hospitals
they can't even afford to get sick in.
It ain't right!

It isn't right!

It's dead wrong!


That's the clean version of the speech, and I apologize for any semblance of profanity that still laces the speech. But it's reality, it's harsh. If everything was sugarcoated, then we might as well stick to My Little Pony-land. I don't know if hits a nerve elsewhere, but if any of you feels like you're bottoming out, don't worry, that ain't right, and it's only going to get better.

This week, I was reminded of what grace really meant. It's giving without asking for anything in return, unrequited, without precondition. You don't have to make a point by violence and ignorance, because grace drives the message home. If you feel wronged, sure, that ain't right, but that doesn't mean you yourself have to make it right! Think of all the people that you'd be stepping on just to "right" that wrong! That's selfish! That's ignorant!

And that is why even though at times I feel like I deserve so much more, it's alright, I press on. My brain says "that ain't right", but there's a God out there who will make it right. If there's anything we can learn from Him, it's that things are always looking up when we're on His side.

Hope that was meaningful to even some of you.

For the dessert, here's a wonderful rendition of "Maria Ninguem" by somebody in YouTube. Whoever you are, thanks. I am currently basking in the beauty of bossa nova, and I seriously can't wait to catch Joao Gilberto on the 22nd.



Also, soon enough I will have to overhaul this blog theme. I've grown since Fred Astaire, and he still rules, but I've come to grasp with the fact that I will never tap dance, not with a bad ankle and two bad knees.

Take care everybody

I'M OUT!!!