There are many reasons why I can say that my generation bridged the gap betweeen my parents'and my children's generation. By my generation am talking about those born Post world 2 to about the late fifties otherwise known as Baby Boomers.
A majority of our parents was intolerant of anything new & only what was acceptable to it was of any use to us. We just could'nt see eye to eye especially when it came to music. According to them,our music was an abomination, there was nothing musical about it, the lyrics were immoral & decadent, only hoodlums played such music, they had no home training & they were a bad influence on us. "For goodness sake dad I dnt say I wanted to marry any one of them, I just love the music " some children will holler.
Before I was 10yrs old I was already use to Nat King-Cole, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Lord kitchener, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Harry Belafonte, Ambrose Campbell, etc etc & these were some of my Father's favourites & not only was I singing & liking them, but I was to start buying them in my latter years.
But when our music now came on the scene, it was taboo in many homes. They thought Elvis was vulgar what with his hip swinging suggestive moves. There were other greats like Little Richard, Chuck Berry,and then to drive them nuts Fela (Abami eda) came back to Nigeria introducing his very high tempo music then called Afro beat. On the global scale the British pop groups like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, Who, the Animals, Manfred Mann, & many more ruled the scene but then came the Motown magic with The Temptations, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye,etc. Stax & Atlantic then produced greats like Wilson (the wicked) Picket, Otis Redding, James Taylor Aretha Franklin,etc. Then along came the outrageous Mr James Brown, the fantabulous Earth wind & fire & many more. Our parents rejected almost every one of them.
Today as I write, am enjoying the music of D banj on the radio. It is not good enough to just say that I dnt mind today's music; I actually enjoy some tremendously; stars like Amy Winehouse, Alicia keys, John Legend, Gwen Stefanie, Fergie, Wande coal, Jay-z, Rihanna & many more. I have even bought some of the sounds which tells a lot.
Reciprocally, our children are enjoying our Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Earth wind & fire, Temptations, Fela, Aretha Franklin, & many more. Just listen to them on classic FM.
One other thing we dnt do but which our parents did without hesitation was to whip the bleeding daylights out of us (well not all of them).Those of my generation did a lot of things with their kids. We played a lot with our kids; rough housing, tumbling, wrestling, sharing niceties, & discussing problems without fear of reproach. Some of our Fathers ran a regime close to Hitler's.
I have noticed that Fathers & mothers have reversed roles since the old days. Before it was " your father must not hear of this" now it is mother.
So who bridged the gap?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Jesus played for Spain
When Spain substituted Pedro for Jesus Navas I knew Spain was going to win. Why did I think like that? Well whenever there are great moments like this something happens that gives the tabloids a chance to have catchy headlines. But to make it really great, I was hoping Jesus would score the winning goal then imaginations will run wild.
Here are some of the head lines I envisioned; "Jesus saves Spain", "Jesus is Spanish", "Alleluia for Jesus",
"Jesus plays for Spain". I am not an expert at this but am sure the pros would have far more extravagant ideas.
Just like they do in Golf when Tiger looks well behind after the 1st 2 rounds but starts closing in on the 3rd, you get to read headlines like "Tiger on the prowl" "Tiger lurks" etc..
But then again if Spain had lost, you could be reading headlines like "Even Jesus could'nt save Spain".
Oh how I admire good journalism.
Here are some of the head lines I envisioned; "Jesus saves Spain", "Jesus is Spanish", "Alleluia for Jesus",
"Jesus plays for Spain". I am not an expert at this but am sure the pros would have far more extravagant ideas.
Just like they do in Golf when Tiger looks well behind after the 1st 2 rounds but starts closing in on the 3rd, you get to read headlines like "Tiger on the prowl" "Tiger lurks" etc..
But then again if Spain had lost, you could be reading headlines like "Even Jesus could'nt save Spain".
Oh how I admire good journalism.
Judas did not betray Jesus
Sometime ago a character named Judas Iscariot who was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ was shamed & ostracised because, according to the story he betrayed Jesus but that is not exactly what happened according to some other source & this is how this particular version goes.
Judas was an innocent & naive man who was approached by some undercover agents of Mossad who believed that Jesus was a communist trying to overthrow the government of the day as installed by their Roman over lords.
So they pretended they were followers of Jesus both on face book & twitter & they asked Judas to help them meet Jesus so as to obtain his autograph & Judas was offered a liitle sum for this job. I mean it's no different from what the Duchess of York Fergie did to help some business men meet Prince Andrew.
And that is how Judas got into trouble and hung himself in shame. To date you do not find any one answering the name Judas. This I dn't understand seeing that Jesus himself had a brother called Judas.
So many names have suffered same fate like Jezebel, Delilah, Goliath: such names are confined & buried along with the infamous owners or sometimes we give them to our pets hoping they behave like the infamous owners. We name a dog Atilla because we want it to be brutal.
Do not name your Pitbull Brutus or it will turn on you.
Judas was an innocent & naive man who was approached by some undercover agents of Mossad who believed that Jesus was a communist trying to overthrow the government of the day as installed by their Roman over lords.
So they pretended they were followers of Jesus both on face book & twitter & they asked Judas to help them meet Jesus so as to obtain his autograph & Judas was offered a liitle sum for this job. I mean it's no different from what the Duchess of York Fergie did to help some business men meet Prince Andrew.
And that is how Judas got into trouble and hung himself in shame. To date you do not find any one answering the name Judas. This I dn't understand seeing that Jesus himself had a brother called Judas.
So many names have suffered same fate like Jezebel, Delilah, Goliath: such names are confined & buried along with the infamous owners or sometimes we give them to our pets hoping they behave like the infamous owners. We name a dog Atilla because we want it to be brutal.
Do not name your Pitbull Brutus or it will turn on you.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
patrick hornblower: MISGUIDED, MISLED, DECEIVED OR JUST UNEDUCATED.
patrick hornblower: MISGUIDED, MISLED, DECEIVED OR JUST UNEDUCATED.: "Was the founding of the Nation of Islam just a response to Christianity's strong hold on Black America? Was it a ploy to prey on on Black Am..."
MISGUIDED, MISLED, DECEIVED OR JUST UNEDUCATED.
Was the founding of the Nation of Islam just a response to Christianity's strong hold on Black America? Was it a ploy to prey on on Black America whose majority was not knowledged on such issues? Were Elijah Muhammad & his cohorts just living the good life off the Blacks? Stories of lechery, debauchery & life styles resembling the days of Caligula in Old Rome trickled out of their enclave.
They made the American blacks believe that Islam is an African thing whereas Islam & Christianity both originated from the middle East with Islam moving further East & Christianity moving West to Europe.
In the early times both religions spread their doctrines by force with Islam coming across the desert to Africa while Christianity sailed the coasts of Africa. Both traded in various goods but most lucrative for both was slavery. Most of all they lied to the Natives telling them about a greater life after death. Those who did not adhere were put to death. In no time they were bearing Arabic names or Jewish & European names. Many Africans started believing that their cultures were inferior to the European. They tried to speak these foreign languages like the owners of the language & even teased those who spoke with their native accents. This continues to happen to date. Africans discarded their religions, names & languages; 3 items which are most relevant in shaping your identity & building your confidence as an individual who is as important as the next. It pains me that in Nigeria today European & Arabic names are still predominant. In the North of Nigeria today almost every person is Mohammed (with variant spellings), Abubakar & Musa; down south more so in the East, all you find are Mathew, Mark, Luke , John etc,etc. Peoples of the Western region(Yorubas in particular) have almost totally eradicated these foreign names. I do not think there is any law(canon or sharia) that mandates you adopt these foreign names.
When the great Cassius Clay was convinced by the Nation of Islam to change his name to Mohammed Alli, I thought it was the greatest fraud perpetrated against any one person. Regardless Alli has been an inspiration to all more so the Blacks. A great sporting icon with the gift of the garb; but as the young Cassius Clay, he was naive & gullible to the trickery of all whether christian, moslem or just the regular touts. He was always between the devil & the deep blue sea. Fortunately the World still salutes him not just(arguably) as the greatest boxer ever but also as a great human being.
I believe some of these issues are why Africa & Africans are in a quandry & so too are black Americans. I was watching a programme on how Cambodian & Vietnamese businesses are doing so well in the USA just some 35yrs after the wars in South East Asia. Are the blacks still blaming slavery? The good thing is if you can identify your problem then you should be able to put it behind you.
There is no place for the weak in this world. The strong will always dominate the weak unles of course you are waiting for the christian/Islamic promise that the weak or is it the meek will inherit the earth.
They made the American blacks believe that Islam is an African thing whereas Islam & Christianity both originated from the middle East with Islam moving further East & Christianity moving West to Europe.
In the early times both religions spread their doctrines by force with Islam coming across the desert to Africa while Christianity sailed the coasts of Africa. Both traded in various goods but most lucrative for both was slavery. Most of all they lied to the Natives telling them about a greater life after death. Those who did not adhere were put to death. In no time they were bearing Arabic names or Jewish & European names. Many Africans started believing that their cultures were inferior to the European. They tried to speak these foreign languages like the owners of the language & even teased those who spoke with their native accents. This continues to happen to date. Africans discarded their religions, names & languages; 3 items which are most relevant in shaping your identity & building your confidence as an individual who is as important as the next. It pains me that in Nigeria today European & Arabic names are still predominant. In the North of Nigeria today almost every person is Mohammed (with variant spellings), Abubakar & Musa; down south more so in the East, all you find are Mathew, Mark, Luke , John etc,etc. Peoples of the Western region(Yorubas in particular) have almost totally eradicated these foreign names. I do not think there is any law(canon or sharia) that mandates you adopt these foreign names.
When the great Cassius Clay was convinced by the Nation of Islam to change his name to Mohammed Alli, I thought it was the greatest fraud perpetrated against any one person. Regardless Alli has been an inspiration to all more so the Blacks. A great sporting icon with the gift of the garb; but as the young Cassius Clay, he was naive & gullible to the trickery of all whether christian, moslem or just the regular touts. He was always between the devil & the deep blue sea. Fortunately the World still salutes him not just(arguably) as the greatest boxer ever but also as a great human being.
I believe some of these issues are why Africa & Africans are in a quandry & so too are black Americans. I was watching a programme on how Cambodian & Vietnamese businesses are doing so well in the USA just some 35yrs after the wars in South East Asia. Are the blacks still blaming slavery? The good thing is if you can identify your problem then you should be able to put it behind you.
There is no place for the weak in this world. The strong will always dominate the weak unles of course you are waiting for the christian/Islamic promise that the weak or is it the meek will inherit the earth.
Friday, July 9, 2010
HALFCASTE, HALFBREED, MIXED BLOOD, MULLATO ETC
All of the above names & more are used to identify persons of mixed heritage especially between whites & blacks. They are most times used derogatively, very rarely used admiringly but very often mischieviously.
Whether black or white society, persons of mixed heritage have been subjected to some form of abuse/ridicule & some of these are partial facts & partial myth.
In Africa it is a conclusion that every black woman with a white man is a prostitute or, one seeking a better life & I can authoritatively say that to this day this is more fact than myth. This does not mean that some black women & white men have not actually fallen in love with each other. You will find that such is a rarity & it is usually between middle class folks whereas you'll discover that the generality of those on the other side of the fence are of a classless breed. White men who but for employment in Africa would come to nought in their countries. Products of such relationships are no sooner shortchanged as the white man denies the paternity & soon returns to his country & wife. The female products of such relationships are in no time going into prostitution with their mothers even pimping for them while the boys indulge in very devious activities.
Western Europe has over the years taken a more tolerant view of the white/ black relationship. But there was a time when it was thought that any white woman going out with a black man was sexually depraved. The myth was that Black men had more sexual drive & appetite & most of all were generously endowed down below. But all of these have not exempted them from ridicule & abuse by their peers as the Oscar winning actress Halle Berry has at various times emphasised.
Fortunately for some of the off-springs of these mullatoes, that is 1/4 & 3/4 white with black or vice versa (quadroons as we are called) they could turn out white or black enough for no one to suspect that that they are biracial products. Am not one of the fortunate ones as I am extremely light in colour & some people even think that I am Arab or Indian. But I have quadroon brothers & friends who have lost every trace of their whiteness & no longer suffer the abuses & are totally accepted as proper black folks.
It is funny how we tend to find each other & stick together. The greatest part of it is that we are mostly all so good looking & the girls keep loving us.
Viva les mullatoes et mullatas. ( Dnt know if that is correct)
Whether black or white society, persons of mixed heritage have been subjected to some form of abuse/ridicule & some of these are partial facts & partial myth.
In Africa it is a conclusion that every black woman with a white man is a prostitute or, one seeking a better life & I can authoritatively say that to this day this is more fact than myth. This does not mean that some black women & white men have not actually fallen in love with each other. You will find that such is a rarity & it is usually between middle class folks whereas you'll discover that the generality of those on the other side of the fence are of a classless breed. White men who but for employment in Africa would come to nought in their countries. Products of such relationships are no sooner shortchanged as the white man denies the paternity & soon returns to his country & wife. The female products of such relationships are in no time going into prostitution with their mothers even pimping for them while the boys indulge in very devious activities.
Western Europe has over the years taken a more tolerant view of the white/ black relationship. But there was a time when it was thought that any white woman going out with a black man was sexually depraved. The myth was that Black men had more sexual drive & appetite & most of all were generously endowed down below. But all of these have not exempted them from ridicule & abuse by their peers as the Oscar winning actress Halle Berry has at various times emphasised.
Fortunately for some of the off-springs of these mullatoes, that is 1/4 & 3/4 white with black or vice versa (quadroons as we are called) they could turn out white or black enough for no one to suspect that that they are biracial products. Am not one of the fortunate ones as I am extremely light in colour & some people even think that I am Arab or Indian. But I have quadroon brothers & friends who have lost every trace of their whiteness & no longer suffer the abuses & are totally accepted as proper black folks.
It is funny how we tend to find each other & stick together. The greatest part of it is that we are mostly all so good looking & the girls keep loving us.
Viva les mullatoes et mullatas. ( Dnt know if that is correct)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
SPAIN VS GERMANY! WHAT A GAME
If you watched the game last night & you know something about football then you must agree with me that it was a highly tactical game. Germany in previous games had displayed tactics that overwhelmed their opponents; only this time someone else had their phone numbers from the Chancellor's down to the manager's & players'. That was Del Bosque & his all star team who greedily held on to the ball & dared the Germans to come at them in their normally frenetic pace.If they dared to do that, the result would most likely have been worse than the 1-0 win.
It is ages since I last saw a team that kept so calm for 90mins which infact prompted Pedro to audaciously try to displace some 3 German defenders rather than pass the ball to a very idle Torres who more than anybody else needed that to ressurect his spirit. Luckily for him Puyol's goal had sealed victory otherwise he would have been on the streets of Barcelona being pursued by raging bulls in human form.
Meanwhile, what about Paul the psychic octopus? Is he in soup or what? No please dnt do that ; keep him around so we know what he has to say come 2012.
It is ages since I last saw a team that kept so calm for 90mins which infact prompted Pedro to audaciously try to displace some 3 German defenders rather than pass the ball to a very idle Torres who more than anybody else needed that to ressurect his spirit. Luckily for him Puyol's goal had sealed victory otherwise he would have been on the streets of Barcelona being pursued by raging bulls in human form.
Meanwhile, what about Paul the psychic octopus? Is he in soup or what? No please dnt do that ; keep him around so we know what he has to say come 2012.
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