Customer Service

Well the service industry is having an interesting week don't you think?

First and foremost there is the incident of Steven Slater.  What did you say?  You've been under a rock for the last few days and just came up for air and have no idea who Steven Slater is? No he's not Christian Slater's brother, though he looks like he could be.  He is the Jet Blue flight attendant that made possibly the best "take this job and shove it" move ever! Those of you who have worked in customer service, especially in the food industry (flight attendants have it even worse), you've fantasized about a dramatic exit from your horrible job.  In fact, co-workers typically fantasize about this type of thing together.  And this is why Steven Slater is the new Great American Hero, because he actually did it, the fantastic exit.  And his was even better than the one you imagined.  Basically he was told off by a passenger who apparently hit him in the head with the luggage compartment door.  He ran to the intercom, told the passenger to "f*&$" herself and said it's been a good 28 years (as a flight attendant) and grabbed a beer or two and hopped out the emergency door and slid down the inflatable chute.   I've gotta be honest, I'm down with Steven Slater.  Sometime enough is enough.  By the accounts I've been reading he was trying to refrain from arguing with the passenger and finally lost it.  Who hasn't wanted to do this at one point in their life?  The bad news he's been arrested and is currently being held at Rikers Island.  Ouch!  That's a heck of a price to pay for telling the job to go "f*&$ itself".  If you watch this video you can see Steven smiling from ear to ear.  That my friends is the smile of a liberated man.  It would be a little ironic if he had to pay for his liberation by being incarcerated (for up to seven years).  Hopefully cooler heads prevail, no pun intended, and Slater get's a slap on the wrist and finds a new career as a Game Show host or something.  In the meantime you should check out the Free Steven Slater Facebook Page.  There are already 17,000 fans of the page.  Don't worry Steve; we've got your back.  Tell corporate America to shove its wage slavery and tell the puppet consumers who thrive on oppressing the workers to "f*&$ off!"  You've made our week!

And if this wasn't enough, a woman named Melodi Dushane was just sentenced to sixty days for a fight at McDonald's.  What was the fight about you ask?  Melodi was going through the drive thru and hoped to order some chicken McNuggets.  She was very disappointed to find out that Mickey D's was only serving breakfast.  After some time she responds by climbing out of the car and fighting the cashier through the window, eventually she throws something at the window and breaks it.  Watch the video, my favorite part is after she drives away and the cashier gives the next customer their food.  It's priceless.  And Melodi, I'm sorry but I don't have your back on this one. 

Next time I'll have a little more substance, I promise.

The USDA, K'NAAN and M.I.A.

Reverse racism is back, sort of.  If you don't spend a lot of time watching the news, you might have missed the major messup made by the White House, the NAACP, the USDA, and FOX News.  What do all of these groups have in common, besides the fact that they are all run by men in suits?  (You thought I was gonna say white men didn't you?)  They all decided to take the word of a conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.  Breitbart was pissed that the NAACP was condemning the Tea Party for racist elements within their movement.  So he posted this video of Shirley Sherrod (An employee of the USDA) on his site.  He was trying to make the case that the NAACP is racist.  Well FOX News got a hold of it and ran.  And the USDA saw it and asked Sherrod to resign.  The White House heard about it all and supported the decision of Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Secretary.  And oh yeah, the NAACP immediately condemned Sherrod.  What was on the video that was so racist?  Sherrod was discussing her reluctance to help a white farmer at an NAACP meeting.  It was assumed she was suggesting that she used her position in the USDA to deny access to this farmer.  The problem is that the clip was only a small part of the video.  Breitbart had never seen the rest of the video.  When watching the entire video, it becomes clear that Sherrod is explaining a story about how everyone can learn to understand each other.  The circumstance she was speaking of, happened many years before she ever worked for the USDA.  And if that wasn't enough, the white farmer (Roger Spooner) and his wife (Eloise) came forward to say that Sherrod helped them save their farm.  Oops!  Well now a lot of people look stupid.  Ironically, Breitbart and FOX don't look nearly as bad as the NAACP, the USDA and the White House.  After all what do you expect from a conservative blogger and FOX news?  We certainly expect the White House and the NAACP, to know not to take FOX for their word.  And oh yeah what prompted the NAACP to call members of the Tea Party Express racist in the first place?  Nothing really, just this letter written by Mark Williams, chairman of the Tea Party Express.  Williams satirizes Black America in a mock letter to Abraham Lincoln where Black People essentially ask to become slaves again because we don't really want to work.  You can't make this stuff up.

BP is still trying to plug up that oil spill.  Watch that clip and listen to Anderson Cooper say "we have a right to know" 353 times, in his scathing condemnations of BP.  You go Anderson!

I finally watched the M.I.A. video, Born Free.  Wow.  I recommend watching the Alicia Keys video Un-Thinkable immediately afterward.     It's like watching a gory horror movie and than watching an after-school special, it's trippy.

And if you never saw M.I.A.'s performance at the grammy's in 2009, than you've missed a whole lot in your life.  She is about 9 1/2 months pregant in the performance of Swagga Like Us with T.I., Lil' Wayne, Kanye, and Jay-Z.  I mean Super Wow.
     ...Going to the club to listen to Jay-Z sing "get that dirt of off your shoulder"... $10.  Watching pregnant M.I.A. brush "that dirt off" Jay-Z's shoulder... priceless!

Also big ups to Z for putting me on to this K'NAAN Video.  Can we please start listening to more Hip Hop like this!

Finally in case I haven't mentioned this before... I love Periwinkle Manifesto!

West Virginia

Today Carte Goodwin was sworn in as the 59th Democratic US Senator.  Within fifteen minutes of holding the position, he ended a filibuster, extending jobless benefits to the unemployed.  Why am I mentioning this? Because Mr. Goodwin succeeded the late Robert Byrd.  I didn't get a chance to write about his recent death, so I figured today was as a good a day as any. Byrd was eulogized by none other than President Obama.  Former President Bill Clinton as well as Vicki Kennedy (wife of the late Ted Kennnedy) spoke at his memorial.  By many accounts, Byrd became a changed man.  Regretting his earlier days as a racist, turning into possibly the most revered senator in United States History.

And in case you didn't know, Robert Byrd was a former member of the Ku Klux Klan.  A while back I posted this quote of his that is published on Wikipedia:

I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.

All of this brings up an interesting question.  Should a former KKK member be treated with such reverence?  I think that question was missing from the dialogue around his death.  Sure people mentioned his former membership in the KKK but only as an afterthought.  The vast majority of ink written about Byrd after his death has been about his astute knowledge of the constitution, his countless adoring supporters, and his incredible electoral endurance. 

I think if you say "Byrd was in the KKK, BUT he changed and became a beacon of light for the common man", you've glossed over a very important part of this sentence.  You should be saying "Robert Byrd was the longest standing US Senator and was a member of the KKK, WOW the motherfuckin' KK goddamn K!"  You should talk about the hate that he spewed for years as he recruited dozens of people to join the Klan and mention that he was elected to the US House of Representatives in a district that had no problem voting for a (recently) former KKK member.  You might also want to mention that Mr. Byrd became a US Senator by defeating a Senator (William Chapman Revercomb) that was famous for supporting Civil Rights in a racially charged election. You should definitely mention that he voted against The Civil Rights Act, the most important piece of legislation for Black Americans since Reconstruction, some twenty years after he quit the motherfuckin' KK goddamn K. Finally make sure you mention that he told the New York Times in 1997 that this would be the advice he would give aspiring politicians: "Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena."  To me those sound like the words of someone who was more concerned with the what his membership in the KKK cost him, than what it may have meant to others. 

After all of that you should probably ask one more question.  How many lynchings was Robert Byrd involved in directly or indirectly?

I think it is important to ask the appropriate questions.  And in response to my original question, Should a former KKK member be treated with such reverence? I think no.  But if you think otherwise, that's fine as long as you tell the whole story.  If you gloss over his membership in the motherfuckin' KK goddamn K, than I think you are a coward and a failure. 

But that's just me.

Mistake and some other thoughts

First off I made a mistake in my post yesterday regarding the exchange between Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.  In short, someone posed as Gilbert and proclaimed that he would win the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award before Jackson.  I've made a correction in the original posting.

There is a chance that the oil leak could be stopped.  They are doing integrity tests as we speak. I think they should conduct integrity tests for the CEO's of BP and the other major oil companies, but that's just me.

Finally if you don't know about Oscar Grant, today is a good day to find out.  Google his name and you will found out that he was killed by police officer Johannes Mehserle.  Even though Grant was handcuffed, face down on the ground, Mehserle shot him at close range.  Mehserle went on trial for 2nd degree murder and was convicted of involuntary manslaugher.  People are outraged as well they should be.  It is possible that Mehserle could receive probation without jail time. If you have seen the video (I haven't posted a link because I try to refrain from linking to extremely violent videos.) than you've seen that there is no shred of a legitmate reason for shooting Grant.  The claim that the officer did it by accident is the basis for the light sentence.  Now if I shot someone, at close range, on videotape, and claimed it was on accident does anyone think I would be given the benefit of the doubt?  That's why people are pissed off. As with the case of of the officers who killed Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo, the light conviction of Johannes Mehserle stands as another example of the unique set of standards for violent police officers.


Coincidentally, the decision in the case came down the same day as Lebron James "Decision". Columnist LZ Granderson from ESPN wrote an interesting article connecting the two events. 

Getting back in the groove.

One last parting note from Germany (I've been back for a month now).  I'm not typically one for potty humor but I can't help but share this with the rest of the world.  On our last night in Germany, my partner LJ and I were walking around Berlin.  Happy and sad at the same time.  As we walked to our hostel we looked up at the name of the street we were passing.  (In case you don't know, the German the word for street is strasse.)
And what was the name you ask?  It was:

Dickhardtstrasse

True story.  I'll leave it at that.

I never thought I would say this but I  think I might be an Eminem fan.

Lebron, Lebron, Lebron...

What can I say besides that I'm nervous about what the new Miami Heat Triumvirate might do to my Lakers next year. (For the record I still think we can take them.)  If you haven't read the response by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to Lebron's exodus than you have missed one of the biggest billionaire temper tantrums in recent memory.   He personally guarantees a Cleveland championship before Benedict Arnold (AKA Lebron James) wins one in Miami. Jesse Jackson issued a response to Gilbert's response acusing him of having a slave master mentality.  Gilbert responded back to Jackson's response via twitter by personally guaranteeing that he will win an NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award before Jesse Jackson.  (This turned out to be untrue and was a posting by someone posing as Dan Gilbert) Which begs an intriguing question for Las Vegas Oddsmakers.  Which is more likely to happen White Billionaire Dan Gilbert beating out Jesse Jackson for an NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award or the Lebron-less Cavs winning an NBA championship before Lebron/DWade and Chris Bosh win one in Miami?  I think that is a tough bet.  But realistically speaking, I think Gilbert is much more likely to win the NAACP Award.

Don't get mad at me, I just speak the truth.

Finally and most importantly I have a new favorite blog. That's right its the Periwinkle Manifesto! So far there has only been one post but I know a lot about blogging. I know a rising star when I see one.

More from Germany

Several observations about Germany...

1.  We were told that one would never say I will miss you to a friend, unless said friend was leaving for at least a year.  You might say, "I will miss you" to your partner if they were leaving for a little while BUT the operative word is might.

2.  The typical breakfast is random cheeses, so-so coffee, extremely good bread, salami, and various spreads ranging from cream cheese to Nutella.

3.  The sun seems to present itself about once every 3 days, give or take.

4.  If you are in a band and have never toured Germany before, if our experience is a legitimate example, every venue provides several cases of beer, a couple bottles of wine, a case of water, and a case of juice.  Crepes are also provided fairly frequently.  Also dinner and a place to sleep with mattresses and pillows.

5.  Your typical liter of gas is $1.50.  That's right I said liter.  You do the math.

6.  I just looked up while I was writing this and noticed that a half naked man was lying about two feet away from me.  I asked him to go to the other room and he did.  (We are in a club, that has a guest room for bands, this dude wandered in here)

7.  FYI if you are headed to Europe and you are bringing a hair dryer, first you will have to bring a northern European electrical adapter (this applies to all electronic devices) and second there is something about the currents through the adapter that might cause your hair dryer to go on fire.  So, use the low setting, it will be as hot as the high setting.  Or use the high setting and catch on fire.  Your call.

Prague

So we went to Prague for a couple of days just to chill.

Three Primary Thoughts:

1. There are a lot of rude people in Prague.  I watched a barista in a museum yell at an old lady with no hesitation.  Cihuatl-Ce, the L.A. MC we are touring with (check out her stuff), asked a woman for French Fries, apparently they were out of them, and the woman behind the counter responded by saying "NOOO!!!".  Also when we first arrived, we all went to a restaurant for dinner and drinks.  Our waitress dropped our drinks, spilled wine all over us and broken glass all over the table.  She didn't apologize and walked away, as if it was somehow our fault. 

I do not believe that it is wise to make judgements about an entire people based on a handful of interactions, that said the moments I've highlighted were only the most egregious ones.  Ultimately I would have to say that there is certainly a cultural trend here that suggests that rudeness is more acceptable from servers in Prague than anywhere I've been in the USA.  No judgments, just sayin'.

2.  I've never had a harder time crossing the street in my life.  I can't really explain it, it's just really challenging to cross the street.

3. Despite points 2 and 3, Prague is a beautiful old city.  It's somewhat creepy but and amazing place.  I would go back in a heart beat.  I highly recommend visiting, if you can. (Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic.)