Don't Let Me be Misunderstood...

Greetings!

It’s been a while since I touched this page – in the context of this page, time has flown in other aspects I feel like I am going in perpetual motion with time seemingly standing still. I have an understanding of this paradox so it doesn’t consume me. I just wish that I could bottle the “slow release” time and sell it for those occasions when you want time to stand still – a concert of your favorite artist, good times spent with friends and better times spent with someone you love….it would sure come in handy!

Last Friday, I watch VH1 THS (formerly True Hollywood Stories). They profiled Lil Wayne. Now for most people in my generation, there is no understanding Lil Wayne – tats al over his body, a 24 carat grill and wild erratic behavior that is sometimes staged and other times drug/alcohol induced. What was revealed was a person who had reverence for the heavyweights in his industry and worked hard to earn the respect and admiration of his peers and his fans. This documentary also detailed the work he did for his hometown New Orleans. Not just writing checks – out in the field, assessing what needed to be done and working with his people to make it happen. He winds up with three Grammy awards for Tha Carter III which contains the song Misunderstood – a soliloquy directed at Reverend Al Sharpton and the Wayne naysayers that samples the legendary Nina Simone’s haunting rendition of the song, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.

Fast forward to Saturday and enters Serena Williams. Her competitive nature is a gift and a curse. If anyone has followed even a little bit of her career, you know that she does not like to lose! She doesn’t even want to take a loss from her sister. She admittedly went too far as she cracked that racket and clenched that tennis ball as she took two gangster strides over to the official. However we can’t allow an incident like this to cloud her athletic accomplishments and her tireless efforts to show girls in our community what it looks like to be a motivated, strong and smart black woman. Every young girl should want to have half her drive because it would benefit our entire community. This incident is a teachable moment on all levels – being able to defend yourself without being defensive is not something that comes naturally to humans especially ones that have been historically oppressed because of gender or race. I got mad for Serena when that official said that Serena said that she was going to kill her. Now if that was a different time, Serena would have found herself underneath a jail or dangling from a tree based on the incendiary comments of someone who felt “threatened.” Instead she was able to correct this allegation real time in front of millions of people. Now unfortunately she is going to be impacted financially. In addition some of the attention from her upcoming book tour will be overshadowed by these recent events, but hopefully she will recover and pass this lesson along to anyone who needs its.

So I can’t complete this piece without addressing Kanye West. Here is Taylor Swift – a 19 year old country music star who definitely did not think she was going to win a VMA. She is giddy like someone who just crowned prom queen and was about to rattle a stream of thank you’s before Kanye commandeered the mike. He was wrong for doing that – no doubt about it. Taylor Swift could have really let that impact her game but she performed flawlessly a few minutes later. She even thought that he was up there for her and was honored that Kanye was on the stage with her. He on the other hand was driven by a blind obsession for Jay Z and the Roc-A-Fella family and took that opportunity to defend the honor of the first lady of the “Roc”. After listening to countless reports and reading the chatter on Facebook, I could not help but feel like it is way easier to make him the villain then to try to figure out what’s really going on. This dude came to the VMA with a liter of Hennessy in tow. He has been prone to outbursts, but this one seemed to cross the line for a whole heap of folks. So then you have to ask yourself – is this just some obnoxious ego maniac who is so intoxicated with his own success that he has no edit button OR is this someone who is possibly battling an undiagnosed or untreated mental illness due to a traumatic accident and the unexpected and tragic loss of his mother?

As I rode home yesterday, the CD changer shuffled in the car and suddenly Nina Simone was again pleaing – “Please don’t let me be misunderstood….” That sealed the deal for me – I had to look at these situations and public figures with a different lens. It is too easy to point a finger and judge instead of seeing the real possibility that there are underlying issues that are driving people to soar or to sink in an abyss. It is my hope that if you see someone in your circle that needs your help or understanding that you too will adjust the lens and reach out your hand.

With that, I wish you all the best today and always.

G