theorlandojones: Whether you like what I do in fandom or think…
Whether you like what I do in fandom or think I’m full of shit and problematic, you know I’ve mostly used Tumblr to be silly and engage in the discourse of shipping, trolling, memes and other nonsense for Sleepy Hollow, Supernatural and other shows I am a fan of.
Not tonight.
Before you read any further I give you fair warning —
I’m NOT here for anyone who wants to spin a narrative about “thug ass black teenagers” so if that’s where your head is at as you read what I have to say either don’t engage or know that you do so at your peril. The time for respectful discourse on this issue that takes “all sides into account” has long passed (and never really existed in the first place). If you don’t see what’s happening as a problem (or want to talk to me about black-on-black crime) you’re just not paying attention and —-
Your. Argument. Is. Invalid.
In case you haven’t noticed, Trollando is fiddin’ to go off!!
Like all of you, I am outraged by the Jordan Davis verdict and the constant and unending reminders of what writer Ta-Nehisi Coates accurately calls “the irrelevance of black life” in his article at the Atlantic’s website:
From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin to Jordan Davis and countless in-between who we never hear about in the news, the plight of young black boys is an insidious and pervasive epidemic that threatens our collective present and future in a country that too often pays lip service to a false notion of equality (black president = end of racism, amirite?)
If we live in a world where being “armed” with Skittles and an ice tea makes you a threat (not to mention a pawn of media outlets who claim those items were ingredients for a drug called “Lean” — I mean — WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!!!) none of us are safe.
If we live in a world where playing your music “too loudly” makes you a clear and present danger to folks who feel the need to “stand their ground” in public spaces, we ALL have a target on our backs.
Although I enjoy and am mindful of the artifice of privilege that celebrity affords me, at the end of the day I am still just a black kid from the south. The amount of times I’ve been pulled over, harassed by “authority figures” or otherwise dehumanized because of the color of my skin is all that is necessary for me to acknowledge that I must be active in demanding accountability from those very forces that cling to centuries old ideas about race and class.
None of us can sit on the sidelines and lament the tragedy of others without getting our heads, our hearts, and our bodies in the game.
One of the essential ways to vocalize our rage is through creative expression. Since I’m in the studio working on my “Tainted Love” album I felt compelled to write a song about what I’ve been seeing on the news and the commentary from the pundit class and folks across the social media landscape.
Tracks are laid and we’re working on the music video which I will debut tomorrow or Tuesday but I crafted a little spoken word opening that we shot today and I wanted to share with you.
FYI – November 23 is the day that Michael Dunn fired into a car of unarmed black teenagers who were playing their “thug music” too loud, killing Jordan Davis. As we all know by now, he was not convicted of murder.
This is not about politics. This is ultimately not even a black or white issue. This is a human issue. We ALL need to do our part to make this insanity stop.
Without further ado I present the opening of my new track “Thug Music”.
I hope it resonates with you and I appreciate that this forum exists where I can share it.
Please kiss your loved ones y’all because every moment is precious.
Reposted from http://ift.tt/1dDCr8n.
