Photo Credit: ShelbySDrummond
Capitalism is predatory — but not just toward the have nots.
I was watching Jamie Foxx talk with Fat Joe on his “Joeprah” Instagram Live show. Jamie is playing Mike Tyson in an upcoming biopic, and is probably going to do an amazing job as usual. He mentioned recently calling Mike, asking how he was, and the boxing icon replying that he was “happy” because “I don’t have a crazy amount of money anymore.” The average person might wonder: why would someone be happy about that? Because “I don’t have any vultures around me anymore,” as Foxx recalls Tyson saying.
So many boxers are poor kids who learn the sport as an alternative to being in the streets. And then, like Tyson, they accrue millions of dollars battering opponents, and have everyone and their mother trying to get a piece of the fortune. The marketing of being “the baddest man on the planet” gets out ahead of a kid’s ability to handle that mythos.
The “nothing to something” narrative is popularly regarded as the American dream, but it’s inhumane. It doesn’t acknowledge that no one should have nothing. It doesn’t consider the reality that poverty is the catalyst for so many self-destructive habits — none of which are quelled by merely having money.
And what happens when it’s over? When there aren’t hundred-million dollar marketing efforts invested into feeding your skyhigh reputation? All the people who fueled the flight disappear, and you crash. Mike Tyson has devoted the latter part of his life to the internal work necessary to heal from that experience, but he's still struggling. He spoke about it on a poignant edition of his Hotboxin podcast with Sugar Ray Leonard:
“I was an annihilator. It’s all I was born for. “Now those days are gone. It’s empty, I’m nothing. I’m working on the art of humbleness. “That’s the reason I’m crying because I’m not that person no more, and I miss him. “Because sometimes I feel like a b—-. I don’t want that person to come out because if he comes out, hell is coming with him.”
Is it worth doing that to people? Capitalism is inhumane, as is the concept of celebrity. Stardom isn’t something you should have to recover from. From corporations to agents/managers, to media, to fans, we have no idea how to treat stars humanely. They’re regarded as a mere piece of consumerism.
Tyson just announced an upcoming exhibition boxing match in September with Roy Jones Jr. Hopefully, he can compartmentalize the event as a mere exhibition, and the hysteria around the event doesn’t reawaken old demons.
quick takes
IIRC Herman Cain is the most high-profile person to die after being publicly stubborn about COVID. And people still aren’t going to get it. But that’s a symptom of two things. One is America’s individualism. Capitalism conditions people to go for self and devote their lives to a solitary journey to step over the next person toward their goals — and now they’re trying to cram a sense of community in people’s heads. Not gonna work. Also, the American establishment never listens to or engages with poor neighborhoods any other time, so the urgency they’re trying to convey simply doesn’t resonate. Black issues (besides police brutality) are rarely even discussed on National news. There’s a massive disconnect. Unfortunately though, we’re the people dying disproportionately in part because too many people aren’t following guidelines. It’s a vicious cycle, which upsets me, but doesn’t surprise me.
Both “sides of the aisle” are full of shit, but sometimes you can see their distinct differences. The response to coronavirus by the NBA and NFL is one example. The dollar is the motivating factor for both leagues, but at least the NBA is doing it safely. Their bubble currently has zero players who’ve tested positive, and they’ve consistently worked with experts on how to cultivate the safest environment possible. That’s what one would expect from a league with (externally) liberal leadership. Meanwhile, NFL brass is as conservative as it gets, and their response reflects the sect of the country that isn’t taking the virus seriously. They don’t have a bubble (increasing the chance of infection), and apparently they’re considering having some fans in the stadiums — in a little over a month from now. As I’ve previously said, I don’t think any sports should be going on now. But if you’re going to be that money-hungry, at least be as safe as possible.
I’ve never paid attention to Logic outside of professional obligations. I never felt like I was missing out on part of the culture by not tuning in. So when I see he’s leaving rap behind for Twitch, it doesn’t move me or surprise me. There are a lot of people using the game as a means to an end. That mentality isn’t restricted to one race or another, but it does get annoying when you see white artists parlaying rap fame into opportunities Black artists don’t get.
bars of the moment
“The net effect of speech that closes ranks; that reinforces misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia; that draws wedges between groups that ought to be allies in the struggle for justice is the disintegration of communication. Activism that ignores the concerns of the most vulnerable people in the community only reinforces the lines that divide us.”
Craig Jenkins in We’re Witnessing the Total Breakdown of Discourse piece
“Mercy needs acknowledgment of wrong and acknowledgment of circumstance. It is less satisfying than the confident Kanye takes that get thrown about every day. It requires a nuance the content factories seem ill-equipped for.”
Elamin Abdelmahmoud in Kanye West Is Publicly Struggling. We Need To Give Him Grace piece
“There is no "coming Home" in Spirituality.
We just Realize We had never left…”
“Writing is how I make room for what’s too big to live inside my small body”
artifact
I see people are making a big deal that Eminem isn’t in Snoop’s top 10. There’s this thing that #content-driven outlets do where we post news that’s technically not new information. Maybe it’s because a lot of editors and writers don’t know enough about the history to call it out before posting, I don’t know. But Snoop already (hilariously) said he doesn’t fuck with Eminem in 2006 (I think, based on the song he’s promoting):
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Venmo: Andre-Gee