Why Can't we Quit Reality T.V.

In 1992 MTV premiered their groundbreaking television series The Real World. The brain child of the late Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray placed seven to eight young adults from 18-25 in a house together where their lives would be taped. The show garnered high praise for their discussion and depictions of issues that affected the youth at the time such as sex, AIDS, substance abuse, race and religion.

I can faintly remember when I was in middle school in the early 2000’s when some old British rocker and his family had a show on MTV. The Osbournes continued what the Real World started while ushering in a new age of American television. A year after The Osbourne’s premiered, a group of washed up starts including rapper MC Hammer, Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe and former child star Emmanuel Lewis all moved into a house and lived together while the cameras rolled.

Hipsters, Yuccies and the Black Urban Creative

America loves to bash hipsters

So the end of the hipster has finally arrived, or so they say. The (seemingly exclusive) white kid who attends college for a liberal arts degree of very little merit in this day and age who fashionably wears old dingy and ratty clothes and whose Ipod is filled with obscure indie bands that you never have nor ever will hear of has been replaced.

So I bashed them a little bit, but who doesn’t enjoy taking jabs at hipsters? The hipster has taken a back seat to the new young urban individual known as the “Yuccie”. The offspring of the Yuppie and Hipster cultures, Yuccies combine social awareness and enterprising creativity while tackling the new world around them.

Blought #27: Cable's Deathbed

The model used by Adelphia for my family's cable box from

the late 90's the mid-late 2000's

As far back as I can remember my mom always had a cable subscription. I can remember watching old Nickelodeon shows like Legends of the Hidden Temple, Rugrats and Fox Kids’ X-Men on a black tube TV.

Then came the big clunky cable box. Now I could watch the animation giant Cartoon Network and their Emmy award winning programming (See Blought #11: The Evolution of Cartoon Network) along with a slew of HBO and Starz channels.
I remember sifting through the guide in awe that I didn’t have to watch the TV Guide Channel anymore to find out when something was coming on. Even better, by that time I was 6 and able to read a description about the upcoming episode of Sponge Bob or Dexter’s Lab.

Then 2008 happened. Mom took some employment hits and our cable subscription was severely downgraded, and I’m pretty sure we weren’t the only American family to cut down on our cable during the Financial crisis. It just so happens that around that time my mom began to get these weird red envelopes in the mail and inside would be a DVD. At the time I had no clue what Netflix was.

Blought #26: Why Did Trump Meet With Black Pastors Anyway?

Trump (Center) accompanied by Dr. Darrell Scott (right)
Courtesy of: USAToday.com

 A few days ago Donald Trump shook up the media and news world when he announced that he had gained the support of 100 Black pastors and religious leaders from all over the country. Not long after that the facts became clear. Only about 50 or so pastors showed up to his meeting at Trump Towers with several of them signing endorsement cards for Trump‘s campaign.

What caught my attention was the fact that two pastors from Ohio were in attendance and here’s why. Ohio is usually a battleground state. Dividing the black vote has become a key strategy for the right wing with gerrymandering. Dr. Darrell Scott of New Spirit Revival Center Ministries Inc. based in Cleveland Heights, Oh was vocal in his support of Trump’s campaign.

Blought #25: Let Greats be Great!

Last week Le Bron joined NBA Legend Oscar Robertson as the only two players to be ranked in the top 25 in both assists and points all-time. While this is a pretty amazing feat, the story to me isn’t about what Brondo did but rather what he said. Bron made it clear he didn’t want to be compared to Big-O, as we basketball fans know him by.

Le Bron issued a statement after the game saying "I think what we get caught up in, in our league too much, is trying to compare greats to greats, instead of just accepting and acknowledging and saying, 'Wow, these are just great players,'" (Courtesy of Dave Mc Menamin, ESPN). I completely agree.

Blought #24: The Division of Support for Paris

The terrorist attacks in Paris were unspeakable crimes against humanity. A total of 130 people lost their lives while hundreds more were injured making it the deadliest attack on France since WWII. The thing that got under my skin was the division of support for Paris. You had the people who showed support for Paris. There were the people who claimed no media outlets covered the attacks in Africa (You were probably more focused on America’s racial tensions more than Boko Haram kidnapping and killing Nigerian students.)

then there were the ones who had conspiracy theories about America helping ISIS expressing how “misinformed” Americans were or how changing your profile picture does nothing to help those effected. Think about a time your family member died. While your friend can’t bring that family member back, just saying “I’m sorry for your loss” can make you feel a lot better.

Where are They Now?: Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce

Mad Men was a show that presented an era to us that many of us never got to live through. The 60’s were a time when America was holding it down as the top dog of the world, trying to find it’s way with race and politics and growing as a capitalistic society where every family had equal opportunity to get their piece of the American Dream. We followed the employees of Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency on 5th Avenue in New York for seven seasons spanning nine years.

We fell in love with Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks every time we saw their characters’ lives unfold during the decade that was. When the show ended this past May I felt like I was saying goodbye to my high school classmates all over again. So I thought, "Why don’t I create my own timeline of how my favorite characters lived out their lives once 1970 rolled in?" So Here we go!