That Nigga Shit

Nigga shit! What exactly is it? Nigga shit are things that the average person doesn't do, but it happens more than on a rare occurrence, but it happens. I defend black people on so many things, but it's some things I just can't comprehend.

So I'm downtown having a conversation about how uninformed some of our people are. I'm explaining that that in this society we have more access to a Trinidad James video than a W.E.B. Dubois book. I was telling my friend that I feel many would like to do better, but they may not know where to start. As I'm saying this I see a woman getting her car towed.

She parked directly in front of the club, she's downtown, plus she has no plates or in-transits. Of course she runs out like a chicken with its head cut off (see what I did there?). I understand the guy who used to sell those in-transit tags is down and out, but why are you in the club if you can't afford plates? That's that nigga shit! I understand its rough out here, but if you can afford your sew-ins, nails to be done, and a fresh club fit, but no plates then you need to stay your ass at home and get your priorities in line.

A couple months back, "I'm on Instagram straight flexing," and I'm in the news feed and I see someone I follow liking a slew of this celebs offsprings old photos. I kid you not, but 15 minutes later someone creates a pic-frame of the same photos with a caption perpetrating the thought to their followers that they purchased those items. Now that's some nigga shit! Who are you trying to impress? What's the point in having friends if they are all on the payroll? Why are you looking for acceptance from people whose main concern is what you have, or what you can do for them? Black America has this mindset that we need to show them white folks that we're on their ass, but if your a Jenkins struggling trying to keep up with the Vanderbilt's you're still looked at as a nigga in a Gucci belt, or a Benz coup.

We need to get off that bullshit as a collective whole and get off this nigga shit. Why do we have the latest phone when it drops, but no working computer in our homes? You shouldn't be in lines for shoe releases every month, but your only Internet access comes from your data plan on your phone. I'm fully aware that other races do it too, but it hurts more when my people do stupid shit like that because I every time I see a person of color I see myself in them and that shit is disheartening.

I'll never attempt at trying to mimic Bill Cosby, but aside from institutionalize forces holding us back sometimes we have to take that initiative to do better. If they aren't giving us access directly to a "W.E.B. Dubois book" then we must get off our ass walk to that library and exercise "Our Right to Read."

We must get off that we may be poor, but we aren't going to look it nonsense. We can't pray for better days, we have to work hard for them. I know it's been over 400 years and the struggle still affects us, but tough times don't last, tough people do. If you, or I have to die in the process trying to see US prosper then so be it. We Gon' Make It!