Race a factor in popularity?

"Pretty Boy" Floyd "Money" Mayweather, one of the most arrogant boxers I have ever heard of, just claimed during an interview that race plays a factor in his popularity. He claims that if he were white, that he would be a lot more popular than he is as a black man.

"If you're rich, you're a rich n-----," he said. "If you're poor, you're a poor n----. If you're smart, you're a smart n-----. At the end of the day, they still look at me as a n-----."

Mayweather went on to say:

"I wouldn't change my life for nothing in the world. There's nothing like being young, black and rich. But there are certain things you think about. If Floyd Mayweather was white, I'd be the biggest athlete in America. The biggest, the biggest. I know that for a fact."

I don't think that race plays any factor in the popularity of Mayweather at all. I think his attitude is what turns people off. Look at Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. They are both legendary black superstars. Race never held them back. If I could talk to Mayweather I would tell him that the only way to be more popular is to stop being so cocky. If he was a nicer guy with a smaller ego, he might be more popular. It also doesn't help that he's into boxing, a sport that is not as popular as it used to be.

I was on facebook today and came across a really insane quiz called "How black are you?" According to this quiz, your "race" is all dependent on the questions:

1. What's your favorite sport out of these?
2. What's your favorite food out of these?
3. Which gun would you rather have?
4. Which video game do you like better?
5. Where would you rather steal from?
6. What is closest to your mile time?
7. What is the color of your skin?

I don't know who made this quiz or what they were thinking but I definitely don't think it's cool to stereotype people like this. I'm sure it's just humor, but I just don't think it's right. I think people need to find better things to do in their free time.

Musicians and Manners

Anyone who watched the MTV video music awards last night knows about the drama between Kanye West, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. So, first off the night was a tribute to Michael Jackson. It was hosted by Russell Brand who insisted that the night should be all about love, in memory of the King of Pop. Against this wish for peace and love, Kanye West acted like a complete idiot by ruining the night for country singer, Taylor Swift.

Taylor swift won a VMA for best female performer or something like that, beating out hip hop singer Beyonce. Just as Taylor received her first moonman ever and was about to give her speech, Kanye West rudely tears the microphone out of Taylor's hands and gives a shout-out to Beyonce saying that her music video was the best of the year. Taylor stands there mortified, the whole crowd stares at Kanye, like "Are you kidding me?" I felt bad. Taylor Swift is such a sweet girl. She didn't deserve her spot to be blown up like that. After Taylor got the mic back, MTV cut the sound and went to commercials.

Later on in the show, Beyonce won an award. As she came up to the stage to receive it, she called for Taylor Swift to come out and have a chance to give her proper speech. Taylor Swift takes the microphone and says "Let's try this again..." She goes on to thank her brother's high school for letting her shoot her music video for "You Belong with me" on their property. So, in the end, the young country singer got to have her moment on the stage.

I thought that Kanye's actions were very childish and uncalled for. I also believe that if Taylor Swift wasn't a pastey country singer, but instead a hip hop singer like Beyonce, then Kanye West probably would never have interupted her speech like that.

Music is one of the things that helps make our culture so diverse. People should embrace the different types of music, instead of deciding that one genre is better than another. All artists deserve respect for their work and their form of self-expression, no matter what type of music they create.

Everyone remembers...so why didn't Google?

Google changes its logo for every holiday...Christmas, Valentine's day, anniversaries of random events. So yesterday, on 9/11, why didn't Google change their logo to remember and honor those who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks? I think it's awful that Google can take the opportunity to honor events such as Dr. Seuss's birthday, but not make a point to honor the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001.

Do you love New York?

Back in the day, I used to be glued to the dating show Rock of Love with Brett Michaels. I don't know how I used to tolerate that show. The girls on the show were so far from realistic. It's not just this dating show...it's all dating shows. These girls have chests the size of Texas and brains the size of peanuts. Where do celebreality TV producers find them?

I think one of the most annoying celebreality dating show contestants is New York. I guess she came from the show Flavor of Love, though I never watched it. There was the show I Love New York where a bunch of guys competed to date her and now she's got a show called New York Goes to Work. She's everything the stereotypical African-American is made to look like on television. She's loud, tempermental, and crazy for the most part. She can be funny sometimes but usually I just find her annoying. Everyone she encounters on her show seems to like her. I just wonder, am I the only one that thinks New York is a bad icon?

Today's blog is about judgment. Last night I was watching a preview for Sons of Anarchy, a show about the dangerous, criminal lifestyle of bikers. I think that shows like this one give all bikers a bad reputation. My boyfriend comes from a family of Harley-lovers. He has half-sleeve tattoos on his arms and rides a custom Harley sportster. So, he has tattoos and has a motorcycle- must mean he's a bad person right? He must be an alcoholic and he must have a warrant right? Wrong. He's actually one of the goofiest, warm-hearted people I have ever met. He's absolutely straight-edge and has never got so much as a speeding ticket. As nice a person as I know he is, my family still views him as the typical "biker guy." At a family cookout, he pulled up on hs bike and everyone stopped and stared like he was an animal in the zoo. Later on that day he got a text message. His phone made the typical beep that happens when anyone receives a text message. My aunt looks over and says, "Thought you'd have a more 'manly' ringtone than that..." I felt bad for him. I know they were just teasing but I also know that they're comparing him to the stereotypical "biker." My point is that not all bikers drink, fight, and raise hell like you see on T.V. They're just normal people like everyone else who just happen to ride motorcycles. There is a softer side to "bikers" that never gets portrayed on T.V.

Race and Raw

When I was a little girl, I had a million barbie dolls and always wore the color pink. I never watched a superbowl until I was 13 and became infatuated with Tom Brady. Somehow, over the last 20 years, I have become much more of a tomboy. I have become fascinated with all things sports-related and even male-dominated competitions. Not many people know this about me but I also love to watch pro-wrestling. Yes-I know it's fake and believe it or not, it's very entertaining. I began watching it as a joke but somehow I got stuck to it.

One thing that I have noticed about wrestling is the racial stereotyping that takes place. Lots of children watch WWE and I feel these children could be harmed by the racial stereotyping that exists. There is a tag team called "Cryme Tyme" that consists of two African-Americans named JTG and Shad. The name "Cryme Tyme" describes it all. Their image is portrayed as criminals who would do anything to get their hands on some money. They've also been known to steal championship belts. Each week, they have a segment called "Word Up" where they teach the audience about a slang word by defining it and giving examples. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself....just in case you didn't already know the meaning of the phrase "Po Po" here it is...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4o_Dnzrdqc