To Kill an Insect

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What's the value of an insect's life these days?

So shortly numbered, and unappreciated,

Yet overly publicized and criticized
By unsympathetic bodies and eyes
That take pride in declaring,
There is no place, here, for an insect. (SMACK)

Who would have ever thought that an insect,

So black, so small, so insignificant

Could cause such an uproar 

With its intruding presence.
Uninvited, and feared

Why kill an insect? (STOMP)

Is it in spite of the insect's resilience?
Conquering farms and dunghills with pride.
Or leisurely boredom that leads to deciding
There's no meaning to the life of an insect? (CLAP)

Still, insects continue to thrive
Only in the end to be recognized
                                                      By unsympathetic bodies and eyes

Declaring there is no place, here, for an insect. (SMASH)

Religion and Chicken: The Master’s New Whip

Nowadays, I’m sure almost all people are familiar with the outrage of Chick-fil-A's condemnation of gay marriage, or homosexuality in general. Familiarizing myself with this issue over a year ago, I admit that the current rise of outrage and media coverage is quite overrated. Still, then I saw the picture shown above. Such a photo speaks volumes about the African American community. Why are we always portrayed as the lap dogs of wealthy white patrons?  Now I’m sure that Chick-fil-A will never publicly endorse such a photo, but I’m also quite sure that a picture of white churchgoers raising their poisonous chicken contents to the sky won’t surface on the internet any time soon. My issue with the image touches on two key points: The stereotype of black and chicken, and also the Black community's tie to Christianity.

I will keep my rant about blacks and chicken to a minimum, as I’m sure everyone is familiar with the connection. My only question is why? Does music, recorded fist fights, and the high crime rates of our community not hurt us enough that we have to pose for pictures praising chicken? Okay, you might say that the picture isn’t about glorifying the chicken, it’s about supporting the chain, and though you may be right, the picture does paint an image that isn’t easily escaped.

Now onto my second issue; time has continued to prove that whatever issue the Christian-based church seems to have with a subject, most of the black community is sure to jump on the bandwagon. My issue with the black community backing the decision of Chick-fil-A is how, once again, the bible is being used as a weapon. Not too long ago, the bible was being used as a weapon against the African American community. Sure, it allowed us to get married, but it also enslaved and humiliated us. I may not be the most religious person in the world, but I thought the purpose of Christianity was to spread love, not to oppress.

I’m not going to tell anyone what to spend their own money on, but I will point out that it is foolish to support any person/event/venue that isn’t supportive of you. Chick-fil-A’s true intentions will come to light soon, and when it does I hope a lot of people reevaluate their faith and their beliefs. The picture prompts an interesting question: “Have the oppressed become the oppressor,” or are we slowly sliding backward? 

Injustice Affects Everyone

American Injustice

The American justice system seems to be having a slew of bad unorthodox rulings lately. Once is an accident, but twice is a pattern and with the aftermath of the Troy Davis execution an even dimmer light has been cast on the continual injustice that occurs in America. In my mind, and a lot of others, the Troy Davis trial, and his execution boils down to race. Especially when compared to the trail of someone like Casey Anthony.
Troy Davis, a Black man, was convicted of murder though there was truly no substantial evidence against him and furthermore seven out of the nine witnesses recanted. It is not my position to decide whether Davis was guilty or innocent but in America our judicial system goes by the phrase "Innocent until proven guilty" and though Davis was found guilty I believe that there was not enough evidence to have found him guilty.

In contrast Casey Anthony, a White woman, was acquitted for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter even though there was a great amount of evidence against her. Though she was found not guilty of murder she was found guilty of lying to the police which can be seen as just a slap on the wrist. Once again it is not my position to decide whether Anthony was guilty or innocent but I believe that there was enough evidence that she should have been convicted.
Comparing Davis and Anthony it's hard not to feel that race strongly influenced both cases as both were charged with murder but the white woman was freed and the black man was executed. How does this make America look in the eyes of other countries who view us as a leader and fair country? What does this say about our legal system that wrongfully convicts? And most importantly what does this say about race relations among Americans?