Step one, as is always the case, was creating the script. I caught parts of Clooney on the Actors Studio over the weekend, and I agree with his sentiment that you can take a good script and make a bad film out of it, but you can’t turn a bad script into a good movie. So the first of many sacrifices I’ve been in the process of making has been slashing my social life down to the bone. By the grace of the Humblebragging Gods, there’s always something to do in this town and somebody I haven’t hung out with in awhile (and that’s not even counting private affairs). But as I look at the Mountain I’m trying to climb, I’ve become hyper focused again about the difference between spending half my day ‘just chilling’, and half my day writing and rewriting.
So what can I tell you about the story? Well it’s part stand up style special, part documentary. From a functional point of view that means the majority of the film can be shot in one day. I have no dreams of being Louis C.K. or Chris Rock, but especially with this subject matter, using my sense of humor and comedic timing is the absolute way to go. As I started to think about blueprints, the irony was not lost on me that in many ways I’m going down the path of the original Tyler Perry blueprint (film your stage shows and market the ish out of those bad boys to your core audience). Not that I’m the type to complete dismiss anyone’s hustle, but I was reminded of one of my favorite lines of Malcolm’s from the Autobiography: ‘…anytime you find someone more successful than you are, especially when you’re both engaged in the same business – you know they’re doing something that you aren’t.’
My superhero alter ego aside, this is also a Mountain that I would be insane to even attempt to climb alone. I know who I want to direct it, I know who I want for a crew, at the moment I’m satisfied with the list of people I want to interview for the documentary sections of the film, and have little doubt the brothers and sisters I already have a personal relationship with are going to be willing to help. As I’ve started the early process of building my team, I’ve made sure to drop a little caveat for my non-Muslim friends, of whom I have many: I need your support to make this happen, and you know me well enough to know I’m not ‘seeking’ to burn any bridges. But that said, the nature of the subject matter and my point of view will rattle somebody’s cages (if I’m doing my job right). But just because I can say something, I don’t want any of my people to catch heat because they have to answer to some person or group that has no jurisdiction over me. So I need your support, but if you have to be a ‘silent partner’ or you have to sit back of the theater so your face doesn’t show up on camera, trust, I take no offence. I’ll be glad to know you have my back.
So the first brick has been laid. Now, in no particular order, I have to drop at least 10 pounds, perfect a song, touch base with Film Independent, IFP, SAGIndie, research Wichita, get a ‘number’, and start writing the sci-fi story I came to this town to make in the first place. That’s what I can think of off the top of my head anyway. I’ve got a big Mountain to climb.
But as the young people say, I’m trending upwards…
The Malik Aziz Foundation held its annual Black History Month dinner on Wednesday in an undisclosed location in Beverly Hills. This year’s Guest of Honor was Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, who participated in an interview, followed by a Q&A with our benefactors, trustees, and their guests.
The following is a transcript from the untelevised interview session.
(Our Host Malik Aziz enters the room during the fourth course of the five course meal. On this particular evening, he’s wearing a midnight blue tuxedo from the Tom Ford Collection.)
MALIK: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and thank you all for coming this evening. In the play, Richelieu, Or the Conspiracy, you will find in the Second Act, the Second Scene, the following monologue:
True, This! —
Beneath the rule of men entirely great, The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold
The arch-enchanters wand! — itself a nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike
The loud earth breathless! — Take away the sword —
States can be saved without it!
Our guest of honor tonight is a young Afro-American gentlemen, who is living proof, the pen truly is mightier than the sword. His work has been respected by his fellow writers, as evidenced by his nomination for a Writers Guild award; and also by the coloreds, as evidenced by his NAACP image award nomination.
The Malik Aziz Foundation is proud to welcome to the stage our guest of honor this year, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas!
(Applause as Aaron takes the stage… He gives Malik a look as he sits down.)
MALIK: For those unfamiliar with your past, let’s start with where you’re from, and what inspired you to become a writer.
ART: Wait, wait, wait, hold up, brotha…. Did you just use the word, “coloreds”? And, whatsup with the English accent and the blue velvet suit? What kind of place is this? I thought Popeye’s chicken catered this dinner.
(Malik, shakes his head with discernment.)
ART: Anyway, to answer your question, what inspired me to become a writer was my faith in God, my parents’ encouragement to pursue my dreams and the amount of enjoyment I get from writing. Knaw mean?
MALIK: Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Now, your first Hollywood experience came working on the television version of the popular urban story, Soul Food. What was that like, and do you feel like that experience shaped you either positively or negatively in what your idea of what ‘Hollywood’ is?
ART: My experience on Soul Food was all good. Everything I learned on that show, from how a writers’ room operates, to how you carry yourself as a professional in this industry, was invaluable. Combine that with the fact that I was able to see people who looked like me working together in a business where such “urban” situations are extremely rare and mocked by people like you and I can’t begin to estimate the positive impact it had on me at an early stage of my Hollywood experience. Knaw mean, brotha?
MALIK: Yes, I understand what you mean, but don’t call me brother. Now everyone has different feelings about the ‘film school’ experience. As a part time teacher, I would gather your feelings are better than others. But with the benefit of retrospect would you consider it a good decision?
ART: I consider it a great decision. As an adjunct professor at USC, I’m exposed to some of the most talented and ambitious storytellers in the world. It’s a rush to be around them and it keeps me on my toes to make sure that I’m able to give them something they can hopefully use going forward. Reminds me of a cat I went to film school with who used to be down for the cause. His name was Mali—
MALIK: Moving on! Friday Night Lights. You were there from the beginning. Smash Williams is the cocky, smart mouthed black member of the team in the predominantly white high school. In one of the trademark episodes of the first season (and truly the whole series), Smash goes through something of an identity crisis when he feels singled out, and underappreciated by his coaches and superiors. Did you draw from any personal experience when writing the episode ‘Full Hearts’?
ART: Good question. I think all writers try to draw from personal experience. Certainly, in the case of FNL, we tackled topics such as race and class, which were prevalent in the book and movie that proceeded the TV series. These topics are always interesting to discuss and write about. Certainly, I had experiences to pull from to help inform my writing on Full Hearts, which dealt with Smash going home to confront a past he had left behind, including some humble beginnings. Speaking of humble beginnings, my brotha, don’t you know a little something about that?
MALIK: I’m sorry but these beginnings you elude to escapes me (Malik straightens his conk). Tonight is about you so let’s get back on topic. Your first credit as a feature film writer was the film Cover. For those unfamiliar with the story, it focuses on a woman whose life is thrown into chaos when she discovers her attractive, upwardly climbing African-American husband is in fact, a closet homosexual. Did you draw from any personal experience when writing the film Cover?
ART: Lol…. Okay, I see what this is. The answer? No. That story was built off interviews and based on true stories that happened to real people.
MALIK: Next we come to Numb3rs. Your episode ‘Sneakerhead’ revolves around two characters who have a fetish for high priced tennis shoes. In light of the repeated violence that has taken place as sneaker companies try to release ‘limited edition’ versions of popular tennis shoes, do you feel that this subculture has gotten any of hand?
ART: Yes and no. The shoe companies know exactly what they’re doing. Like Chuck D once said, “I like Nikes, but wait a minute…” The shoe companies profit off the high demand for (really dope) shoes. But, even if the sneakers did not exist, the problem with customers would probably still be there. The demand would simply be for something else. And, because supply and demand aren’t going anywhere, I think the issue starts at home. It has to be ingrained that just because you don’t have a pair of sneakers, your stature isn’t any less. You don’t need them bad enough to trample, fight, or maybe even kill somebody. Full disclosure, I’m a sneakerhead, and what I’ve found is even if you don’t get the pair you want on release day, do a little research and due diligence and things have a way of working out.
MALIK: Assassination Games. If I would have told 13 year old Aaron Rahsaan Thomas that someday he’d write a movie starring the Muscles from Brussels, Jean Claude Van Damme, how would he have reacted?
ART: He would have smiled, been very happy, but not necessarily surprised. 13 year old Aaron had some big dreams. Now, if you told him he’d be interviewed by a brotha from KCK who adopted Michael Caine’s accent while wearing a suit from the Love Boat, he might have been curious…
MALIK: You are as precious to me as you were to your own mother and father; I swore to them that I would protect you. And I haven’t! But moving on, now we come to ‘CSI:NY’. You’ve had a wonderful collection of guest stars over the years, from Edward James Olmos to Ne-Yo. Do you have a personal favorite? Is there anyone you’d like to write an episode for that you haven’t had the opportunity to do so with yet?
ART: It’s all a blessing. Working with talented people who I respect is a joy. And, every episode is a new and different chapter. As for people I haven’t worked with? Anyone who has a good story to tell and believes in telling it well, I’m open to collaborating with. Dropping that knowledge on a sucka, knaw mean?
MALIK: Now let’s talk about this week’s episode. What can you tell us about it?
ART: It involves the world of The Go Game, adult role playing and takes a few twists that you may not see coming. There is one murder victim and someone else who gets kidnapped. Basically, it is truly an episode of television that will change your life. Or, maybe entertain you for an hour. One or the other.
MALIK: Thank you for joining us again, ladies and gentlemen, one more time for Aaron Rahsaan Thomas!
Aaron’s latest episode airs tonight on CBS. Check local listings.
Some quick thoughts on this morning’s nominations…
Best Picture – 9 films, wow. I called 6. Extremely Loud and War Horse haven’t been on my ‘must see’ list, but now I feel obligated…
Best Actor – Gary Oldman, it’s about damn time!!!!! (yes I’m biased, been a fan for decades before he played Commissioner Gordon).
Best Actress – The Globes have made this more interesting than we thought it would be. Viola or Streep? I guess we’ll see…
Best Supporting Actor – Very eclectic list, I just got around to seeing Warrior last week so it’s nice to see people remembered this movie and Nick Nolte.
Best Supporting Actress – Pleasantly surprised for Melissa McCarthy, she really did steal Bridesmaids out from under a great cast of comediennes.
Best Director – What a list!!!! And the crazy thing is the favorite is the only name who’s not already a Hall of Famer!
Best Screenplay – Combining the two categories to ask the question, will Woody show up for a group of his most loyal fans?
The Malik Aziz Foundation was created last night with the mission statement of promoting the unifying ideals of the human race through arts and entertainment. For the first time, the Board of Directors have decided to present awards (‘the Zeezys’) to those who have best embodied the Foundations ideals for the past calendar year. Without further adieu, the 1st Annual Zeezy Awards…
The John Cena Award (given to the individual who is by all accounts a nice guy but who I just can’t stand):
The first Zeezy was a unanimous decision; congratulations Tim Tebow! In all fairness, I have to confess that I do believe ‘winning’ is an attitude that can be contagious (with all due respect to Charlie Sheen). And my distaste really has nothing to do with his religion (sincerely). It comes down to this: he’s the star quarterback of the team that caused me more ulcers than any other in my childhood. I’ve seen improvement over the past few weeks but the overhypeness of this cat turns my stomach. You know why every sports analyst save for Skip Bayless chuckles after Broncos highlights? CAUSE EVERY FOOTBALL FAN WORTH A DAMN CAN SEE THIS IS A TEAM WITH A GOOD DEFENSE AND AVERAGE RUNNING GAME WHO KEEPS GETTING AN ABSURD AMOUNT OF BREAKS!!! Like I said, at least the kid is genuinely humble. If he was more Favre-like I would have thrown a TV by now…
While we’re throwing our wrestling references…
The Rock Award (given to the wrestler who grabs a hold of the zeitgeist)
goes to C.M. Punk. The storyline was (bad guy) C.M. Punk was tired of being looked over in favor of (good guy/poster boy) John Cena. Punk’s argument was that everyone could clearly see he was a better wrestler, but the reason Cena kept getting breaks was because he was such a kiss ass. (And as I typed that statement out, I just realized why so many people gravitated toward it.) Anyway this led to a title match in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Now I grew up in Arrowhead on Monday nights, I’ve been in Allen Field House and the Coliseum when they’re rocking. I’ll tell you what, I’ll put this ‘home field advantage’ up there with the best of em:
He’s not just the ‘Best in the World’ folks; he just won his first Zeezy!
Favorite Book of the Year:
At times sad and painful to read, Manning Marable’s thoroughly researched book on brother Malcolm reminded all of us, those who idolize him and those who use him as a symbol of hate, that in the end, he was a man, a human being who made mistakes and had flaws like the rest of us.
Craziest Blog of the Year:
On the other end of the literary spectrum is what’s affectionately known as ‘the Ghostface Blog.’ I’ll let you find the exact link if you’re curious due to the strong language of the writer; just know this was another landslide Zeezy award winner. I’ve definitely reached the age where I feel the hip hop I grew up on has come and gone; this blog takes the sentiment and runs buck f##kin wild with it. Whether it was the widely circulated ’10 Softest N###as in the Game’ post, or the ongoing, unabashed hatred and disdain for a certain young light skinned MC from Canada, this blog is just…crazy!
Video Game of the Year:
Sure I’m biased as I’m an adult who if I’m lucky only has time for one game a year at this point (if I’m lucky), but THIS was the one game I had to play. The story wasn’t as ‘groundbreaking’ as Arkham Asylum, but the open gameworld and the side missions put this game on the ‘must play’ list for any Batman fan.
Movie I Most Look Forward to Rewatching on Cable 10,000 Times:
One of the oldest but best hypotheticals is “How much of our lives do we really control and how much of what happens to us is ‘destiny’?” The Adjustment Bureau gave us a really nice spin on this question, changing it to ‘What if you met ‘The One’ but you weren’t supposed to meet them?’ Props on this movie working goes to the casting director too, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were great together.
The Jessica Alba Award
Every man I know appreciates Rhianna, Paula Patton, even a Kim Kardashian. But part of that appreciation is in knowing that unless your name is “LeBron” or “Kanye”, you have NO chance of ever pulling a woman like that.
The Jessica Alba Award goes to the starlet who cleans up nice, but also maintains a persona, either on screen or off (ideally both), that hypothetically if you had to make an emergency run to the Whole Foods on Fairfax because you ran out of that organic toothpaste that you like, and you got stuck in the wrong line, so you casually start chatting up the cutie in front of you, and SHE was the cutie in front of you, and you recognize her but don’t make a big thing out of it (which she appreciates), and she compliments you on your Lakers hoodie and what you think of this whole Chris Paul fiasco, and you say it’s a mess but the Lakers always seem to come out alright, and you ask her if she goes to the games and you discover she’s a sports fan too, and she asks if you go to any games, and you say you go when you can, and the line’s not moving so she asks about the bandage on your finger, and the truth is you’ve been practicing twice a day on your guitar for this bluesman role you were going for, but even to another actor saying you’re an actor comes off pretentious, and you don’t want to put all your cards on the table right away anyway, so you make up this story about how you were making stuffed peppers and you read in GQ that you can do it with red bell peppers so you tried it, but the red peppers don’t cut as easily and there you go, and maybe she believes that story and maybe she doesn’t, but either way you went full Dimple and she sees you’re a little self deprecating which she likes. So after you both check out you exchange info and you think “Man I really have a shot!”
So long story short the Jessica Alba goes to the starlet who masters the ‘girl next door’ persona. This year’s winner is…
(What? No that didn’t really happen I was just saying. What do you mean that was way too detailed and specific?!? GET OUT OF MY BUSINESS!!!)
Anyway the winner this year is Emmanuelle Chriqui. I won’t miss Entourage ending, but I’m one of many guys who will miss seeing Sloane on a regular basis.
(What? Mannnn, I was just telling stories!!!! Let’s move on!!!!)
Hip Hop Album of the Year
Undun. The Roots. As I tweeted to questlove in mock disbelief on twitter, I said ‘This…this is an album!!!!” Nuff said. As good as that album was, it was no match for…
Concert of the Year
I haven’t been to a concert since the night Prince tore the damn roof off the Great Western Forum, and months later if I don’t do another concert again I wouldn’t be remotely upset. One of the great showmen, guitarists, and entertainers of my lifetime giving us something we’d always remember for 20 freaking dollars. Un-real!!!
And finally since we like to look toward the future, the final Zeezy for 2011 is Best Teaser Trailer, given to the trailer that has us most hype for 2012. I wonder who will win this one…
And on that note, we’ll see you for the 2nd Annual Zeezys next year!
So what happens when you take Batman and his mythology, and apply it to the timeless holiday story, ‘A Christmas Carol’? The result is ‘Batman: Noel’, a well done hybrid of two very popular stories/characters.
I’m going to assume somewhere down the line you’ve seen at least one version of A Christmas Carol so you know all the basics of that story. In this adaptation, Batman/Bruce Wayne is the Ebenezer Scrooge. Part of the fun of this graphic novel is seeing who from the Batman mythology takes on the roles of Christmases Past, Present, and Future, so no spoilers from me in that regard. This book is ‘written’ by Lee Bermejo, who also did a well received comic last year, ‘Joker’. As in that book, the characters in ‘Noel’ all take on a ‘realistic’ look. The influence of Nolan on the Batman character has extended well into the comic book universe.
I won’t go as far as others and give this one ‘instant classic’ status, but it’s a worthwhile addition to this ‘Golden Age of Batman’ the character is living in right now.
When I officially retire from my full geekdom in around 250 plus days, I’ll be able to say I saw a trilogy of great films (I hope) and 2 great video games all built around my favorite fictional character. I finished the story mode of Batman: Arkham City tonight, somewhat shocked at how dark it was (which is saying something), but ultimately satisfied that ‘the Dark Knight’ has been given the best possible treatment in both cinematic and video game form.
Arkham City is the sequel to the immensely popular Batman: Arkham Asylum game of a couple years back that saw Batman trapped in the looney bin where most of his rogues gallery were kept. The sequel builds on the story and structure in the best possible ways, expanding on the events of that game, but not being so tied into that game’s story that someone can’t just pick up the new one to see what the fuss is all about.
I don’t know how official it is but I’ve heard repeatedly that this was Mark Hamill’s swan song in voicing the Joker. Nothing will ever replace the role he will always be best known for (which you know even if you don’t immediately realize it), but to have two iconic characters to your name in one career is something he should be extremely proud of. Taking my personal bias aside, everyone involved in making and promoting this game should get a pat on the back. The story is interesting enough to play through to the end, and there are more than enough ‘side missions and goodies’ to demand replays for those who have the time and the patience.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but to my people at Warners, you may need to go with one of the lighter versions of Batman after Nolan’s film. There’s only so much Dark Knight even the Prince of Gotham can take.
The latest animated feature from Warner Bros. Animation is a very faithful recreation of the classic comic, ‘Batman: Year One.’
(In the interest of full disclosure I’ll tell you that I’ve met the director of this film, Sam Liu, and talked briefly about the Batman. Not on any kind of business thing, just one of those ‘Hollywood is really just a small town that’s centered around TV and mvoies type of thing.’ He’s a friend of a friend. Now having gotten that out of the way, if you really think that chatting briefly and non-chalantly with the director of the film would bias me toward any favoritism toward this particular character, I don’t…I just can’t…)
For those unfamiliar, the comic ‘Batman: Year One’ is very true to the title: a 25 year old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after years away with plenty of methods to fight crime but missing…’something’. At the same time, young Lieutenant James Gordon arrives in Gotham with a pregnant wife and a reputation as a good cop trying to survive in a horribly corrupt police department. If these beats (and others in the story) are familiar, Chris Nolan borrowed a lot of the story points from this comic for both of his excellent Batman films.
So how does the animated film measure up? Quite well in my opinion. The most notable difference to me (as someone very familiar with the comic) is that the ‘voiceover’ of the comic has been pretty much taken out. It was a great choice; for the most part the audience experiences the story in ‘real time’ with Gordon and Bruce. The biggest name in the voice acting by Bryan Cranston (‘Breaking Bad’) as Lieutenant Gordon, as the true ‘star’ of the story I think he did well with the idea of what we all imagine the future Commissioner to sound like after so many interpretations. There’s another nice ‘in joke’ where certain dolls from the comic have clearly been replaced by characters owned by Warner Brothers, but that’s only noticeable if you know the comic.
As far as Warner’s animated films go, I’d put this behind ‘Under the Red Hood’ in terms of quality. Highly recommend if you haven’t ever read the comic.
‘Batman: Year One’ is out now on Blu-Ray/DVD, ITunes and On-Demand on certain cable outlets (like mine).
In this month’s GQ, Clint Eastwood and Leonardo Dicaprio sit down for an interview to promote their upcoming film, J. Edgar. During the interview, both men, who happen to be icons for each of their generations, lament on how difficult it is to greenlight serious dramas like the film they just colloborated on. I feel pity for them (sarcasm), but it does beg the question: if two guys of the status of Clint and Leo aren’t happy with the studio system these days, then who is?
Is it the suits? A week doesn’t pass without hearing one of my creative friends complain about pitching to someone who only sees their vision as some type of Moneyball formula: Actor X + Director Y = Genre Pic Z. I know my fair share of suits as well though, and from their side of the table, Hollywood doesn’t sound like a seller’s market these days.
A lot of Clint and Leo’s nostalgia is for 70s era cinema, when the director had the freedom to try new things and be auteurs. But those days are over unless your name is James Cameron. Actors ebb and flow their way to the top of the food chain. At their last peak, the action star era of the 80s, they were the movie stars. But in our current era, the franchises themselves have become the movie stars. What about writers? In television, maybe. In film? Please.
Tyler Perry made the most money in Hollywood last year but…was he really ‘in’ Hollywood? I’d argue no, which is part of why he’s so beloved and successful with his core audience. And what about ‘the audience’? In theory the goal of the game is to provide something that makes you want to leave home and experience it on the big screen in a dark room with a group of strangers. But have there been any ‘must see’ films this year (if you’re not a Harry Potter fan)?
So to summarize, the bean counters have little to no incentive to creating ‘great art’, the artists may have the desire but rarely have the power to push their vision through, and the audience is rarely motivated to come out en masse for a film. The question needs to be asked: will someone or something ‘rise’ that unites the business and creative sides of Hollywood, while pulling in the masses to see what the big deal is?
Was this whole post an elaborate ruse to post that trailer? No.
Am I willing to give Hollywood a free pass for another 296 days if it means there’s a reasonable chance the system pumps out one more above average Batman film? Yes.
A little over a month ago, I was asked what my resolution for this Ramadan would be. In my heart, I was aware of what I needed to do, but at the time I wasn’t ready to commit to it. Sometimes you go through things in your private life, and your feelings about those episodes should remain private. I don’t mind publicly stating however, that my resolution was to let go of the guilt I’ve been carrying with me, over situations beyond my control. The gift of being compassionate is wanting the best things in life for the people you love; the curse of being compassionate is dealing with a great deal of pain when the people you love are in pain. I do hope that this series of posts has established that, whatever chaos I have going on in my personal life, my gut instinct will always be to use my skill set to promote harmony.
The ‘American Muslim’ series will continue; moving away from Ramadan I see it as being more reactive than proactive. I don’t see myself as a religious leader; it’s no coincidence that I haven’t quoted any scripture here. But as I feel the need to speak up, I will. Maybe I won’t approach the subject again for months. Maybe a presidential candidate or the NYPD will strike a nerve and I’ll feel the need to say something sooner. Time will tell.
Anyway, I look forward to a cup of coffee if I need it after I get to work. I really look forward to a glass of water in the afternoon as we’ve been experiencing a nice heatwave the past week or so. Next week I’ll get back into working out again which I’ve missed, just for the rush I get. And yes, I’m looking forward to football season starting this weekend and stuffing my face every Saturday and Sunday for the next few months.
A bonus clip today, the My Fellow American project posted the video I shot for their mission; you can see it here:
If it looks like my t-shirt is about to fall off my shoulders and I haven’t eaten a decent lunch in a month, it’s because, well, I haven’t eaten ANY lunch in a month! Jokes aside, I was glad to help promote their cause (since I consider it my cause as well.)
As Brother Malcolm said, All praise is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine.
Eid Mubarak to all of my brothers and sisters around the globe.
In my opinion, some people have been put on this Earth to drive people apart and to pull others down into their insecurities and misery. I, on the other hand, feel that I’ve been put on this Earth to remind others of the connections between us. Conflicts are inevitable, but ultimately, in between our disagreements, we have to co-exist peacefully.
So that first paragraph lets you know, this post is more intellectual than normal. So fair warning to those of you who normally come to this space for silly/charming/smartass/’Bruce Wayne’; I’ve saved most of that energy for Volume II. No offense taken if you want to skip ahead to the jokes, it’s one of things I enjoy most and do best. But this is about the foundation of my house; my ideology and philosophy, why I am and why I do what I do.
This year I celebrated my birthday in Vegas; a month later I flew home to Kansas City. Same airline. As fate would have it, same skycap attendant for both flights. A brother, he recoginzed me immediately the second time (which I was kind of flattered by when you think of how many people pass through LAX daily).
Anyway, here’s the conversation:
Skycap: ‘My man! How was Vegas?’
Me: Vegas always treat me well brotha!
Skycap: ‘So what’s up, the Lakers gonna threepeat?”
Me: I hope so!
(He looks at my driver’s license.)
Skycap: Oh… Um… one second my man!
(He does the 10 foot Walk of Shame to the Feds, who runs my permanent record and finds out I’m a natural born U.S. citizen who’s never been arrested, who has voted in every presidential election since I was 18 years old, and hold down a steady 9 to 5 job. He does a second Walk of Shame back to me with my boarding pass and a shit eating grin on his face…)
Skycap: Yeah man, you know, just doing my job!
Me: I understand, I understand. So, you know as soon as we’re in the air, I’m jumping out of my seat and screaming ‘Allahu Akbar!’ at the top of my lungs right?
(OK, OK, I didn’t really say that last line; I’m not suicidal. Had to throw a little sarcasm in there; I can turn it down but not off. Back on point…)
Way back when sticking my head in a book was my outlet into a world beyond I knew, I took an early interest in American History. It started of course with the story of my ancestors. My roots on both sides are in the rural sections of Louisiana. In other words, I learned as much with my eyes as I did in any book. I recall with a chuckle my father and uncles pointing out to me the trees they picked pecans from as boys; as a kid I just smiled, but in my teenage years it occurred to me these tours always stopped before we got to ‘the Big House’. (It didn’t take a genius to surmise that while our family name is linked to one of the biggest Creole families in the area, to this day I doubt anyone on ‘my’ side of the family has spent any time in the ‘Big House’.)
As I studied, my natural curiosity led me to wonder if there had been any similar stories in American history. The Black Experience (in America) is unique in many ways, least of which is the physical/karmic violence that God forbid will never be repeated. But as I looked for a common thread, I learned that, truth be told, it’s practically ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ for U.S. citizens at some point to be told “Yeah you were born here, but that ‘freedom and justice for all’ line doesn’t apply to you.’ A few examples that immediately come to mind…
We refer to Native Americans as such in part because they were living their lives here before there was an actual ‘United States of America.’ Of course, the reason there is a U.S. of A. is because the United States Army was created to fight the British. And as far as Native Americans are concerned…
During America’s immigration boon, the first generations of the Italians and the Irish immigrated to this country and had to jump through the imaginary ‘You’re not really an American’ hoops. Africans, um, ‘immigrated’ here in mass numbers and…yep. Leap forward a century or two and Japanese-Americans got the ‘royal treatment’ after Pearl Harbor.
Now you may argue I’m pulling the race card left and right, but historically race is always the easiest to point out because, well, you can literally see it. There have been plenty of other ‘Scarlet Letters’ in the history of this country. The most well known is probably Senator McCarthy and the Communist hearings of the 50s. If we’re expanding this analogy to legal battles, lest we forget women in America didn’t always have the right to vote; that had to be won. In present day there’s the ongoing battle by gay couples to have their unions legally recognized as marriages. Those who dislike America or consider themselves ‘Enemies of the State’ will use any or all of these examples (and more) as to why this country is fundamentally flawed. We shout democracy at the top of our lungs here and around the world, and at the same time will sanction, sometimes officially, that our own citizens can’t have equal rights. Truthfully, I can’t say that argument is flat out wrong; I just choose a different perspective…
While it’s true America’s history in dealing with its own citizens is ‘checkered’, it’s also true that in nearly every circumstance some level of progress was made. (We can debate the definition of ‘progress’ another time.) The analogy I often use, as it’s an analogy I’m familiar with, is that of a pledging process. You walk in the first day, you’re nobody, and you’re told and made to feel like you’re nothing. During the process, you stand your ground and learn ‘the rules of the game’. Eventually the process is complete, and you come out of the other end a member.
(If you really want to extend the analogy, it would be interesting to study who becomes ‘the One whose identity completely became the new group’, ‘the One who focuses on the history and getting ‘the next guy’ through the process’, and ‘the One who became an asshole who can’t wait to take out their anger and frustrations on the next guy’. Again, another time.)
When you define yourself as an idealist (as I do), you know going in that the change you seek in the world can’t be measured by ‘tangible’ results. Let’s say hypothetically my goal was for a law to get passed. A law can create an opportunity that didn’t exist before; it can force us to share a classroom or a workspace. But it can’t change human nature or people’s opinions. Only time and life experience can do that. To be honest, I’m not convinced the words I write or the way I choose to carry myself will change any individual’s mind about what they believe ‘Islam’ is, and what ‘Muslims’ are. But if I don’t even attempt to make things easier for the next generation of Muslim Americans, then I’ve guaranteed myself failure.
One of my favorite guy jokes is ‘Man Law’; the code of being a Man and the unwritten rules of what we will and won’t do. Man Law Number One is universally recognized: ‘Protect Your House.’ Depending on the circumstance, its meaning can be physical, verbal, or in this case spiritual. I remember clearly a time when a Muslim woman could wear hijab, and while it was certainly ‘different’, there was nothing suspicious about it. I remember clearly the days of when people discovered a man was a Muslim, the natural curiosity of that man’s life story stopped short of anything that suggested criminal or the ‘T word’. I don’t believe in ‘turning back time’, but I do believe we can get to a point in the future where my children can just be ‘kids’ and will reach early adulthood before having a justified paranoia that some fringe group in this country or in another country is plotting to wipe them off the face of the earth.
So this is my foundation. Apologies if I got preachy at the end, but it’s the state of things as I see them. There’s a line that is being repeatedly crossed now between ‘political showboating for your supporters’ and ‘you went there because you’re not expecting anyone to react.’
Volume II (probably next week) will go more into what happens when you wake up a sleeping dog.
Ramadan Mubarak to my Muslim brothers and sisters around the world.
