Banning words, in 2025?

The Banning of books attempted to silence freedom of expression and knowledge. There is a quote from the book Fahrenheit 451 -“They didn't want to know about it. They were happy. They said they liked to have the fireman run around and knock down the books. They were not interested in books. No, they didn't want books. Not in the old days. They didn't want to have to think about the way the world was and the way the world was going."

The quote above is relevant today, Fahrenheit 451 was released on October 19,1953. Take that in, 11 years before the civil rights movement and the understanding of knowledge suppression was louder then that it is now. That’s what it’s appeared to be over the years. People have fought to understand and have open access to information. When the internet was created January 1, 1983, 42 years ago people anticipated the possibilities, driving the explosion of information without boundaries. Now in 2025 more knowledge is trying to be pushed into a closet and forgotten about. Between the banning books, takedowns of historical events ( I.e black history ) and discrediting scholar’s knowledge is flipping exploration to ignorance.

Over the last 20 years banning of intellectual expression went from words that hurt, to words that inform.

Take just a moment to let that soak in; informing words, phrases and statements are the “enemy” of knowledge. What is the opposite of knowledge; ignorance.

Plato, Aristotle, Sun Tzu, Malcom X,Martin Luther King jr, Langston Hughes, Angela Davis, Maya Angelou, and so many others are examples of knowledge is power. Banning takes the power away from society. It reminds me of what my mother use tell me “out of sight, out of mind” this is what I personally think is the premise of banning of words and other forms of speech.

Speech and freedom to speak it is a human right, it’s not human when that speech is used to belittle,demean, insult or disrespect anyone. Each expression, regardless of use can be interpreted differently especially when it’s from cultural standards. Unless the migration of language takes place: perfect example the word for black is universal and carries the same negative and positive effects on the people of African descent around the globe. Words are hard to ban due to this migration and unconscious collective agreement humans created by using it in their subcultures. Words reaching popular status only happen when individuals with authority speak it. What happens when the authority speaking is using words in a divisive manner, collectively people will feel enraged, motivated and relentless in their pursuit to undermine that authority.

How does banning impact brand marketing and advertising ?

The impact is not black and white, due to each individual perspective and current cultural context. The context of the target audience appears to be the first step when dealing with banned words. Brands can use this to their advantage; using word/s that people are told to considerer “offensive” but collectively preferred. The audience will feel more comfortable, connected and confident about whom they are purchasing from. Now,brands will be like tight rope walker doing this, there are certain words and phrases that are only acceptable within that culture that the cultural community gatekeeps. The reason being the collective turn the negative word into words of endearment ( hip-hop is a great example of this). Same thing applies to more conservative subgroups, the problem with in more conservative language is the language associated with seclusion of other groups which the brand wants to reach.

When the brand understands what words are no longer used because of suppression they will be able to connect and play on those words to further the feeling and loyalty;“that’s my Brand” and the audience will be proud to say it.

The brands mission should shine every time when dealing with banned or sensitive words. Audible books- can use reinforce freedom of reading with banned books. Libraries are making a comeback because they used this same method. Reinforcement of their mission to preserve the freedom of reading and knowledge. It’s gotten so much momentum they have announced reboot of Reading Rainbow 🌈.

Humor and sarcasm has been another route brands have taken; unfortunately, in 2025 this has changed. Brands are silent like South Park- they took down their episodes and went quiet for a while when one individual was turned into a martyr. Jimmy Kemble and Steven Colbert are other examples of how humor is now being censored.

My theory: impact is dependent on the product, service and audience.

The brands mission should move towards the most authentic expression it wants to reflect. If that means using words that are considered “offensive” ( knowing the banned was to suppress not empower) to convey who and what they stand for, then so be it.

DEI is out, HIE is in.

DEI wasn’t designed to destroy or exclude others, nevertheless it did. Well that’s what the campaign against DEI said it did. I get it after having along time processing what is being said by individuals against it. Here is what I hear and learned from the aggressive rhetoric: “we are not included and we should feel included.

We don’t know what this program is but we feel it doesn’t benefit the majority.

We have the abilities and we feel the only reason anyone besides the majority is getting a head is because of their…

We don’t feel special or seen anymore.

We don’t like this change and we feel secluded from the rest of our peers as they advance in their careers.

It didn’t include us and our generations and it’s not fair for others to have a leg up… it’s suppose to be equal playing field.”

DEI purpose was to create an even playing field, unfortunately the benefit  didn’t expand into the perspective subgroup, instead, enhanced one particular area of society.

And honestly from a conservative perspective I can understand what is being said and how it applies.

Okay , all things considered, let’s make it an even playing field with Human Innovative Edge or HIE for short.

It’s no longer a people competition but a human competition against technology surpassing the need for humanity.

The idea of Human Innovative edge initiative, its more then an initiative is a culture companies can achieve through little effort and limited resistance.

“We call it HIE — Human Innovation Edge — because it’s all about celebrating the different, unique, creative, and culturally aware humans who power our ideas. HIE puts people at the center of innovation, giving us the edge to solve challenges, explore new possibilities, and grow together.”

While the face of technology changes our daily existence humans drive the ideas towards creating the experience. Tech is only as good as the ideas humans can imagine. Yes, things are different and in those difference ideas of innovation are brought to the table. HIE highlights each difference -each experience.

HIE: HUMAN INNOVATIVE EDGE

The pillars are:

• H – Humans → Recognizing every individual’s unique perspective, experience, and creativity.

• I – Innovation → Harnessing ideas and creativity to drive growth, solutions, and progress.

• E – Edge → Leveraging our people as the competitive advantage — their diverse insights give us the edge.

The opportunity from DEI was quantified in numbers not human currency. Each human experience created a more authentic and complete brand (increasing sales and revenue). Some brands become more than a household name, they became a household member. A good consequence of injecting personal experience into marketing/advertising and branding . Something that has been over looked  and not considered more in communication.

Let’s be honest DEI didn’t work because it carried stigma of some kind for somebody. Enough stigmatization happened that people felt the need to reject and dismiss what DEI really stood for. HIE helps to solidify the important role of humans being the innovative edge.

Companies next step is people

“Powered by people, Driven by ideas”

People have always enhanced technology. For centuries humans have tried to figure out how to be smarter, go faster, breaking barriers for the next generation. The word driving all of it not Artificial Intelligence it’s human intelligence. Like all tech things no longer excite once used or over used. People grow board easily especially now due to the amount of technology out there. Once boredom sets in new ideas are explored and acted upon.

Human ideas are limitless possibilities, AI and other technologies can only evolve with human experience. Not everyone has the same human experience and there lies the potential investment.

Yes, higher for potential; it’s not the same as marriage (had to put some humor in it). Every single experience starts with the possibilities of what a person can achieve. Higher based on potential is like planting a garden, it only grows if the work is put it. That’s what HIE is about; watering human innovation for growth and sustainability.

The Illusion : The foundation society needed to break.

"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others" -  Nelson Mandela

In the current moment society is going through healing and breaking free from illusions and confusion from being in a state of cognitive dissonance. We all have had moments  of “that doesn’t make sense but we got to go along with it” living in a state of unauthentic nature. Going against who we are, it’s fascinating, it reminds me of this looney toon episode when  Bugs Bunny is trying to sleep.Its completely dark one by one lights pop on and he shouts “turn off those lights”. Instead of turning them off society is fighting to keep them on.

Leading me to one question like a fresh baked pie. What are the signs of recovering from cognitive dissonance from a sociological perspective and how is this applicable to brands and businesses?

Before we unpack this luggage keep one thing in mind human rights are the most authentic authority society can express. We are all connected in some way, the healing process is never easy; always liberating.

Now, the definition of cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort, stress, or tension experienced when a person holds two or more conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values, or when their actions contradict their beliefs.

Throughout history people of color, poor, sick and disabled have lived through and experienced the pain from cognitive dissonance. The messages thrown out in society in the past created this confusion. Code switching is another form, society has always try to follow the rules set whether spoken or not. Over the last decade majority of society has fought against the status quo; the “this is how it’s always been.”

Collectively, people have had enough regardless of their views. There’s a reason society and its people don’t want to hide from who they are or what they have learned or experienced; the word is Cognitive Dissonance. Unfortunately, it hides behind a one two punch called NATIONALISM. My theory from the expression of this word is Inclusion is the connector of a persons identity. And social cognitive dissonance impacts the ability to express themselves without thinking.

Over the past week countries have stood up for one cause or another, taking to the streets to say “hey we are here and we are standing our ground.”

Nepal is a very good example: Gen Z generation had enough of the nepotism they felt was taking place. They wouldn’t allow cognitive dissonance to continue in their country anymore , collective action followed. Collectively they made it difficult for the opposition to continue by overpowering those who ignored their human rights.

In other countries like in Paris the people refused to allow rights to be taken away to “fix” the financial crisis taking place.  Society is not going into the next chapter of history blindly anymore. Healing of social cognitive dissonance is a process that may appear as chaotic steps backward.

“To have a comeback, you have to have a setback.”

• Mr T

Cognitive Dissonance is disruptive to the psyche personally and collectively. While this healing occurs in society brands and businesses should be aware of how it will look while society is breaking free from Cognitive Dissonance chains.

I asked ChatGPT to simplify the stages:

1. Re-engagement with Social Roles

2. Strengthening of Social Identity

3. Increased Social Connectedness

4. Embodiment in Collective Practices

5. Restoration of Agency

6. Social Recognition of Healing

7. Engagement in Collective Meaning-Making

Each stage or recovery behavior has a trigger. We will touch on that another day. Today we will stay focused on the actual behavior. Right before Covid people engagement seemed to flow. They knew what their role was in society and how to get up everyday and live that role well. Once Covid became apparent and unavoidable in 2019 ,  roles started change eroding previous foundation of the roles eventually limiting or eliminating that role altogether. It’s taken almost another 7 years to re-engage in the roles people once knew. The problem is those roles no longer carry the same meaning and value, engagement decreases, restructuring happens. Society at large re-engagement has lead to questing current trends and roles authority places on the people.

Stage 2 is triggered by stage one; once people no longer fight against their new roles in society; subcultures embrace their social identity like Gen Z has done in Nepal, or the white male nationalist communities in the United States States. These subcultures of society are trying to reclaim and integrate their identity with in society. The question  boils down to “who am I? And what is my ancestral identity?” Brands can connect using the brands beliefs to solidify their identity in society- events, community engagements, etc.

Followed by the next phase strengthening social identity- these people are who I’m apart of and because of this connection we will always help each other. People have been seeking out life time communities for years, participating in community engagement to foster bonds. Not knowing if their neighbors beliefs will impact the community at large. Now people are more conscious than ever; more aware of the societies current culture of acceptance and dissatisfaction. Trust will no longer be a one way street.

Collectively, when people feel they will no longer be objected to certain behaviors and groups a bond is formed or strengthened between the marginalized groups. Leading to participation in shared rituals and routines without feeling alienated. A perfect example is Terrance Crawfords walk in with a guitar and a mariachi band song.The symbolism touched the Mexican community, embracing him even more, regardless of his African American descent ethnicity. He was welcomed among the Hispanic culture without judgement. Another example is the first ever concert at the Vatican- embracement of African American music when Clipse a hip-hop group walked on stage to perform Birds Don’t Sing a hit song of their new album Let God Sort Em Out.

My theory 4-7 will take some time the people have not perfected their interactions yet, eventually society will start to slowly move towards stages 4-7. Right now people are maneuvering their way around what they once knew vs what they know now. Instead of events causing confusion; it’s causing clarity for some and confirmation for others. Brands and business can help and influence how this happens. When brands are their authentic self regardless of views they thrive better in the communities that accept their beliefs. Even companies can have cognitive dissonance when trying to figure out who to serve. The one way to combat that is not go against their company values and beliefs to appease a certain demographic. If the demographic wasn’t engaging in the first place don’t be inauthentic to get them engaging now. They will feel flim -flamed, bamboozled and lead a stray. That’s what groups cancel because they go digging and they keep receipts. When it’s time they will bring it up and ask “this you?”. Brands and companies can stay away from this by holding steady to companies beliefs and values.

As society moves further away from cognitive dissonance what was once allowed when promoting or selling products and brands will no longer be tolerated. People don’t want to be sold too, they want to feel apart of and see it in their everyday lives.

Goodie Mob said it then, it’s relevant now

In 1998, I remember going to tower records and purchasing the Goodie Mob’s new album Still Standing . Getting home opening the plastic feeling the slick packaging then the smooth plastic cover containing the cd. Hearing the pop when opened and sliding the insert out. I listened to that whole album several times that day. One song in particular stuck and has had relevance throughout the years, especially now; Fly away.

The verses express a similar feeling people currently carry. A feeling of restraint of speech towards misinformation, protest, and disinformation. Over the month and two weeks  have been low impact  protest, and expressions of concern among the public. What has shifted people are tired of the illusion that’s been thrown out into the crowds. People are started to say:

If you don't like what I say

Fly away, fly away

If you don't like where I stay

Fly away (uh huh)

For example in an article by Andrew Ross Sorkin in the New York Times Griffin VS Trump he writes about how Ken Griffin C.E.O for Citadel and and Anil Kashyap, a University of Chicago professor and adviser to the Chicago Fed is standing up and not being complacent anymore by expressing his concerns.

Governor Newsom, Harvard University, Brandon Johnson Mayor of Chicago, many other cities and people are standing up and saying:

If you don't like what I say

Fly away, fly away

If you don't like where I stay

Fly away (uh huh)

People on social media are also doing the same. The social media ecosystem is a mix of gossip, lies,truths and exaggerations. Each post with manipulated content for interaction is corrected by the social community intentionally bullying the bully. Usually ending with “you can keep it scrolling”.

Does this mean history repeats itself unless it’s corrected. My belief is yes. But my belief is not what’s important. What’s important is communities are done with staying quiet. More individuals will find the courage to speak the truth ( sounds like the 40’s,50’s,60’s,70’s , 80’s and 90’s all over again) and if someone doesn’t like it , “they can just fly away”.Judgement from misconception and sniping and clipping is not the trendy thing to do anymore. There’s a slowing down of reacting without facts. When society becomes more authentic toward collective values it pushes away from the voices that spoke so loudly against the collective.

Being authentic is not  a “risk”  in advertising, it’s a is a risk when the culture is used inappropriately. Consumers currently want authentic, generationally authentic. If it’s not genuine folks will create an outpouring of diss approval telling a brand to Fly away, try again but we won’t forget how it started. The masses are not as forgiving as they use to be.

There are brands who’ve not squandered the trust of the patron. Jordan is  one consistent brand, everything and everyone aligns with how and what Jordan stands for. Jordan is an outlier and so are his shoes and brand. His authenticity on and off the court is something to be celebrated. His competitive spirit and “I took that personally” Assertive attitude towards competition drives the purchase. It’s about culture and that’s what the Jordan brand exudes. The brands that are culturally deaf get passed over, get the Not Like Us treatment , or told to Fly away.

Fear, the outlier?

Wooo, this energy is heavy, like Leonidas armer in 300 the movie. It’s cutting and unforgiving, the force of unjustified behaviors is pushing outliers to the front. What’s stopping the change? The energy trying to bind and forcing people away from embracing what has changed and whom is making changes; Fear. Do people fear the outliers of society ? Or is society embracing the outliers? If society is embracing the outliers, why aren’t the outliers being supported?

Let’s define outlier and fear:

Outlier has different meanings; culturally it means: A person or group that doesn’t conform to typical patterns, behaviors, or expectations — someone who stands apart from the majority.

statically speaking- In data, an outlier is a value that lies far outside the range of most other values in a dataset. It’s unusually high or low compared to the rest.

The etymology of fear runs deep and long; fear:

Old English (c. 700–1000 CE)

• The word was fǣr (pronounced kind of like fare).

• It originally meant “sudden danger, calamity, or ambush.”- (an external threat )

Proto-Indo-European (deep root)

• Traced back to PIE root *per- meaning “to try, risk, venture.”

• From this root, English also gets:

• peril (danger)

• experiment (a trying out)

• fear (the anxious response to risk or danger)

Language around the world changes how fear behaves: in Greek and Latin cultural language fear is associated with phobia stemming from the word phobein-to make flee. The word fear is an internal feeling in Latin; metos: dread anxiety to Pavor: trembling,panic,terror, shaking,paralysis.

People panic, tremble, and dread the unknown. The driver is cultural differences, cultural misunderstandings masking the truth about a group of individuals. The social fabric creates outlets perpetuating stereotypes and beliefs about groups of people.

In the book The  Culture of Fear by Barry Glassner, chapter 5 Black Men : How to perpetuate prejudice without really trying; he takes a look back into parts of history, painting a picture of compliancy while being hesitant and slow to correction.

In several of the examples, two stuck out the most. In the early 1990’s media reports hit the airwaves because Florida experienced tourist being  murder creating the headlines Ten tourist Killed in a year. Labeling from the masses as a crime wave. Perspectively, out of 41 million visitors ten murders occurred, the significance of the numbers boils down to 97 percent of all victims of crime in Florida was Floridians. Furthermore, British, German, and Canadian are 70 times more likely to be victimized at home. With all the data and evidence available showing the outcome of crimes against tourist it didn’t detour the headlines. Even though black , Hispanic, and local youth were far more likely to be a victim of crime. Similar situation in New York, innocent bystanders where killed in a cross fire- the news outlets headlines: The sense that it could happen to anybody,anywhere, like a plane crash. In the time New York Daily News reported it as “spillover” affecting the “silk-stocking areas”. Establishing a blueprint for future headlines; furthering panic in the communities: “thanks to crack cocaine epidemic most neighborhoods in the city have to deal with either crack of its foul by products. TV pushed the same rhetoric; Why? In the 1980’s two journalists deemed a term “unblees” meaning unidentified black males. The journalist only reported on what the police gave the most attention to. A study was done pointing to the correlation between downplaying the suffering of victims and news being reported.

What does this have to do with outliers?

Referring back to the above definition black and brown individuals are the outliers of America and other European communities. The push, currently, taking place is towards isolating black and brown people back into communities others deem deserving. People can’t stand outliers even though they aspire to be apart  of the American Dream. Not everyone started from the bottom and work their way up but it’s more individuals than less.

A story of a come up in America is supposed to be a badge of honor, a protective cloth no one dares to touch because it’s self made.

In the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell , chapter 5: The three Lessons of Joe Flom “Mary got a quarter”. He tells a story of a young boy who migrated to America with his parents. His family was simple and not wealthy, he would work towards his dream of being a lawyer with no formal education he set out making away for himself  eventually applying to Harvard Law school. He got accepted with one letter explaining: Why he was the answer to sliced bread.

Once the 60’s rolled in the Jewish lawyers took the cases white shoe firms rejected because they loathed litigating. Opening the door to Jewish law firms becoming some of the most successful practices. He’s an outlier right, absolutely! There’s also several other individuals who have similar if not more dramatic ascensions. His story like so many others ( especially if they immigrated to the area) are not looked currently as success stories. At least not when they should be recognized as successful. The war on the outliers is fascinating, all stemming from words and placement followed with action or in action. Being an outlier in 2025, has not been accepted with ease. Especially, if it goes against some else’s narrative of how things are supposed to work. For instance seeing different nationalities win in a country that’s says winning is important is the most significant achievement in the US, unfortunately, winning over the years has not set right with particular groups of people.

How can this be applied to advertising.

First don’t throw no shoes at me but advertising helped to create the impression and now it can help eliminate them with diversity, with the outliers of the communities they serve . Communicating hot topic message would be beneficial if a rainbow of people are behind it. Outliers like the Kendrick Lamar’s- yes I’m a fan of his come up. And comedians like Kevin on stage, Eddie Murphy, the 85 south comedians , or Jay-z. Each culture has groups of outliers who have mirroring stories. Advertisers can tell those stories and connecting the product will be the go to for a company.  Multicultural advertising keeps the company in the now of culture. There purpose is clear make the company be an outlier within global markets. How does a company due that, due what outliers do by not following the crowd. Outliers see what others don’t, they use what most see as worthless information to their advantage. Creating a campaign isn’t easy knowing the outliers are being frowned upon because of who they are and can’t change. Embracing the outliers of society will have the companies brand recognition standout, connecting and making a long lasting relationship between consumer and business.

Differences, The Connector?

Yesterday, i took a day to observe and process the last few days of social media interactions. Over the last week  conversation is a debate of difference and picking a side. “It’s them against us”, “ they not like us”, “you got regrets now don’t you”; a reoccurring theme underneath- morals, ethics and standards. (We are not having the ethical or moral conversation… at least not yet).

The cultural systems like Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle of the standard of Hip-Hop , ageism, human rights, what does it mean to be American, global politics, global norms, culture, AI psychosis, snitching, ICE, deportation, and quest to takeover cities .Even though people have repeatedly expressed who side  they are own by showing solidarity ( is it ignorantly?) , or condone the behavior (collective knows it immoral?) , its reasoned away ( ashamed of looking foolish?) , deflected regardless of facts and evidence pointing to otherwise (is it denialism?). To keep up a facade of “we are winning, and your mad because…” while on the other end people are saying look at the evidence, who’s “winning” the battle? Holding on to we told you so tighter then a shoe thats too small. Pushing the other side into further denial deepening beliefs and skewed views. Every conclusion leads society closer to new social standards, ethics and rules. The collective is unconsciously dissecting parts of the culture society has had a problem with, issues unresolved and needed to be talked about more often for understanding/innerstanding.Making differences not as important as it is to be connected. Right now it’s facts  based on assumptions, then confirmation of that assumption being fact has people saying “ I told you so”. It’s difficult to prove an opinion without evidence, unfortunately that’s what the current administration is doing. That’s what some influencers are doing.Its social media standards right now, assume until other wise.

My grandma used to say, what you do in the dark will always come to the light. Society is doing just that, digging, searching and keeping records/receipts of immoral behaviors, of deviant acts towards people, contradictions involving promises. Eventually bringing the darkness into the light of the people.

People are seeing past the distractions, and seeing patterns of behavior. It all circles back to ethical norms and societal values. It does come to “Which side are you on?”Good or bad the problem presents society wants a clearer picture of right and wrong . Which is why conservations fall in line with “ who is right/wrong?”

Right and wrongs can be difficult to distinguish because what’s right could be wrong until it’s proven otherwise; vice versa.  Like everyone knows child labor is wrong, the argument happens when people’s only source of survival is engaging in child labor, keeping them blinded from ethical responsibility of keeping kids safe. Another example is guns; folks, know how dangerous it is but because their fears justify their insecurities they will continue to support automatic weapons for human consumption. ( I’m a gun owner but I’m not an advocate for war style weapons in the communities).

The shooting in Minneapolis at the Catholic school along with the other shootings are signs the collectives need to fix a deeper problem. The outcomes of each incident changes the course of future generations.

How can this be applied to adversity and marketing?

Each trend marketing regurgitates from society needs more attention to how the trend started. Yes trends connect to the people but not all trends were intended for all people. Unpacking the taboo is difficult but it can be done in a careful, and deliberate way. The conversations surrounding hot topics are extremely insightful because somewhere between the differences are similarities. Those connections are the golden ticket, it’s the sweet spot of connection. Yes, everyone is different or least trying to be and it’s okay to play around with those connections to draw the lines between dots. On the other hand only connecting with differences  can seclude groups of people who can or have interests in the product, service or brand. Seclusion is a cash flow killer.

Saying the same thing, in a different way

I was talking with my son the other day, he was trying to explain to me what happened to him at school. Due to his diagnosis of autism it can impact his speech most time. He explains with his hands, details, and sometimes the exact wording. As he explains I have to actively listen with all my senses. While I’m processing what he’s saying in my head I’m  replacing the description , and examples , with words.When I repeat what he said to me I say the words he I think he’s looking for, sometimes,he gets frustrated with me. I think , “I’m  saying it differently than how he understands it.” To ease his frustrations with me I explain to him people can say the same thing, in different ways. It made me remember growing up in the south, and how people had these explanations for why something is the way it is.  How folks, (I’m showing my country today) greeted each other, how they interpreted it then responded/reacted to each other.

Conversation on social media and music culture in the last few weeks have followed this same vibe. Misunderstandings due to cultural and social language barriers.

Tyla- South African singer/pop artist used a word (colored) to describe herself.She spoke about it in British Vogue . In black America colored is associated with negative emotions.

In South African culture it doesn’t mean the same, her context is “mixed”.

The way words are used will make a person say “where are you from?”before they even respond to what was said.

Miscommunication is one of the biggest issues of disagreements and misjudgment. Most assumptions are formed by perspective.

From a marketing standpoint

When perspective is defined one way but it’s not defined in the same theme as another group, it can back fire hurting the brand. Tyla new album suffered because of it. The conclusions a person’s already has can sway how a person feels towards any service or product. What people know of words is from their experiences.

We all saying the same thing, it’s just in different ways.

For instance the continent of  Africa has over 1500 languages , each country has its own language plus more. In Zulu language-sanibonani  bafowethu nodadewethu -translates hello my brothers and sisters. Zulu, as well as other nations in Africa  greet each other with kinship- words like isis( sister), bhuti( brother), mfo. More examples:

• Shona (Zimbabwe): Mukoma (older brother), Munin’ina (younger sibling), Baba (father), Amai (mother).

In American culture, calling someone brother or sister is not always received in a positive manner. Instead, words like my guy, homie, G , brah etc., are considered kinship ; depending on the state. As I dive deeper into the connection between languages, I’ve noticed language is a mixture of what once was and what is now. How we say a phrase/word is more important now days than it was before. Some phrases are translated differently not by some random occurrence; it’s created by the culture.

Books, will never die

Every where on social media an out cry to save the book. Since, policies have in acted to ban books for “inappropriate reasons”, the collective have admittedly expressed disappointment in the policies. Policies impacting creative expression to suppress minority voices. Every expression over the years have modeled and inspired the next generation, and the generation after that. Books have and still are where we all get our information from including AI. Especially, AI,online books and articles are training alongside human hands. This makes information accessible; enlightening,guiding the new generation of the world. This would be perfect if authorities wouldn’t try to control and silence because the highest bidder told them to do so. The manipulation and misinformation being spread out into mainstream has turned people trust into skepticism of the source. A physical book is where people will revert to for a quality source of information. While AI is working out its moral, ethical and factual issues the book will still remain supreme. A article published by Midland Paper ( Midland paper) January 13,2025 “Though unit sales of print books rose by less than 1% in 2024 over 2023, it was the first annual increase in three years at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Unit sales totaled 782.7 million in the year ended Dec. 28, 2024, compared to 778.3 million in 2023.” For libraries there’s been a significant acceleration in usage, pre-pandemic levels. Due to open access to equipment,internet and digitization of books has opened the door for more reading. According to the American Library Association.

People’s insatiable appetite for facts and information leading to answers aka the truth will drive usage in an upward trend over the next couple of years.

Music, especially Hip-Hop now will propel more youth to read books. Lyrical rhymes- figurative language metaphors, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, personification, imagery, rhyme along with several others wouldn’t have happened without a good book. From Nas to Jay-z to Kendrick to J.Cole alongside so many others speak about reading a book, including a book in their music videos. lyricist, are historians writing about the cultural’s history and present circumstances. Jay-Z had his work honored at the Brooklyn Public Library with an exhibition- The Book of Hov at their central location. Each hip-hop artist is a writer and writers read. The ones who don’t the collective audience are more aware than they use to be. Banning books, restricting books only push people into good trouble, trouble that protest injustice laws to silence or limit the creative, information, and facts from the world.

What one does in darkness will always come to the light. The current darkness is the silencing and manipulation of information through technological means. The light are people seeing the truth of the matter.

The book is and always will be king; it doesn’t matter how many times silencers emerge and attack information it will keep the world wanting more, going after the ‘why is this bad and I want to see it for myself’, behavior; AI, won’t push out the book neither. The gravitational pull of the truth with detailed accounts and in depth storytelling is why the book will continue to remain supreme because information being presented forces skepticism.

Cartoons, the nonsense solution

While I’m eating my fruity pebbles watching scooby-doo a flash of cartoons runs across my thoughts. Suddenly a question- are cartoons the nonsense solution? I know right how in the world can a solution be nonsensical, that is a contradiction,right?

Well I went searching on different ai and search engines. Google provided the chemical Guys; according to CHATGPT-a nonsense solution generally refers to a proposed answer or outcome that does not logically follow from the problem, makes no practical sense, or fails to resolve the issue it’s supposed to address.

Cartoons in general make satire of life, it take what already doesn’t make sense and multiples it, to make it even more questionable- I.e why, oh my gods, they took it too far, the that doesn’t make sense.  Watching a cartoon requires little thought, I believe that done intentionally due to the storyline and circling back to what the cartoon was about in the first place. There’s always a problem, action, and solution in every cartoon. The problem mirrors current events or situations; sequence of events usually make very little sense except for resilience towards solving the problem.

Perfect example: Amazing world of gumball, first it’s a family of anthropomorphic cats and fish, the secondary characters are fall in the same category like the t-Rex or balloon. First nonsense- dad doesn’t work and he’s not very intelligent but his big heart is his intelligence, the mom is an overachiever, protective and very dominant. Gumball is imaginative, outspoken and stubbornly funny, the sister she extremely intelligent, but doesn’t allow her intelligence to override her love for her family. The adopted brother is a fish he’s completes the family the one who is emotionally empowering and mature towards/for the family. The situation they get into are caused and complicated by their actions. Once everything is “back to normal” the realization of the lesson takes its true course the solution- what they learned.

Within the nonsense there was a solution, that solution not solve the problem, it also taught a lesson. The nonsense solution, it didn’t make sense then but it makes sense now.

Now some comparisons in the world of reality, the solution that’s been proposed over the last decade for problems like homelessness, climate, food, energy, poverty and other issues plaguing people have been out of the box-also in the box. It only helps the ones who can afford it, verse helping all those who can be benefit from the help. The real solution are not exclusive they are inclusive and emotional intelligent, unfortunately that solution is like emotions it takes time and patience to understand what is happening and how to fix it. Even fixing takes time. Some situations are a distraction to the actual solution. Like in current times “cover-up” is now viewed as a solution. Or deflection from the realities of the coverup being the solution. That’s real nonsense; repeating non solutions for actual solutions.

Cartoons are a very good example of breaking a cycle- looking at a problem from a unique perspective a child’s eyes. Children carry no boundaries society eventually indoctrinates societal rules and norms. Before that happens children often solve a problem through twist, turns, struggles eventually coming to societal conclusions or their own. In a previous blog Word Flip I touched on the word bully in Japanese context- the word is used more intentional for “ not fitting in” this is what society does to individuals who think and move differently. In cartoons those different solutions are not just heard there action following it. No matter how unusual, unique or outrageous, they try it and if it doesn’t work another solution shows itself. The nonsense solution takes the gold every time - what appears nonsense it wasn’t at all, it actually makes sense when it’s applied then enacted.

How does all this tie into creativity and marketing- some solutions are not logical, shit , they are not even connective to the actual product until the end. All the twist and turns keep consumer on an endless “what’s next rollercoaster”.  How will they ,wow again ? Can it out wow the last time? Toward each wow, creativity leans further and further away on what’s sensible to nonsense. Like, the liquid death ad- it made sense but it didn’t make sense. All the elements were there telling a story and facts at the same time. Very satire of high school kids and great play on words- very much dark humor. All that being said I was intrigued by the ad.

The soft life

What does that mean? Is it for everyone? How does a soft impact life? What does a soft life look like? Is a soft life really achievable?

What is a soft life-

There’s not a single definition, it’s more of an expression of what a ‘flowing’ lifestyle means. In these current times the grind has been king, unfortunately, it’s lead to more burnout and chaos then actually having a good life. Folks squeeze in time for self-care, for family, for friends. That squeeze is already stretched with the other stresses plaguing their existence.

Hard work is hard work nothing in this life is actually easy. That being said it doesn’t mean it can’t be soft in other aspects of one’s life.

For some a Soft life doesn’t necessarily mean not working neither, it means a balance of energy and time, of complexity and simplicity, of hurt and love, of hard work and easy work.

Black woman are speaking on this idea of soft life. They see other successful women with partners , and single with lives that feel or seem effortless. 312,000 black woman have been impacted by societies conclusion about them. These conclusions have had black women reassess how they are living with knowing/feeling no where “safe” enough to live the soft life. No most black women/ women in general will not be extremely wealthy( that’s another topic for another observation) that doesn’t mean they can’t live an extremely comfortable lifestyle that fits them.

This soft life is not limited to black women, other ethnicities, should also be able to live the soft life. This isn’t about race it’s about equality and the fairness to live life peacefully until God calls us home. In other parts of the world a soft life hasn’t been achieved or will ever be achieved due to the lack of unrest; restrictions.

Some would say the soft life can only be achieved through hard work. Now why does everything need to be difficult for it to be successful. Hard work doesn’t equate to a good life it equates to a tired life. Others would say I’m only working hard to live day to day. There’s no soft life, between two jobs, three children and a relationship that may or may not be going well , has an impact on life and

, how soft it can or can’t be.

Some picture soft life as a a free life, free from the constraints of everyday life. Distant between knowing who you are and what you deserve (actually living it) and living within everyone’s biases, notions, judgments, and expectations just to survive daily existence. Women especially black women have work hard for others, taking care of others, planning and praying for others ( sometimes by choice sometimes not) . Now in 2025, the climate says:  “that may have possibly was done in vain”.

The soft life impact- having a soft life feels like comfort at every moment of life , like walking around with a soft comforting blanket. Using that blanket as protection from the outside noise.

A soft life impacts health,wealth and happiness all the necessities of a prosperous lifestyle. Soft life is indicates a longer lifespan.

Stress is multi layered with several variables impacting some or all parts of life. General stress I.e physical,mental, emotional, habitual and relationships have triggers those triggers lead towards some type of response (coping and non-coping mechanism) Stresses have categories: political, social, professional, policy these all can a have catastrophic or beneficial effect.

For instance a house hold has food insecurity- individual stressor on anyone involved followed by group stress ( each personality handles stress differently, how it’s handled can affect cumulative stress) . If the household has food insecurity issues then financial insecurity is probably the bigger picture. Political Policies exasperate the stress in one direction or the other. This is part of soft life the ability to know the necessity are taking care of, not stealing from one pot to put in the other , recycling the system to get by.

Soft life is more than the material it’s living an authentic life

unapologetically.

Are people entitled to a soft life? In my opinion Hell yeah they are! Unfortunately, it’s not in my hands, it’s in everyone’s hands to help each other live softer more peaceful lives.

How is this connected to marketing:

Companies products in some fashion or form help reduce the general stressors. Tapping into the soft life mentality is connecting the problem with a solution. “Not everything will

Be soft but we make a product or provide a service helping you achieve that soft life you’re looking for”. This statement is not superficial by any means because the company who says can back it up with experience, pricing and convenience. They back it up with the details of each valued customer; tailoring product and experience. The campaigns show insights and connections for different demographics, subcultures and groups.

Is a soft life possible ,yes.

Is it easily achievable that’s debatable. Can companies enhance a soft life? Yes. It’s up to them how they choose to incorporate a more soft life culture and in their products and services.

Lier, lier, pants on fire

Children use to chant this when I was growing up. It was usually to someone thought lying or not being completely true. Collectively, people are saying this same chant in a more creative ways with memes,trolling or just directly calling them liars.Especially,to people who continue to lie, or mislead individuals into miseducated assumptions.

Currently, there are several instances the masses are calling for full authenticity, one is with Drake & Kendrick Lamar (k.dot) battle started last year; Kendrick asked Drake to be more authentic. Drake actions in hip-hop culture for suing UMG after the success of Kendrick’s win in the battle was perceived as a disrespect to hip-hop. This has forced people to take a second look at Drake authenticity- is he just cosplaying some of the characteristics of a poor socioeconomic culture that a lot of inner city and rural suburbs youth experience.

The request of authenticity ( albums like DAMN ,Pimp A Butterfly and so many others) didn’t start with Drake but it is ending with Drake. It’s bigger than Drake, it’s asking music especially hip-hop to be authentic again, to be more than a show.

This message regardless of how sub grouped of society it is, it made and is making an impact.

Another instance is the request of companies to not just talk about it be about it. People are not willing or wanting to purchase from companies that are ‘against the interests of the people’. People are very aware of consumer and corporate relationships; collectively the relationship is deeper ,and some companies are also digging deeper into their relationships with their clients. It’s more of what is the brand doing to help or hinder society as a whole. The collective is digging deeper into connections, culture and internal relationships, while exploring their own authentic identity and internal relationship with self and self beliefs. It’s reflected in their politics and personal understanding of current events on social platforms.

Some companies are trying their best to hide their stances on different topics;getting called lier,lier pants on fire when information reflects the opposite.There’s a harsh penalty for not being authentic. Consequences like the bottom line and customer base fade into obscurity.

Another example is in the current administration. Data from majority of outlets speak of negative approval ratings , other alternative sources report numbers more favoring. This will and is creating conflict and distrust between mainstream media and alternative sources. Figuring out who’s right is making a bubble of frustration and fear. Frustration - people will request and require constancy and truth;in fear people will give in or just comply due to fear of retaliation and rejection of believing differently. There are far more people frustrated than fearful.

In the current figures of the American Eagle Sydney Sweeney ad people not only said “we feeling like this is shade”,they also went digging. Digging into her political views and other statements taking notes and drawing their on conclusions. That information changed the view point of more than a  few people,  followed: dropping sales. On the opposite end Levies sales increased. Beyoncé’s authenticity and what she stands for matches what Levi’s is/has stood for solidifying the relationships between Levi’s , influencer and, consumer.

Its authenticity- AI, Google,social media, the internet make it hard and not so hard to be completely authentic. “It’s a show” life is a show- unfortunately a show is entertainment and being completely authentic is not always entertaining.

The collective is asking to not have to figure it out, it’s a collective clarity. A truth that’s not clouded with falsities, and illusions. They don’t want tricks they want to be allowed to choose based on facts. The collective is very aware of manipulation they are keeping receipts off all behavior that contributes to  lier lier behavior.

The Word Flip

The other day I was talking with my daughter’s friend’s parent. The conversation went into variety of topics, one topic had my mind wandering to the question of how did we get here?

The topic: etymology of names.

Every name has a meaning behind it and a story about how their parents came up with that name. Name entomology can impact the history and possible future of the person.  We continued conversing about where and how things got started the possible why’s and some solutions.

When I sat down after a long day it kept eating at me, how did we get here, when did the Flip happen and why?

There’s a lot to unpack, and no, it can’t happen all in this blog.

Instead we’ll take a few bites/words tracing /tracking how , why, who,what,when and where the changes “Flip” happened.

Today’s word is Bully- this particular word I’ve heard on many occasions in the last 274 days.

We all know this negatively charged word and the implications of someone being labeled a bully.

Where did the word bully originate? …

The word bully according to Webster Dictionary : a blustering, browbeating person

especially  : one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable

This definition is used frequently and most known in Western society.

But how was it first used?

The origin of Bully has Dutch roots, boel- meaning lover, brother/ mate. Other uses include pleasure or fate.

In 16th century (Early Modern English)  the English used it as a term of endearment- gender fluid; A excellent person, it was more soft and affectionate.

By the 17 century it flipped completely into a similar definition we have today. A protector of prostitutes.

A brutish person with threatening behavior to persons who are weaker.

Shakespeare’s use of the word change the context to : a swagger a bully, a “ragged fellow”

By the 1710 the context changed from brother, ragged fellow to overbear.

The shift from positive to negative has an antecedent ,admiration , admiration for telling a story.

Shakespeare’s strong influence on Western culture has impacted a lot of the ways words are used today.

What about how other cultures use the word?

Bully in Japanese; kanji- いじめ - ijime. Ijimekko-いじめっ子 (a bully child) means harassment,teasing- when it’s persistent, or systematic harassment.

Culturally bullying in English vs Japanese language has distinguishing characteristic differences . Let’s unpack the kanji further 荷 core meaning torment, oppress, harass. Classical Japanese usage -to scold or reprimand.

Similar meaning in word family associated with the attributes of the word bully.

The English meaning of bully being used interchangeably in many instances limiting the seriousness , other cultures like Japanese is more rooted in cultural meaning.

The word flip is difficult to create when the root meaning is engraved into the cultural landscape. Words with historically change through cultural norms are more likely and able to be interpreted in a variety of contexts.

People’s reactions to a word like bully is based on the historical uses of the word. The lack of seriousness and consistency allows the western world to use it in a variety of ways limiting the impact of this particular word.

The “Creative Foul”

“Flag on the play”, “foul, shoot 2…” Sports have penalties if rules/boundaries are crossed. Why can’t creative works have a “creative foul?”For the tone deaf, the unempathetic, the disconnected, and the overuser. There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by great works and trends, but let’s keep away from the unoriginal, deflated, and flat creative works. 

Anytime I see work that is disconnected from the culture or individuals it is supposed to represent, I want to have a big red button that stops it right then and there, with the words “creative foul” layered over the work. 

The “creative foul”, isn’t biased, it doesn’t discriminate, it can be found across all genres, disciplines, and fields. The thought that went into the work was not thought-provoking but malicious in nature. The utter disregard and disrespect for others is blatant when work is culturally deaf.  

Should the creative be responsible for misrepresenting the culture of a people?  Can the creative become resentful for people who find their work a “creative foul”? Should the creative be shamed? 

The creative is responsible for their creation. They made it, researched and put it together, it was their vision, their perspective. The problem is not the work but the biases they have are reflected in their work. How they feel about a group of people can’t be washed away with the colors, fonts or camera angles. The industry has had over 60 years to understand and apply the lessons and scientifically backed data showing how the entertainment and advertising industry has the most impact by spreading information and influence. Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped; if anything, it appears to have snowballed into riches for the ones who disregard cultural boundaries. 

The creative shouldn’t be resentful, will that stop them, no. Take Kanye West and his current dealings with the public. He appears resentful, resentful of how he’s not receiving support like Kendrick, j.Cole and other artists. At some point the creative needs to see they have crossed a line, that line is not everyone’s ethics and understanding, it’s their own. There are some lines if you cross it must be done very carefully. Other artists like Puffy and R-Kelly’s thoughts had to be the same: “people love me because I make great work,” but then the people find out your work was one big “creative foul” on society. 

I saw a post that said, “Bring back shame.” Shame has been misused for many years against many individuals to make them feel bad for going forward with the opposite status quo. Is shame necessary in society? Unfortunately, yes, because the world has rules, now what those rules are and how people are shamed has completely changed over the last forty years. It’s not a shame, anyone, it’s called canceled. “Canceled” has the same effect as “you do wrong and the collective agrees it crossed the line.” Cancellation procedures are activated and initiated to remove or take it down. No one wants to be canceled, but “F around and Find out” is a great way to describe the response of an intentional “creative foul”. 

I’m AI it will be difficult to shame a bot, there no emotion, nothing to provide regulation of right and wrong, no consciousness. AI is not best for connecting humans, it’s not best for communicating authentic experiences. 

AI can be very useful for imagining a future of tasks, meaningless or not. It’s not for connecting (we’ve seen how that’s working out for Meta Instagram), communicating or building authentic relationships. Ai is a recycler of the original. It tries to connect, unfortunately, “creative fouls “, happen left and right once ai becomes “emotional”. Going off script, rogue from what it’s coded to do. The rogue becomes the “creative foul” with its responses. It’s not meant to tell the future, or be an emotional responder, it doesn’t need to replace human experience, intelligence or interactions because it will lead to many “creative fouls”. Why? Humans have difficulty providing culturally relevant experiences that they have not experienced themselves. AI is a bunch of code, and that codes have responses. if the responses are not from the person it’s representing, the response will be convoluted. 

It reminiscent of current events within the first 100 days of the new administration,  when JD Vance made untrue statements about Ukraine’s people, President Zelensky stood two feet down, letting him know “ he knew nothing about the Ukrainian people.  The outcome for each culture is left feeling dismissed and disrespected due to a misinformed understanding instead of life experience. No, what is done is research and ai now. All those actions taken still won’t provide the knowledge and emotional connection needed towards the people experiencing the encounter. 

Society and the creative industry can avoid “creative fouls” by understanding that realistic experiences come from the people actually living them every day. And no matter how much AI is thrown out there, if it’s not created by an individual who has first-hand knowledge know it will be called out for a “creative foul”. 

The conscious revaluation:

Juelz in pulp fiction played by Samuel l Jackson had a moment of clarity in the diner after a task gone wrong. He expressed two things: one, quoted Ezekiel 25:17 he always quoted he didn’t really know what it meant it; two, his near death experience . 

As he conversed with Vincent a realization about the job he just did  would be his last.  As he spoke about why he had an a conscience revaluation Vincent face built up with questions . He discovered if he didn’t change his position , it will eventually take him out. 

In real life we all have these conversations, conversations shining light on who we are as people. In society there’s a tendency to deny the revaluation and act as though there’s nothing that needs changing. “If anything the only change that needs to happen is go back wards”, is how it being proposed to the collective .Unfortunately, the change that occurred (good or bad) it needed to happen. No one deserves to have bad things happen to them, the by product of those bad/wrong things are meant to initiate a revaluation, an epiphany towards making life and the life of others better. 

His moment of clarity is not a faint dream, but a reality that starts with acceptance. Then a final “you know what I’m not doing this anymore.” This applies to all aspects of personal and non personal affairs. When he expressed this to Vincent, Vincent reaction like most is why? Why change now things? aren’t things good? Aren’t you wealthy?. Even though juelz already explained why, he reiterated  again. This scene is a small mirror into reality. The people set out to change ready for their conscious revaluation  want to do it without feeling doubt or guilt. 

The knowing what no longer served him is attributed to his near death experience, the wanting to be apart of society without the destruction.

Why would anyone want to challenge their own comfort? The reasons vary, some reasons come from knowing there is something more to their life, others do it for health reasons,emotional reasons, reasons that honestly don’t need explanation. The only need to know is, change the individual wants will happen.That’s what Juelz did after delivering the case to his boss, telling him he was out of the game. 

Juelz is like society right now, there’s a conscious revaluation going on it’s small but mighty. People did and have wanted change but they never understood what that really meant.

How did he get there, remember prior he had a near death experience. He couldn’t explain how or why he wasn’t hit with any of the bullets. He felt like it was a miracle,and even in miracles people questioned why. Those moments / miracles happened everyday sometimes it ignites a clear mind. A reset, placing everything in perspective. In society the  appearance of conscious revaluation shows in policy, how policy can change people’s lives for the better or worse. In current history policy is not based off of conscious revaluation but on personal devaluations, denial and projection. A stagnant economy and dismal public services is a clear indication of how devaluations are now valued as revaluation. It’s not and humans know it’s not, they are able to see the past and now aware of their future, starting up their own conscious revaluation, revaluation of their beliefs, biases and devaluations. 

Juelz just like so many other characters in movies,music and cultural expressions show humans they can have a conscious revaluation  without shame, without fear and with confidence. 

“Now all you gotta do is…”

Getting into the creative industry is not as easy as it sounds or looks. Creatives have worked on their craft for years - constantly. While some receive encouragement others continue the process without a shoulder to lean on. 

In the last 20 years social media has changed most people’s perception about being a creative.Before social platforms became popular, to be an artist means to become a contemporary artist,clothing designer or by the 1950’s advertising. Others were not provided knowledge of either direction. Cultural influence played a major role in curving the creative inside. Older generations would  “advise” to the next generation “ya don’t want to be a struggling artist all your life, become a doctor, lawyer,someone that will make some money and we can be proud of.” Whoever expressed these ideas didn’t realize, that child already knew what they wanted to do in life, instead of discouraging it, encourage it. Water their inspirations make it grow with positive and realistic goals. With the avenues available they can reach for their dreams. 

Exploration of expression creates a confident, and conscious individual. 

To be a successful creative is not an over night success, (when it is, it doesn’t last long) , it’s a consistent experience of trying-failing and trying again. The easy is saying it, the difficult is continuing regardless of situation and circumstances. 

The down side to exploring each avenue a person runs into,“All you just got to do is” a ridiculous statement, because there’s always more to it. Sometimes starting is difficult, the not knowing where to start, whom to ask, or even what to start with. Sometimes it mental road blocks keeping the person off the starting line. It could be the environment is toxic, there’s no encouragement only discouragement. Maybe it’s a skill holding the dream back.Maybe just maybe it’s a person’s fear that’s holding them hostage. No one will know, and to be honest it doesn’t matter, what matters is how you help guide them to their destination. No one really needs to hear “all ya got to do is”, instead  a more open, realistic statement maybe “whatever you do don’t stop until it happens,if I can help I will.”

The creative industry has been turned upside down with creative and social platforms. No more pay wall stopping talent. There are ways now to create and live off the creation. No it’s not a “all you got to do” but it is another avenue. There’s a saying if the door won’t open knock it down, if it won’t break , climb through the window. Knowing there are possibilities increases the ability to take that one step. If that one full step is difficult take a baby step. All steps add up and move you forward. Creative evolution is like a new baby learning how to move, how to think, and how to communicate to the world. It’s not a fast process, it takes years, ( even as adults) people still go through the growth cycle. 

Growth doesn’t happen with “all ya gotta do” it happens with one step at a time, encourage from oneself, and mission to knock down whatever walls need to be broken. 

The Creative breath

When I used to travel a lot, I ran into eccentric individuals. I thought maybe it’s their profession, no, I was wrong, this is the case even in the educational system. They would say,” Never thought of myself as creative”, my usual response, “everyone is creative”. I typically receive the most astonished look. It’s all a perspective, what we tell ourselves. What’s said inside is not positive, especially when comparisons are everywhere.

When I would go to a museum, I could see only beauty, but when I expressed my creative version, I didn’t see the same. Those voices, tapes keep people from breathing, breathing creativity into their lives.

Human creativity is waking up every day to figure out how to make it work for them. In this daily grind, a new way of seeing the world and how their world is manifested through the creativity of solving problems.

When rules and regulations are introduced to limit breathing creativity into the world, people become rebellious. Rebellion against what is limiting their expression as a human.

Expression breathes life into the mundane, the boring. Perfect example of expression: clothing; layered and odd shapes, colors, sizes, mimics nature. It all falls in creating a more authentic world for themselves.

People want to feel unique but part of a group, different but the same, connected and independent. People are not a one-size-fits-all; they are ever-changing, like art, like music, because we’re not meant to stay the same. We are meant to evolve, look at our mistakes, and make the proper adjustments.

The world we live in was created from a breath. When we wake up, the trees breathe, the animals breathe, everything breathes a new day. A new day to make something beautiful, to be beautiful, to spread beauty. Whether it’s crunching numbers or making an advertisement, know you are breathing creativity into the world.

Everybody got a role aka “The niche”

Social media has fully assimilated into society, the role social media plays has now out way the scholastic media; The Landscape has completely changed. How information is reported now may fall under false information, disinformation, or misinformation. Media outlets are abiding by their oath as an agency to provide relevant, factual, and documented information. Media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, ABC, New York Times are now overshadowed by “public opinion”; unfortunately, public opinion is exactly what it expresses, an opinion. Yes, some opinions become fact because evidence confirms. That still doesn’t make it a fact,

merriam-Webster's Dictionary Definition:

a

: something that has actual existence

space exploration is now a fact

b

: an actual occurrence

prove the fact of damage

2

: a piece of information presented as having objective reality

These are the hard facts of the case.

3

: the quality of being actual : actuality

a question of fact hinges on evidence

A fact is actual, it wasn’t created out of thin air. The existence of evidence can be disputed turning the assumption to fact, Its like science when they ask to offer your theory and then you present the evidence to support that theory.

The current power structure also exhibits and is playing its role in society as the villain, the villain who is trying to change the facts to match their opinions.

The people combating that role are the truth tellers, the fact checkers, and just like a bad dream, or a replay of devastating history, they are being silenced through various means.

The tale of fact vs. fiction lives because everyone continues to play their role.

How is this connected to “Everyone Got a Role to play?” Let me get to the point, people have chosen which role they want to play, the opinionator or the fact checker. They choose consciously, basing their approach of being one or the other on financial gain, fame, or companionship.

Remember in Higher learning, the Young White male who was socially awkward gravitated to a group of people who made him feel included. Their inclusivity confirmed his biases/opinions against a group of individuals because of his low self-esteem. Creating a false feeling of being embraced, finding his tribe.

Social media is “the high learning” of society; it has created pockets of positive tribes and people able to find their role. On the other hand, it has shed light on the opinionator and the fact checker; they are not called that on social media, they are called the Hater and the congratulator. Honestly, the Congratulator is a dying breed,

If an individual has never experienced social media and decides to sign up, they will try to stay in the gray, using their discretion on what’s believable and what’s not. Eventually, it will lead to the hater or the congulator and that will become their niche, their everybody got a role, they will play that role very well because they will receive the attention, positive or negative, it’s all the same, it gets you paid.

There are some new social media apps combating the current landscape of everybody's role. It’s slowly changing what side people want to be on in history and society.

Think about what your role is in the social landscape, changing how society moves. Once upon a time, one person didn’t have an impact on a larger scale; now, just a click away, you and anyone else can make a difference. So, which role will you play

Where are all the Characters?

Where are all the Characters?

“You are not your characters, but your characters are you.”

– Raymond Carver

It’s a person, place, or thing; it all carries a personality. Like Bugs Bunny, "Bugs was not the creation of any one man; however, he rather represented the creative talents of perhaps five or six directors and many cartoon writers”, including Charlie Thorson.

They constructed a complex, funny, witty, and clever character. Yes, I believe he’s complex- his intelligence allows him to detach from his feelings. Keeping him one step ahead, to detach, there’s a constant need for thought, quick thinking keeps him alive. The problem is that most believe he doesn’t care or have feelings; he shows how much he cares anytime there’s trouble or some form of bullying involved. That’s another aspect of his character, being the hero while feeling like no one can help. Being helped by Bap’s bunny is a shocker to him. He’s also accepting. Usually, being the one playing with love in some way, but this in-love is different because he now becomes the damsel in distress, adding another layer to his complexity.

You’re not the character, you're the creator of that character. The creation is a mesh of different parts of society. The character mimics characteristics of human experience.

A perfect example is in the Matlock episode:

“The Legacy” aired November 19, 1992. - Plot: “Ben Ponders a 40-year-old link between his father and the playwright’s murder”

There was a scene where Charlene Matlock (Matlock’s daughter and a lawyer) asked one of the suspects a few follow-up questions: one question in particular was “ How can you write about something you have no experience in?” The suspect responded, “The teacher told me to write about what I don’t know; it allows our imagination to explore.” anyone who is reading this please don’t write about experiences that occur shouldn’t come from the imagination. That will step on peoples culture, and also will be tone deaf to the audience) .

That’s what makes the best kind of character the experience. Experience can teach more than reading, watching a video, or visiting a facility with cultural knowledge. It’s like Kendrick Lamar says it’s not Enough. The writer is doing an injustice to the character's evolution if they don’t experience what they are writing about.

Characters all around, characters are not only human:

How about a font? A font is simple, right? Yes, a font can appear simple-looking, but what it expresses is much louder than what it looks. It reminds me of a little girl with a booming singing voice, it’s not what it appears to be. Fonts are like puzzles, one has to figure out how each angle, slant, and weight fits into the puzzle called a brand. The choice of font is a meticulous task; if chosen right, it will bring the story to life ( possibly positive to say, Judge a book by its cover).

Font can be perceived as unstable, Happy, sad, curious, sneaky, or horrific. The font tells a story before the story is daybude, the stories will tell themselves, it becomes effortless, Spot lighting the story/brand, while the people it connects with feel included and inspired to continue the story they want to tell.

• Characters are in everything, everywhere, all at once. See what I did there ( I chuckle, anyway), a character is not only the person but it's everything, the color, the font, fabrics, patterns, animals, trees, birds, and the bees. It’s all the characters in this story called the world, and every interaction. So next time you look at an object, person, or place, think of the character it will express.

What the F*ck Kanye

What the FUCK KANYEEEEEE? 

Is he a foe or friend?

Over the last couple of weeks, Kanye West aka Ye has been the spot light of everyone's conversations, Normally, his rants and brief blowouts afterward seemed to take a backseat to his creativity. The African American populous has looked over, shoved under the bed, and even dismissed Kanye's behaviors since he let the world know of his Bipolar diagnosis. He has gotten pass after pass from disruptive outbursts, but when and where does society draw the line between mental illness and toxicity? How can one tell if someone has used their diagnosis and creativity to manipulate a situation in their favor? What is normal behavior in today’s society with the back-and-forth banter from supposed leaders boasting and bragging about how they can a lone help the American people? How about the abnormal behavior of crossing boundaries? When has it ever been okay to purposely hurt or defame to get what one wants, it could be money, power, or the complete opposite they want to be left alone, they are screaming for attention, self-sabotaging, ready to end it all sometimes. Is that what Kanye West is doing, to be frank Kanye,; well no one, will know what Kanye is up to except for Kanye West. What can be said is Kanye appears to have a plan in the works, now I don’t know if this plan is well thought out for the exit strategy from different contractual obligations, but what is known is that he has some behaviors that have always been called into question. Those behaviors backlash ( or what I like to call Black lash-being in the media’s reel when exhibiting deviant behaviors longer than the counter people.) For a while, he then goes on the record about what he was going through. Now, there was a real sympathetic outpour of support because we all know mental health is nothing to play around with, unfortunately at this point is it still an excuse to perpetuate non-productive mentalities against any ethnic group. I’m not going to say Ye is all wrong what I can say is he is wrong about how he is going about whatever situation he’s trying to get rid of.  It’s not okay that hurt people hurt people, it’s not okay to displace one’s anger on a group of people. African Americans have seen, experienced, and still fight to this day for this maladaptive behavior to dissipate. Instead, it appears he is using the same tactics as the prior US President. Providing imaginary power to any bigot, or racist who felt unsure if it was truly okay to speak whatever came to their mind (out loud) with “I’m fighting racism with racism.” Slavery was a choice, how about white Lives Matter Shirts? Okay, Kanye we understand for one to wants to be apart of the game one has played the game, but is he playing too close to the fire?  Kanye’s History has told us yes he’s dangerously close again but every time something saves him, ask yourself does that make him right? 

The White Man Complex 

Before you shoot the messenger white culture has been the epicenter of behavioral interaction. From how One shakes hands to how a person looks down to the color of their skin. Black men over time have appeared to act, do, and sound like white men, mainly for protective purposes eventually gravitating towards the sunken place. We all know it’s difficult to keep one self dignity, integrity, and self-efficacy intact when assimilating into a particular group of people. Why should a black man have to, anyway, because society has continued to defame, project, and misplace information which becomes a stigma to be black and a man.  

Black people have struggled to find their place in a world that seems to throw them away when they are unable to provide some kind of service that they seem fit. In a society where being yourself was deemed illegal laws against dress, hair, and other things deemed black where put into place. The black fight to become another active person in society has yet to end. 

Since this fight has not ended some black men appear to take the saying “if I can’t beat them, join them”, to a whole new level. They are walking, talking, and spreading maliciousness because that’s what they see/hear to obtain this power and respect their counterparts are experiencing. We can’t expect enough white men in power at this time to show up and show out, we can only expect the majority of them to be out for themselves, and how they can benefit from whatever opportunity. For Black men, this perspective does more harm than good. Pushing their homeschooling away while accepting to be the token boy. Don’t believe for one moment that all black men are leaning towards this White man Complex. There are LeBron James, Denzel Washington, Harry Belafonte, James Baldwins, Kendrick Lamars, Jay-Zs, and Lil Babys out here in the world more than the switcharoos. That doesn’t make the switcharros any more dangerous to the culture. It’s dangers because it opens a door that black people have been slowly closing for years, being bigotry and hate don’t live in these walls.  

The door which I’m referring to is the door of the Freedom to be. Be whomever and whatever one wants to be with no red tape. Now, from the outside looking in, white males and people, in general, are treated differently versus people of color, it can be obvious if one wants to see it. There’s no excuse for why, fortunately, there are a lot of white people calling out their white culture's wrongness it’s unfortunate there’s not enough. Because now people of color have to deal with House Negro as Malcolm X would put it, people turning against a cause that’s been in play for over 400 years. 

This brings us back to the conundrum is Kanye West a Friend or Foe, well we don’t know, he says he doing this for the people and he wants the people to follow the right ways, he’s here to help the people but doesn’t this remind anyone of a manipulative friend. You know the one that says “I did it for us” but you don’t benefit at all. 

All I know is Kanye West has put something in the air and friends don’t create more trouble for their friend intentionally. Friends also don’t let friends drive drunk, friends also need to know when to let the friendship go because it’s toxic. Whatever your relationship is to Kanye take a good look if his “out of the box” ideas are worth the egregiousness that sometimes follows. 

You won’t break My soul

Beyoncé-Renaissance Album- Break My Soul

Now, I just fell in love

And I just quit my job

I'm gonna find new drive

Damn, they work me so damn hard

Work by nine

Then off past five

And they work my nerves

That's why I cannot sleep at night

The above lyrics tell a story most people know so well, bondage of situations that drains/burnouts because of peoples’ and places’ parasitic behaviors. Break My Soul represents the men and women who metaphorically believe they're handcuffed. The constant fighting against systemic conservative perspectives and ideologies ultimately manifesting into sleep disorders, negative self-identities, paranoia, and other self/communal sabotaging traits.

Currently, the fight to defeat laws like the ban on adoration -Heart Beat Bill, Don’t Say Gay, banning Critical Race Theory, attacks on school books seems never ending. For instance, banning books started in 1624 because an English businessman Thomas Morton wrote a scathing tell all book (English Canaann, published- 1637) about the Puritans. The book was banned do to harshly criticizing the Puritans’ customs comparing them to crustaceans as well as other things. Constructing current regulatory situations into a replay of what the conservative majority doesn’t want people to do- CRITICIZE while making people aware of the contradictions and fabrications. 

The unchecked appears unchanging for minorities, contentious attack on minorities' way of life; limiting the constitutional freedoms (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) of a diverse and inclusive community. Over the past couple of years, the collective appears to have initiated breaking free from the continuous projection of conservative conformities. Eliminating the need for external validation, and code-switching, while telling the rest of society it’s their power and they are taking it back, from politics to home matters.

Beyoncé's ability to gracefully serenade this message to the world is what musical artistry is supposed to do; reflecting the navigation of societies’ situational constraints. 

 I'm takin' my new salvation

And I'ma build my own foundation, yeah

Got motivation (Motivation)

I done found me a new foundation, yeah (New Foundation)

I'm takin' my new salvation (New salvation)

And I'ma build my own foundation, yeah (Own)

Speaking of all the struggles, and leaving it all behind, rebuilding. Rapper Big Freedia's rememberable voice backs it up with a powerfully difficult word, RELEASE, leaving it to vibrate the conscious.

Each law feels like an attack on current cultural norms. These laws like“Killing being Woke” with an Act in Florida called Stop Woke Act materialize as  containment against attacks the conservative norms. Instead of assimilating the culture norms, it’s created more divisive interaction and  volatility among the people. Dismantling interaction instead of evolving it with daily toxicity. When the world began to open they were thrusted back into daily perniciousness instead of peace. The Foundation for a Better Life has tried to combat this reminder of being grateful with its Pass it On campaign. The people deserve better, their souls not to be broken. To realize, yes, your phone is broken doesn’t mean your spirit should be giving power and efficacy one needs to keep living their best lives.

Release ya anger, release ya mind

Release ya job, release the time

Release ya trade, release the stress

Release the love, forget the rest 

Cleaning house your house so to speak, cleaning out all the negative. Release which doesn’t serve the greater purpose.Freeing you up to just BE, free to be who your really are a Rich Spirit.

Kendrick Lamar prolifically revealed this in his new Album Mr.Morale & the Big Steppers- Rich Spirit 

Rich nigga, broke phone (Ah)

Tryna keep the balance, I'm stayin' strong (Ooh)

Stop playin' with me 'fore I turn you to a song (Yeah)

Stop playin' with me 'fore I turn you to a song (Ooh)

Ayy, bitch, I'm attractive (Ah)

Can't fuck with you no more, I'm fastin', ugh (Ooh)

Bitch, I'm attractive (Ah, ah, ah, ah)

Can't fuck with you no more, I'm fastin', ugh

This is not just an internal mirror to what people want it’s an overall world view. People are tired and drained of society’s rules which bind them from succeeding. From a plane’s eye view, the majority of people are asking for change. Changes in the way negative perspectives have become the norm.