As the Insane Reports: Break Yourself.....Fool

Yesterday, I was informed that some internet churl was “going in on me” on his/her internet radio show for an essay I penned noting the habits (contingencies of reinforcement) of African Americans, in particular individuals under the age of thirty regarding their usage of social media – specifically Twitter. In this person eyes, I was a “dumbass” and an “idiot.” So as a result, I will put down the copy of Fear and trembling I am reading and respond to his vitriol as quick as I can so I can be finished before Watson star’s on jeopardy.

Too bad this animalcule (to use a term coined by Voltaire in his story Micro magas) lacked the home training and erectior ingenii (nobility of mind) to invite me on his show to engage in discussion to advance rumination on the subject. But such was not the case, bringing me to conclude that what I noted in my essay unnerved him for it may have been akin to him reading about himself. Otherwise discussion would have proceeded as was the case historically with many diversified voices of past African American scholars when they reasonably disagreed with one another.

Obviously this person is no scholar as evinced in both his defensive posture and vehement vilification of me personally. The fact of the matter is that twitter is an extension of many of our daily activities. Truth is black folk watch Television more than the read and many of us do not even read a newspaper daily. Likewise we spend equally as much time as we do watching television as we do on twitter. I do not see what is wrong about bringing this up. If these observations are not consistent, otherwise we would not place education and intellectualism below fame, status, entertainment, wealth and/or celebrity. We are already a dumber-down populous or else we would recall that reading in itself is a revolutionary act. We take this for granted currently when in one epoch we were killed, blinded or had out tongues removed for learning to read or teach others this skill.

It was rather bazaar, some of the comments the article received. One woman said that “he forgot Haiti.” Which proves my point that is like saying we have a black valedictorian, yet 65 % of all the other black students in the class failed the 12th grade. Why is so difficult for people to see how many of us use the medium? I firmly believe that we are wasting a valuable opportunity when we tweet about where one is eating, pictures at the club, or of the shoes we just bought. If we do not maximize its utility – that’s a problem. Just like when only 12% of African American fourth grade boys are proficient in reading; or that only 20% of black boys and girls report having a average in school compared to 55% of whites – that’s a problem.

It’s cool to say that African Americans represent 12 percent of the US population yet comprise 52 percent of the federal prisons but not when you say we make up 25 percent of social media users. I understand MLK Jr and he was correct when he said “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” This makes Harriet Tubman’s words even more sagacious. She said “I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”

It only makes sense for many of us live as mental slaves, continue to enslave ourselves with materialism daily and worse, don’t even know that we are slaves. The unfortunately reality is that as a people, we are not as academically oriented in raising our children as white and Asian communities, or else we would read as much to our kids in the 5th grade as other ethnic groups. Unfortunately we do not. We do read the same to our kids, daily while aged four through six, but less than 30 percent daily by the time they are in the 5th grade compared to 70 percent for whites and Asians. Yes it is true, we are more concerned with what Veblen articulates and described as “conspicuous consumption.”

I find this discussion essential and important. In particular as a single parent of two, my son of which received an academic scholarship to Morehouse, a 30 on his ACT, a perfect score on math and all-state honorable mention in Baseball. And my daughter, who can give correct change, add and subtract and read at the age of five.

But then again what do I know for in the purview of Mr. /Ms. insanityreport self-fulfilling prophecy and in their own words, I am an “idiot and a “dumbass.” for presenting a personal scheme. And we all should know as Daniel Bell pointed out, “conceptual schemes are neither true nor false but [rather] useful or not.

She gotta give me my ax

My folk Soulstress has been requesting for some time that I do a post on relationships. I have been hesitant since my last one turned out the be the first episode of Friday the 13^th. I mean women aint like cereal boxes where you can read that they got bipolar first right under the calcium content. And seeing that such disdain manifest itself directed toward me in trying to keep my lil angel away from me as well as property damage and physical threats, when I pay her rent and car note and all else, I was trying to just focus on stacking some chump – thus the bevy of repetitive post on the economy. But with that said, I got to honor my folk since I perceive myself to be a man of honor.

If you read on the right side bar, have a quote by my folk Genghis Khan. I think along with MLK, Voltaire, Chekih Anta Diop and myself (of course) he is the truth. Thus I honor him as such. Now don’t get it twisted, there are others as powerful in thought and action I admire, but his quote seems to set the tone for how I think and what I post her more so than others

All I am saying is that women like Umph in a man as the Soulstress wrote in her last post, but from personal experience, I find when they get it, they really don’t want it. And based on my personal experiences, jones here done heard it all in the form of grievance and complaint. Women complain about my sex drive as well as the size of man hood as well as all else. I mean I meet women who say they like a smart man and say I'm too smart; or a man with street sense but say I shouldn’t carry a gat or my folk dangerous; or they like a man with a big dick but my dick too big; or that they like a family man but I spend too much time w my kids (they the shit); or worse, like a man who can cook but I’m trying to get them fat. Once, I had a woman call me a show off, cause I was speaking with some Nigerians in Igbo and next to them these folk from Senegal in Wolof at same time. All I have is my mind and my family u know, for real though. I believe relationships are give and take and sacrifice. I believe that the prior should be equitable and that someone should not label me as jealous because I think the family, the unit should come first. Or because I believe that there is no longer the I, my or me, but rather the us and we. I don’t ask for much but I give all, that’s just the way folk here get down.

So if you don’t want no Hannibal Baraca, or no Napoleon or not Genghis Khan, then all I say is don’t fuck with jones here mane. Cause truth be told I am a leader and don’t follow or take orders well, shit I don’t order well in restaurants. So if Genghis Khan or any of my folk rode by my camp and said or asked if I was ready to roll, you just give me my ax and have faith that Jones here the truth and that the truth will return and set you free and at the end of the night plant himself at the base of your wetness, wounded or not and let you feel jones here bend inside your back at the base of your spine. But yawl ladies dont hear me though. there is a difference between a man and a fk boy or bich azz n i double G a z. For on the real, yawl dont want no scholar warrior - dogon priest on bail. vote

Homo Universalis

I have been called some things in my life. Crazy, punk, pompous, egotistical, kind, nice, mean, wild, savage, stupid, lazy, no good and the blog moniker as of recent times. I guess they were all fitting of the diverse way folk saw me. Of recent, I have been called something that flattered me and made me question myself – A renaissance man.

I mean I guess the way I see myself is a lot differently than the way others see myself. I question this because I know what they mean in a slim fashion, but the anal pore in me want to be strict and note that folk here aint no man of the renaissance or period of reformation. In my research over the past night, I have discovered that they call such folk polymaths - a person who is skilled in multiple fields or multiple disciplines, and who has a broad base of knowledge.

Not to mention, the people I consider renaissance men, I couldn’t hold toilet paper to wipe their butts. Folk like Fredrick Douglass, Voltaire, Winston Churchill, Voltaire, Ida B Wells (I know she aint no man), Chekih Anta Diop, Imhotep, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. To me they are folk like the illegitimate son of a man living in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo Da Vinci. They say his genius was very apparent by the age of 15. He was basically self taught via reading. The only thing I see that we have in common is that from “Between 1490 and 1495 he developed his habit of recording his studies in meticulously illustrated notebooks. His work covered four main themes: painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics, and human anatomy.” I just wish, as he did, that I could have met Niccolo Machiavelli, author of "The Prince."

Charles Van Doren asserted that a “Renaissance man is neither an expert nor a specialist. He or she knows more than just a little about "everything" instead of knowing "everything" about a small part of the entire spectrum of modern knowledge. The term is essentially ironic, for it is universally believed that no one really can be a Renaissance man in the true meaning of the term, since knowledge has become so complex that no human mind is capable of grasping all, or even a large part, of it.”

I just think being a hard worker and a risk taker would be more appropriate than Renaissance man. But as blog culture dictates, i'm finna ask yawl. What is a renaissance man? How do they differ from a genius? Who would you consider and do you know any folks that would fit that category in your immediate circles? And do I fit the worth of being venerated Homo Universalis?

SIDE BAR: I have been hood winked by a fellow Morehouse Alum, Kevin Ross, to be on his talk radio show, which I think airs on NPR too. The show will air next Wednesday and the topics they want me to discuss (lmbao) will include the White Morehouse valedictorian, gay marriage in light of the California Supreme Court ruling yesterday, 2008 Democratic Presidential election results, and cougars (older women hooking up with younger men - i.e. Mariah Carey). George Alexander, editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and a fellow Morehouse man, will be joining us!

I just wish we could talk about the war and the economy.

basic thrust equation

Yo don’t tell anybody, but folk back in the classroom teaching Statistics at CAU. Albeit I am suspended with pay I am a scientist and a teacher and miss the chalkboard. Any who, given my penchant for thought crimes, I decided to make sure my bran cells still functioned given their propensity for being saturated with tequila and additional cyclic alcohols.

Although my PhD is in counseling psychology, if I had to do it al over again, I would likely select either particle physics or solid-state physics. With that said, as a person, as a man, u know horesman love him some sex. I mean, if I had my way and a steady partner, five times a day of me bending my manhood at the base of my partners spine, or the back of her throat would be more than amenable for me. Some may say this is excessive, but I have Sir Isaac Newton (Notice how he looks like Alexander Pope Below)to back me up on this.

Based on Newton's third law of motion, I feel that sex, and the attraction for having sex is like a force - a push or a pull upon an object, which results from its interaction with another object. I mean the desire for having sex is the result of such interactions. Regardless of that force being words smoothly uttered in the ear of a companion or the grinding of ones stiffness on a fat ass ass, some forces result from contact interactions (frictional, tensional, and applied forces are examples of contact forces) and other forces are the result of action-at-a-distance interactions (gravitational, eye contact, telephone call, tect message, a smell or magnetic forces).

When I am aroused, such forces activate my senses to seek satisfaction from another object, namely females. According to Newton, whenever objects A and B interact with each other, they exert forces upon each other. R Kelly would call this a bump and grind, but not me; it is much, much more.

When you sit a woman in your lap when in a chair, and she straddles you I a frontward position, my body exerts an upward force, or thrust inside of her such to....well we wont go there. None the less, there are two forces in this case (excluding gravity) resulting from this interaction - a force on the chair and a force on each person’s body. These two forces are called action and reaction forces and are the subject of Newton's third law of motion. Formally stated, Newton's third law which states that for or every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. According to Newton, size does mater because the size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object. Such may result in the rolling of ones eyes in the back of their head, grunts and groans from the oral cavity and even of the scrotum slappin' incessantly against the posterior, given the right position.


This is to say, as Newton’s 3rd law postulates, for every action, there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction. Meaning that forces always occur in pairs. If object A exerts a force F on object B, then object B exerts an equal and opposite force –F on object A. Add to that, Newton's 3rd law always involves more than one object (one partner or multiple).

Although rational physics tends to suggest these laws via the concepts of mass and force (Newton actually formulated the second law in terms of momentum, not acceleration). Id prefer to look at the simple example of P**** and D***. Newton's Third Law Consider the motion of your body when you are firmly inserted in your partner when her feet are firmly held with your hands by her ears.

I say this just to inform the layman that to me, saying that "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” is a basic thrust equation, but I must admit, that thrusting in a female orifice, is much more that simple physics (Pangloss in Voltaire’s Candide described sex as Physics-LOL).

the tru and the false

I know most folks read new and recent shit. And stuff they were told that are classics from their family and teachers. Instead of sulking over the holidays, I read a few books, don’t know why but I’ve been into plays lately. Just finished reading a book of plays by this French Jones named Racine. He posed to be one of the best French Play writes they say. But Jones can’t put a finger on Moliere and reading him made me go back and read Tartuffe – some of the funniest shit a nigger will ever read.

Folks don’t write like they have a command of language and intelect anymore. Especialy folks my complexion. Just like music today we want to write what sales or what folks will buy. And just as in the music game, there are few real indepenent and spirited voices in Arican American literature. And yo folk her aint no E Lynn Jerome Dickey Tyree type. I mean if I didn’t sale books I’d still write: plays, essays, verse, short stories what have you.

Voltaire, true is my all time favorite and I am honored to say so. But few folks presently have or evince the intellectual squib or derision, to even approach the skill of a Voltaire or a Moliere – albeit I try.

Tartuffe had me rolling main, just like the first time I read it in the 9th grade. At that time, I was mad I had to read a motherfucker whose name sounded like a pocketbook made with fish eggs.

In the story, I mean the play; the author is able, without the employment of dialogue or soliloquy, to show the heart of hypocrisy. The main character, Tartuffe is a hypocrite who deceives this cat named Orgon into giving all his shit to him. Now his woman, a real woman, Elmire, after she couldn’t show her man Tartuffe was a regular mark, flirted with Jones so that she could find out what Tartuffe was really about.

Thus all of the play is about Orgon and the people around him and why would he cherish a person who only desired to take advantage of him. To make a long story short, Orgon finally realizes Tartuffe's character and directs he moves out of his home. Being the fuck boy he is, Tartuffe tries to take all of Jones shit and at the same time disgrace and tarnish his name and reputation.


All of this reminded me that there is nothing new. That’s probably why of the entire play written by Moliere the following quote sticks out the most: “Your simulators don't disarm my wits. Like courage, piety has its hypocrites. Just as we see, where honor beckons most, the truly brave are not the ones who boast; the truly pious people, even so, are not the ones who make the biggest show. What? Do you really see no difference between devoutness and devout pretense? Do you want to give them both the selfsame place, honor the mask just as you do the face, equate artifice with sincerity, and take similitude for verity? Isn't there any difference for you between phantoms and men, false coins and true?” (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 324-338).


Tartuffe was the ultimate Christian in word but his actions showed that he was a hypocrite. He was the first to take and never give and blame others before himself. And believe me you there are Tartuffe’s, all around us. Folks that say others need Jesus in their lives but lie neglect their kids and don’t provide for themselves. Folks that point and blame others but never taking responsibility for their actions. Folks that say they love others in words, but cut, stab, shoot and destroy the property of others. Maybe it’s nothing, or maybe I’m like Cleante when he said in the play “I don't possess the wisdom of the ages, and I am not a learned sage; of sages; my only knowledge and my only art is this: to tell the true and false apart.” (Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 351-354).

PS: shouts out to West Va pouncing Ok and D. Williams and 20 assist

4 real though

I have received inspiration for this post from several fellow bloggers – yawl know who you are. I have wanted to do this for myself; I guess another form of soul searching. So outside of the men and women in my family, these are the people that have informed, improved and assisted in proffering the disposition and molecular mass known and Torrance T. Stephens, PhD. And I would advise this as an exercise for all. For it will be fun, introspective and informative. Not to mention folk here consider himself the truth, just as these mutha fukas – yep they the truth, 4 real tough.

1] Cheikh Anta Diop (1923-1986) – I got a chance to see him before he died, and the Nile Valley Conference Meeting held at my alma marta, Morehouse College, if ever I could foster a man crush, it was with him. Got his PhD from the University of Paris, Sorbonne in 1960 in Egyptology after a nine-year struggle to do so.

I have read all of his books at least 5 times, and such may be an underestimation. The reason I rank him number one is because I read an interview conducted by the Third World Book Review. He said in essence that we as Africans in the Diaspora, for those of us who can just do one thing, do it and do it exceptionally. He said for the rare breed of folk such as he, master it all and don’t be afraid to self inculcate on new subject matter. He studied at the top physic laboratory in the country, was a paleontologist, historian, anthropologist, spoke nine languages and developed the test by which one could discern if melanin was I the bones of mummies found I archeological digs. Dr. Diop was the Director of Radiocarbon Laboratory at the Fundamental Institute of Black Africa (IFAN) at the University of Dakar. Diop’s seminal pedagogic challenges, which was irrefutable via science was that African culture and history was older than any other, and influenced the course of other cultures more than usually given credit. I took up his challenge.

2] Martin Luther King Jr. – Enough said. Not to mention he had Coretta.

3] Rube Foster (1879-1930) – Founder of the Negro Leagues (in picture). Made a way when there wasn’t one for the love of his self, his spirit and the love of sport. Didn’t hurt that he was one of the first multi millionaires of our persuasion of his era. As a pitcher and owner, his brand of baseball was solid defense good pitching and hitting. The same way I coached my Old national Pirates – from 14 to 14 yrs of age, had them from T ball to 13,14). His American Giants won all other recorded championships from 1910 through 1922. He was the founder of two things pf importance t me, the Negro Leagues and the screwball or fade-away. In fact he was paid to teach the screwball to Christy Mathewson.

4] Frantz Fanon (1925 – 1961) - In 1953, he was the Head of the Psychiatry Department at the Blida-Joinville Hospital in Algeria Here he was in charge of patient care and learned of the horrified stories of torture his patients -- both French torturers and Algerian torture victims -- told him. This was the period he penned Black Skin, White Masks (1952) and The Wretched of the Earth (1961). A pupil of the philosophical tractates of Jean Paul Sartre, he took exestentialism to the human level. BTW my favorite book by Sartre is “Being and Nothingness" (had to read it at least 8 time). Fanon developed leukemia, and The Wretched of the Earth, was completed in 10 months, and published by Jean-Paul Sartre in the year of his death. He died at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in 1961 a year before my birth.


5] Voltaire (1694 – 1778) - My Nigga, writer extraordinaire ( the person responsible the most for my motivation to write). I love this quote "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Jones made me, me, because he was the ultimate humorist, the ultimate satirist and intellectual philosopher. Only difference was that he was an admirer of John Locke. For me his books were the shit. Candide – the optimist, Micromagus (man and geospatial analysis in the anti Alexander Pope sense if you asked me – none center of the universe), Zadig, the philosophical dictionary and his play the fanatical. Must read, again, if u asks me.

6] George Clinton – “Not just knee deep she was totally deep, when she did the freak with me” and “no head no backstage pass”. What else can I say. Oh yea, can u say FUNKY?

7] Malcolm X (1925 – 1965) - Can you say epitome of well read and riffle? Where would I be without my SKS and the 7.52 slug (full metal jacket of course, with potassium cyanide and candle wax over the top, I know TMI)?

8] Arthur Ashe (1943 - 1993) - Character and integrity, faith and truth, that’s what he defines. And last of the powerful one hand backhands, next to me, but you should have known that. My complete tennis idol. Taught me how to incorporate the game of the swed’s into mine. Shouts out to Joakim Nyström, Mats Wilander, Björn Borg, Anders Järryd, and Stefan Edberg. Long live the high looping forehand. Ashe was one of the first to speak out againts Aparthied and as result, he was excluded from the Davis Cup competition. in South Africa on March 23, 1970, because the country denied him a Visa. Add to that, his afro was tight.

9-tie] Denmark Vessey (1767 – 1822) & Nat Turner (1800 – 1831) – The essence of live free or die, and if I have to tell yawl more about folks who had their heads stuck on poles on the road leading out of town, or one who was lynched in Jerusalem, Virginia, the yawl really aint my folk Jones. But for the record, Vessey was a real man, it cost him $600.00 to buy his own freedom, a lot back in the day but he was not able to purchase the freedom of his wife and two children - Thats him in the pic with his back whipped all up. Nat, well after killing ONLY 50 white folks, they celebrated and had picnics on the Sunday of his lynching, I mean execution.

10] Sheldon Gilbert – Young cat, your folk can can learn from themm too. 32 year old CEO of Proclivity Systems. A Yale graduate. Also conducted genetic genetic research at Cornell University Medical Center and Rockefeller University. A self taught computer programer, he dropped out of the PhD program in computational genomics at New York University. His programing genious has moved beyond that of the basic Google-like searh engine. His is predictive, and analyzes the data left behind from a persons interaction on a Web site. Now a search engine that predics one future searches – that’s ingenious.

Rounding out the list: Ida B. Wells, Muhammad Ali, W.E.B. Dubois, Corretta Scott King, Paul Roberson, Pam Grier. Jack Tatum, James Vander Zee, Richard Pryor.