No, We're Not in Kansas Anymore.

I'm not so sure how to get this ball rolling but here it goes. My name is John and I hail from Manhattan, Kansas. I'm going to shake off that name here and step into my true self. Let me be known as Speak Easy. During Prohibition, a Speak Easy illegally sold booze even in the face of the Law. Ha, don't think I'm as shallow as some drunk who thought he would just sit down and write. Speak Easy is me because in the face of authority we should not stand down and blindly accept what The Man says is best. Be yourself, buck the system, seek the Truth. This is what I believe and I'll be sticking my head in the door every now and then to break you off some of my thoughts. I agree - Life Has No Script. The heavy stuff we go through all the time makes this world too hard to deal with day to day. Life Has No Script because we all deal with something different but all commonly have to adapt. I've got a sick mother, bills to pay, women to please, and I still gotta make it to class. The worst part about it all is that it's not that bad. If your still reading you probably are thinking right now about how worse off you are than I am. So I'm going to keep it real with you. While I may be a proud black American I feel immersed in white privilege. At first I thought I was just as disenfranchised as any other black man in America, held down by the fat-cat white capitalist. Yes, the white woman frowns when I approach, I have to be overqualified when I want a job not washing cars or mowing lawns. But I am still privileged. I am weighted down by my privilege because I attend a pretty decent school called K-State with scholarships and the funding of my upper middle class parents support. I am blessed to not have to work another job to make this months rent and I can even travel to see the country while debating for my school. Debate has become an outlet for my life. Speech liberates my soul as I get to intellectually grow and talk about what is real. Even though this is my life, my travels have broadened my horizon. It wasn't until I went back to my roots in southern Arkansas that I recognized the way that both race and class determine one's openness. My cousins live in poverty, struggling between going to school or work to support their family while I fly to Baltimore for the weekend to debate. I have come to know that I am like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory with my golden ticket called white privilege. I can only speak to you from where I am, my social location. My passion is politics and race relations. This is just a preview - there will be more to come - Seek Truth, Speak Easy.