The following is my ode to Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy from Saturday Night Live. It’s a series of tangents that have, until now swirled in my head. Now, they belong to all of us. You’re welcome…

One

We are not our grandparents. You may have seen this on a T-shirt on Facebook. However, the notion that we are somehow better, or their sacrifice wasn’t enough – is false and divisive. It is another Jedi-mind trick. We, like them, will give our all. We get to cry, resist, vote, because of our grandparents. Don’t sleep on their sacrifice. Don’t sleep on that strange fruit, on burning crosses, white sheets, water hoses, dogs, signs, chains, whips. You don’t know what you would have done. Our ancestors line the bottom of the ocean and are buried in the land other ancestor cleared and upon which still more ancestors built a nation. Stay as respectful and you stay woke.

That said, we and our ancestors have done nothing but watch and learn from you. It’s tense now, but if you don’t start none, it won’t be none. You are dying out. This is that final burst of energy before leaving this world. This is survivor and we’re the reigning champs. We outplay, we outwit, we outlast. You will go before me (3 Chains of Gold, Prince). They won’t go when I go (George Michael).

Two

You. I don’t know what identity politics is. I don’t care who dude’s voters are or aren’t. This Monday morning quarterbacking ain’t good for football or politics. Here, on this blog, you is you. I am me. We are we. Us is us. They are they and them are them.

Three

For the record, I didn’t like waking up one day and discovering I was African-American. I’m Black. We Black. When have you ever told anybody to kiss your African-American _? Not ever, that’s when. It’s another attempt to divide. We are bound to each other all over the world.