Yesterday November 14, 2011 (day B4 payday for some), the NBA announced that the entire 2011-2012 season could be cancelled. Now understand this, the game of basketball is by all means my favorite sport, but if the season gets cancelled so be it. I have bigger fish to fry. Actually most of the people in our dear country we call America, don’t have THAT fish to fry. So excuse me if I don’t give a ishhh if a bunch of millionaires meet and can not decide on who splits the billion dollar revenue profits. I need half for my verizon phone bill and that’s real. I remember one day back in the 90s, I was watching a Knicks game in my grandmother’s Brooklyn apartment. She asked me why was I watching millionaires work? It didn’t really make sense to me then, but I totally get it now. We, the working poor (and I mean that with all due respect) are upset because we can’t be entertained or cheer for our favorite bunch of millionaires for the next 8 months (GO KNICKS!!!). I understand that the players are out of work right now, but I don’t think you are going to run into any coaches or players at the unemployment office in your city.
So many of us have our “Must See TV” programs that we have become PROGRAMMED!! Do you really think it is a coincidence that your DVR suggests and tapes programs you would like? It is all too easy to get a message across to someone once they are locked into a program. They have half of America watching Basketball Wives, Real Housewives of this city and that city, but the name of the shows are a lie within itself. Half of the wives are not Wives, but America doesn’t see anything wrong with that. President Obama said he doesn’t allow his daughters to watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians and the damn Kardashians had the nerve to be upset. You should be happy the President even knows who you are. I wonder if Mr. Kardashian (Rest In Peace) was alive, would there even be a show. Let’s keep it real. Ray J would have probably never popped off with Kim because she would’ve been under lock and key. Then there wouldn’t be a sex tape and Kim would have never been known. She would’ve been just another pretty chick with a phat ass at Malibu Beach. We are so tied up into reality TV that we can’t see our OWN reality in front of us. Some of us will listen to Oprah before we listen to our hearts and that right there is the truth.
I’m guilty of watching too much of the TELL LIE VISION myself, but I have learned to tune most of it out. America as a whole has been brainwashed, led astray, and yes Plymouth Rock did land on us. Our days are filled with status updates, tweets, emails and text messages. Before that, we were hooked on video games, cashing in Blackplanet points or trying to get more myspace friends than the next guy. Is there anytime to read, gain knowledge or practice the each one teach one philosophy? If the NBA season is cancelled we should have at least two hours of free time now right? I wonder how we are going to fill that emptiness we lost when we can’t see our favorite millionaire hitting a game winner in overtime.
Take this time and evaluate what your thought process has become. Think about how much of your time is spent following the lives of people you don’t know. You believe you know them because you see them on television, follow them on Twitter or maybe even friends with them of Facebook. I can probably name the starting five or four out of the five for almost any NY Knicks team from 1994 through 2010. I was asked the other day who was the assistant principal at my son’s school and I had to stop and think for at least 5 minutes and still didn’t know (yeah I know, I had to get my ishh together). My priorities were/are messed up and I am working on getting them in order. My message is simple and plain, stop caring so much about the rich people in this country and start caring for your fellow man or woman who really needs your help. You are more likely to get help from your neighbor (can I borrow some sugar), then from the guy’s jersey you can’t wait to put on when this NBA lockout is over. Just my thoughts on my nation and how I see it.
Jamie Roberts- Comedian, Writer & Host
Twitter: @comedianjamie
