Gold Fingers

 Little chicken headed wanna-be Queens be rockin' with the nappy attitude like a man needs a fight around every corner. 

I say this coming from the attitude of watching a younger generation follow in the same footsteps of so many others. The motivational factors haven't changed, desires still come from the most basic of needs. How this changes a person is something I do not understand, but I have witnessed in myself and my peers and have seen change in positive directions. 

What I know is that some people are dealt a bad hand in life and sometimes they really are trying to make the best of it, but a bad attitude is about the best they can give. Especially if it's not targeted at yourself, it just so happens to be you're present for the colatral damage explosive outbursts leave behind; however, I'm talking about something a bit different. I'm talking about the ones that even the friends have a hard time getting behind. 


Ghetto Rats vs. Chicken Heads

I think it should stand to reason that we define two different types of ghetto ass attitudes. Because one is very relateable and I have sympathy for, whereas the other... Hmmmm... How shall I say...? Is detestable?
But before we get any ideas of what it could mean, we should first get some context. 

If we go by definitions..Accepted ones I suppose..We come to this:

Ghetto Rats lack ambition and their motivation is based on the actions of someone else, an external event even. Typically marked by their desire for escape, but primarily through a man and his natural tendencies. Despite the process, the results are usually a relational one and can be long-term. 

Chicken Heads are marked by their insatiable appetite for one thing, but it can be confused for empowerment and something lighter than what it is meant to represent. Nonetheless these types are seen as the detestable kind, on average, and the common representation is beyond body movement and into lifestyle advantages---specifically how they obtained them. If you think otherwise, you probably don't understand the phrase "How much [Who's] dick you sucked to get there?"

The ironic thing is that women use these terms to refer to other women; however, their meaning is lost in translation. The reason behind this is because such terms were coined by betrayed, lustful, and naive men. Typically they are guilty of some stuff of their own, usually lending a hand to their circumstantial adversity. But there are plenty of times that a half-decent man gets the shit end of a stick because he assumed he was respected. Or even worse.. The man wasn't even looking for respect, just a body. 
Does this mean we should use these terms?
Absolutely. But do so sparringly and meaningfully. Perhaps by not throwing the terms around at the first sign of an argument? Maybe..Reserving these phrases for times that normal words wont reach an individual?

Survive the Crackheads

The things I've spoken on, so far, were in reference to a beahvior. 
Now...
I'm speaking about a lifestyle. Perhaps more of a choice about how to survive life, but it's a way of behaving as a means of survival. By no meaning of the word sympathy am I giving any kind of excuse from one to the other. In fact I am going to break down something I've noticed over the years from my perspective. 

    Crackheads come in many flavors... If you've ever walked a busy city street the chances are high that you've encountered one of these types. Typically it isn't much of a meaningful experience to mark in your journal; however, there are times the crackhead leaves an impression. Sometimes it's for the better, maybe even the experience itself is. 
It's happened to me many times as I've journied around. 
Nothing like the time an old drunkard caught me up walking in the neighborhood during the start of a blizzard back in 2003. 
        The main thing was that I had run into this particular individual a number of times and each time he was rather drunk and rather easy going. He never gave me the feeling he was anything more than a drunkard and he wasn't mean about his requests.. Just money for more alcohol usually---which I usually denied him on account of it not being a good thing for him. But... I had bought him food right out of the store before, so it was kind of like a love-hate relationship I guess. 
This time in particular was very different... He asked for money to get on a bus to get to a station. It had already started to snow at that point... I remember specifically feeling this dread about the request, as if it was the least that could be asked and wasn't meant to cover all the nights needs. 
So I gave him enough for a few rides and a bit extra to help in whatever he had to do to get somewhere warm. I didn't give the man my wallet or anything exciting, just the cash I had in it. 
            Mind you... I was walking to work in a blizzard that day. 

            The thing that has stuck with me all these years about that situation was the thankfulness of that bum. Especially that his reaction matched each time he saw me the following years I was still in that city walking to work. 
Maybe I could help him not be a bum... But who knows, maybe he got something more than he asked for that day and he wanted to give some of it back.
Will I ever know other than that he didn't freeze to death then?

But I say this because most of the time we think of crackheads as the bums on the street. Usually the ones who are there day after day... You know, the ones who are present but don't do much.
Yes.. There's the crazy brand too. 
I have some interesting memories surrounding the crazed words of the junkies in particular.. Especially the ones who come up talking crazy stuff and really don't want anything but a fight. 
Except......They really suck at making sense and so......it's kinda hard to get offended. 

"Took the Nigga out the Hood but not the Hood out the Nigga"

        Yeah... Sure.
Kinda weird that most of the time I hear this it is from people chasing a dollar. 
    Hypocrites..Naive. 

Could it not be more obvious just how much the hood doesn't provide the luxury or ammenities that their money-chasing life style is all about? Unless of course.. Your main aspiration is being a mafia overlord of a city. Maybe then I could understand the talk, but it would be relevant to a much bigger problem anyways. 
        Something on the lines of political/religious corruption.
            NOTHING close to running into problems while on the bus. 

I always have argued against such things. 
Yet I sort of agree.. To a point. On the basis that childhood trauma survives into adulthood. Even more, psychological behaviors can be expressed subconsciously and possibly with extreme denial. 
To that.. Perhaps I can let a slang term slip in. 
But still.. No. 
There's so much more to it than what the saying entails. But for the sake of stupidity being the only result, we'll just go with it. 

    Which is why I say...

Get Out the Slums and live like you can make a house worth something.