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The Great Black Hope
Far too many folk have placed their hopes in the arms of one administration, particularly, one man. Is it me, or does the notion that a sole individual can reverse the misfortunes of an entire nation seem absurd? It is as dangerous for any man to make that assertion as it is foolhardy for millions to believe it. America felt that once Black Jesus, a.k.a Barack was elected, the world would be a much happier place to live. Not only would there be a chicken in every pot, you would be allowed to smoke pot before you ate your chicken. Harold and Kumar would now be able to vacation on Guantanamo Bay without fear of dining on cock-meat sandwiches, gays would be able to marry openly in the army and the KKK and the Nation of Islam would conjoin as formidable opponents for Peyton and Eli in the Oreo Double Stuff league (âFarrakhan with an amazing move!â)Â Shockingly, none of this has occurred since President Obamaâs election. WTF?!
Safe to say, our aspirations may have been a bit lofty. It is partly the fault of the current administration as they were the ones who played the ever-original political card of promising all things to all people for the sake of inaugural invites. The problem with playing on the hopes and dreams of the masses is that they will surely hold you accountable (although never hold themselves to the same fire for their own resolutions). The standards are set so high that Barack literally has to rid earth of debt, disease and make sure we never have to kneel before Zod in order to be considered a halfway decent Commander in Chief.
President Obama is not President Bush and we expected better. And even though we are getting much much much better, a Utopian society seems the only satiation for the people of earth. If the mentally challenged kid doesnât pee on himself for a full day, we give him a cookie and print certificates of achievement for all to see. We may even elect him to a second term. If the straight A student suddenly gets a B+ in thermonuclear physics however, we condemn him and send him to therapy for he may now be âat riskâ.
To all those wishing to vote Barack out of office for his economic inefficiencies, I would say pump your breaks, unless your breaks are made by Toyota in which case, turn the engine off, yank on the emergency break and jump out of the vehicle. Voting him out may please the tea party in Virginia but will certainly have no effect on the price of tea in China, or your ability to afford it. To put things in perspective, Dubai is having cash flow issues for God sakes. Dubai!! The most decadent region on earth. This is the place where sheiks construct islands in the likeness of palm trees and their face.
A place where the toilet paper is made of 24karat, gold encrusted euros. It used to be 100-dollar bills but currency exchange rates have caused only the lower middle class residents of Dubai to wipe with USDâŠpeasants! If Dubai is broke (or breaking) then heaven certainly has a wing shortage and maybe we should be a bit more reasonable.
As it relates to the economy, most fail to realize that once you convert your marketplace to a global economy, recovery doesnât necessarily have to take place in the same geographical region that the recession occurred. China and India are certainly doing better than they were 20 years ago so whose to say what a recovery looks like in a global market? We may not be in a recession at all. We may just be in a realization. And if thatâs the case, we may need more than President Barack Obama to help us. A black man of a much higher power may be necessary in this instance. This looks like a job for Morgan Freeman!!
Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, Iâve posted the same pic of me in the hospital during my temporary and untimely demise in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to ânormalâ, I asked Eric âWhyâd you take the pics?â And he said, âI knew you would want to write about it if you lived.â Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.
You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6â4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her âYo, is that dude bothering you?â She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.
Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like âWhy are the other consultants making more money than you?â I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that âYou need to hire Alfred!â, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, âWhat if you didnât have health insurance when this happened?â I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.
My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor âWell Iâm not going anywhere.â She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says âWell Iâm not going anywhere either!â That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.
Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.
From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a âEnrique Pollazo!â And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!
Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.
Rest in Peace Eric. âBe Good.â
I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!
