Swagger (v) – to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air. Gosh it doesn’t take long before the words that we use on the streets are found in the dictionary.
While talking to my brother last night I mentioned that my best friend says that Obama has a strut like my uncle Larry; one of those back in the day “cool brother” walks that says I’m confident in who I am. My brother, with excitement in his voice said, “Obama has a swag about him.” As I watched our new president and his wife dance their first dance as President and First Lady I couldn’t help but smile because I noticed the “bop” that he had in his “slow dance;” boy did that “bop” bring back memories. Life was a little simpler back then (in an article written last year I talked about how some of our problems melted away with the right song). Watching the Obama’s dance to Etta James just made you feel like everything was gonna be alright. As I watched my president I couldn’t help but think of the many people that were watching the very same thing; people, who like myself, was sitting back wondering how can I take myself to the next level. I can’t speak for everyone else but taking a look at life in general has taken on a whole new meaning for me – and to my people, now there’s no excuse; being “black” doesn’t work anymore (to be honest it never worked).
As I watched our new President walk I could see what Cheryl saw; he does kinda walk like my uncle Larry; he had a smooth walk. Remembering my uncle Larry reminded me of how entertainment can sometimes play a roll in a person’s life. When we were younger I always saw the similarities in my uncle and his friend Sam – they were a carbon copy of Lamont and Raulo from Sanford and Son; I don’t know if was intentional or whether this was just their association with the men of their times. As I thought more about it I realized that the younger generation tends to gravitate to certain images; back in the day it was a positive image, but things, like life, change – I remember my nephew was Snoop Dog reincarnate – he had the walk, the talk, the attitude and today I see so many baby T.I.s, & Lil’ Wayne’s. Unfortunately now-a-days our children are drawn more to images that are not necessarily positive role-model images; they are grander but not necessarily better. The pickings of role models are very slim these days – men (all races) are either hard or too soft. Women are either soft or too hard. Confusion – either I work all day like mom & dad or I’ll forego the education and make a living rapping or playing ball. Ten years ago I had a saying that no one could convince me otherwise. The saying was, “If a 5 minute song or a 2 hour movie can change the way I’ve raised my child, then I, as a parent have failed.” As much as I would love to say that this still rings true, I can’t. Oh, I’m still a good parent that will crack their heads to the white meat, but for me and others life has become full and we are working longer & harder – yes, this was true before TV had innuendos & movies were just plain dirty. This was before records had curse words and music videos turned into porn. This was before video games were violent and you could dial up sex on the phone. This was before society told me how to raise my child and the young became wild and wicked. This was before mommies borrowed their teenaged daughter’s skinny jeans because they were tighter and fathers were getting high with their sons.
As I watched my new president I was loving him more as a person; he had the unique swag of my people; a swag that says I have defied the odds. A man that believed he was just as good as everybody else, but he was no better. My president, the role model of today. There was so much about him that made you appreciate yourself. His swag makes you appreciate from whence you came and for what you are. His swag makes you feel like you don’t have to give up who you are for what society wants you to be. As I sat back on the bed watching them and writing this I became excited with the possibilities. Possibilities that, fatherless men will stand up and be the father figure to their children that they didn’t have. Possibilities that, an educated man would treat an uneducated man as his equal. Possibilities that, the day would come when what you wore wouldn’t define who you were (my president jogs with his cap backwards). Possibilities that, it’s okay to speak the King’s English, to receive a good education, to love who you are, and to never be ashamed of being different. When you manage to capture all of that and be comfortable with who and whose you are, then you can’t help but have a swagger. NSBIG
~Stay Prayed Up! CLICK ON THE LINK
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