COVER -> RECOMMENDED DAILY REQUIREMENT
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO COOL PAPA - There is a man who lives over here in East Oakland, in my 'hood, who everybody calls "Cool Papa." He is the kind of guy that most of ya'll would called "grizzled." That means he's kindah skinny, he ain't got all his teeth, and he walks with a kindah pimpin' strut like they used to think was cool Back in the Day.
Cool Papa got some interestin' theories about how this world works here in America which he shares with me on the off afternoon, if I'ma willin' to share a 40 ounce with him or two.
I'll give you an example.
Cool Papa says this to me one afternoon. "Young Blood, you know why them loan applications be printed out at the B of A (Bank of America) downtown?"
"For people to apply for loans," I said.
| The World's Magazine: g21.net
Event # 216: DYNAMITE This Pull-down Menu will hyperjump you to all our great features. Try it! JOIN THE G21 MAILING LIST. Get updates on new features. It's easy! E-mail The World's Magazine with the "Subject" line: SUBSCRIBE. Want to know more about our community? The Info is here. LAST WEEK's EDITION For Deep Background visit the G21-Barnes & Noble Shop OR get great books at the G21 BARNES & NOBLE SEARCH ENGINE Discover the MOIA Discussion List |
"Naw, because they seen you comin'. Them loan applications is there for you and the Chiney and Juan the Wetback.
"When Crackerbread walks in, the Banker is all: 'Hey, there Mr. Bob, good to see you again! Come over here by my desk and have a seat. What can I do for you today?
" 'Well,' says the White Boy. 'Me and Billie Sue has decided to open ourselves up a bakery. We figure we need a loan to finance our new bidness.'
"And you know what Mr. Banker says, Young Blood? He says, 'Come on back to the vault and let's see what we can do for you.'"
Now Cool Papa is one of the elders. He is up there in the years like Rod, say, or Bob Powers, old Dude, so I don't want to disrespect him, but I feel like this talk of his is kindah out there. So I say, "Papa, I don't think it can be that easy nowadays. We got laws and such."
"Fool!" he shouts back at me. "You never heard of red-linin'? You crazy 'nuff to think it don't exist?!? Lis'en to me, boy, and let me teach you somethin'!"
So I figure I have to be quiet.
Cool Papa lights up another of his cigarettes, takes another gulp from the 40. He pauses for a moment, like we wasn't even having a conversation. He looks at the houses around us here in what's called the flatlands of East Oakland, Cali. Smiles as a little kid walks by. I start to think he's forgotten what we was talking about.
"Once the Banker takes Peckerwood back to the vault," Papa says suddenly, "he points him to three sacks of money. 'Take those,' he says. 'Use what you need and bring the rest on back here. Just let us know when you can pay us back.'
"Then Mr. Banker and Mr. Peckerwood throw they heads back and go 'Hahahahah!'
" Meanwhile, hardworkin' niggahs like you wonder when you gonnah get a break. It's called red-lining, Raheem."
Here's the funny thing: Cool Papa sounds a lot like some Eddie Murphy routines I have seen.
Now I don't think that is just a coincidence.
What I think is that there is a grain of truth in every joke, and in a lot of anecdotes like this one Cool Papa shared with me. So as I'm sittin' on my little front porch here in Oakland, I give that old man a real hard look after he tells me this story.
"What is we supposed to do?" I asks him.
"You the generation gonnah change the world," Cool Papa smirks at me. "You the ones with all this Internet stuff. You tell me."
RDR RECOMMENDED SITE OF THE DAY: You believe the world could be better like us, right? Then check out EarthDance.
