I recently appeared on an episode of Good Morning America about a judge in Atlanta named Marvin Arrington. The show renewed my skepticism of mainstream media, and helped me remember why I love Bill Cosby so much.

Apparently, Judge Arrington was fed up with seeing one black defendant after another in his courtroom, and surely to the liking of Bill Cosby, Arrington took matters into his own hands. Judge Arrington took the unprecedented step of dismissing all of the white attorneys from his courtroom and holding a private session with the black defendants.

During the session, Arrington gave the defendants a piece of his mind, preaching values we can all agree with: hard work, good behavior, and human decency. He topped it off by reminding these men that they are destroying the black community with their behavior and that they just need to stop.

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When I did a summer research visit with the Center for European Economic Research, one of my German colleagues came to me and asked: "What's wrong with Americans?" Taken aback by his statement, I said "Everything and nothing.....but you sound like a Euro-hater." Of course he didn't know what a "hater" was, but I do believe that some people around the world are jealous of American prosperity. At the same time, there is something to be said about the fact that we learn our financial habits by watching episodes of Vh-1 and "Lifestyles of the Blingingly Geto-fab" (Ok, that's not a real show, but you get the point). In other words, we stink when it comes to managing money, like a whole country full of MC Hammers.

The objective of any given species is to reproduce, i.e. keep the party goin’. This is as true for us humans as it is for your cute little dog (insert fuzzy pet name here). As the current dominant party on the planet, we’ve taken this to a whole other level by issuing the mission statement that everyone must find one person to spend the rest of their lives with, or face a lifetime of unimaginable loneliness. We set up friends with other friends, go on disastrous blind dates, and gorge ourselves on self-help relationship books at the local Barnes and Nobles. We over-estimate our height, under-estimate our weight, and crop out every imperfection in our online dating profile, whose existence we deny with more fervor than Marion Jones at an Anti-Doping Hearing. But is all this energy spent searching for the perfect guy or girl really even worth it, or is being a mingling single the way to go?

Not sure if you are aware, but Don Imus is due to return to the airwaves on December 3 on WABC in New York. I’ve been on the phone with my network contacts to let them know that many people are NOT happy with Imus’ return. We also felt it imperative to inform our audience that The YourBlackWorld Coalition plans to join the National Association of Black Journalists in their fight to keep Don Imus off the air. Our petition and open letter are here if you would like to sign: http://www.yourblackworld.com/imus.html
Here is what I know. I will be honest about what I’ve seen behind the scenes:

1) The fight is going to be long and difficult. Imus was a money-maker, and he will be signing with one of the networks that makes its money by appealing to the racism embedded in neo-conservatives such as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly. They EMBRACE the fact that Imus is considered a racist and a sexist.

2) When I worked with Rev. Jackson and Rev. Sharpton to get Imus off the air the first time, I told them that boycotting the corporate sponsors would be the best line of attack. That is ultimately what shot him down, since anyone will abandon you if you lose corporate sponsorship (I am a finance professor after all, so I’m always analyzing the money trail). The truth is that many of the corporations that sponsor WABC (GEICO, Chase.com, AT&T Wireless, McDonalds and Verizon) also make money directly from Y-O-U. I personally plan to reconsider my business relationships with these corporations. A list of the corporate sponsors for WABC can be found here: http://www.yourblackworld.com/news/stories/110607/wabc.htm.

3) The mainstream media doesn’t give a damn: they are too myopic in focus, and if they cover this issue, it will only be for a couple of days. The networks like to wait out the storm and then go back to business as usual. Also, if you’ll notice, most mainstream media is not very well diversified to begin with (the top news networks don’t have any African-American hosts for their news shows and don’t care to find any). Like the Jena 6, this is going to have to be a grassroots movement and one in which we focus on being a consistent thorn in the side of those who support this sort of racism and sexism.

4) Any political figure who appears on Imus’ show should be forced to explain their decision. This is especially true of the Republican presidential candidates who chose to snub the debate held on an HBCU campus by Tavis Smiley. I stand with my brother Tavis in his disdain for the individuals who so readily embrace ethnic exclusion, yet have the audacity to think they have the right to lead our country.

Sincerely,

Dr. Boyce Watkins
YourBlackWorld.com

We all have our problems. Whether it is abandonment issues, poor self-image, a job we hate or family trouble, life can seem like an endless downpour of sadness and disappointment. While everyone feels down and out at times, the feeling of depression, along with worthlessness and hopelessness, can have a disastrous affect on anyone's life.

What is FIV? It's the Financial Irresponsibility Virus. This is not a real disease, so you won't die from it. But while your body won't die, it can certainly kill your bank account or your relationship. So, as part of my book "Financial Lovemaking 101", I designed a test based on some of the characteristics of potential life partners who may be carrying a Financial Venereal Disease. The symptoms may not be readily noticed, but merging your assets with such a person can have you spending your life in the financial clinic.

Your 20s are supposed to be a time of freedom from the constraints of your parents, school, and just about anything else that decides to get in your way. At least that is what we thought when we were teenagers. But while some of us might have been the big fish in our respective local ponds, we often find that the “real world” is a lot more harsh and unforgiving than say, your college Social Theories class.

While you might have thought that you had a clear grasp of what the outside world was really like once you stepped out your parents crib to move on campus, you’re probably realizing that post-college life isn’t as cut and dry as you once imagined. The onset of real bills like rent, utilities, and all that good stuff has started coming--in your name. You may also have found that that degree you worked so hard for (diploma, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or even PhD) doesn’t necessarily get you the high-power job with the corner office and a skyline view of the city.

Instead, you’re probably stuck in a 4’ x 5’ cubicle with a view of the water cooler, if you’re lucky. Or you might be over 22 years old and still working on your undergrad degree instead of finishing it. You may feel inadequate because while your friends are checking out graduate school options, you’re still picking your classes for next semester. No matter what the particulars of your current situation are, there is no doubt that you are at a crossroads. You feel as if your life is nowhere near where you want it to be and you’re full of indecision and self doubt. Welcome to the Quarter-life Crisis.