Getting Back To Work, Part 1

November 27, 2008


Sorry it's been so long! Been busy with various things behind the scenes (hopefully can be more specific soon), and still don't have time to make a proper video just yet, but I gotta get some thoughts down about the Big Moment. I had more to say but couldn't fit it in, will try and do a part 2 over the weekend, and then get back to work for real next week.

(All thoughts and love to Mumbai)

[download] [youtube]

Posted by jsmooth995 at November 27, 2008 6:31 AM
Comments

Yay, he's back!

Anywayz, I just want to let you know that I feel exactly the same way. I wrote a very similar take on this the day after:

http://www.thoughtremixer.com/open-letter-to-the-hip-hop-republicans-and-americans/

It's an historical moment regardless, but now, we got to do our part in making this country great. :)

Stay home and do more videos. One day, I'll pull you out of it. :)

Posted by: Nukirk @ Thought Remixer at November 27, 2008 7:08 AM

Just as I was thinking to myself “Ahh, this is the stuff. Jay brings the nuance,” you flash up the nuanced position dance. Sweet.

If this isn’t a proper video, I don’t know what is. Keep at it Jay.

Posted by: Paul D. Waite at November 27, 2008 7:40 AM

I love how the cat keeps showing up in different poses in the background. Thanks for this!

Posted by: Stephanie at November 27, 2008 8:06 AM

Finally a new post! (i dont use rss feeds due to lazyness and so i've been checking the blog daily), i think i agree with you on that one, and i think we all gotta keep in our minds how difficult are the issues Obama will have to deal with.

Anyways, not my country, but we all agree the USA presidency affects way more than just the US, amirite?

(your cat is the best extra ever, it always makes it more interesting and visually pleasant, even thou it's sort of distracting :p)

Posted by: Nexus at November 27, 2008 9:02 AM

I think it makes sense to let this huge moment simmer a bit. Kill your darlings, be objective, be editorial and all that--people are really listening to you. Most people are so excited right now they are just talking, talking, posting, posting. It's a time for counting to ten.

On election night, I remember that all I wanted to do (post-celebration, of course) was to think, to process, to get my ducks in a row.

Having a president who looks like me and like so many of our children is incredible, unbelieveable, overly hard-won and was desperately needed, but this was just a part of the whole.

I think the passing of Prop 8 speaks to your point--we have taken a huge step, but need to get to work to take all the smaller steps that will pay off in the end. It's one of those heady times. But our feet need to remain on the ground--we can't put all our faith in the grand gesture that this country made when it elected Barack Obama.

Posted by: Lisa at November 27, 2008 11:45 AM

Sweet Jay. Not a proper video? Keep killing them my man!

Posted by: Dan Love at November 27, 2008 12:00 PM

Thanks Jay, keep it up. I appreciate u rallying the troops and keeping things in perspective. Im so tired of both sides of that argument insisting on making it so dichotomous, when there is so much common ground, as you waxed about so poignantly. Easy

Posted by: Coolhand Luke at November 27, 2008 12:37 PM

I got nervous for you for a sec when the cat licked your hand. Usually when mine does this, he's cleaning the spot he's about to bite.

I know lots of people think things could still go either way, especially with Obama picking lots of players from the old Clinton roster. Let's just hope that with a new coach and a better play book (not to mention damn good locker room speeches), these guys can use their experience and influence to help bring about the Change needed.

But their help is only a part of it and that's why I love your comments. We can't let up. We need to keep generating and harnessing the Yes-we-can-energy that Obama (feat. will.i.am) ignited within us and use it to help power the bright future that we're all hoping for.

I believe we're on the right track. Most Presidents start working on their legacy in the last months of their term. I really get the feeling that Obama's started working on his already. It's a good feeling.

"Mad real" glad your back Jay.

Posted by: Rich Gould at November 27, 2008 12:39 PM

Couldn't have said it better myself Jay. I'm officially envious. I've got to start creating videos like this.

Peace and happy thanksgiving to all!

Posted by: Obama Impersonators For SNL at November 27, 2008 12:44 PM

Ha-ha - frisky cat you've got there. I like how it seemed to be saying, "get your hand off me."

Keep it up Jay! We're watching.

Posted by: WATCH US EXPLODE! at November 27, 2008 12:46 PM

The "Big Moment" in easily digestible chunks, courtesy of Mr Jay Smooth.

And the crowd goes wild with applause.

Peace.

Posted by: THE OBENSON REPORT ON BLACK CINEMA at November 27, 2008 12:49 PM

Yes. I am also torn between happiness & skepticism. But it's a hell of a lot better than what we've been feeling for the last eight years, so let's run with it. Hope you have a good day Jay.

Posted by: Elizabeth at November 27, 2008 1:49 PM

Hey bro, great video as usual. Why am I only getting the left channel on this video?

Posted by: Steven Klassen at November 27, 2008 8:40 PM

Hell, ya. Thanks. I am all about the nuance.

Posted by: Hilary at November 28, 2008 12:23 AM

Hey Smooth, i keep on forgetting to ask:
What is da cat's name? I mean since you don't have a credit roll at the end and all...

¡OBAMANOS! (a gringo loose translation: We are all Obama; We follow Obama; We roll with Obama).

So, i was at an event here in Cape Town noting the passing of singer-activist (Zanele)Miriam Makeba. I was wearing my "I'm an Obama Kid" button on my elephant shirt… This guy came up railing about Obama and Rahm Emmanual and Zionist. I tried to patiently explain that i was in an Obama bubble enjoying this unreality until the 20th of January. He kept at it. I had to finally do the Eddie Murphy thing and stick my fingers in my ears while voicing nonsense syllables while walking away.
Now that you're back i can get some talking points to spring on these unsprung types.
Thanks for being there/here and through the Internet, everywhere.

Posted by: audiodramatist at November 28, 2008 12:52 AM

Hey Smooth, i keep on forgetting to ask:
What is da cat's name? I mean since you don't have a credit roll at the end and all...

¡OBAMANOS! (a gringo loose translation: We are all Obama; We follow Obama; We roll with Obama).

So, i was at an event here in Cape Town noting the passing of singer-activist (Zanele)Miriam Makeba. I was wearing my "I'm an Obama Kid" button on my elephant shirt… This guy came up railing about Obama and Rahm Emmanual and Zionist. I tried to patiently explain that i was in an Obama bubble enjoying this unreality until the 20th of January. He kept at it. I had to finally do the Eddie Murphy thing and stick my fingers in my ears while voicing nonsense syllables while walking away.
Now that you're back i can get some talking points to spring on these unsprung types.
Thanks for being there/here and through the Internet, everywhere.

Posted by: audiodramatist at November 28, 2008 12:52 AM

I brought this essential idea up not too long after Wil-I-Am came out with this New Day vid. The only difference is you're a lot more eloquent than me. We must not sit on our laurels expecting this "New Day" to fix all our ills.

Posted by: Dave Conrey at November 28, 2008 2:26 AM

I know it came down to the lesser of two evils. I wanted Obama over McCain in a heartbeat, but don't think he is this savior that people are hoping for. I know he will bring change, but it still boils down to our monetary prison system. I gaurantee he won't change that. America lives by debt. As the dollars value decreases, I digress.... When are we going to see some more vidoes about hip hop culture? I enjoy your commentary on all aspects, but this is a hip hop blog,right?>(not to sound condescending). I want to know what you think about the current state of the hip hop culture. Music is the heartbeat of my life, and I enjoy your peice of that pie. Music makes me high, and then I listen to your commentary.
Live. Laugh. Love
JD

Posted by: Jon DOugh at November 28, 2008 3:06 AM

I know it came down to the lesser of two evils. I wanted Obama over McCain in a heartbeat, but don't think he is this savior that people are hoping for. I know he will bring change, but it still boils down to our monetary prison system. I gaurantee he won't change that. America lives by debt. As the dollars value decreases, I digress.... When are we going to see some more vidoes about hip hop culture? I enjoy your commentary on all aspects, but this is a hip hop blog,right?>(not to sound condescending). I want to know what you think about the current state of the hip hop culture. Music is the heartbeat of my life, and I enjoy your peice of that pie. Music makes me high, and then I listen to your commentary.
Live. Laugh. Love
JD

Posted by: Jon DOugh at November 28, 2008 3:07 AM

i go back and forth between being in love with you and being in love with your cat. i think this video has taught me to put forth the effort for a kind of synthesis...so long as you got the left of center clintonian part in one take...otherwise the cat wins.

oh yeah, and obama is pretty cool too. hopefully. i mean, if some of his change rolls into the change purses of funding for social justice work and education, then i'll be happy (writing grant proposals).

give tyka a cuddle for me, will you?

Posted by: jenessa at November 28, 2008 4:04 PM

Right on. Way to prepare us for something underwhelming and then knock em down again.

Posted by: withoutscene at November 29, 2008 12:11 AM

Kitty! So cute I have to scream! AAARGHH!!

Posted by: lucie at November 29, 2008 5:16 AM

Nicely put Jay!
You're right, this is only the beginning. I hope everyone out there understands that we've got so much more to do in order to ensure that the next 4 years brings about the change we sought in Obama. At times, it may seem like politics as usual, but let's not throw in the towel. We can do this!

Posted by: DJ Bozo at November 29, 2008 12:24 PM

Please don't underestimate your words. You're a very profound person and what you say and the way you say it gives people a lot of clarity. Including me.

And I am so grateful for this moment! I now know what I wanna be when I grow up --a community organizer! And maybe with Obama as president I'll make enough money to feed myself. But if not, it'll still be worth it just to see two little black girls living in the white house. Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Posted by: Shelby at November 29, 2008 10:06 PM

Well thought out, well spoken. As always. Great post. This really captures the two different ways I feel at the same time. What I refer to as American at a crossroads, "Dat-A-Way"

Posted by: Incilin at November 30, 2008 1:55 AM

WHAT DID WE WANT YOU TO SAY?!?!?!? THAT!!! THAT RIGHT THERE!!! man, just do you .. which is what you did ... and i cant get enough of it .. best commentary on this election ive seen thus far and i would venture and say that its the best i ever will see. Ive been waiting for this since Nov 4th .. not knowing at all what to expect other than knowing it would be worth the wait ... and it was ...

Posted by: Kali at November 30, 2008 12:33 PM

Jay, your relentless capacity for articulating multiple truths at once is just awesome. It's as fulfilling as stuffing myself on really good food, and inspiring at the same time. If more of our writers and journalists were as agile in acknowledging and reconciling the apparent contradictions of reality, I think we would all be a little wiser and a little more tolerant.

Posted by: Lena at December 1, 2008 5:25 PM

Jay, great video (as per usual).

You bring up an excellent point about the symbolism of Barack's election overshadowing the fact that this is really just the beginning of another chapter in the story of the progressive movement (not an ultimate victory in and of itself). There's still a tremendous amount of work to be done, and having a black/multi-racial president isn't going to instantly, automagically fix all of the very real problems that persist in this country (the prison-military-industrial complex, the growing divide between the rich and the poor, institutionalized and socioeconomically-reinforced racism... just to name a few).

Still, I gotta say, the mere thought of "President Obama" gives me a sincere and genuine HOPE that America will be better tomorrow than it is today. And that's something I haven't felt for a long time.

Posted by: Mike Li at December 2, 2008 12:28 PM

Thank you as always for reminding us of what matters. To be honest, I wanted to see a show about the election, but mostly for the same reason my friends and I all put photos of us voting up on Facebook; you personally cared, and you personally did what you could and I wanted to see you losing your shit over how fantastic it was.

P.S. I heard you on Weekend America the other day about "good news/bad news/no news". Man, you did great, but I'm sorry that you had that lady to contend with.... you totally had the last, mammoth word, though, dude.

Posted by: Kendra at December 2, 2008 11:19 PM

Could someone point me to where people think Obama is the Messiah? Because I keep hearing the complaint, but I've never seen the source.

Bunch of bullshit.

Dubya is the worst. Republicans in general are evil. This is a step away--hopefully the first of many steps away from that bullshit. Obama was the best of the options we had. And as far as those choices go, he's a damned good one. I'm just elated we elected the smart dude for once.

Posted by: Jason B at December 4, 2008 10:31 PM

I was distracted by the cat.

=3

Posted by: M&M at December 7, 2008 9:12 PM

I'm VERY concerned with the message you're sending.

The symbolic is the BIG problem with our political system. The symbolic means we don't listen to what our politicians are saying and treat them with logic and critical understanding. It's the symbolic that gets people riled up about whether Obama had a flag pin on his jacket or not. Obviously that was ridiculous and pointless accusation against him. The huge problem for our democracy is people took that accusation seriously.

But you can't cherry pick which moments are okay to be symbolic about. If it's acceptable for Obama getting elected in terms of its symbolism, then it's acceptable to judge him for not wearing his flag pin and not putting his hand on his chest. They are the same logically, and you can't accept one without the other.

No, you gotta listen to your politicians. You have to hear what they say. If you don't, then we are not a democracy.

Symbolism in ALL instances is a form of authoritarianism.

I know you're happy Obama was elected, as I was, but THIS IS NOT A RESPONSIBLE MESSAGE.

To make my point clearer, if Obama had been elected saying he was going to put all the Jews into a labour camp, would have still made this video about it being a positive "symbolic" moment? Think about it and what that means.

PLEASE TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID IN THIS POSTING. YOU DO A DISSERVICE TO US ALL, ESPECIALLY OBAMA.

Posted by: Err, hmm at December 7, 2008 10:37 PM

on a less serious note: i plugged ill doc into the genderanalyzer and it said it was 89% certain this blog is written by a woman (http://mirror.codeode.com/genderanalyzer/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.illdoctrine.com%2F)

jay, is there something you're not telling us?

Posted by: claire at December 9, 2008 3:33 AM

One of your better thoughtful videos -- and made even better by your teleporting cat!

Posted by: Colin at December 10, 2008 4:55 PM

So, XXL gave ya the axe, huh?

Posted by: bigone at December 14, 2008 9:11 PM

yo, moveon.org is organizing trainings this weekend for folks to stay engaged and involved in pressuring Congress to "move on" our behalf on various progressive issues. i'm tryna be there. check it out.

Posted by: miss al boogie at January 6, 2009 10:49 PM

Center-left democrat appointees, no kidding. Sigh.
Which is not to say we're not all getting pumped for the inauguration, but damn, the most progressives in the administration are the musicians performing My Country 'Tis of Thee at the Sunday concert.

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