Okay so there has been something that I have been wanting to talk about for a while but didn't know how to put it in words, until now. Let me just say that this post will not be like the others because this is a post that comes from the heart and the topic is near and dear to me so if this is not what you want to see on my website then oh well tough luck.
So there has been something that has been bothering me for a minute and it's something that is absolutely stupid and needs to stop but. What I'm talking about is "Checking People" and for those that don't know what that is is basically questioning someone else's status on certain topics, issues, racial background and social backgrounds. Two types of checking that are stupid are Race Checking and Nerd Checking and I'm going to start with Nerd Checking.
Nerd Checking is absolutely pointless and people that do Nerd Check are the ones that have no life what so ever. Just because a fellow nerd is not into the things you're into doesn't make them less of a nerd so why try to make a big deal or try to derank someone because of it. I don't understand Astro Physics, Bio Enginering, or Rocket Science so does that mean I'm not a nerd and that i need to hand in my "Nerd Card" and go hang out with the non-nerds of society? A nerd is a nerd because the "Normal People" don't want to hang out with them so they turn to comics, video games, Mangas, anime, TV and movies and the other outsiders that the "Norms" don't want to be around. Even that isn't enough because like I said before, Nerds checking other nerds regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender is still around and about. One example is this idea that only guys can be nerds and women aren't real nerds they're only acting like one for attention which makes me say WTF?
Women can be nerds and there are plenty of them out there in the world, you just have to move out of your circle of nerds to find them. For example there is
Nerdgasm Noire Network which is ran and overseen by five beautiful women of color who happen to be nerds and talk about Nerd Shit and then there's
Black Girl Nerds who also happen to be women of color who also happen to be the biggest group of nerds that i know. Another item of "Nerd Checking" that I hate is the "Nerd Checklist" and if you haven't done some of the items on the checklist then you're not considered a actual nerd which once again makes me stop and go "Insecure Bitter Cynical Asshole Says What?"
Prime example of this is this internet show that we'll call "IR" and the shows host that we'll call "Mr. Fuckit" just for the hell of it. So Mr. Fuckit went on his show one time and ran down a list of things he considered Nerdy and said that if you haven't done some to most of the things then you're not a real nerd. The list consisted of things such as:
- You're not a real nerd if you haven't gone to a Midnight Release event for games other than Call of Duty and Madden.
- You're not a real nerd if you haven't played Dungeon and Dragons for most of you're life.
- You're not a real nerd if you haven't played any of the Final Fantasy games from FF X and below.
- You're not a real nerd if you don't own any pieces of clothing that has images of characters from Comics, Video Games, Mangas, Anime, Cartoons, Movies or TV shows.
- You're not a real nerd if you didn't play any card games (Pokemon, Yugioh, Magic, etc.) AND STILL HAVE THE CARDS EVEN THOUGH NO ONE PLAYS ANYMORE
Those are just a few of the items that were on Mr. Fuckit's Nerd Checklist during that episode and it seriously made my head hurt and I turned that shit off quicker than Daigo beating a n00b in Super Streetfighter IV. Who are you to tell people that if they have or haven't done some to most of those things on your made up checklist that they're not real nerds? And another thing that Mr. Fuckit said on that episode that made my head hurt was him saying that people that call themselves nerds aren't real nerds and that real nerds don't want to be involved with the "label" and that people shouldn't embrace the word. To that I say bullshit because there are other "labels" in the world that people tend to embrace and is okay with it.
For example, according to Mr. Fuckit, if you accept and embrace the label nerd then you're not a nerd so does that mean that people that are labeled gay and are called gay and then embrace the label does that mean that they're not gay? I guess I'm not at the level of being a bitter cynical angry coat tail riding person like him but i know reasonable people don't think like this person.
Okay, now that that's taken care of, I'm going to talk about another form of checking that I think is absolutely ridiculous and has been going on for far too long which is of course the infamous "Black Checking"
Thinking back to the infamous dispute that the House Slave wasn't like the Field Slave back in Slavery, Black Checking has always been an issue in the world for Black People and still continues to be an issue. The example of Rob Parker from ESPN's First Take Black Checking Washington Redskin's QB and NFL's 2013 Rookie Of The Year recipient Robert Griffin III because RG3 said he didn't want to be seen as a black QB but as a QB struck a nerve to Parker which led to Parker's infamous rant on RG3 asking is RG3 a "Brother" or a "Cornball Brother" that led to a one month suspension but as most people believe should've been a longer suspension with no pay. This is an example that it doesn't matter what you're status in life is, Black Checking can happen and will happen but there are other examples of black checking that black people use against each other and how people of other races use against black people. Which leads me to two more examples and I'm going to use myself as an example.
The first example I'm going to use is me. I grew up in Media, PA which the suburban city that is 15 minutes away from South Philly, my parents grew up in a small inner city called Chester, PA which also 10 minutes away from Philly. So growing up I got Black Checked on both sides of the coin because I got checked from classmates whether it was in elementary, middle school, or even High School because the blacks from my school were from Chester so in their eyes i wasn't black because I didn't speak or carry myself as if i didn't have any manners or home training. And then in the Summer time growing up my parents would drop me off at the Boys Club in Chester and I would get black checked there because i was different than the rest of the kids there. But the checking doesn't stop after High School because even now to this day I'm still being black checked and have come to terms that I will always be black checked no matter where I'm at in my life.
The constant remark of hearing that someone from a different race is blacker than you is utterly despicable because you can't be blacker than me because unlike you, I'm always being looked at like a suspect. The fact that I'm a black man in America is already crazy enough as it is but i don't need you lowering my blackness because I don't talk like a thug, live in the projects, have a criminal record or have a few baby mothers in the city doesn't mean that you can deblack me because i have more problems than you will ever have.
Overall I believe that Checking, whether it's black checking or nerd checking, is ridiculous and doesn't need to be and it needs a lot more people to stand up and use their voice to say that we will not take this shit anymore. Alright guys that's all for now and don't forget to check out the two sites I linked during this post and don't forget to share, share, share, and please Donate to the website and the Show because i have some ideas but i can only go so much and i would like it if you guys could chip in every now and then by donating what ever you can because it takes a village.
Till Next Time... LOVE, PEACE AND BACON GREASE
