“I hope no one was offended by my show here tonight. If I offended anyone here tonight, I want to say from the bottom of my heart…I don’t give a damn!
– Redd Foxx’s closing joke after his patented “Blue” comedy.
I’m with Redd. This monologue is going to piss a lot of you off, and I don’t care. Hopefully, you look beyond the mess and get the message.
Parenthetically, the definition of blue humor, according to the Urban Dictionary, “is a style of comedy that is off-color, risqué, indecent or profane, largely about sex. It often contains profanity and sexual imagery that may shock and offend some audience members.” This opinion ain’t blue humor, but you may get the blues!
Me and work have been acquainted since the age of 13 and maybe before that. At 11 or 12, my best friend Marqueis Scott and I used to drag a lawn mower down the streets of our neighborhood soliciting yards to cut. We charged five dollars and became acquainted with every single mother who needed us.
Throughout my career, I have been a salesman, a manager, a laborer, and a mid-level executive. My journey has seen me traverse 125-degree heat in a plastics manufacturing company and sell insurance door to door. From C-suites and tailored suits to laying asphalt in boots and dungarees. I know work and the advantages that come with doing it steadily.
So, when I hear Black people disparaging and dis- respecting some of my Hispanic brothers and sisters, I get pissed off. We spew lies and misnomers about everything from illegal immigration to how Mexicans are producing wads of cash. Some of us won’t admit we are being outworked. We make excuses.
Cartel, my a$$. These folks are working hard, long hours, sometimes with multiple jobs, and saving their dough so they can live the “American Dream.” ‘ As Black folk, we do a disservice to them and to our legacy of overcoming racism by reducing their work ethic and will to achieve to supposition and slander.
No one is stupid enough to believe that none of the Mexican Cartel money finds its way into this country, especially into Texas and California. But to attribute the economic rise of Mexicans and other Hispanics to drug money is a lie.
What is particularly loath-some about this attitude is that we are pouring the same level of ignorance and advancing the same type of stereotypes that White folks have saddled us with since the civil rights era.
Every day, I hear the same song and dance. “Man, Mexicans done took over South Dallas and bout to take over Oak Cliff. As a child of the 60s, that is eerily parallel to what we heard then. Black folks didn’t take over Oak Cliff; White folks ran from it.
Once affirmative action and the chance to progress were evident, we seized on it. The same light at the end of the tunnel we saw in the 1970s is glaring in the eyes and spirits of Hispanics in Texas and nationwide.
We weren’t suddenly allowed to “integrate” because White folks suddenly found some love for us or respect for the always controversial Supreme Court. We took our hard-earned money and bought out, one homeowner and business venture at a time. Segregation still exists, but it can be overcome if you have cash.
Highland Park and the wealthy White enclaves don’t have a sign anymore that says, “No Negroes, No Mexicans and No Dogs.” It’s the price tag on those land lots and houses that limit how many Negroes and Mexicans can live there. By all appearances, they seemed to have made amends with the dogs!
We should realize that there are three things Black people need to achieve the level of success that our hombres are living now.
First, we must diversify, learn a trade, and get a college education. A Jewish Proverb says, “Anyone who does not teach his son a skill or profession may be regarded as if he is teaching him to rob.” Second, we must develop a work ethic supporting two or more income streams. Get a second job and keep a legal hustle in the mix.
Finally, we must teach and model the concept of gainful employment and entrepreneurship with our pre-teens. Immerse them in financial literacy and baptize them in the ideals of self-dependence.
Cartel, my A$$.
“Money cometh” from hard work, strategy, and consistency. And BTW, if I offended you, refer to the opening quote.
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
