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AMERICA’S BITCHES BREW

by with No Comment CultureFeatured

Brooklyn Hospital was under siege during the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak in April. I live one block away from the Civil War era hospital. As ambulances raced through the empty streets, I could hear the echo of the sirens reverberate off of the buildings nearby.

The sirens wailed for weeks. To keep my mind occupied I had thrown myself into my work to preserve my sanity. From my brown upholstered chair in the corner of my apartment, I could hear every ambulance that passed by. At the sound of every siren, I could envision the darkness that was about to overtake the nation.

A tsunami of past traumas crashed into my mind as I recalled the lasting impacts of 9/11 on New York City, the country’s abysmal public healthcare system, and America’s world-renown legacy as one of the most viscously racist nations in the history of mankind.

I was defiant in my refusal to be mentally waterboarded by the sensationalism of the American media. Having already experienced NYC during 9/11, I already knew that the city was in dire straits in the years ahead. With the hourly increase in ambulance sirens and the death tally rising on my television screen, I clicked off the news media and turned up the volume of my soulful music collection.

In the weeks ahead, I dove into the business deals that I was working on and leaned heavily on my depression coping mechanisms. I was successfully navigating my way through murky mental waters until May when the recorded murders of two separate unarmed black men were released for the world to consume.

I sat there staring into the nothingness that I was feeling inside. Wondering yet again how America first contracted this disease of ruthless systemic racism. For a moment of relief, I imagined the scene from the television series Game of Thrones where the fictional character, Jorah Mormont, was inflicted with the disfiguring Grayscale skin disease by the exiled Stone Men. The disease of American systematic racism would reveal its hardened gray, scaly, scarred skin to us all in the midst of this devastating public health crisis.

(Silverbacks Note: Greetings from Amsterdam North! Frankly, it’s been difficult for me to write over the last several months. I began to find my stride in beginning to share my personal narrative with you in Music Is Life and Power of Love. I still have more to share on that basketball journey but it’s been tough to write from a negative headspace. As I attempt to find my roar again, I have been busy growing other aspects of the Soulful Silverback brand.

Since I last published a piece, we released the Silverback’s first reading mixtape on American racism titled “Chaining Day” (check out the fire album cover art here), we launched our first paid advertising marketing campaign (Oy! the comment section was divisive), we replenished the t-shirt inventory on the Silverbacks Shop (go cop some merch!) and registered the business as a company in the Netherlands (pretty dope, right?). More on this in the coming months.

It’s often been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. And y’all know I’m damn nice with my pen. This vignette is one of those occasions where I felt that I had to pick up my sword. Warning: parental advisory, colorful language in the words ahead.

Cheers,

P.S. – Click on the section hyperlinks to listen to the tunes.)

BITCHES BREW

I sank deeper into the padding on the chair, deeper into thought, and was stunned by the intersectionality of this mounting crisis. I could taste the bitterness of America’s racist bitches brew hit the bumps on my palate.

It’s all of these nauseating miasmic ills mixing together: this nation’s continued bloodthirsty investment in the military-industrial complex; the amoral marriage of corporate profits to citizens’ healthcare; and the nation’s savage legacy of importing humans and legally classifying them and their offspring as non-persons.

These ingredients are America’s handcrafted recipe, her lasting legacy on the world stage, and her most lethal weapon; her bitches brew if you will. This concoction is so potent that Adolf Hitler was inspired by America’s centuries-long systemic performance that he commissioned the formula to be the foundation for his own deadly race laws.

During the last week in May, my phone began to vibrate as text messages from family, friends, and acquaintances from all over the world.

Big Nev! Just checking in on you. I wanted to make sure you’re good.

Hi my love, I wanted you to know that Mom is praying for you always.

Mate, how are you going? Crazy what’s happening in the States.

My initial feelings of being cared for were quickly switched to dread as I scrolled past a notification that Minneapolis law enforcement had killed an unarmed black man while in police custody. Given the flood of text messages, I instantaneously knew the visuals of the murder were likely to be devastating.

Just weeks before in early May, a cell phone recording was released of armed white men hunting and shooting a Black runner, Ahmuad Arbery, in the southern State of Georgia. In the chilling video, you can see Ahmad fleeing his attackers only to be cornered and shot dead in the street. His lifeless Black body lying facedown on the pavement in the southern breeze was an all too familiar image of the antebellum south.

Weeks later in late May, as more concerned text messages poured in, it only fortified my resolve to avoid the video of George Floyd’s execution until I was mentally prepared for the visuals. I continued reading the text messages.

How are you holding up Neville?

I can’t believe that this is happening. I am so sorry bro.

Hey Nev, be safe out there big fella! We’re worried about you.

As more and more concerned text messages from mostly white friends and acquaintances arrived, the more bewildered and enraged I became. The cushion beneath me was morphing a launchpad and I was beginning to rumble in anger. I wanted to lift off and explode in response to the text messages.

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN AM I OK?! I LIVE MY LIFE WITH THIS EXISTENTIAL FEAR!! I EXPECT THIS BEHAVIOR FROM WHITE FOLKS. THE REAL QUESTION IS: ARE YOU FUCKING OK WITH WHAT YOU SAW?

Delete, delete, delete, you can’t respond with that I thought. These folks are concerned about you.

But it was too late, I had already been poisoned by the news of the day.

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WHAT MORE CAN I SAY

I needed to calm down and quiet the war going on inside. I put my phone down and went back to working on a large technology partnership with Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation.

Eight months prior, I had delivered one of the most riveting and personal business pitches to the leadership team at Roc Nation. Jay-Z had once compared the technology industry and its lack of diversity, inclusion, and retention to Major League Baseball prior to integration on his song Legacy.

“We gon’ start a society within a society

That’s major, just like the Negro League

There was a time America wouldn’t let us ball

Those times are now back, just now called Afro-tech”

With rhymes like that, it wasn’t lost on me that I was a Black man selling technology to the company he founded. It was a proud moment in my career to stand at the plate in the sleek Roc Nation conference room and deliver a homerun presentation to win their technology business. Just like Jackie Robinson stealing home plate decades prior, I was able to exemplify that diversity, inclusion, and retention can benefit corporate profits when our talents are unshackled and enabled to flourish.

When I brought the deal to my company I was again confronted with the taste of America’s racist bitches brew. I scheduled a conference call to discuss the details of the pricing negotiation. Two of my white bosses were on the conference call and when I joined the call I overheard their conversation.

“This is why I don’t do business deals with any Roc Nation type of companies,” one White boss scoffed to the other.

“Oh no, the guy we are working with is a White guy,” the other white boss replied to his off-color comment. “He’s not Black.”

It’s tough to describe the complexity of my feelings on that conference call but you know that bathroom scene from the movie Trading Places?

There’s an important scene near the end of the movie.

During the scene, Billy Ray Valentine, the main character, is hiding in a nearby stall and overhears the details of brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke’s nefarious experiment as they settle their infamous $1 wager in the bathroom.

I guess you could say that I felt like Billy Ray overhearing the Duke brothers’ conversation except these two knew I was present on the call. But it was too late, they had already exposed their diseased mindset about Black people.

I remained silent on the call as that all too familiar taste of casual cultural racism filled my throat like vomit. I wrestled internally as to whether I should have made a witty remark or let the exchange slide entirely.

I didn’t address the offensive exchange and focused on the task at hand. This was not the time for activism, so I brushed off the comments and forged ahead with the internal conversation.

Months later when the deal closed in June, one of those white bosses had the audacity to attempt to tie my success with Roc Nation to the timing of George Floyd’s murder.

“Seems like George Floyd’s death really helped us close this deal,” he said in a pleasurable tone.

“Don’t tie that man’s tragic execution to my success in this deal,” I bristled. “The two events are not correlated.”

I was confronted with the casual nature of cultural racism at every turn. The reality of Jay-Z’s sharp lyrics from The Story of O.J. came to mind and my mood was dampened.

“Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga

Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga

Still nigga, still nigga”

The Grayscale skin disease was spreading and taking its toll on my mental health.

ALABAMA COLTRANE

It took me weeks but I finally mustered up the courage to watch the full 8:46 minutes of George Floyd’s execution.

Late one night around the midnight hour in early June, I turned off all of the lights and closed the shades to be in total darkness. I slipped into my bed and curled up under the covers for what I was about to see and experience. I took a deep inhale and pressed play on the YouTube video.

There had been so much talk of the recording that I was not surprised by the images on my screen. It was just as devastating as I had feared.

I had been conditioned to expect white Americans to treat Black bodies with excessive force. However, what struck me the most about this video was the defiant entitlement, comfort, and smugness on the face of the white officer as he pressed his knees deeper into the skin on George Floyd’s neck. You could see from the expression on the officer’s face that he was relishing every moment of the execution.

I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS STILL HAPPENING WHILE THE PLANET IS BATTING A FUCKING DEADLY PANDEMIC AT A SCALE THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN OVER 100-YEARS! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN WITH PEOPLE STANDING RIGHT THERE?

American racism was crafted so that the enslavement was intellectual, moral, and legal. American racism is the real Grayscale skin disease from fictitious television series – except its white folks that are the asymptomatic carriers and they have infected us all with this highly contagious disease that has been slowly destroying the nation.

This strain of racism may be as infectious as “Grayscale” but its impact is excruciatingly more real. Black folks in this nation have been suffering from our daily engagement with this disease-riddled system for centuries.

American racism and white supremacy rob white people of the experience of being fully human. This particularly evil brand of racism is a disease that white people need to be cured of. Throughout history, the experience of attaining an elevated or supreme position within one’s community is earned through the content of one’s character and not by the birthright of their skin color.

I could go on and on about this topic but I refuse. I’m so tired of this shit. I fucking hate writing about racism.

The reality is plain and simple for the world to now see: America is not a healthy environment for the overall wellbeing of Black Americans across all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Sadly, unlike the television series, there is no healing ointment or witches brew to cure us of this disease either. Not Samwell Tarley, not Joe Biden, or even Jesus Christ can apply a balm to our skin to heal us from this affliction. We are irrevocably disfigured as People because racism is codified into the nation’s governing documents, cultural norms, and workplaces.

Sipping on America’s piping hot brew is slowly killing me and I have to protect my future generations from grappling with these feelings of worthlessness and despair.

America’s demons will never release this nation from its clutches and I refuse to fight against the federal and cultural racism that will likely result in my dead body being tossed onto the already mountain-high pile of young, gifted, and Black bodies that have spoken out against injustice before me.

I had to finally give up on America and flee her borders for my physical safety, my mental sanity, and my future legacy.

It was time to put down the sword and apply a healing balm to my hardened gray skin before it was too late.

RIP AMHAUD ARBERY & GEORGE FLOYD

Clothes Don’t Fit

by with One Comment CultureDiversity & InclusionFeatured

I previously wrote an article about the blackface incidents circulating the news. Gucci, the luxury fashion brand; however, deserves additional dialogue for their attempt to sell a blackface sweater.

Let’s be clear, all acts of blackface are egregious and the usual cockamamie excuses for them are equaling as insulting, but the Gucci incident is more costly than the overpriced sweater they tried to sell. 

Simply put, Gucci and most luxury brands, whether it be alcohol, cars, watches, or apparel, have largely become household names due to one group of people… hip hop artists. 

You and I both will never check the time on our Rolex watch flooded with diamonds while jumping into a Maybach in Prada flip flops… spoiler alert… neither will most rappers. Those braggadocious lyrics may not mean much; however, their effect has left an imprint on an entire culture. 

That culture being people fixated on luxurious brands… brands that have put forth little to no effort or appreciation for some of the people buying their products. By people, I mean Black people. 

From Prada to Gucci you rarely find Black models in their ads. They host virtually no community engagements or services at all. Their company is composed primarily of well to do White people and their stores rarely have Black employees. 

I get why the lopsided relationship exists between luxury brands and Black people.

Spoiler alert, they don’t want us buying and promoting their brands!

Remember when Tommy Hilfiger said, “I wish the rappers didn’t wear my stuff?” He received major backlash and immediately Black people stopped wearing Tommy Hilfiger. Tommy Hilfiger was actually saying what most designers were thinking. 

So why do Black folks in particular still buy brands that make every effort to show they have no interest in them or even their dollars???

Well… 

The American economy is a consumer based economy, and the supporting culture is materialism. Black people in this nation have been ostracized from housing loans to draconian drug laws. And if there’s one aspect of American culture where Black people feel like they can briefly escape these oppressions, it’s through fashion, buying the most expensive items… flossing as they say, or at least it seems. 

Whether it’s a new Benz, a very expensive handbag, or the latest designer shoes, such products immediately grant American consumers the attention and praise they crave, for whatever reason… regardless of their race.

Lastly, many luxury fashion brands have no interest in the inclusion of Black people, which is evident by their repeated blunders and cultural mishaps. Yet, many Black people continue to spend their hard earned money on these brands. It’s like the clothes don’t fit, but we continue to try them on in hopes of breaking them in one day.  

Similar Read: Stop Giving Out Black Hall Passes

What Does LGBT Inclusion Look Like?

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

Just a few weeks ago the popular TV show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, hit an all-time high in ratings with its latest season 10 finale. As a member of the LGBT community, it is absolutely amazing to see a show all about drag queens performing so well in mainstream media.

Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race are so important to have in our society today. When a show is centered entirely on an LGBT experience, it gives LGBT youth something to look up to. They can see people like them being portrayed routinely on TV, which has not been a common trend in the past. Not to mention the inclusive nature of the show, in which RuPaul accepts queens of all kinds and encourages them to be unique in order to succeed in the competition.

Representation is so important, especially for children because it helps reassure them of their identity as well as showing them what they can do. For me it is always exciting to see LGBT representation in the media because every instance of it means we’re one step closer to normalizing LGBT culture and communities in our society. 

This most recent season (10) of RuPaul’s Drag Race was particularly exciting for me to watch because the winner actually grew up in my hometown. It was so inspiring to see someone who came from the same place, not only win such a huge competition, but also to be celebrated for his identity and his sexuality. 

This is why representation is so important. To see someone who comes from the same place as you rise to do great things, especially as a member of the LGBT community, is absolutely inspiring. It also gives LGBT youth a positive role model to look up to and shows them that they can be successful in embracing who they truly are.

Representation in media is also helpful because it gives people who may not know or understand the LGBT community an inside look at what it’s really like, and it’s one step closer to normalizing diversity and inclusion in our society. When straight people see LGBT people on TV or in movies, they gain a different perspective, which allows many of them to warm up to the idea of LGBT people. 

With the recent wave of queer representation in mainstream media, shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye, as well as movies such as Love, Simon and Call Me By Your Name, more and more straight people are getting an inside look at what being LGBT truly means and have become more accepting because of it. I hope LGBT representation continues to grow in mainstream media until it’s completely normalized in our society. 

What To Do When They Come For You?

by with No Comment Media

What to do when they come for you? It sounds like a Robert De Niro line from one of his famous mafia movies, except it’s a legitimate question Joy Reid and her team should be trying to answer.

If you’re a liberal or a big Joy Reid supporter, you’re probably defending her and prepared to move on. If you’re a conservative and not a fan of her politics, then you might be suggesting a double standard and calling for her job. Either way, it’s almost inevitable that more of her (The Reid Report) blog posts from 10+ years ago will surface.

Disparaging comments and hard to explain sentiments regarding 9/11 conspiracies, jabs at John McCain, and her apparent homophobia, which includes petty and insensitive digs at Anderson Cooper and her current MSNBC partner Rachel Maddow, are coming back to haunt her at a time when her progressive voice echoes loud for those who identify with liberal and Democratic policies.

Reid first apologized in December 2017 when homophobic posts from her past about Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) first appeared saying her comments were, “insensitive and tone-deaf.” However, more troubling posts surfaced in April 2018, and this time around she sang a different tune denying that she wrote these posts and that she must have been hacked…

“Most straight people cringe at the sight of two men kissing… I couldn’t go see Broke Back Mountain because of the gay characters. “Does that make me homophobic? Probably… And I’m not exactly proud of it. But part of the intrinsic nature of ‘straightness’ is that the idea of homosexual sex is…well…gross. For the record, I’m sure gay people think straight sex is gross, too.” – The Reid Report

When these most recent comments surfaced, she revealed that she had hired a cyber security consultant in December 2017 to investigate. The consultant believes her blog was hacked during the time many of these posts were published, stating he found significant evidence which indicated that Reid’s old blog had been compromised.

On April 28th, MSNBC shared her recent statement regarding the matter. She stated, “I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things.” In another comment shortly thereafter she spoke about her evolution…

“I’ve also spoken openly about my evolution on many issues and know that I’m a better person today than I was over a decade ago… I believe the totality of my work attests to my ideals and I continue to grow every day.” – Joy Reid

Should her apologies and the above acknowledgment of her evolution suffice? Should we believe her when she admits to writing some of the disparaging comments but not all of them?

If she was a college student in 2005 when she admitting to writing some but not all of these distasteful things, I think many people on both sides of the isle would give her a pass. But in 2005, she was a 36-year old journalist with the assumed maturity and professionalism that should trump any college student.

Many people are calling for her to be fired for her homophobic comments in the past. The irony – many of the people calling for her to be fired likely agree with her past sentiments and beliefs about homosexuality and gay relationships.

For now, her employer MSNBC is sticking by her. The bigger question is… should you do the same?

Subscribe for free to keep up with LCR perspectives. 

Cultural Blind Spots

by with One Comment Media

Lack of Diversity = Cultural Negligence

Things that you cannot take back: A stone after it has been thrown, a word once it has been spoken, an offensive ad after it is published, and an audience after cultural negligence. A hooded top with the words “COOLEST MONKEY IN THE JUNGLE” on a black child model is the latest public relations nightmare in the world of advertisement. The international retailer H&M published an on-line advertisement for its U.K. site; however, the tone-deaf and racist ad quickly spread through social media, resulting in H&M pulling it.

The question is, why did “they” not realize the severity of the cultural insensitivity. Are “they” diverse enough to throw a flag on the play of cultural negligence in the room where decisions are made? Furthermore, even if there are a few token diverse voices in the room, is the environment and leadership diverse enough to encourage as well as respect the voice(s) of cultural awareness and inclusion?

H&M is not the only organization that has seen its lack of diversity affect the campaign message in a racially tense era. In 2007, HP depicted a white man in an office with 6 black sprinters in starting positions that appeared to be bowed to their master. In 2017, Nivea had an ad with a tag line “White is Purity”, which white supremacist were happy to retweet. In 2011 and 2017, Dove released ads that were interpreted as blacks using the product to cleanse themselves of their brown skin.

Imagine the impact “they” in the advertising team would have if the group was a true representation of the consumers they target. According to The National center for Education Statistics, in 2014, the number of minority students enrolled in the public schools was 50.3%, making it higher than whites for the first time in U.S. history. As the minority transition to become the majority, companies need to execute a plan to guarantee the right representation at all levels of the organization. If they do not, they will continue to have advertising PR nightmares that lose more patrons than they gain.  H&M released a statement that apologized for offending and stated its commitment to diversity and inclusion. It will be interesting for them to share what their organization diversity numbers are currently, particularly in the advertising department.

According to a U.S. Black Consumer Survey from 2017, 70% of black millennials say they are more likely to buy from a brand that takes a stand on race-related issues. With heightened race tensions in society and constant reminder of opinions and feelings smeared through social media today; what percentage of black millennials would buy from a brand that is tone-deaf to race and negligent to their culture? This segment in the market is one that companies need to capitalize on, not offend. In order to capitalize, companies need to make a conscious effort that starts in the human resource department. The number one priority needs to be an overhaul of hiring practices and retention strategies to attract and retain a diverse talent pool that brings cultural awareness and inclusion. Only then can “they” have the voices in the room to depict an accurate society. “No! This is completely inappropriate and offensive!” is what someone in a diverse and inclusive room would have said when calling a young black boy a monkey was suggested.

Diversity in Recruiting, Pt. I

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Last June, an article was published by The Root naming Black women the most educated group in the US. That’s something to celebrate, right? Well, yes. Except the article then went on to say that in a recent study, black women were found to make up only 8% of private sector jobs and less than 2% of leadership roles. How is it possible that black women are proving to be highly educated, but are still having trouble with representation in Corporate America? Is this an issue that is only affecting black women? I think it’s fair to say that there are many educated black men as well as other minorities and even veterans who can relate to the job market hustle.

Applying for a job is no easy task. You have to research the company in order to write a decent, personalized cover letter, check all your LinkedIn connections to see if anyone has a connection to help you get a foot in the door, make sure your resume or CV reflects the needs of the company, etc. After all of that, you send your application in hoping to at least receive confirmation that it was received. Then, you have to start all over and do the same thing for the next company. It can be really draining. Imagine doing that for weeks or months on end with no hope of even getting a job interview.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a hiring manager sends out a job description to their network of colleagues and associates who then recommends candidates from their own network. Many times, those networks are built from college and professional organizations. If the college or professional organization is not diverse, you’re essentially going to get a carbon copy of what you already have.

Ideas are born from the combination of your education and experience. If everyone has the same educational background and similar life experiences, how can new and innovative ideas be formed? It takes bringing people from different backgrounds and different walks of life, aka diversity, to make businesses thrive.

How can an organization foster diversity? By breaking out into new worlds unexplored. There are so many professional organizations that are geared towards minority groups. Find them. There are many universities that have Black student associations. Establish a relationship. Howard University, Spelman College, Morehouse, etc. are producing some of the top college graduates in the country. Go there and recruit. It takes effort.

We’ve all been told that hard work pays off. That’s one of those quotes that I believe to be true. Putting in the work to diversify your work environment is definitely one of the jobs worth the effort. Not only does hiring more diversely drive innovation and creativity, but you’re also likely to capture more market share. Having a diverse staff means your company knows how to communicate and connect with different cultures, and eventually convert them into customers. By increasing diversity, you could essentially be increasing your company’s financial performance.

It is now 2017 and it’s time that we stop talking about making things more diverse and just do it. Systematic differences, which negatively impact minorities, have been in place since the dawn of this country, but it’s clear that many of us are excelling regardless. Will the hard work of those individuals pay off? I definitely hope so, but it’s hard to achieve success without opportunity. The time for sharing those opportunities is now.

Your Opinion, Please LEAVE Home Without It

by with No Comment Uncategorized

On June 26, 2015, my birthday by the way (shameless plug I know), the United States Supreme Court decided to amend the US Constitution and grant same-sex couples the right to marry. I think it’s important to note that this decision was made despite the United States Supreme Court being headed by Chief Justice John Roberts, who was a George W Bush appointee and very conservative. Even if a particular state did not have gay marriage, all states had to recognize gay marriage. In its aftermath, contrary to the opposition belief, civilization and traditional marriage hasn’t faltered in the two years since the Supreme Court decision. Despite the world turning out just fine, some people’s opinion on the idea of legalized same sex marriage is an issue that must take precedence over stuff that actually matters. Unfortunately, those same people have real power and influence.  

On Friday June 30, a mere two years and a few days removed from the watershed Supreme Court decision, the nine-member Texas Supreme Court unanimously reversed a lower court’s ruling favoring the city of Houston’s decision to extend health and life insurance benefits to the spouses of city employees in same-sex marriages. The court ordered the case sent back to the trial court in Houston. In summary, the Texas Supreme Court said that while same-sex marriage is legal, the reach and ramifications of the rights of gay couples have yet to be determined. Whatever that means. Here’s the thing, if the United States Supreme Court states same-sex couples have the right to marry, that would mean there aren’t any contingencies. Right? So what is the issue?

I can tell you. Sexual orientation and the opposition to it in any fashion is usually wrapped in someone’s “faith”. I really don’t buy that, I think its pure bigotry, but I’ll go with “faith” for the sake of argument. Even still, that’s your opinion. Your faith is your own theological taking, not the worlds. More importantly, no one should suffer or have their life altered because of your faith, especially when those alterations come via the hands of the government. There are real world consequences when someone’s benefits are altered.

A common phrase people throw around when stating off the wall political references is “well it’s just my opinion”. No it’s not just an opinion. An opinion is Pepsi or Coke. LeBron or Jordan. Nas or Jay Z. A political opinion is a DECISION, its impactful, it’s alerting. A kneejerk political opinion has real world consequences. In our country, political opinions have gone unchecked, more extreme, polarizing, and caused national issues to become stagnate.  

A viewpoint and an opinion is worthless when a same sex couple walks into a doctor’s office in Houston next week and unbeknownst to them, their coverage is frozen and they have to pay out of pocket. That $250 out of pocket cost now causes them to be able to get a part on their car fix, and have to only use one car. And then and then and then (in my “Dude where’s my car” voice), but in all seriousness, one unneeded decision on the part of the Texas Supreme Court alters countless lives. For what? There’s nothing wrong with having an ideology, we all have them. From taxes to foreign aid, we must have different viewpoints to have lively debates and discussions. There’s something very dangerous when that ideology becomes fixated on stances that are non-secular, separatist, denies access to services, and quite frankly wastes time.