(Grabs and taps mic) “Check 1, 2!” Good morning! In the spirit of ‪#‎TBT‬ I give you this. If you’re like me, and burn the candle at both ends, you have a tendency to be awake at odd hours of the night. And while scanning the channels of your cable or satellite network, you may’ve come across an infomercial where an actor/actress from yesteryear appears and petitions you to donate just $.45 per day to supply food, water and medical supplies to a desolate area of Africa. Then the images are displayed for 20 something minutes, tugging at your heart strings; damn near bringing you to tears. Some people can’t move fast enough to get to their ATM cards and dial the 800/866 numbers to donate their monies. That isn’t the issue. The message is being planted in your subconscious. It gives the perception that an ENTIRE continent is poor, lives in squalor, wears tattered clothing and remains unkept. Those same descriptions could be attributed to other areas of the world if the camera constantly showed it and painted that picture. For those of you living in Miami, have you ever thought to yourself when a sporting event is televised, why they constantly show images of South Beach or the Grove when they go to or come back from commercial? Programmers know that by showing an attractive image, they could keep the viewers attention, give the allure of a fantasy society where when you visit Miami, it’s all beauty, beaches, cocktails and scantly dressed women. You don’t have to worry about TNT or ABC showing the Mint, Carol Mart, Tootsies or the Jackson’s because it doesn’t promote the bottom line & push the agenda. (Think about the intro to Rick Ross’ video Hustlin’) Now flash back to the images of Africa and what do you think now? If I present the image that people are poor, aren’t self-sufficient, in constant need of assistance, etc., what kind of portrait does that paint. It’s the equivalent of showing 1st 48 marathons for an entire month and attributing that behavior to one class of people. If you don’t believe me, be real with yourself and ask this question. If someone asked you to imagine what the continent of Africa looked like (cities, neighborhoods, businesses, commerce, etc), what would it be? More than 70% percent of you would have a vision that it’s f*cked up over there? Don’t let the media fool you, there’s beauty and vibrance everywhere; it’s only a matter of if they’ll show it to you or your willingness to seek it out. (Drops mic. The impact causes the instrument to reverberate on the cold concrete) “We Are The Change!” I’m gone! (b)

Follow the Fan Page on Facebook : The Porch Reloaded – Rocking Chair Rebels

Follow us on Twitter: @ThePorchFellas

Follow us on Instagram: The_Porch_Reloaded

Email us: [email protected]

Listen to the show on Thursday nights at 7:00 pm: blogtalkradio.com/antirobotnetwork or www.theporchfellas.com