the pursuit of…

Mario Van Peebles has made a short documentary called Bring Your A Game, which you can watch here.  The film features Chris Rock, Spike Lee, Ice Cube, Kevin Powell, and other famous black men giving advice to the 50% of young brothers who drop out of high school each year. I'm going to lead with what I like.  I like that this film is real about what the future looks like without an education.  I like that there are a range of black men talking about their failures, close calls, and triumphs.  I like that some of the men talk about humility—taking a crappy job and doing it expertly.  And I think I spotted at least two gay men in the film.  There aren't any women, however, and I think that's a missed opportunity.  It reinforces the idea too many young men already have: women have nothing important to say.  And most of the successful men seem to be wealthy—the "how to become a CEO" message is popular with young men, but I think we need to question the drive for wealth.  What about all the other ways to be successful and happy in life?  What about personal fulfillment?  What about giving back to your community?  What about taking a job that gives your life meaning?  How come no one in that film talked about becoming a public school teacher?  I'm glad they urged young men to reconsider the rapper/baller fantasy, but our young people need to really DREAM without limits—imagine a future that isn't determined by how many records or hoodies you can sell.  In my family, the message was ministry: find a way to serve.  SERVE.  Not sell.  What do you think?