Essense of hood

What is hood?
My stepson visited us last year when we lived in Pine Bluff, Ark. — known to locals as 'Crime Bluff.' The comments he made to his dad seemed to express an eagerness to see 'the hood.'
So my husband asked his 'Son, what do you think hood means?'
Fast forward about a year, we've moved to Missouri — caramel candies in vanilla sea — and according to my stepson, we now live in a better neighborhood.
I'll admit, there are less grown people at home at noon, which is a relief. There are less gunshots, less break-ins, less domestic calls. More people walking, smiling, waving, talking. A lot less color.
But, my pregnant neighbor and her live-in boyfriend are drug users and dealers. So is the couple sown the street and about ten other people on our block.
Last week my husband was hanging out and a bitch stole his phone.
I mean she straight jacked him for his Blackberry.
She ran off, used the phone for two days, then sold it.
The guy she sold it too tried to sell it back to us.
The host of the gathering suggested the best way to resolve the problem was to let her 'beat that bitch's ass' as she had been waiting too long to do so.
So now I'm back to my husband's question to his son.
'What is hood.'
Because the way I look at it, it's a state of mind.
It's the mind set that tells you to do certain things certain ways that you should know better about.
It's in all of us, but only a minority of us choose to live in the state indefinitely.
I have to admit to harboring many of my own hood tendencies.
But I learned from growing up in a family full of non hood regulators you shouldn't let your mouth write checks that your ass can't cash.

Kanye, Kanye

I love Taylor Swift. I don't love Kanye. That being said, I am very disappointed in the way Mr. West has been vilified by viewers who witnessed his outburst at the VMAs Sunday. 

Given: Kanye is arrogant, outspoken and known for his inappropriate outbursts. And yes, Swift is the picture of sweet wholesome American goodness and didn't deserve to have her moment taken from her. But after digesting the situation how can we still  hate on Kanye. He apologized three times. Its over. But the fans go on.

I understand people are offended, but I'm sad his fans and peers have been so harsh and so quick to judge him. We all saw the photos of him walking around taking a bottle of Henny to the head. I'm sure producers of the VMAs saw him too and I'm sure they were back stage salivating as he approached the stage, waiting for an iconic VMA moment.

I'm sad nobody seems to care that this man recently lost his mother and is clearly working some issues out and we can't cut him any slack for an inappropriate moment, he actually admitted was wrong and apologized for. 

I'm very sad that we are so quick to judge without even considering what another human being is going through.

Taylor forgave him. Why can't America?

PS: SO NOT mad at Obama for calling him a Jackass!!! It was off the record and a totally real moment for our leader. I called him some names too y'all, but after seeing the cards stacked against him ... I let it go.

A LITTLE  mad at Kelly Clarkson. Seriously, WTF. Mind ya business. You really seemed to take his graceless moment a little too personally? Whose huggin' you sista?

AGAIN, not a Kanye West fan, seriously, just a fan of human compassion.