Mike Vass

Marriage, age and intellect - 10.18.2006.2

2006-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Found in full at Vass :

...I was reading an opinion piece by Laura Vanderkam and I started to wonder a few things. Parts of what she spoke about apply to me and other men I know that are college educated, especially those that are African American. I have been told that some of her comments are true of African American women too. But there is a bit that I don’t agree with, and do not see at all. This could be a factor of where I have lived, or just being a man. I’m sure the ladies that are frequent readers will let me know.

I am constantly surprised when I hear women say they need to dumb themselves down to be with a man. In part I think that there is an assumption made commonly that presumes that this is what a guy wants. Kind of like the thought that men prefer women to look like models, or be similarly thin. That has never really been the case. Yes, many like a woman that is of a moderate build, but I’ve never known a single guy who wants a woman that looks anorexic or a bunch of sticks. Every man I know agrees that we prefer a woman with curves. In this same manner, every man I know prefers women who can hold a conversation.

...Perhaps Ms. Vanderkam has grown up in a different time in NYC than I, or it’s the difference in culture (I grew up in the Bronx) but young women having children is not a new thing, nor attributable to any pop star. Especially the, in my opinion, marginally talented Mrs. Britney Spears. The need for nannies and/or $700 strollers might be though.

One thing that is related to this is the question of what age do college educated African American men get married? There are fewer men that fit in this criteria. Considering the estimates that Black males are dropping out of high school at a faster pace than ever before I really wonder about this. In just a cursory thought on the subject it would seem that Black women that are college educated might have to be older to get married, as the pool of Black men that are their intellectual equal is smaller and more difficult to find. This fact is not one that is changing quickly. Nor does it have a readily available answer.

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So you dropped out because? - 10.04.2006.1

2006-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

This post and others can be seen in full at Vass :

...I was speaking with my best friend and we were discussing the fact that the dropout rate is currently in the realm of 50-70%. In discussing this we were both enraged at the complaints we’ve heard from some young African American students. Comments have been that school is too hard, or unfair, or that it’s not worth it. How such statements could be made verges on the incredulous. And it is insulting to those who have come before these students.

The current generation of kids in high school have the easiest time ever. There is just no excuse. While there is some risk lately from deranged individuals on a rampage, the same could be said of working in the post office in the 1990’s. Considering the number of schools in the nation, and the number of events, the risk is negligible and thankfully precautions do exist in many places to help minimize that risk further.

...There were drugs of course. Not the crack, addicted and ruined for life in one hit, kind of drugs but the up for 3 days, lucy in the sky with diamonds, nodding off wherever you may be kind of drugs. A bit more expensive but they did the trick well enough to screw up a decent portion of the generation. And easily the cause of the death of around a third of the friends I grew up with, whether from dealing or taking. I mean making it to 25 has always been a challenge, though the further back you go the more likely it was to be because of a lynching, or other racially motivated action. If you think the plunger abuses of the last decade was bad, you don’t want to think about the police dogs, fire hoses and more that were done by the authorities with impunity on a daily basis.

So when kids say that school is too hard, I don’t know if I should laugh or smack them upside their heads. It’s not like we had computers that could make ENIAC look like Pong, or the internet to look up even the most obscure historical, mathematical or scientific facts. The only channel of discovery I recall was going to the library and picking up a book (not an eBook, or audio book, or a downloadable .pdf).

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Education for African Americans - 9.28.2006.4

2006-10-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Can be found at www.mvass.com in full :

...This is the conclusion continued from part 3...

Even with all this one thing is clear to me. This cannot go on. Complaining about the current situation is not an action. To quote what some would call a silly character in a silly fantasy movie “Do or do not, there is no in-between.” [Yoda, Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back] Allowing things to remain status quo is a death sentence to the minds of the African American youth of this nation. Having compiled this information I am doing something in providing what I have gleaned. That is one part of why I write my posts. The next step is up to the masses.

Higher education is not just an idea for “rich kids” or “white people.” To think so is to delude ones self into a vortex of disappointment and suffering. Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools available to anyone on the planet. Knowledge has allowed me to travel and live in Russia, be a stockbroker, work in investor relations and become the owner of my corporation. I’m not rich, yet, but I can make it and it’s only possible because of what I have learned.

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Education for African Americans - 9.28.2006.1

2006-10-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

To see full post take a look at www.mvass.com :

...“These are our children and we will benefit by or pay for what they become.” - James Baldwin

Have you ever had the situation where you are reading an article and it mentions a source or quote and you wanted to find out more about it? In the cases where you are doing the reading on the internet, you then search out the information only to be lead to even more items that enthrall you? I have and when this chain of events starts to unfold for me I generally wind up with a very long night and little sleep. And waking tired the next day is worth it for the knowledge I have gained. Today is one of those times.

I was originally just looking for interesting news in entertainment that was focused on Black African Americans and/or Hispanics from a source other than Yahoo News [Yahoo tends to have a good base of news on most subjects] or the Fox News cable network [which is biased I realize]. What I found had little entertainment but intriguing facts. The start of this trail began with an unrelated article from blackamericaweb.com. That lead me to usnews.com, followed by dailyprincetonian.com, thecrimson.com, frostillustrated.com, and ultimately The Journal for Blacks in Higher Education.

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Changes are happening at Vass

2006-09-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Vass has been moved to its own site. Please check www.mvass.com for all current updates. The site continues to be my views on the medias perceptions of Black African American and Hispanic figures in addition to general news and events world-wide.

I ask that all my readers be a bit patient with the new site. Several links are still pointing away from where they should. I am working dilegently to correct this, and provide the best service I can.

Thank you for your patience.

M Vass

New Web Address

2006-09-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

Vass has moved to its new location - www.mvass.com

More changes to come in the near term. Enjoy the new location.