The 800 Pound Gorillas are in the Building

Lakim Shabazz - Don't Try Us
The Temptations - Message From A Black Man

Every situation between two people, previously unknown to each other, involves an inner dialogue. The parallel universe dialogue, the one where you can say whatever the eff you FEEL like saying. But, nah. This is the real world. You have to RESPECT everyone. You have to WATCH what you say. You have to IGNORE the 800 lb. gorillas.

The dude that brushed your soldier squeezin' by you at the bodega. The woman that took your seat on the train. The loud-talkers at the restaurant. The cashier who snapped her gum one to many times. That guy that smelled funny. That girl that looked at you funny.

Black. Yellow. Brown. White. Woman. You remember 'em ALL. Vividly. You can fit 'em all into your neat, concise human interaction puzzle, nestled into that comfortable corner of your gray matter. That corner that sees the world the way it is and the way it should be: YOUR WAY.

Than a woman and a black man had to mention that they were contemplating running for president. RACE. SEX. POWER. SUPREMACY. The gorillas seemed to materialize out of thin air, like they were there all along. Like they had been watching us all along. Like they had been standing on our shoulders, weighing us down, all along.

Suddenly, the amount of true blackness a person contains becomes a point of contention. Suddenly, the opinions of black people matter. Suddenly, minority leaders decide to show themselves, and use their blackness as a threat. Suddenly, breasts, vagina, and double-X-chromosomes become issues a presidential contender must deal with seriously.

Suddenly, those gorillas are lookin' a helluva lot bigger.