With the last post about the problem I had with the old school peer, there is as always a lot more to the story that dates back a long time to the late 80s. There were rival crews, one operated more like a gang than a graffiti crew. I could go on about it but instead I want to say I had no issue with the drinking, casual drugs or porn but that these things are a part of a cycle that then impacts me because I am reachable. 

Also the way things like this pan out, with me supposedly taking the higher ground I am the one who will be in the bad books. It’s not an issue with morality or depravity, it is an issue of energy and what energy you choose to propagate. But that is just me saying that. What really upset me on older interactions was that my take on events was labelled hippy. Why am I not allowed to understand things from a different point of view?

Also what sort of comeback is that? Throwing a label will not change your own reality. If you present stupid ideas to me and it’s backed up by rap or people pushing money making culture, hoes, bitches or whatever. What about understanding? Hip Hop is a consciousness and an understanding of self empowerment. It isn’t about some people taking advantage of stupid concepts that poison everyone.

I mentioned this in a post a year back or so when I met a Colombian youth who was here on a temporary visa. He said in his country people are doing unthinkable crimes just to get food and eat. In Western countries probably since the Opium wars in the 1800s unthinkable crimes and gangster mentalities driven by greed are celebrated. I was watching a podcast on a famous Sydney graffiti artist who does youth work. He said the biggest problem he sees in youth today is they don’t see themselves as accountable for their own actions.

This unaccountability though has been around forever. If I can take it….then that’s all that matters. Also people will actively not listen to other viewpoints and I know I don’t have all of the answers but at the least I carry standards of conduct from my own knowledge. I never try to indoctrinate but I want to at least be heard and understand. For example I avoid porn and don’t objectify women. The only reason I do this is not because it is correct and upright, but because it gives me peace of mind.

Also roping my friend into their save me attitude only made the save yourself more poignant. But that will hurt too. It sounds like I don’t care about him but in fact I care too much for someone who refuses to show me respect. Also I am not trying to be a wise guy and act like I know better. I have never texted him and aired my problems. I have problems too but I am not going to dump that on others. At the same time it is how you dump the problems. Sometimes people put their heads together and find common ground. Yet that wasn’t going to happen.