I was reading Katie Reilly’s review on education, in regards, to Universities like Harvard and their use of Affirmative Action for the supposed bigotry felt among Chinese applicants. Asian-American’s specifically, according to the Times. Of course they still quote numbers of admission’s   for “non-white,” students to be lower than 30% after Affirmative Action policies have been in place (shy of 15 years) with the development of changes after Grutter v. Bollinger (2003).

 I personally did not go to an Ivy League University, like Harvard for my law studies. I went to North Carolina Central University (NCCU). I only mention this because it is a stone throw away from UNC and Duke Universities that I can assure you have no problem with their ratio of admissions to Asian-American’s or foreign nationals.

 The Times says, “ Race should not be a factor when applying to an University.” In reality it never was. It was always a factor in weeding out who finishes or not. Especially those who are undergraduates and placed their room and board in the hands of the Chair of a University who is at the mercy of those paying to keep the institution viable.

 NCCU was a historically black college, so I never worried about my application being denied. I also loved the fact that I did not have to pay the Ivy League fee to earn the same degree, I needed to achieve my dreams.

 Yet with the influx of foreign nationals and a desire to remain competitive to their Ivy League neighbors, I witnessed an increase of white students, and central Europeans, and Asians, pushing the predominately ‘black,’ American culture out in their final two years, of undergraduate studies and no one saying a word because of Affirmative Action support.

 I could only imagine this influx to have been a trickle-down effect of what was occurring in Harvard, Duke, and UNC.

Affirmative Action tied with DACCA recipients turned our universities into a ground zero explosion of American brand ingenuity at the turn of an economic crisis.

I am African American and had the choice to go to whatever University I desired. I went to an HBCU because I never wanted to be accused of riding the tail end of Affirmative Action just because I was able to enter an Ivy League school. My merit and hard work spoke volumes for me and I made my scholarships take me as far as they would go. Honestly, I never paid into my education, scholarships are a wonderful incentive for those that feel their color or lack of color gives them the right to appeal for better social positioning in the world.

 I am not the most affluent of men. Just as I’ve never lied on the size of my dick, I would never lie about what’s in my pockets or not. It is because I am still standing after the humiliation and detestable position, I found myself in from 2007 until 2016, which in all honesty has not changed for me. Just because I happen to be in a symbiotic relationship with people, I dare not trust the moment there is an inability to buy or sell.

 It is because I am still here, do I find I am able to stiffen my back with pride when someone insists, “In order to make money, you have to spend money.” On their botched investments that leave them in a horrible lurch. Options Investments, Bitcoin investments, The DotCom boom and bust.

 Many have come to me and suggested that “If,” they manage to make it “Big,” on something I’ve spoken against, that I would be upset. I’ve spoken against ACN telemarketers since I was seven years old and found no one made a dime from it.  Whoever invested in it is still looking for a needle in a haystack and the Government is giving “phone-plans,” out to people in need, virtually for free. Not a one time since I was seven, I am 30 now, did I ever feel like I missed out on my mansion promised by my Holy Father in Heaven, because I did not buy into some money laundering scheme that would benefit no one but the person charming enough to have said something I just did not take the time to think about. I’ve spoken against spending thousands on books, I could have written myself. I have spoken against those who would insult my intelligence or my capacity to learn by insisting they are the only way to some sense of earthly success and they can only ‘polly-parrot,’ the phantom of the address to success thought of by someone else who’s name is not GOD.

Took me a long time but I was comforted in the idea that I was no longer ‘spiritualizing’ or living in a fantasy when I could assertively declare that the only road to success is with God and it’s only a mystery, I am only speaking in riddles and parables to those who have not been there, where I’ve been or see where God is taking me.

 As I have grown older it has occurred to me that very few artists or collectors have any real grasp of what their imaginations are really worth.

 Could be the reason why there is a Creative Battle ground in the first place and a resistance from producers or publishers to buy into a product and those I deal with have taken to self-employment. An employment that forces people to trust one another- especially in an era of finance conducted through the internet market have no holding securities.

We are forced to hold ourselves accountable when trading funds for products and ideally this is a wonderful idea, but when applied, the only one to achieve any gain is the one holding the money. Really makes for bad business and riddles the integrity of the ‘start-up’ enterprise and self-employed dreamer. A real pet peeve of the Art industry and I am not really sure when this occurred, but the idea that anyone’s product should be sold beneath ‘state-regulated,’ minimum wage brackets to appease the private donor.

 Now in America, weather you agree or not, the minimum wage has been pushed to $15.00 an hour. This means if an artist produces a piece in 3 hours, he or she should receive $45.00 bare minimum for the product or at least selling it at that price to compete with any other taxable product being regulated by the FTC. In America mind you. Can’t speak for any other country because I’ve not lived, they’re not have I dealt with their dollar for dollar exchange rates. Keeping this in mind it is disrespectful, insulting, and down right oppressive to expect anyone to sell you the rights to their ‘intellectual property,’ for anything less than $7.25 an hour in my personal estimations. Meaning worldwide this sense of selling magazines, art, prose, literature, blogs, of any kind for 2.99-8.00 whole sale is asinine and a waste of any artists time. Professional or the Hobbyists. When I think on average how long it takes to make and entire editorial to entertain  the few fans I have, if I was not relying on the benevolence of the passer byer and worked corporately or for an agency, again I am speculating because I’ve never debased my talent to settle for an FCC regulated occupation, but if I did, I’d contract myself out for a 72hr bid of 108.00 per piece; an exchange in keeping with our countries $15.00 an hour minimum wage requirement.  

 It is because of the potential of such prosperity many migrants seek America as a home and authors like Mellissa Harris are recorded to be worth 77.5 million, or some other horrendous number for selling lies to the American public. All in the name of “freedom of expression.” When we consider this information, why should I or any artist settle for 2.99-8.00 for a single publication?

 In short be it I am conservative or liberal if I charage $15 and hour and base in an 3hr rate of production, my products are selling at $50.00 minimum.