Picture this: a beautiful summer afternoon in a Brooklyn neighborhood. Flatbush and Regent Pl, my neck of the woods. My roommates and I are returning from a provision run to the Stop and Shop. West Indian dudes are hanging in their yards and on sidewalks smoking blunts. (more regs than kush). The air is filled with the voices of happy children laughing and singing…arch your back. Arch Your Back! ARCH YOUR BACK!! Is the lyric to the song sung by the group of girls, ages ranging from around 4 to 10. Most of them sing while 2 or 3 pop their *ahem* booties a la “video hoes.” Needless to say, I was surprised, and equally disgusted. Here are these girls, just mimicking what they’ve seen on either TV or from their older friends and family members, and sadly no adults were around to let them know that that kind of behavior was not appropriate. Not really thinking about what to say I blurted out “Hey! You’re too young for that!” They stared at me, looking as surprised to see me as I was to see them. Unfortunately it didn’t take them long to get going with their old song and dance.
Now, fast forward to the next day. I head out to grab a slice of pizza from down the block. I look across the street and see the polar opposite of what I’d witnessed the day before. A group of children between the ages of 2-8 were participating in what looked like an open air art class/gallery. There were paintings on the sidewalk and paintings taped to the side of buildings. Kids were feverishly adding colors with brushes as well as fingers. There were a few adults helping with the process, but mostly letting the kids do their thing. I asked one girl “what was going on?” She proudly answered “we’re doing paintings! That one is mine!”
I want to thank all the adults out there who realize the importance of artistically and educationally stimulating young minds. As corny as it sounds, they are our greatest resource. Think about it, who do you want taking care of you in your old age?
July 27, 2012 at 3:41am
new music…
The homie DJ I.M. just released a new instrumental album. Check it out…some of these sound familiar. http://djim.bandcamp.com/album/dream-factory-instrumental-album
