The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Former #1 draft pick and human highlight reel, Michael Vick, recently came under some scrutiny due to advice he provided former Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick. During an interview with Jason Whitlock on Fox Sports's Speak for Yourself , Vick said: "The first thing we've got to get Colin to do is cut his hair. Listen, I'm not up here trying to be politically correct. Even if he put cornrows in there, I don't think he should represent himself in that way, in terms of just the hairstyle. Just go clean-cut, you know, why not? You're already dealing with a lot, a lot of controversy surrounding this issue, and the most important thing he needs to do is just try to be presentable." The former Pro Bowl quarterback added: "The gesture he made last year he took the stand to do what he did, listen, we all appreciated it, we respected it, and it was a good thing. I really think the stand that he took has nothing to do with him not having a job pl...

No, I wasn't sure what it was either until just recently. That was before reading a Huffington Post  article by Dementria Lucas D'Oyley, entitled, "Cultural Appropriation Isn't Okay, Neither is Attacking Kids." This article was reference to 17-year-old Kylie Jenner posting a photo on Instagram of herself sporting cornrows, which is typically associated with black culture. In response to that, 16-year-old actress and Hunger Games star, Amandla Stenberg, harshly criticized Jenner, claiming she was guilty of cultural appropriation. Then on the Bravo show Watch What Happens Live , host Andy Cohen referred to Ms. Stenberg as his "Jackhole of the Day" for her criticism of Ms. Jenner. I'm in complete agreement with the author of this article that Mr. Cohen shouldn't have gone after the 16-year-old Amandla Stenberg like he did, for which he later apologized. However, I was still a bit puzzled by the whole "cultural appropriation" side of th...

So, I was at a pub last Friday night and a middle-aged gentleman suggested I do something about my hair. This isn't the first time such a thing has been stated to my face. Oddly enough, this same person had months ago stated that with my hair and face, that I looked like a news anchor. I guess he was just suggesting I go modern. It seems as if my hair is a divisive beast of sorts. I've received numerous compliments about it, mainly from women, with some guys suggesting it was "too perfect" and could be one reason why I'm asked quite frequently if I'm gay. But, I've also received a number of comments saying that it's too old-fashioned and I should try and contemporize it a little bit. My mother suggests I let it grow for a while, as my hair has appeared to get wavier through the years and she's curious to see how it'd look if I grew it out a little more than has been typical. My father wants me to grow an afro. Okay, just joshing on that last ...