America Gave Me Writer's Block

I’ve been writing since I can remember. Since I was a child, my imagination has run free in my poetry, lyrics, and short stories. Songs like “Man in the Mirror,” movies such as A Beautiful Mind and reporters like Peter Jennings stimulated my mind, providing me with the inspiration to study film and media.

But today, I’m bored.

I haven’t thought up a decent poem in a year. When it comes to writing assignments like this op-ed, I get stuck easily. It’s not my fault. I blame my writer’s block on the environment I live in. American culture is the living dead, sucking the creative juice inside of me like a vampire. The supposed cornerstone of innovation has sacrificed profundity for a bit of cash. If the country was a contestant on the horribly produced premiere episode of “America’s Next Top Model” Season 10, it would have been that zany blond who wanted to be a fashion model, but didn’t understand why anyone would pay $500 for a Coach bag. This nation is suffering from a complex, creating a façade of greatness instead of developing a respectable national identity. And again, it’s affecting my ability to write.

I’m usually obsessed with music—but there’s no artist I would write 800 words about. It seems like anyone can get a record deal today. I’m still waiting on my million-dollar contract. If Hurricane Chris can sell albums singing about a handclap, I should have been signed years ago. (I made up a great dance once, living in my house in Bedford-Stuyvesant. It was called “Stomp the Roach.”) As always, rappers are being encouraged for putting females down, reaching the top of the Billboard charts. Flo Rida’s telling me to get low; The Dream is tipping me for being a ten. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I could be nothing more than a cheap prostitute.

As a communications student, I am insulted by the American media. Since when do stories like Britney Spear’s mental state get more coverage than the crisis in Kenya? I would like to thank BBC for informing me about the situation, keeping me educated. “The Early Show” on CBS, however, feels it’s more pertinent to give viewers a dose of viral videos before they start their day. You can’t turn to CNN for great news coverage, for they turn something as historic as the current presidential election into a “Ballot Bowl.” The network shouldn’t be blamed entirely. When Bill and Hilary Clinton opened their mouths, the magic behind the campaign dwindled. I used to look up to the Clintons as the only First Family in a long time that actually cared about the citizens who elected them. Their uncalled for attacks on Barack Obama and Hilary’s crying gimmicks has convinced me that every candidate is only looking out for themselves. I respect George Bush much more. At least he tells it like it is and shows he’s not interested in what Americans need. Oh, what about Obama? Doesn’t the possibility of an African-American president convince me that this is an age of change? It did, until Obama trivialized the historic moment with one of his answers at CNN’s South Carolina debate. If Obama can call Bill Clinton our first Black president based on his dancing skills, maybe Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em has a shot at the White House. I bet he could super-soak those hos—I mean superdelegates—into giving him a nomination.

Though it shouldn’t surprise me, I have to comment on Fox airing a show like “Moment of Truth.” Husband and wives are putting a price tag on something as sacred as marriage, and families are selling their secrets because they need the extra $100,000 to, I don’t know, keep up with the rising gas prices. Whatever the reason may be, I can never understand what is driving Americans to these crazy extremes. Speaking of crazy, who still thinks Flavor Flav is attractive? VH1 has greenlit another season of “The Flavor of Love”, creating an unsettling feeling in my stomach. Now viewers get to see more women stick their tongue into Flav’s crusty mouth. I know I don’t have to force myself to watch the show, but because that show is on the air, another more interesting idea for a pilot is probably turned down.

In the midst of this lackluster atmosphere, I’ll conclude with a quote from someone whose thoughts counted—Martin Luther King, Jr. He once said, “All that we see is a shadow cast by that which we don’t see.” In a sentence, Dr. King has described the mist I believe is clouding the minds of the American people. It’s filling our heads with a uselessness leading to unproductiveness. If we’re smart, we’d find a way to pull the mess out of our heads before it threatens our ability to think and write. I just did.