WE ARE: 5 women navigating our twenties in search of peace, happiness and love (or not). WE WRITE: about everything and nothing. From the insane to the mundane- you will find different paths taken, lessons learned and lives lived. WE THINK: you’ll enjoy it...Warning: Consumption of these views may leave you enlightened while intoxicated.

SO LONG, FAREWELL...

The View From Here will conclude on Friday, October 1, our third year anniversary. We would like to spend this month thanking all of our readers, followers, haters, visitors, family, friends, and fans for your continued support, encouragement, and comments over these past few years. Thanks y'all!
-The Five Spot
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts

Friday, May 14, 2010

A Vested Interest

Last week when I was hanging out with dude who was talmbout maybe getting back together with his ex. The main reason was because he wanted a chick in his life to do things with. But if he did not get back with his ex, he then said verbatim, “For real I just want a chick I can hang out with. But she pays for her own stuff…” While I did my best to not look at him as if he had two heads, he regaled me with this delightful tale:

His mama’s friend has a niece attending a local university for grad school. The elders gathered and thought he and this girl, let’s call her Poor Thing should meet. They were first introduced at a holiday gathering. The next time they see each other – they’re both just out in the streets. She orders some food for herself and pays. The third time, he specifically suggests they go see Avatar. Poor Thing arrives to the theatre (probably after being boosted by her auntie that he’s a good dude, so nice, who owns his own home honey, and so on) and he says to her, “Yo. So, I just bought my ticket. I’m fina get our 3-d glasses. You go ‘head buy your ticket and then meet me at the popcorn stand.” Poor thing.

Crickets. Then laughter from Rum Punch. I then look around to see if anyone got this on video. For shame. They did not. And then he says,

Cause I knew man. I knew that if I paid, then she would want me to pay every.single.time.we.went.out.

Prolly so. But um errr I don’t know if that was the best way to handle the situation. Cause apprently it got back around to his folk that he is, "a cheap muhfcuka". Heh. And so now he’s on the hunt for a chick who will willingly pay her own way. “Good luck with that,” I said.

Look, I know that it’s hard out here for a pimp. And for a man with a regular job, who knows to be respectful enough to take a chick out to dinner and a show ‘fore asking her to drop 'dem draws. But it’s y’alls job to pay. It just is. And I know it ain't always right. Or fair. And it sucks (I'm guessing). But I have found a man who agrees and pretty much shut downs any naysayers.
In my eyes, any man worth his weight in salt will insist on picking up the tab when he takes a woman out. And I’m not talking just about when dating our courting. I mean if two platonic friends go out, the man picks up the tab. If a man goes out with a female coworker for appetizers and drinks to talk business, the man picks up the tab. If a man takes his sister or female cousin out, he picks up the tab. That’s just what I believe, right or wrong....For men who believe in pseudo-traditionalist roles, like me, it is his job to protect women, period. Not just women you want to sleep with, not just women you love, but every woman who entrusts herself to your company is now under your charge to be cared for.

Cause on the real the best thing about my male cousin coming to town a few months ago (aside being able to kick it with him) was that he paid for every-thang. Everythang? Everythang! Baby! Drinks, dinner, more drinks, and after I drove around for 10 minutes looking for parking, he said, “please find a lot. I’ll pay.” Sweetest words in the English language. Lol. And obviously he’s not trying to woo me, he just has common sense.

“The truth is,” I said to dude, “is that no chick is just gonna hang with you for kicks for a long stretch of time. This ain’t high school. People got goals.” And they usually involve marriage and baby carriages. And as you get older, and dating becomes more tiresome, that next person you meet who seems cool enough to see again, at least once, becomes a potential investment. And time and yes money spent with and on them determines their value.

Return on your investment in dating terms becomes – if you ain’t spending no money on me, then why am I spending my time with you? I mean I can go to the movies with my homegirls. Hit up a happy hour solo and find a nig who'll buy me a drink. Or the tried and true Rum Punch method: flirt with the bartenders. You ain't that great company, my nygga.

This is not to say that women should be gold diggers and stick nigs (especially everyday, regular ones who are just tryna make it) for their paper. Or that they should never offer to pay. Or treat their man. Or shoooot buy the snacks, while he buys the tickets. But this is to say that in this dating/courtship two step, you have to invest to earn interest.

That’s my time y’all! Happy Rum Punch Friday!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Who's Zoomin' Who

So I used to work for a PR firm and our biggest and by biggest I mean money making clients were companies who had been sued for discrimination and were coming to our firm for damage control, crisis management, image restoration, etcetera, etcetera. A bulk of the image restoration included throwing fistfuls of dollars into minority communities. So for instance one company sponsored a green room at the NAACP Awards. Another company partnered with the Urban League and had a Wellness bus that toured the country and stopped in major cities where coloreds abided. And so on…

And while I understood in theory the whole quid pro quo thing that was happening, it kind of burned me up on the inside. And I would sing to myself (like for real sing aloud) ‘Who’s zooming who?’ And I sing that song now when I hear Cracker Barrel sponsoring something on the Tom Joyner Morning show. Or McDonald's giving out scholarships to coloreds to make up for the heart attacks Or Nationwide sponsoring Tavis Smiley’s Stand documentary. And so on…

And I can’t decide how I feel about this. Sometimes I’m upset that Black folk can be so easily bought. And then I remember that this is the American way and money talks, makes the world go round, and can drive some people out of their mind. Other times I’m upset that this seems to be all it takes to right the wrongs that you have committed. Sometimes I’m upset because I want Black people to stand on they own two without the white man’s help and hand outs. But then sometimes I’m like that’s right Black people get that money. Lawd knows we worked hard for it! But then sometimes I’m like, “but we don’t want no blood money! Who gives an f if you sponsored a green room! No one watches the NAACP Awards! If you wanna pay me to like you, put the reparations in my hand!”

And back and forth I go. Wondering where exactly is the line. If these aren't genuine actions, do they still matter? Does the fact that it's "benefiting" the community negate any wrongdoing that was done? I remember a Senior member at the PR firm urged us not to take this so personally and compared our jobs to defense attorneys. She would say, "It doesn't matter if we think or even know our client is guilty, what matters is getting them off." Raised eyebrow from Rum Punch. That's all that matters? So whenever I'm having my internal debate on this issue (which happens often when I listen to morning radio), I recall this statement. And it makes the scales tip just a little. And I know exactly who's zoomin' who.

That’s my time y’all! Happy Rum Punch Friday!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

she and your man

they say men cheat because there are always women out there who will cheat with them. of course we know and understand that men also cheat because they can, because they think they won't get caught or just because it's Friday night. but the other woman remains a necessary and indispensable component of any man's cheating endeavors.

the other woman leaves a bad taste in every one's mouth. when there are women who are willing and able to cross that line, there is little that can be added to the picture to make it better in our minds. they separated; they don't sleep together no more; she don't give him none; he filed for divorce; he just there for the kids; they aint lived together for years; and on and on. at the end of the day it always returns to the same sentiment: don't fuck wit other people shit.

on the other side of this thang, i know what it's like to meet someone who you really click with, who are attracted to, got that fiyah for and discover that he is married (or separated). some women know this information upfront. but still want to (and do) proceed to gettin it in. women complicate things when they begin to think "what if this is the man of my dreams?" unfortunately boo boo, right now he's still the man of someone else's dreams or at least he used to be.

most women feel some kinda way about the other woman. you will get that deadly side eye if you tell your best homegirl that your boo's divorce will be final any day now. you might get ex-communicated from the family if they know you f'in wit another woman's husband. it just aint right. ever. ever?

why does it become right when the man got a lil' change in his pocket?


photo courtesy of essence.com

essence magazine, the black woman's affirmation to all that is right and good in our world, features a reputed husband stealer on this month's cover. in the article, she goes hard against the "hateful" bloggers who paint her as the other woman and even filed a lawsuit against a woman who wrote an anonymous letter to several bloggers putting gabby on blast for messing with her husband. gabby claimed that the woman's claims were downright lies but at the article's end admits that she's off to miami to see her still married boo.

why is it less blast worthy when it's alicia keys?


photo courtesy of theybf.com

she took swizz beats right from under mishonda's nose. and denied it still to this day. claiming that she was dating her manager instead. yet alicia doesn't recieve the full brunt of the celebrity bloggers wrath the way that gabrielle does. what's up wit that?

if alicia and gabby were regular "other" women sneaking around with the average married black man, wifey and her homegirls would be rolling up to their doors to give them a few choice words (slaps and slashes too!) but these women are lauded as our sheroes. is the message that these women and men are different because they are rich? or that it's okay because the men are separated from their wives? is it ever okay to date a married/separated man? or should one wait until the ink dries on the divorce decree?

what say ya'll?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

family feud...

A good friend of mine recently had her grandpa pass away.

background
It's been no secret that grandpa had money in the bank (six-figures). And Grandpa didn't want folks (kids) touching his money. His kids and grandkids made him aware that Uncle Sam would take the money, all pleads fell on deaf ears.

Apparently, the baby of the siblings (my friend's auntie) had access to the bank account. So my friend and her siblings assumed Auntie would dole out the money to her other 5 siblings (one of the siblings being my friend's mother). That hasn't happened yet. So to retaliate, my friend and her siblings including her mother will not see their cousin/neice graduate on Mother's Day and no the graduate is not a student at Howard to express their disdain for their Auntie. What the hell does that have to do with the graduate? NOTHING! I told my friend she is petty. And it's sad the way black folks let money get between them and fam.

I reminded her that it was grandpa's money. Grandpa earned the money, spent the money, and saved the money -- the way he saw fit. And yes, it would be like right for her Auntie to distribute the money equitably among her siblings, but she hasn't and legally isn't obligated to -- so let it go (cue Keyshia!) Ironically, the graduate is the first and youngest among the cousins to graduate. The graduate is also an only child. So, her accomplishements might not feel so grand without her family cheering her on. The graduate started college on time (after high school) and finished. None of them can claim that feat. That needs to be celebrated.

What has me so irritated about my friend and her siblings is that they already had plans for what to do with their mother's share. One desired french doors for her home, another was going to finish their basement, and the other was going to modernize their windows. Selfish, selfish, selfish. Ain't no one think, maybe we should set up an annuity for our Mama since she's of that age. Everybody was out for self. And I think that's exactly why Grandpa ain't give them shit! excuse my french

God bless the child that got it's own!

cheers,

Bellini