Black Man Black Woman

Tag: purple stuff

  • Financial Lovemaking: Man Shoots Boy for Sleeping with His Daughter

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    I have daughters and I love them all. They are all at “that age,” between 16 and 20, where they tend to love the boys that you want to beat down the most. Every time I hear them express their undying love for Lil Wayne, I can only think about him having 3 women pregnant at the same time. When I see a Chris Brown poster in their room, I remind them that Chris was accused of having boxing practice on Rihanna’s face.

    But as a father, you can’t protect your daughters from themselves. Some things they have to learn on their own. And if sleeping with a pants-saggin, “purple stuff dranking,” gold grill wearing, 10,000 tattoo having buffoon is the way they need to learn their lessons, you just kinda have to deal with it.I empathize with Wade Edwards, the man accused of shooting a boy for sleeping with his step daughter. Wade shot the boy four times, aiming for the “relevant zone” with each bullet. But while I can understand Wade’s anger, I do not, for one second, condone his actions.

    You see Wade, it takes two people to “get busy.” If your daughter was choosing to sleep with this boy, that was her bad decision, not yours. Sure, it was disrespectful for them to get naked under your roof, but fathers have been getting furious about this kind of thing since the beginning of time. Sex is a powerful drug, the essence of the existence of all mankind, so the urge of human attraction can be strong enough to lead to seemingly deviant behavior.

    The problem for Wade, however, is one that merges with the lessons we teach in Financial Lovemaking: Allowing your love for another person to cause you to do things that are going to be financially and emotionally devastating for your family. Wade might feel that he was somehow protecting his daughter (he claims that it was self defense, but I don’t buy that logic), but the truth is that he has now dragged his family into a draining legal drama that is going to cost them thousands in attorney’s fees and even more financial loses when one of the primary providers for the household has to spend his time in prison.

    Any father can relate to how Edwards might have been feeling. Also, every father has to wonder how far he would go to protect his children. I personally would give my life to save my daughters and not think twice about it. At the same time, I would not allow myself to go to prison to keep my daughters from having sex. Sexuality is a natural part of life, even when we feel that the person is too young to be doing it. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about; you probably did it too.

    The episode of Financial lovemaking is below. Enjoy!

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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  • Company Makes Money from Deadly Urban Trend: "Sipping Syrup"

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    Sippin Syrup Drank soft drink

    You’ve probably heard the phrase “sippin syrup,” used in reference to the act of mixing cough syrup, codeine, and soda together to create a relaxed feeling within the person who consumes the beverage. The “drank” has become quite popular, particularly in the south, as rappers have done their jobs of giving free promotion to an illegal product that has managed to make teenagers even less productive than many of them already are.

    It was only a matter of time before corporate America stepped in to make money off the trend. Meet the new drink on store shelves: Sippin Syrup. The drink doesn’t use any illegal products, but produces the same “lean” effect that many young people seek from the cough syrup product on the street. Harmless enough, right? Not so fast.

    Officers in the Houston area are concerned that the product sold on store shelves is nothing more than a gateway to an incredibly dangerous and addictive drug. The snazzy ad campaign fully leverages the power of the brand of “purple stuff” being sold on the streets already. Teenagers who can’t get the real stuff would likely be enticed by the substitute until the door is open for the actual product.

    I spoke with Dr. Elaina George, a prominent physician out of Atlanta, about the dangers of seemingly harmless purple “drank” used by many teenagers across the country after watching Lil Wayne videos (and those of other artists who promote the cough syrup mixture being sold illegally). Here is what she had to say about the symptoms:

    “Short-term symptoms include Impaired judgment, nausea, loss of coordination, headache, vomiting, loss of consciousness, numbness of fingers and toes, abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, aches, seizures, panic attacks, psychosis, euphoria, cold flashes, dizziness, and diarrhea.”

    Oh, I forgot to mention, the symptoms mentioned above are assuming your child doesn’t become addicted. Here are the long-term symptoms in the advent of addiction:

    “Restlessness, insomnia, high-blood pressure, coma, or even death.”

    I understand capitalist models and can almost appreciate the logic that leads companies to find even more ways to exploit ridiculous behavior in the black community. We are an intelligent and enlightened people, even if everyone can’t see the light. But there is also the question regarding whether or not there should be regulations in place to stop companies from so blatantly utilizing an unhealthy trend to make a profit. What if my company went to Montana, where Crystal Meth is a serious problem and started to sell a product called “Meth Lite”? How fast would the Montana state legislature put me out of business?

    When it comes to “Sippin Syrup,” “drinking drank” and getting the “purple stuff,” the bottom line is this: Companies should not be allowed to accelerate teen drug abuse and rappers should be conscientious enough to stop giving this drug free promotion. Teenagers are sheep who follow the examples which already exist in their culture. If we are making the bed for them, then who do we blame when they choose to sleep in it? The new drink in stores called “Sippin Syrup” needs to be taken off the market NOW.

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University, a leading black speaker, and author of the forthcoming book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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