Good Times
Any time you meet a payment.
Good Times.
Any time you need a friend.
Good Times.
Any time you’re out from under.
Not getting hastled, not getting hustled.
Keepin’ your head above water,
Making a wave when you can.
Temporary lay offs.
Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs.
Good Times.
Scratchin’ and surviving.
Good Times.
Hangin in a chow line
Good Times.
Ain’t we lucky we got ’em
Good Times.
Even though I don’t get any Amens on this, anyone who’s been around me recently has heard me mention that this has unofficially become the theme song for far too many African Americans in this country. We are living small paycheck to paycheck scraping together life savings to “meet a payment” and trying our best to keep from “getting hastled and hustled.” Our entire lives we’ve been trying to stay afloat, “keeping our head above water” and trying to make some noise and some “waves” as we silently drown into the sea of forgetfulness.
We have been forgotten by the larger society, those of the First America, while we ourselves operate in a Second America, one where we live our lives counter-distinctive to what we tell ourselves: we operate by LYING to ourselves. Usually who are those first to get laid-off at the plants? The line workers and the company tells the employees that its “temporary lay-offs” but that’s okay, this is still Good Times. Even though its black people who suffer the hardest from “credit rip offs” that’s okay, its still Good Times. As we stand here “scratchin and survivin’” even in this new millennium, its okay because this is still Good Times. Even though every Sunday as I drive from church down Auburn Avenue I see most black people “hangin’ in the chow lines” that’s no problem, because this is still Good Times. And dammit! “ain’t we lucky we got em? Good TIMES!”
I hope that this resounds with someone who is black on the first day of Black History Month 2008. Take some pride in what you do and be happy with who you are. Don’t allow the dominant consciousness to dictate how you want to think. So in the words of the now 20 year old cult classic School Daze I admonish you to “WAKE UP!”
Peace, power and love, keep it uppity, JLL
Joshua Lawrence Lazard 
What should we define as good times? Freedom from the fear of not being validated by those from whom we seek validation? Acceptance of ourselves by acknowledging that we are made in the image of God by God’s self?
Would good times involve loving others as ourselves AFTER we begin to love ourselves? Caring enough to do the right thing (not simply doing what we want to do) after taking back our ‘righteous minds’ from those that oppress us?
Do good times happen when we seek to understand, rather than when we constantly seek to be understood? Does doing what we do in obedience to God for the ‘glory the of God’ make for good times?
Finally, are we promised good times? And if so, by whom?
Uppity for the glory of God!
well, dL, sometimes I like to have conversation and ideas without the inclusion of God, because sometimes theology becomes a barrier to addressing some of these issues.
I was addressing more of the economic issues that were brought up in the theme song and the cognitive dissonance that I believe exists. Just because blacks have always done that, and invented a construct in which they have to operate in the face of institutional racism, is not an excuse as far as I’m concerned.