I find this so interesting. I love my Disney movies (I mean really love them), but I must confess I never looked too deep into them when I was 5 years old. This just goes to show you how deep these things are ingrained into our society.

Now do I think Disney movies intentionally set out to promote racism? …..well, no, I don’t think Disney is entirely that corrupt. But I do think the influence of these movies on our development is immeasurable and often overlooked. Most of us probably saw our first Disney movie before we could talk. We learn through visual images before we can learn verbally. Even as we mature, we continue to learn the most through what we see.

Watching these videos reminded me of a lecture I went to see recently on Homophobia. The speaker’s main point was that we have to stop focusing on homosexuality and start addressing the problem of homophobia. During the Q&A period, a student asked, “At what stage do you think it’s appropriate to introduce homosexuality into children’s education?” …. As if to suggest that children should be eased into the knowledge that homosexuals exist. Afterall, isn’t that how prejudices begin… When one idea is introduced as the norm and another is later introduced as being different or the other? Homosexuals are deliberately excluded from mainstream representation, just as most minorities are.

Can’t we look at sexuality in a similar light as race? Since it is a known fact that different types of people exist in this world, it would only make sense to introduce all of these types of people at the earliest stage.

I just have such a hard time believing this could be real, but I guess it is…

“If you dare to share your heart, we’ll nod our heart to its beat… I plan to have a whole army by the time that I’m through to load their guns with songs they haven’t sung.”

Brace yourselves, this is a long one. There is just no way to sum Saul Williams up in one word – well maybe, if you asked him, he would say artist. American poet, writer, actor, musician, and above all artist, Saul Williams, is well known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop, transcending genres, as well as his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam. In regard to himself as an artist, Saul writes, “it is the art of self expression that has heightened my experience on this planet and fueled my understanding of love, compassion, and humanity.” Thank you, Saul. If you want to know how I feel about this, take a look back at my post, What’s The Big Idea?.

The artist also explains his motivation for being a musician as a means to become self sufficient. “I write music because I have found that I cannot rely on other artists, or the music industry to provide the release that I need from a days work, a night out, to inspire a mood, a movement, or simply explore the unsaid in ways that are important to me. I’ve sought to become self sufficient.” I think this is something we all need to do more of. By default, we are always looking to others to provide us with answers. Why not create them ourselves? And now, some words from the artist…

The Art of Transformation

“I am in a process of transformation, despite myself. Even with a clear understanding of God as Change, I sometimes fight and resist the changes that are essential to my being and growth. I fixate upon the challenges of accepting greater and greater responsibilities. I begin to desire results without maintaining the discipline that is required to manifest the necessary changes of heart and of mind, of balance, and inner harmony. I lose patience. I acquire doubt and debt.”

“We are songs. In fact, we are anthems, unsung.”

“What I have chosen to embrace within myself are the very values I caught glimpses of as a kid when I questioned how a world so beautifully diverse in it’s simplicity could be made violently complex by the check-points and regulations of man in his quest to control and manipulate the forces of love and nature for the sake of individual gain and power… I am growing and have chosen to do so consciously and creatively while remaining engaged with both my inner and outer audience.

I am a reality show, tuning into myself on a daily basis simply to see which emotion tattled on which unchecked ambition. My mind gossips about the actions of my heart. My fears attempt to seduce the cameras for airtime. My soul would vote them off the show. I am checking my habits, re-acquainting myself with age-old disciplines. I am meditating and staying focused… I am evolving while simply playing my part. I am staring myself in the eye without flinching or blinking, standing still while moving beyond what holds me in my place. But mostly, I am dancing, everyday, and sleeping perched above the skyline. And I awaken to a new day, a new season, the latest episode…”