Represent Your Hood

I don't think so.

One thing that really used to bug me while I was in the military was people that constantly glorified their city or state that they were originally from. They would brag about how their hometown was the best, and would even argue you down over their hood. I never understood this. Personally, I was glad to get away from my hometown, because there was nothing there, or should I say there was nothing there for me. While in the military, and stationed overseas I ran into numerous people who spoke highly of their hometowns. They even went out of their ways to find other people from the same hometown, so they could have hometown mouth battles with others from different areas. (“The Gump is the best, No the Bronx got it son.. Naw *y'all ain’t nothing without the ATL, etc…etc..”)

It is okay to be happy about where you come from, but many of the people bragging about their hometowns know good and darn well, they don’t want to go back, if it was so good; why did you run into the military? If it was so good; why did you reenlist -again? If it was so good; why when you go home on leave, after only three days you are ready to go? (Or maybe that’s just me, again). I can’t speak for others, but I know why I left. I could not continue to grow spiritually, if I had have stayed. Greenville would have swallowed me up and spit me out. When I go home to visit I am always astonished to see the same people that I knew still doing the same things; Pookie is still on the corner selling drugs although he is now older, balding, and overweight; Leon is still trying to set the world record to see how many baby mamas he can accumulate in a lifetime, and steady in and out of jail for not paying child support, Nikki is still wearing extra tight clothes, and trying to give her worn-out goodies away to any man (or woman) who will look her way; and Tina is still showing off the latest bling-bling that her new baller boyfriend got her for her Birfday, and still cussing out her dirty neglected kids for stepping on her Luis Vuitton sneakers. Then when any of them see me, the coversation usually goes something like this; “Let me have some of that money ‘cause you know *y'all gets paid in the military. When they goin send you over there with Saddam Hussein? Are you scared? Do y'all sleep outside? Can you get me a pair of them Army pants so I can rock them at the club cause you know Ima no limit soldier…..”

Like I said previously, this is what I had to endure when I went home on leave. Keep in mind that I am not judging anyone. All I am saying is that, I had to leave in order to grow. Some environments will stifle your growth, and those that are weak minded will succumb to it all. Just think of it this way; it is a lot easier for the enemy to get at you when you eat, sleep, and breathe in his environment.


Can anyone out there relate?


Be Blessed *Y'all.