This New Year's Eve was different from any other I've recently experienced: I did absolutely nothing, and you know what, I didn't mind at all. In Brooklyn we celebrated the way the black cowboys of old used to get down: with gun shots piercing the cool winter's air.
And when the clip was emptied, it was quickly replaced to continue the illegal thuggery. I'll thank my neighbor for the primitive, fireworks display. Now if I can only lodge that stray bullet out of my car window, I'll be alright..
Heh. Nah, the windows fine, but the number of shots duke let off was something to behold.
I wasn't the only one who took it easy this year. Times Square was the usual mob scene. But after the ball dropped, people wasted no time getting the hell out of there - within a half an hour the streets were empty. If someone had slept through the whole thing, and you tried to convince them that thousands of people had occupied those streets they'd knock you in the head and call you insane.
Funkmaster Flex too. He normally spends the holidays simulcasting from some club, screaming at the top of his lungs, about, "how fuckin crunk it is up in here." He spent the night broadcasting from the station (HOT 97), and did extend his shift until 2 a.m. but in general it was like any other night.
Earlier in the evening, though, he was getting ridiculous on the turntables - every now and then he goes into this old school mode, not Sugarhill Gang old, but Jungle Brothers, Schooly D, old, and absolutely rips it - well, he did that on New Years Eve. I was in my truck at the time, but was looking forward to getting home and recording what he would do at the stroke of twelve.
Man, he must have burnt himself out, because at the anointed hour all he did was lower the music and speak in muted tones, thanking his street team, his employers, the listeners, and tossed a few dry jokes at the other people in the room. When he was finished he put on the remix to Fat Joe's "My Lifestyle," saying how he was gonna start the new year in thug mode. Bleghhh. Wait a minute.. isn't that what I did too, in some, not me, but I seen it kinda way?.
The point is, if this New Years were rated on the richter scale, your glass wouldn't even hop off the table.. wouldn't spill a drop.. it'd be a gentle 2.0
I really think that people have been affected by the effects of the 9-11 disaster, and the daily news about how weak the economy is.. hell, you might even be one of the thousands of people laid off during the rush by corporate executives to shore up the bottom line for their stock holders.. "See.. it's really not that bad, we're losing money but we've offset it by bottoming out our payroll and benefits packages."
Laying off people just to make the books look right is the dumbest thing a company can do during tough times. It's analogous to jettisoning fuel from your gas tank during one of those Fast and Furious drag races.. you'll benefit in the immediate by having a lighter payload, but when you need the fuel down the stretch you'll look mighty stupid when the dashboard flashes a big red E. In some cases, lay offs can adjust for corrections that a changed marketplace necessitates, but in most cases you cut out the soul of the company.
The "lucky ones" who remain, and should be focused on maintaining a high quality product, become less effective and unsettled as they begin to wonder if they too will be let go at the next sign of financial trouble. In turn their work is of a lesser quality and the product or service suffers, perpetuating a perilous "Ground Hog Day" syndrome for the boys in accounting. Yet again, they must report bad news to the suits, who see no other option than to lay off even more people.
Markets and companies die for a reason, either what they offer isn't relevant anymore ie. Amtrak's trouble with the rails; market saturation, as in, how many televisions and "fast" computers do people need?; or just poor company management.
Then there are companies with great products, who have something to say, but they just suck at getting the word out, because they don't understand the terrain. Then when the company fails to expand or the product doesn't "catch on" media pigeon shits, point and say, "See, I told you that was stupid."
It's all such B.S. also known as Bull SHit.
The gentle tone of New Year's Eve, was a reflection of people's uncertainty of the future.. of what's gonna happen next. Some people are still cowering underneath their comforters, waiting for a Boeing 727 to come through the bedroom window, but most folks just don't know where their lives are headed, what their money situation is gonna be like. Let's all sing the Wu-Tang classic.. "C.R.E.A.M."
Yes, money does indeed rule everything around us, and it's the reason why I have an optimistic view of the future - one that I encourage you to have as well.
Ever since man began bartering goods, exchanging things for other things, what you had to offer has been important. Be relevant. Have something to give me of value and I'll frequent your spot on the regular.
It's as simple as that. People aren't going anywhere.. unless nuclear war becomes a reality or Will Smith really has to save of from aliens.. but until that happens, the way to get paid is to offer people something of value. An important point, though: value isn't determined by the seller, it's the person on the receiving end who holds that determination. You can believe with all your heart that you have the latest and greatest, but if know one wants the damn thing, your ass out.
It doesn't only apply from a business perspective, you can throw this tint over a bad relationship and see that same need of value. For example, your a guy who values your relationship but can't find a job and your girlfriend/wife is complaining. You better throw her some serious dick - that's the value. You got to get on THAT job. Offer her something like the big O after a long, torturous day at work, and when the deed is done, she won't mind cleaning up and frying up some cheese steaks. You gave her something she can't get anywhere else, so now you can kick back comfortably and watch the cable that she's paying for.
Then again, that might not be too smart.. eventually she'll tire of walking through the door and seeing your crusty ass in the house, stinking up the sofa, and coming home to a sink full of dishes. And then there's this thing called The Magic Wand which I hear does wonders for a woman in need of sexual satisfaction. So you better get your money thing together too. Why? "...because, Cash Rules Everything Around Me." Very good.
There's still this question of value. If the world revolves around this value system, as it pertains to the exchange of goods and services, what exactly do I give them? What do people find valuable? The answer lies in a person's environment, we all want different things, but generally we want things that provide comfort or an escape from the daily routine.
That's why the entertainment industry and food manufacturers are so huge. You get an equal amount of comfort, from say, reading a book or listening to music, as you do from eating a double stuffed oreo. It provides an escape even if it's only for a brief moment.
Something that would make life unbearable, if you didn't have them. Try not reading a newspaper, book, watching televsion, no movies, music or eating any food that you enjoy for a week. You would go bananas.
Yeah, we're spoiled compared to the people of Afghanistan, some sections of South America and the like, but it's a fact of life for this country. (and yes, Britian .. and Japan, as well.. *sigh* I didn't want to say it - the developed nations.)
We live in a world of entertainment.
But it's also a sad state of affairs, that the majority of America's jobs are in the service sector. Manufacturing jobs have been shipped overseas and production of goods in general have become more efficient through the use of technology. Companies can produce endless amounts of physical goods, but there is only so much that people actually need.
The task of frying a burger and tossing salt on the fries, hasn't been fully automated yet..so those jobs have pretty much been safe from expulsion. And the business, once again, delivers a value, in that your able to partake of a delicious Happy Meal.
The people who don those fast food uniforms are a key part of the business, since they are responsible for interaction between the customers and the store in question. If you get shitty service, you determine the company to be a lousy operation and a waste of your time.. and out you go to the spot down the block, or across the mall, where they have a little more respect.
Because of that, the need for quality service is huge. All the employers have to do is recognize that fact and treat the workers as valuable components of the business.
But I hear you .. and feel you.. Who wants to flip burgers or fry chicken for a living?
While service oriented jobs reign and there is a lack of need for a lot of "things," it doesn't apply to the realm of ideas, and the New Economy is based on that: ideas, intellectual capital. And what you receive from it, I like to call, Bubble Money.
Manufacturing jobs, have a finite capability, but there are two sectors of the economy that continue to thrive: food service and entertainment. That is a sign of a shift to what has been called the New Economy. A deadly word, one that people laugh at when they hear it, "New Economy? You mean the internet?" They will laugh your ass out of the room.
The fact is that by the early eighties and nineties, technology had matured the manufacturing process, money was flowing, and people were getting to the point of consuming all that they could reasonably use. Technology won that battle. Then it was the internet's time to shine, and it held in it's pocket was a little easter egg. It created a way for people of similar tastes, to congregate freely, across continents, timezones, and without racial barriers - people took to it in droves.
All of a sudden people discovered other people, in an unfiltered way, and what they discovered was an honesty and frankness that you just don't see on television. The power of the media comes from the ability to control what people see and hear.. the net stripped that from them.
The movement towards honest communication had been festering for a long time, but the cost of distributing information was too high. But with a connection to the net you can touch people instantly, across the globe, for $19.95.
The idea of dominating the web, through huge dot-com companies, faltered because they weren't based on honesty, it was all about visions of customers locked into their sites and buying stuff like.. dog food.. and greeting cards .. and.. stuff. Their value was on the order of a mail order catalog, and with so many competitors they had to constantly lower their prices because what they offered had no real value.
They didn't change the game, they just moved into a new, fancy stadium.
Those that used the internet to give the users value are still around.. you know, like, Amazon and Ebay.
Bubble Money is simply the return you get from solving people's needs and thereby creating value. An easy way to create value is to give more than you receive.
Think about Napster for a minute.. it grew quickly because they gave away music for free. The current attempts by the music industry have been uninspired and lame because they are afraid to give away anything at all. As a matter of fact, they don't even promote their services. You can't sustain a business by placing everything on the shelves without price tags, but a certain amount of that is necessary to be successful in the new economy.. they'll learn or die trying.
What I've said so far leans toward those who are already thinking about or currently have a business, or creative project under their belts. But I truly believe that everyone of us has the urge to CREATE. We all feel that we have something to contribute to the world, it's only after repeated setbacks that we put the dream to the side and say the hell with it.
There you are, just floating around, waiting for the wind to blow you in a new direction. Maybe the dream never got off to a start in the first place. A seed that was never watered. But if your still reading this, then you definitely have the goods and wherewithal to tackle that dream like a muthfucka.
It's the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, the opposing receiver has the ball and is headed towards the endzone.. if he makes it, you lose the game. What do you do? You get your legs up under yourself and slam that bum to the floor. Let that him represent all your doubts and insecurity.. beat that ass and do ya damn thang.
The time has come for honest, true, creative spirits. Doubt me? Watch and see who succeeds in the coming months. Be it music, film, books, art, knitting, or fishing, I guaran-damn-tee that fake bullshit will fail miserably, and those that create value.. through true, honest communication, will stand in the middle of Times Square this coming December 31st.. screaming with joy, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
- CG
