Acme Politics

The shock to L.A.’s collective conscious was a powerful blow on April 29, 1992. While the police relations within the community have dramatically improved—something I would not have predicted even with the accompanying US Justice Dept oversight—the societal underpinnings of division are growing wider. What was 17% African-American unemployment in the South Central area has ballooned to 25% to date. The bottle keg today lies in this growing unemployment trend. It also means that another tumult may be coming because the disenfranchised are still being repressed.

I recall my father’s astonishment that L.A. would endure not just one upheaval in 1965, but also another in 1992, despite all manner of blue-ribbon panels and good intentions. That clearly was not enough. While we have conquered the police brutality of the LAPD (the jury is till out on the County Sheriff’s Dept), we have not yet stepped up to addressing the opportunities lost for so many minority residents. This includes Latinos and African-Americans, as the demographics of South-Central have shifted while the pain has not.

Tavis Smiley and Cornell West have taken upon themselves to shine a light on poverty and to bring the conversation for this year’s election to that topic. Given what is at stake—our democracy and morality—we should all take heed and do our part. “The Rich and Rest of Us” is their book on the topic, and the interview on their treatise is worth listening to for inspiration: http://www.democracynow.org/2012/4/19/tavis_smiley_cornel_west_on_the

There’s nothing like a taste of nostalgia to make one comforted. The other day I reflected on the bygone days of full-flavored bubblegum. Those were the times when the charm of a sugar-loaded mouth was enough to quell any school day strife. I cannot imagine any kid these days being satisfied without a cell phone, iPad, and Wii platform. The mere mention of sweets will likely be met with scoff.

I remember being fascinated by the packaging alone of Adams gum, imbued with colorful hues and ostentatious art. That is, the Adams packaging from the early 70s which focused on the fruit, depicting it in mouthwatering fashion. The Adams packages below are from the 60s and not as appetizing. The days of big bubblegum were born with Bubbleyum when I hit junior high. There were many a prank involving that gum. It was delicious and was easy to manipulate to make huge bubbles. I still remember a friend of mine giving me a huge pack of Bubbleyum for Christmas and thinking I had hit the jackpot. What a satisfying gum. Sigh.