Essay 1411

American Dreams and Assorted Nightmares in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• The Seminole Tribe of Florida is buying the Hard Rock franchise, coughing up $965 million for casinos, restaurants, hotels and a massive collection of rock memorabilia. “Our ancestors sold Manhattan for trinkets,” said the Tribe Vice Chairman. “Today, with the acquisition of the Hard Rock Cafe, we’re going to buy Manhattan back one hamburger at a time.” Leave it to White folks to charge Native Americans $965 million for a hamburger.

• A bar owner, responding to complaints from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, removed a sign that read, “For Service Speak English.” A replacement placard states, “Here We Speak English.” The owner said, “If someone doesn't like it, have them call me.” Ironically, the establishment’s name is Pleasure Inn.

• Bill Cosby visited Chicago to continue his rants on bad parents and irresponsible individuals. “Everybody’s got stories of how poor and uneducated their parents were, and how they chucked cotton. Yet people made it all the way to college because somehow that illiterate parent knew, in order to progress, someone had to go to college,” said Cosby. “They made them believe they could be anything they wanted to be. We have to go back to that.” Leave it to Cosby to long for the days of being poor and uneducated.