No offense, but black people need to learn to be quiet, many professional blacks and white also agree. Not only do I want peace, but I want respect. I am respectful of others and kind and expect the same in return. Just yesterday, I was walking, in Midtown, Sacramento and I passed by all of these high rises, one of them was a senior complex, for mature adults, who like peace, and they offer below market rate rents—I was thinking to myself, if I have to live in an apartment, I would not mind living here. The senior apartments are quiet, clean, and you do not see anyone hanging out. I would fit right in! However, I am far too young to move into a senior housing facility. So after taking pictures of the views and walking around, for an hour and a half, I made it back to my apartment, which was quiet, cooked dinner and watched the news. I was so tired that I did not want to go to bed, I just sat on the couch, and sent out a tweet saying, “I am so tired, but I do not want to go to bed, I just want to sit here and enjoy the silence.” About 1am, I finally got up off the couch and went to bed. It was hot, but you know how Kristina is about that air conditioner, she likes people to open the windows and get fresh air, so I did. Nonetheless, I was awaken by the sounds of the hood, at 7am, women outside all excited and being loud and carrying on conversations. I stayed in bed and tried to sleep. These women were so loud that they invaded my dream and I was dreaming about them, then I woke. My neighbor gets home and he is loud. However, it was 11am by that time, but still, all of this loud noise and these unprofessional people are a culture shock to me. Then it dawned on me, they must have gotten paid, it must be the first of the month because from about the 15th to the end of the month, it is dead silent, but as soon as these people get paid, they are outside keeping up a ruckus!

So I called my mother to vent my frustrations, and she told me to get ear plugs. Then she reminded me that Bone Thugs N Harmony made a song called, The First of the Month. “Wake up, wake up, wake up it’s the 1st of the month, so get up, get up, get up so cash your checks and come on. Hey my bro we havin’ a wonderful day and they won’t (expletive) with me. Why? ‘Cause it’s the 1st of the month and now we smokin’, chokin’, rollin’ blunts, and sippin’ on 40 ounces, thuggin’. Wake up and I see that my sister is already dressed, she said “I’m gonna run and go get my stamps. Watch and make sure no one snatches my check!” Brotha that’s the mailman, sort through the mail and put it up in my pocket,” these are just an excerpt of the lyrics, and they ring true. On the first of the month, a lot of people, who are on government assistants or welfare, work of the state or teach, no matter what culture they are, they get up early in the morning and make a lot of noise on the first of each month, it is like a party for them, and they celebrate, until they go broke, which is about the 15th of the month, and then things settle down again. So, I get up and get in the elevator, and when it opens up to the lobby, it is a full house. The young females setting there, talking quietly, looking all cute, their hair just got done and they got hot summer outfits on. Another female just got off work and is feeding her baby, and then am greeted by one of the guys, who makes us coffee, in the morning. I walk out the front door and an old white man is sitting there with a gallon of cheap vodka, in a plastic bottle. So I go back upstairs, and leave my door open because I was in a hurry, my neighbor comes up to me and says, “Look at you, got the door all open and the air conditioner on like you live in the suburbs.” I reply, I know, I wish I did, I cannot wait to move back. He then says, “Me too, I hate it here, people get bed bugs and there are all kind of weirdos in Midtown.” What we are experiencing is called culture shock.

Culture shock is the feeling of confusion and disorientation that occur when an individual encounters a very different culture. Some people may have a culture that is radically different than yours, and it has a powerful impact on their thoughts and behavior. Their approach to reality is drastically different than yours. You know, some of us were raised to behave and be quiet and work, and make your home a place of peace and love. I am kind of old fashion, in a sense that I do not like to see people outside hanging out, especially not during work hours. I like it to be peaceful early in the morning, throughout the day and late at night. I do not like random people calling me and I do not like unexpected guest. I get very frustrated when people knock on my door, unexpectedly, because I am usually busy or sleeping. And my sleeping patterns vary; I do not sleep much, so when I am disturbed, I get very upset. Of course, with globalization, people no longer have to travel abroad to discover surprising diversity in food, dress, and other customs of one’s neighbor’s. In Queens, New York , for example, an estimated 138 languages are spoken and the Queens area has become so diverse that no matter whatever your ethnic background is, you are underrepresented. New arrivals in the United States of America are often confused and dismayed by many aspects of the American life—especially family life and parent-child relations. In extreme cases, such encounters may produce what sociologist call culture shock. However, if we carefully observe another culture, we realize that the same things that cause us culture shock and confusion provide order, security, identity, and meaning to other individuals of that culture. The idea of respect and fair exchange is just dead, so many are out to hustle you and see what they can get out of you, so be careful. Just remember, the agitation of the mind baffles all the power of medicine, and till the mind is relieved, the body can never be restored, and there is nothing so difficult as to manage the public mind.