Just Be Thankful...For What You Got

Instructions: Play the embedded YouTube video (it only shows a still image but will play audio) then continue reading, listening to the music as a background soundtrack to this blog post.



Though you may not drive
A great big Cadillac...

The Militant is thankful he's been able to save an unspecified amount of money this year on gas, maintenance and insurance on his car. He's also thankful that he's not a slave to his car, nor over-materialistic with his 2005 model auto. It's no Ferrari, it's no Mercedes, it's no Beemer, yet he doesn't care for those kinds of cars anyway.

...gangster whitewalls
TV antenna's in the back...

The Militant doesn't have a TV antenna in the back of his car, nor even GPS (if you're a Militant Angeleno, you don't need GPS, or even a Thomas Guide - you know practically every street by memory), but he is thankful for this age of communication, despite how its warped society, there's also some definite benefits as well. Blogging has evolved from a mere amateurish vanity journal to a more or less legitimate source of information.

...you may not have
a car at all...

The Militant has a car, but he is still very thankful for the fact that he lives in the middle of it all, a relatively central part of town where he has the luxury of walking, biking or taking transit to get around, without being part of the mass hassle.

The Militant is also thankful for recently finding about - and participating in - the bicycle culture in this city. Though he doesn't exactly fit in 100%, he's glad that it's more than just a trend, but a movement and a lifestyle that will definitely re-shape the way this city lives and moves in the future.

...but remember, brothers and sisters
you can still stand tall...

The Militant is thankful for those of his readers who have their own Militant tendencies or have been voiceless in the Evil Mainstream Media or the gentro-hipster-dominated local blogosphere; he has even seen some of them take the initiative and gone to blogging themselves. And if you haven't yet, maybe you should. Your own Militant adventures are just as valuable as those of mi, er, this blogger's. The Militant is really concerned less with being The Militant Angeleno, but rather A Militant Angeleno, one among hopefully many.

...just be thankful
for what you got...

The Militant isn't rich or famous or successful, but looking back, he's been blessed with things that others have not been able to have. He grew up in a diverse, multicultural environment and his early experiences with others allowed him to be free from the chains of prejudice, or at least easily free himself from the prejudices he did have. For a kid who grew up in the City -- a place where others fleed from as they assumed it wasn't a good place to raise their children -- he turned out just fine.

...Diamond in the back, sun roof top
diggin' the scene with a gangster lean...

The Militant is thankful he lives in this city free from the preconceived, pre-programmed notions, expectations and stereotypes most others who come here - and even come from here - have. Without that baggage, he can roam free and just enjoy, observe and most of all take part in the action. That's what it's all about, really, it can't get any simpler than that. Yes, things do bother the Militant, not everything is hunky-dory of course, and there are definitely many things in life that are hard, but the Militant doesn't use this city as his scapegoat. What good does that do, really? If anything is wrong, maybe it comes from within, and that goes for the Militant as well.

But most of all, the Militant is thankful you've heard his voice, and that you've offered your voice as well. Happy Thanksgiving from the Militant Angeleno.

Music and Lyrics: "Be Thankful For What You Got," by Wiliam DeVaughn, © 1974