April 09, 2007
I Love Baton Bob
Yes, I do love Baton Bob (click the pic for more information). For those of you not familiar, Bob Jamerson is an Atlanta legend (previously a St. Louis legend), a seasoned floral designer, and the talk of many an internet legend, and just f*cking fierce. He is the "Ambassador of Mirth", and began twirling his baton as a response to the depression/recession following 9/11, as a way to spread joy to his fellow STLiens, then later to his fellow ATLiens. I first learned of Baton Bob from (of course) an email foward, and have since seen him featured in the AJC.
why you ask? why do I love him? did'ja read the previous post? Bob brings joy - is another reason necessary? What other reason is there? No, I don't know Bob. No, I never met Bob. But I've seen Bob from afar, and admired him as others around me poked fun at him. I challenged my friends with his "mirth" telling them that he's making himself happy, and I can't be mad at him for that. My reply to the email forwards: "Bob's handling his joy. How's your joy doing today?"
slightly offtopic:: This is related, but has nothing whatsoever to do with Baton Bob's sexuality. I know a lot of men, particularly black men always ask women why they have gay friends. I have a theory. Women (particularly black women) are ridiculously catty and judgemental towards each other, because women are so dayum competitive. To make a sweeping generality, their identities sometimes tend towards being relative to where their point of reference is. i.e. I'm cute because I'm cuter than ___. I'm smart, because I'm smarter than ___. I'm worthy because I'm worthier than ___.
Gay men don't have that hang up. Their identities (methinks) are carved from their self-valuation. They don't have that reference point, because their "coming out" tends to rip it from them. As a sweeping generality, gay men (despite their penchant for snarkiness) tend to come from a place of love, even when they criticize...not from trying to "outdo" women. So if they say "girl, you need to retire that dress, it is too small for yo big a$$ and about 5 seasons ago", it's not because they want to wear it. It's because they want you to do better. I've had black women say the same thing, and then try to put the dress on in the next 5 minutes, m'kay? Gay men offer a (relatively) unconditional acceptance that women (particularly black women) just don't always have in them.
But back to Bob:: I love that he's coming from a place of love, to bring joy to those willing to accept it, in the fashion that he can, with the tools/skills he has access to. Let me repeat - to those willing to accept it. Say it with me now - Acceptance. Bring Joy - and Accept Who You Are, Unconditionally. And accept who others are, unconditionally. When I grow up, I want to be that dayum free.
disclaimer:: Again, I don't know Bob personally, have never met him, and am not trying to make any statements about him or his sexuallity. I don't know what his preference is, and don't care. I just dig what he does, and my correlation between that and my gay homeboys is only to illustrate the marching to your own drum, and accepting yourself point. Anything else that you assume from this is on you...
p.s. I also love that he has a beautiful set of gams....I need to be out there marching and twirling with him ;-)
Posted by saga_30311 at 06:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack