The Beyonce Syndrome Re-Vamped 2014

By Monique Gaines

So disclaimer again my grammar sucks I majored in Bio bear with me but if your unclear on in thing let me know I'll change it or answer your question. 

So I know I'm like 2 years late but I recently read this article called The Beyonce Syndrome: The Impact of Pop Culture on Young Women of Color by Brian E. No I'm not a Beyonce fan because I never felt like I could relate to her, growing up my favorite singer was Aaliyah because she was a tomboy and relatable. She taught me that you can be a tomboy but still be a girly girl which I thought was cool, Beyonce was/is strictly heels and dresses. But I do listen to her music and no she's not my favorite artist because I like R&B soul more than I like pop music. However I do feel like people are to harsh with there words when it comes to celebrities. The author of this article (http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2012/01/beyonce-syndrome-impact-of-pop-culture.html) feels that Beyonce influences women to date thugs/gangbangers. He also believes that the majority of African American women don't appreciate hard working African American men. Okay well maybe Beyonce and Jay-Z did send a subliminal message that thugs were the way but I'm quite sure this message was in the African American community way before the union of these two I'm mean have you see New Jack City. My problem with this article and a lot of things that African American men say about women is that they forget when they point the finger their also pointing a finger at themselves. I believe that there are a lot of African American women who are educated and want to find a hardworking African American man who does take care of the household. But you have to see that just like you think African American women are overlooking the BMW (Black Man Working), men also overlook the nice African American women and rather be with a hoe. (And yea you can turn a hoe into an housewife Kanye's doing it)

Before I get into the African American issue though I do have to stand up for Beyonce. (like I said I probably dislike her music as much as the author but at the same time I feel like shes human just like all of us and you shouldn't talk about people life in that way) Don't get me wrong I do see something wrong with African American community, and I agree we do need a lot of help and restoration. However issue are not colorblind. I think that white people (along with other races) do the same things that we do it just that the things we do get exploited and our flaws get pointed out more than white peoples. That doesn't mean two wrongs make a right and I think that's even more reason for us to be on our p&q's so people can't say anything about us. Beyonce may not be a good role model for girls to you but she is on her p&q's how many scandals do you hear about Beyonce? But Britney Spears did all of those crazy things when she was young and it was chalked up to her being young. People forgave her for what she did so much so you don't really hear about her past. Since Beyonce is African American if she thought about doing what she did it would still be brought up to this day. As I said before Jay-Z and Beyonce are not my favorite artist (I prefer Nas and Jhene and other artist but this ain't about my favorite music) and I understand that they are celebrities and they probably have thick skin but I don't think it gives us any right to attack someone's marriage (especially since a lot of us aren't married talking about things we know nothing about). At the end of the day it will be chalk up to people opinion but why she married him is his&her's business. Beyonce didn't marry a thug/drug dealer, she married a former thug/drug dealer. Jay-Z has a past just like all of us who are we to judge, and there's no way I would let someone tell me I'm the same person I was when I was a freshman because I'm not. People see him as a former drug dealer but in the present his a business man who works hard to support his family. And unless your walking in someone shoes you can never know why they did what they did, not saying that its right to sell drugs (and you know why do people see a problem with drug dealers when America is the biggest dealer of them all....different article). If Jay-Z is such a thug then he wouldn't be where he is today he would still be in Marcy projects. Obviously he knew that drug dealing wasn't a way of life he used rapping as a outlet to get something off his chest and as a means to something better with his life. An my last point about Jay and Bey is they are human they have feelings. Like I said I know celebrities must have thick skin but geez give them a break. They said she wasn’t pregnant, like that alone could make a women have a miscarriage from stress and being upset. Or like saying she married a bad boy/thug. Did it ever occur to anyone that she married him because she didn't think she would be able to find real love? After all she is very successful with a lot of money, Jay-Z probably has the same amount or even more. Maybe she just wanted someone to see her as Beyonce and not be with her for the fame.

But enough about them. I have to defend African American women like myself. In the article the author Brian E believes that women are brainwashed by Beyonce to like thugs/Bad boys/drug-dealers and that nice African American men who pay bills and do what they are suppose to do are overlooked or walked all over. I'm not going to disagree with you (although I'm an African American women that would love that man but I'm young so that's not going to happen anytime soon seeing that guys are chasing after careers and money and a hoe or 2 not their wife) I'll agree and say your right I think in the African American community women confuse a man who knows how to lead with a man who is controlling and abusive. But I also believe that African American men walk over their women too. I can say this because I would be the version of the nice girl/women. The women who gets overlooked by thugs, boys, educated, sophisticated, intelligent African American men because they prefer a half naked hoe/bitch over an educated and focus African American women. Nice girls/women are not what guys want to date. Men like to take advantage of women who treat them good and stand behind them (or be submissive -ie the bible type submissive not that 50 shades of gray submissive) They take this rather have a ratchet loud I'll bust the windows out your car baby momma instead of a good women. But I'm not going to point the finger I've learned that it's a viscous cycle that I try not to get caught up in. But that doesn't mean I give up on African American men it means I pray and stay with them. That does not mean I stay with a man that abuse, controls or cheats on me but it does mean I have to understand that the African American man hurts and I stand behind them 100%. The reason why I stick behind them is because they need a strong support system and who better to do that than us. We lose our men to drugs, jail, death and no my all time favorite white women. In the article Brian E. says “I noticed the differences between Black American women/girls and others early on. I cannot count how many times I was seen as a cornball in school because I actually wanted to do the work. I was too young to understand why that was happening at the time (middle school). My first dance (in middle school) was with a white girl......This is why I can’t see myself dating a Black woman.” I don't know this man not sure if he is black and I'm not sure if he was adopted or not but your first impression of a black women was in school? Not your mom or grandma? And if so do you feel the same way about them? Not to mention he says something about his first dance in middle school was a white girl(he also says interracial dating is now walk in the park...but then again he can't see himself dating a black women??? contradiction much) but white women aren't perfect. Kim K had a sex tape and she's with Kanye (she middle eastern but I think most people see her as white, at least I do). And there are a host of other women who are celebrities from other races that like to date bad boys and take advantage of nice men. (don't feel like listing them all) And wait you mean to tell me that white women aren't dating black guys because they have a bad boy image? (Are they influenced by Beyonce too because I think it's just preference) Did you read Ralph Ellison's invisible man, the white women fantasize about a black man raping her hmmmmm I wonder why? (You know Beyonce wasn't out then but then again she probably came to him in a dream and influenced him too) Anyway I digressed but I say this to say that I don't think the whole bad boy/thug thing is a black thing (or the Bey bug) I think its a people thing. Believe it or not people like people who hurt them. (ie viscous cycle)

How To Keep Money In Your Pocket/Bank Account

Intro

Hello I'm writing this article to help people save money better. I am not a financial adviser nor am I good at grammar. But I'm trying to get financially smart and I just want to let people know how they can do the same. I don't know any of the people that I have put in the sources, they didn't tell me to mention them I'm just giving credit where its due and letting you know where I got some of my information from. The reason why I wrote this is because I don't like the whole crab in a barrel thing like if I know something I let people know because it makes no sense to see people struggle. Anyway here you go you can like it or hate it I don't care any comment is a good comment to me. And the links are put up of the websites are not referral links there just links so you can sign up if you want to. Also know there are plenty sites out there that I didn't mention I just feel like these are the most important. I also understand that people don't like to read they just want to slim to get the answer so I kept it pretty short but I put the most important parts in each section in bold.

RecycleBank.com

www.Recyclebank.com is a website where you read about recycling. They give you different ideas on how to recycle things that you don’t want any more. You learn to be more eco-friendly while gaining points. Recyclebank does not give money but I like recyclebank because I feel like it stops you from impulse buys like buying magazines at the counter. They also have coupons like $2 off regal movie theater or gift cards like earning $2 Amazon gift card when you spend $10 at Burger King. Right now they have 2 opportunities where you can get 100 points for just reading information on recycling. They also have easy greens (which I think are either 5 or 10 points each) where you answer questions and take the pledge. It’s a great site for you to check out and it doesn't take much time. I use recycle bank and they do give you rewards so its not a scam or anything like that.

Track Your Spending

This will probably be the hardest thing to do. But if you track your spending you see how much you actually spend and what you can cut down on. If there is something you can cut try to put that money in your savings account instead. I understand that you have to pay bills but if there is something like your morning coffee you can skip try to. www.Mint.com helps you to track your spending and make goals or budget for yourself. I just joined it not to long ago and I’m still trying to get the hang of it. You do have to give your bank account info though. If you feel uncomfortable giving out account info, then try to track your spending or make a budget on excel. Also make sure you check your account everyday because it will show you what you spend that you’ll be able to cut out and also you should always check for things like identity theft and monthly fees on your account.

Bank Fees

Speaking of bank fees, depending on what bank you have they may charge you a monthly fee. I know with my Bank of America account they charge me a monthly fee of 12 dollars. I called and ask them why turns out they change my account from a student account because they automatically change your student account after 5 years. They didn’t send an email or anything to let me know. Of course they send email to let you know they have cut your card off because of suspicious activity (which ok I’m glad they are alert but it hasn’t been identity theft yet and I have a feeling if that does happen they probably won’t be as on it) So if you don’t have a student account anymore they charge you 12 a month if you don’t have a direct deposit of $250 or $1500 in your savings account (O_o).

Keep the change

So I guess you get the point that I’m not crazy about Bank Of America but what are you going to do its all over the place so I need this account for now. But anyway Bank of America has the option to keep the change where your changes roll over to your saving account. Good idea right? You get to save your change. What's wrong with that? Well I’m not a fan of it. If you have it on your account and it works for you cool keep it. But I found that when I paid for something I would get over drafted because I thought I had a certain amount in my checking account but I didn’t because the change went to my saving account. Also even though I had overdraft protection they charged $10 for the transfer fee to take money from my saving to my checking account. I changed my account to take the keep the change and overdraft feature off and if I don’t have enough my debit card just gets declined.

I am a fan however of keeping your own change, even though people always discredit the power of change. People sometime feel like change is beneath them or like if its not a dollar it doesn’t count. I used to work as a cashier and people used to leave change behind all the time, I never understood that. If you ever watched the 50 cent movie he excepted change from people because he knew that its still money and it still adds up. (Disclaimer I’m not condoning drug dealing) When you break a dollar save your change and roll it up and put it in your bank account. (Duh because your change is still your money) You can buy the rollers or you can get them from the bank for free. Don’t go to the ghetto banks go to the banks with that have better customer service.

$2 in nickels = 40 nickels

$ 5 in dimes= 50 dimes

.50 cent in pennies= 50 pennies

$10 quarters= 40 quarters (you might not want to roll these because you might need it for the bus or laundry but if you don’t roll quarters too)

I know people probably have endless pennies in there house, when you have time roll them up and put it in the bank.

Online Banks

Now everyone is trying the new online banking thing because they give more on interest. I have an online banking account and I know people are skeptical about things like this but if you don't feel comfortable you don't have to use it. I got an online bank account because I want my money to work for itself it makes no sense to have money in your account if it is gaining little to no interest. 0.90% in interest is not that great but its better than 0.10%. Online banks are great for saving because you can't go to an ATM to get money out, so you won't have the urge to take money out all the time. But you can transfer money from your online bank to your main bank account but it takes a couple of days to get to your account. You do have to give this bank account some banking info so like I said if your not comfortable with that then you don't have to sign up for one. You should also chose what every bank you think will benefit you the most. Capital one 360 bank online gives you 25 dollars for signing up but the interest rate is 0.85%. I didn't chose this one because I wanted a higher percent but you should always compare and see which one is best for you. They don't charge as much fees because they don't have banks nationwide so they don't have as many people to pay. I know with the bank I have I think they only charge fees if you account is under 1 dollar.(don't quote me because I’m not sure) But always check the fine print on things like this.

Surveys

Doing surveys online is a great way to make extra money whether you need the money for bill or you just want to save money. Do know though that if you make more than $600 in surveys in a year you have to pay taxes on it. The company will send you a form. I watch videos and read blogs on surveys to take and this one guy on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGoToGuy81) has 2 really good ideas. 1. Before you sign up for survey sites make a separate email just for survey sites so it doesn’t flood your inbox. 2. Diversify where your getting money for surveys from. In other words don’t put your eggs in one basket. Survey money is slow money (but slow money is better than no money). But if you have 30 from one site, 10 from another, and 20 from another site you now have 60 in your bank account. Some survey sites pay through paypal while other send you a check or debit card. Other will pay you buy gift cards from different stores like Amazon, restaurant.com, visa gift card, etc. Here are some panels that I used below:

Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research is actually looking for people who are African American/Hispanic and/or people who are between the ages of 18-24. You can still sign up for it if you’re not African American/Hispanic and/or 18-24. But they are probably looking for African American and young people because they don’t have enough of people in the categories taking surveys. You get paid $3 per survey (300 point=$3), which isn’t a lot but it adds up. You don’t get paid for answering the household questions but you get enter into sweepstakes plus the household questions are used for you to get surveys. You can get paid by paypal or a check. You have to be eligible to sign up for paypal though and you have to e-mail them to ask them if you can get paypal payments. They let you know if you can get it or not. I got my first payment today and it a check so it is legit and they do give you money for taking surveys. You do have to be active and take the surveys or they will kick you off the panel. But if you e-mail them and tell them that you haven't been able to do surveys because of work or because your been traveling they will put you back on and you'll get all your points back. Trust me I know it happen to me.

Opinion Outpost

Okay so Opinion Outpost is one of my favorite survey sites because they pay out really fast. I put it second only because I think telling you about pinecone research is more important since they are looking for African American/Hispanic and/or young people. Opinion Outpost gives you points for the surveys you do and the point system is really easy to understand and follow. These points can be use to get cash, gift cards on Amazon or Itunes, as well as other rewards. They pay you through paypal. 100 points equals 10 dollars and you can cash it if you have a 100 points on Opinion Outpost. For an Amazon gift card it will be 50 points which equals 5 dollars. Itunes is also a 100 points to cash out which is again 10 dollars. This comes in handy if you need some extra cash or if your in college on a budget you can get money off of your textbooks. For example if you have 300 points you can get an Amazon gift card for 30 dollars. You can get money off your book and shipping. I've actually cashed out with opinion outpost a couple of times and they pay out the fastest as soon as you ask for it they send you an e-mail with your code or put your money in your paypal account.

Freebieshark

Freebieshark is a place where you can get things for free. This comes in handy if you run out of something in your house you may have a little sample or even a whole bottle of something like soap, vitamins, lotion, etc. They put different things on there website. Some are samples, some are full sizes and they also put up movie tickets. I have actually got a free movie ticket to see the lone ranger but I didn't go I just had to fill out a form. I also got 2 free tumblers from Toyota which comes in handy if you need some glasses. Somethings you get free through your email like the movie tickets or coupons but somethings take 6-8 weeks to get to you. If you like them on Facebook you can see offers on your newsfeed which is good because these offers end very quickly. There is also a website called www.freefly.com but I like freebieshark better because the website is structured better. You can also sign up to get e-mails from freebieshark as well. I live in Brooklyn and I have a hood post office so one time I was suppose to get my black is beautiful kit (it came with a mirror, pens, different boxes had different things) but all I got was the box and the stickers. It said the package was damage(bs they took my stuff at least that's my theory). If your post office people aren't hood then your packages should be fine.

Inboxdollars

Inboxdollars is very popular and many people have heard about it. Basically you get money to do stuff like read e-mails, use there search engine take surveys, do cash offers, watch videos use coupons etc. You don't have do the cash offers that cost anything. Read the fine print on the offers because it will tell you how long you have to stay with the company to get the cash offer. Even free cash offers have a limit. Sometimes it takes a while for you to get the cash with the offers because they have to see that you actually did what they ask for. For example if you sign up with a survey site you may have to answer a certain amount of surveys before you get the cash with inboxdollars. You can cash out with inboxdollars after you get 30 dollars. There is a processing fee of 3 dollars so try to get 33. They send you a check or a debit card. I haven't cashed out yet because I want an even check so I'm waiting to get to a certain amount.

Referrals

On most survey sites or get paid to sites (like inboxdollars) they a have a program where you can get paid for referring other people. Sometimes you will get 15% or you get a dollar amount from $5-$25 each site varies. If you know you have friends that you know are going to do the surveys or join sites, add them. Do know that they have to complete certain things before you can get your rewards. (This is why I said add people you know will follow through all the way) My friends don't so I don't do the whole referral thing.

Source

www.Extracashandrewards.com

www.freebieshark.com

www.opinionoutpost.com

www.inboxdollars.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGoToGuy81

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRlLgR8qUWCLoBmAJ9iYVXQ

www.recyclebnk.com

www.mint.com

http://www.pineconeresearch.com/signup/ds714.aspx