Yap Sessions
Session 3
The System Is Broken
Netflix is pushing $25, eggs are outrageous, basic medical care is expensive, and a billionaire foreigner is running the country without being elected. No matter what you’re looking at right now, the system that runs it in America is broken, and the purpose it’s supposed to serve no longer functions efficiently.
If you’re chronically online (and let’s face it, you are), then you’ve complained about, seen me complain about, or heard someone else complain about how some system that used to benefit the masses no longer works the way it should.
I believe we can make small changes to fight back against this hyper-capitalist society. It’ll take a village—communities coming together with the mindset of fixing broken systems, one at a time. With patience and ingenuity, we can do it.
I created Loc & Wax because physical media is expensive and hard to get ahold of. I’ve wanted a vinyl collectionsince I was 20 and in college. Finally, with help from friends in the music community and the Dro Vinyl community on Twitter and Discord, I felt comfortable collecting.
That didn’t change the cost though.
Records are expensive, which turns collectors into resellers, making it even harder (and more expensive) to get the albums you want. Resellers buy multiple copies to flip on the secondary market, driving up prices even more.
This is a long-winded, slightly self-promoting way to say—if you see a problem, try your best to fix the system, even if it only moves the needle by fractions. Someone else in the community will see it and create something new to help push it even further.
I’ll definitely clean this ramble up a bit, but just know we can make a difference—that’s what this mini yap session is about.
OK, NEXT!
Reading
I’m not gonna beat you over the head about how important reading is—you’re already reading this article.
That being said, I think talking about and promoting reading is important.
Without education and the ability to learn, we will never have a revolution.
Right now, being dumb is way too cool. And to be clear, this isn’t blaming anyone—the system doesn’t reward you for being educated or smart. I’m saddled with debt, like millions of Americans, because I went to college. Even after a decade of working, I’m nowhere near paying it off. I don’t make enough to buy a house, and my self-esteem is at an all-time low.
The system is a failure, and seeing Black people rebel by being anti-education is honestly understandable.
But we have to flip the rebellion—self-education should be the move.
We need an education built around consciousness and anti-white supremacy. Substack is full of people doing this work, and we have all the information to point Black people in the right direction at every age.
And yeah, this applies to everyone—but I write for Black people. If you’re not Black and reading this, it still applies.
Mmmm, that’s all I got for this thought.
Real Babble
Ahhh, my favorite section.
Listen, my obsession with grills has turned into a hyperfixation.
As a designer, I really wanna learn how to make my own. I have a small two-tooth one, and it cost me about $1K. It’s my baby, and I cherish it, but honestly?
If that guy can do it, so can I.
I need a grill collection that rivals Smino or Erykah Badu. That being said, I still need a Johnny Dang piece at some point.
Speaking of obsessions—Madvillainy has been almost the only thing I’ve listened to this past week. I clocked 102 minutes on Spotify, and that doesn’t even count the instrumental vinyl I have of it.
But as I’m writing this, I’m listening to The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, and… it might be taking over my obsession.
Kendrick put on a great halftime show—I loved every minute. Not gonna yap too long about it, though—it’s already been over-saturated online. Dot fans are happy, and that’s all that matters.
Oh, and F Ticketmaster.
I feel bad for every Beyoncé fan who spent two days trying to get tickets. Prices are outrageous, and that company is straight-up evil.
And to keep it on the broke system topic… sheeeeesh.
The Lakers lost tonight, but we’re still up and 4th in the West.
LA up forever!
Peace out,
Loc
