By Marcus Stringer

"Hey, don't hurt yourself now. You know you're not used to thinking," My older brother used say this to his friends and to us sibling whenever we said, "I think" or "I've been thinking". It was funny, and we all laughed. I remember that comment sometimes when I say "You know, I've been thinking."

Always the one seeking to be fit and healthy, I try to exercise my thinker, perhaps some have been right in saying that I think too much. I don't know. Even so, lately I have been thinking about a few things and I'll share some of them with you.

One thing I've thought about is that perhaps there is a law of right angles, or left angles for that matter, when it comes to interpersonal attraction. It seem that way at least in more of my experience lately. Stringer's "'Theory' of Angles" goes like this, and it's simple. Everyone is attracted to the person on their right, or left.

"Okay, what's the big deal?" you ask. Well the big deal is this, if everybody is standing side by side, then nobody is looking face to face! We're all staring at the backs of each other's heads.

Even so, if we are attracted to the person either our left or right side (but not both) then the person you're attracted to doesn't have mutual attraction to you. Her or his attraction is directed toward the person who is on their other side. I really don't have any premises for the validity of this "theory". I'm sure you can see that at least in some cases, Stringer's theory will be true while in other cases, it will be false. I look forward to experiencing more instances where my theory is false.

A second thing I've been thinking about is gender role stereotypes within Rap and Hip Hop music. I know a number of people who absolutely crave for Rap and/or Hip Hop music. I like it, maybe more or less so at times, but I can live without it too. Of course stereotypes of gender roles in music isn't new. Nor is it new that some music with words contain irrational and/or dysfunctional thoughts and ideas. I just wonder if anybody is really listening to meanings and imagining some ramifications of the ideas in some of this music as it relates to gender roles. What positive diverse options are being sung about for expressing maleness, femaleness, and broader gender identity across the sexes? More specifically, does it give a positive and welcoming message to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of color?

Yet another interesting thing I've been pondering of late is what seems to be a Mandingo factor? I'm not talking about the general occurrence of masculine and feminine, butch to fem., or butch to butch attractions among gay and bisexual men. I'm thinking more about what appears to be quite a large number of white gay and bisexual men who seek what seems to boil down to a "big and strong black jungle man." The primitive black savage if you will, updated with the hoodlum and boys from the hood.

The case isn't much different among many black gay and bisexual men. The wheels in my thinker start spinning on this one so I have to take real easy as I try to understand this situation. I imagine that there might be social disconnect, stereotyping, and status nostalgia and fantasy going on here. Some day I'll have the intellectual tools to pick this puzzle apart.

Well, these are some of the things I've been thinking about. Hope you enjoyed the peek I've given you.