It's All Good In The Hood

It's All Good In The Hood

Chicago

DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy to a whack at a sociological question that has dogged America since 1984 when Finger Licking Slick James uttered the phrase "It's all good in the Hood" to his the debunked drummer Pete about his current emotional state.

"When I was growing up things were changing. Billy Joel was my hero and Rap was becoming more well known." Said DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy, " I lived in the western suburbs of Dupage County so I had never seen the hood."

So DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy took out a research grant and began looking into the hood, to find out how good the hood is or how good, the hood should be. As with many sociologist graduates of Chicago City Community College he had a thirst for knowledge and adventured. While immersed in to the sub culture he dubbed that "Throwledgest".

DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy office is small and mobile. This is how he likes it. He sprawls out a map on his 1996 Ford Taurus hood to show me where the perimeter of the hood is. The hood where it might be all good, not the car hood, the car hood was quite visible. More so before the map even.

While discussing the invisible tribal boundaries of the hood a local merchant approached both of us to sell us some goods, a service, dirty solicitation, donation, and wondered if we had found Jesus. DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy being use to the customs of the area proceeded to wave his arms in the air while cursing, and using profane language, and all put a pea soup curse on the man. It was frightening and beautiful all at once. It was the hood.

As we wondered through the streets and the wafting smell of urine DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy spoke on how the Hood was not a place, but a state of mind.

DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy, "It's a state of Mind. The Hood is a Throwledgest".

The hood is much like the Keats poem in which home was were your heart couldn't return to but had no where else to go, so it ends up sleeping on the fold out couch of an old friend who isn't to happy you stopped by so late.

While buying meat off of a local street vendor and popcorn from an international tradesman, we spoke of how since the expectations are lower there is less need to achieve and fall in to the moral, social, economic, spiritual and physical trappings of all the non-hood area. It’s a self serving and self sustaining way of life. That will as soon shot you as steal your wallet.

I awoke 3 hours after DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy explained that last theory. Along my side I had a lovely cross stitch and some bruising. It turns out that the food we bought off the street was laced with lace. DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy knew of my allergy to the fabric and took that opportunity to rob me of my kidney. DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy could steal my kidney, my wallet, but he could not steal my newly founded Throwledgest for the hood.

DR. Shay Jays McMackpaddy is writing a book based on the theory that it's not only good in the hood but also awful and kidney crushing at best.