Jason Wiley

I am a marketing executive at Jive Records, but life is about more than where I work.I am a dedicated husban…

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So I think we all have heard about the contestant from California, Carrie Prejean, in the Miss USA pageant.  If you haven't see the above video in reference to her answering the question about Gay Marriage.  Ultimately, she received a 0 for the answer and lost the ultimate beauty contest.  Basically, if she would have gotten anything for the question/answer she would have won. 

Not only was she being honest, she was also speaking for her state of Califonia, which voted on Proposition 8 and legally banned Gay Marriage in California.  Since most of the country has not legalized gay marriage, she is in essence in the majority.  She was asked about her beliefs and effectively gave them to the judges.  However, she was penalized for saying what she felt, believed and what the majority of her state,California, believes. 

So now the beauty contest is a political forum and if you don't agree with the judges, you are going to lose.  It's completely ridiculous and for the board of pageants to allow this mockery just further reinforces how remedial these contests are for women.  The face that they still exist is another issue, but this is just stupid. 

Now, maybe you believe her answer was lacking eloquency and clarity, which I would totally agree, however, that doesn't justify a 0.  Clearly it was because Preez is an openly gay male and he wants all people to believe in what he believes.  Honestly, I could care less.  As only as gay marriage doesn't impose any restrictions on me getting married, I don't see the problem.  No one has really explained to me why gay marriage is BAD, other than religiously it's wrong, but I can name a million things that people do that religiously is wrong.  So other than that reason, I am waiting for someone to convince me it's WRONG. 

Okay, I completely digressed from the topic at hand.  When did keeping it real, telling the truth go so wrong.  Maybe you say she should have been politically correct, well correct with who.  She seems like she was being politically correct.  She said "no offense to anyone, but this is is how I feel."  Is it me, or is this just a mockery of so many things???

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Photo for the post '<a href=Sometimes You have to Walk Away From the Money'" />

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30112778/?flv=1

 

So the Indian/Asian American actor in this photo was a lead character on the hit Fox television show, "House".  He also had a string of Indy movies that did quite well.  He was building a steady career and was a legitimate actor.  It's easy to estimate that he was/is grossing over $2million a year from his acting career, which is no small change and a huge salary for most people in America, especially in today's harsh economy. 

Well on Monday, his last episode of House aired.  He decided he NEEDED to become a member of the White House staff and become a "liaison" for the Asian community.  One, I couldn't believe the episode, because they killed him off in such a vicious manner.  Two, I couldn't believe the reason for leaving the show.  Who turns down the fame and money in order to be a social conduit???  Who has the ability to stop a career that is on the rise for an uncertain world in politics??  Who has the fortitude to say that I want to make a difference and actually leave a high paying job for the world of social service??

Well the actor Kal Penn made that decision and he stuck with it.  I will definitely follow his story and see where this path takes him, but whatever comes of it, he made a tough decision look very easy.  Even as his star was rising, he decided he needed more.  He needed to do more and he needed to be more.  Some would argue that he didn't need to quit his current industry and could have done more in his current capacity as an actor.  Clearly, he felt different,  Either way you look at it, you have to be impressed that he walked away from the money.

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Racism

February 20, 2009

Photo for the post '<a href=Racism'" />

I have been going back and forth about this cartoon trying to determine the effects and affects of it on society and myself as an African American.I still do not believe I have formulated an concise opinion.

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A Sense of More

February 20, 2009

Everyday I take the train to work and look around to see the numerous people with faces that seem to have only despairing expression as they drag their kids to school, or unhappily head to work/school, or just commute from one place to another. It looks as if they are trying to just survive or get through to tomorrow. They're eating potato chips and drinking pop, snacking on cakes and every unhealthy quick food possible. The day just exists as time, not an opportunity. People need to want more and I don't mean more money or more stuff, but more happiness.

People who know me always describe me as happy and optimistic. It has nothing to do with my life being better than others; I am not the smartest, I am not the richest, I am not the most anything. I am just happy that I have another opportunity to do more everyday. My parents instilled in me a lot of important things growing up, but one of the greatest lessons was that I was capable of anything. Life is only what you make of it and you can make it anything you want of life.

Both parents are social workers, so its not like they made a ton of money and my father struggled with substance abuse issues until I was 2. However, they always gave me support, love, and encouragement. Through those three things they made sure I ate a breakfast; oatmeal, cereal, waffles, microwaveable pancakes, or fruit, but something to start my day off right. I could never begin my day with candy, chips, pop, or any other similar junk food. Their philosophy was that how I started will ultimately determine how I finish. As I write I do have to distinguish that my parents weren't together, but both had the same philosophy on raising this boy to become a MAN.

My mother wound up getting her Masters of Social Work after 7 years of night school in 1997. My father wound up getting his Bachelors of Arts in 1996 when I was in high school. Neither was an ideal situation, but nothing stopped them from obtaining more. Sure they had to make some sacrifices and sure they had to rearrange their schedule, but ultimately it was the best decision. They could have just accepted their current circumstances, but for them, it wasn't about the "today", rather the future. Even today, my aunt who is 52, is in school working towards her bachelor’s degree.

I have always been taught that there is more to life than today, right now, current circumstances and my real job is to savor, enjoy and get more out of everyday. I have never felt that there wasn't something I couldn't do, mind you there are things I don't want to do, but I have always felt that I am capable of anything. It is my chose how I live life and my choice to either wake up every morning and just wander through the day until the night or wake up every morning and rejoice in the fact that I will get more out of today than I did yesterday.

This has nothing to do with real problems that we all face everyday; from health, to housing, to employment, to security, to the thousand of other issues that will need my attention everyday. However I still have to want more. I can not let my today hold me back from my tomorrow and only I can decide what that tomorrow will bring. I hope more people begin to realize that they have the ability to obtain more. If you are going to start the day already discouraged, then you are going to finish that way. Wake up and know that you have the opportunity for more.

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I Was There

February 16, 2009

January 20, 2009 at 10:30am, I was present at The Mall in Washington DC at the steps of the Capitol Building watching the swearing in of the 44th President, Barack Obama.I was able to secure tickets for the event through multiple people for myself and my cousin, so I wasn't there alone as I originally planned.This was a historic moment and nothing was going to stop me from witnessing and being a part of history.It was even more exciting because I was able to experience it with my cousin.Sometimes it gets hard when your entire family is in the midwest and you don't get to see them or do things with them because of distance, but she made the trip for this auspicious occasion too.

Anyway, we went to Washington DC to be a part of the festivities and the History.We didn't really have any plans or care where we were going to be as long as we were there to witness the Inauguration of the first African American President.Honestly, what will I tell my grandchildren when they ask about it after their history class, oh I was too busy.Come on, I live 4 hours away from DC.So we just went to be a part of history and had no idea we would be able to get a ticket.The tickets didn't come into our hands until Monday evening.

We woke up at 5am in order to get out there by 7am.We are both movers and shakers so before we knew it, we realized that we were standing next to people who had been waiting since 3:30am and were in the front of the Silver section.By the time the inauguration was about to begin, I looked around to realize that I was a part of an experience with millions in person and hundreds of millions through tv and the internet.It was breathtaking.Change was truly happening because people believed.

I was very excited about the moment and the time.It didn't matter that it was freezing.It didn't matter that I was standing for hours.The only thing that mattered was that I was a Witness!!!!I Was There!!!!

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Thanks

November 27, 2008

Photo for the post '<a href=Thanks'" />

Today is Thanksgiving and I want to give thanks for everything and everyone that has been a part of my life.  I am thankful for the good and the bad because without both, I wouldn't be who I am today.  Above is a picture of my first cousins, of course there are a couple of people missing because they already left or was somewhere else when we took the picture.  Unfortunately it was taken during my grandmother's funeral, but we were all together. 

I can honestly say each one of them are like my brothers or sisters.  We were raised together, disciplined together and encouraged together.  Each has their own story, but all of our stories incorporate each other.  I couldn't imagine life without being close to my family.  Initially when my wife and I met, it was very overwhelming for her because she comes from a much smaller family and when I said meet my cousin she didn’t understand how I could be so close to a 4th cousin.  Family includes: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousins.  Family includes: aunts, uncles, grand aunts, grand uncles, great grand aunts and great grand uncles.  Family includes: aunts from marriage, aunts still around even after divorce.  There is so much to the word family with my family and I am so thankful.  I will post a video to show the magnitude one day, but just know that there are hundreds of us and we are all close to each other. 

So today is Thanksgiving and I am in Miami with my wife's family and it is beautiful.  I am adding to my family and thankful for everyone, every moment and every thing that I have been fortunate to witness and experience. 

 

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I am many things.  I think everyday, every moment, I change my definition.  Through life experiences, more information, and growth I scrape and reshape myself to be a better person.  I doubt this process will ever end, as I know my friends and family will attest; I am light years away from being the best human being I could be, but every day I do strive to be better.  So I define myself by many words: Man, African American, husband, son, brother, cousin, friend, student, good, friendly, talkative, a people person, strong, weak, smart, intelligent, silly, quick to judgment, stubborn, positive, wishful, thankful, energetic, extravert, and the list continues.  I am always redefining myself and a variety of words can be used on any day at any given time.

Some days I am better than others, but I try to make sure I define myself with positive and progressive words.  However, there are those days where I am mean, ungrateful, negative, vengeful, and probably thousands more.  I do try everyday to remove those words and feelings from my soul and spirit, because those types of words have no benefits in my life.  At the end of the day I am what I am and that’s just a continuous work in progress.

Then I also remember that today we are more connected than ever before.  Through the use of the many social networks I find myself updated on what people are doing that I knew over 15 years ago and probably haven’t physically seen in over 10 years.  Through it all, I know that other people are also connected with me.  I only hope that they are seeing how I define myself.  Because I am also a combination of how they define me.  There is no way to separate myself from my connection to others, so my definition also comes from them.

If people define me as selfish, mean, nasty, hurtful, vengeful, negative, disrespectful, ungrateful, cruel, spiteful, and the many other harmful words that can describe someone’s character, then I have a problem.  No matter how I describe myself, if others see me in a negative light, I have a lot of work to do to change my personality.  I have to always be aware of how others are seeing me because it is only a reflection of me.  I can choose not to see or believe the reflection, but for the most part it has some truth to it.

I am not saying there won’t be days when people will be incorrect about me or have misjudgments.  However if I take a look at the macro rather than the micro, I am sure to see a trend, and that trend/pattern is important.  So I redefine myself everyday and so do others and I only hope that most of those definitions are positive because I am what I am and I am what you see.  What do you see?

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Do they love the human being??

November 17, 2008

I have been very fortunate in my career.  Through hard work, dedication, intelligence, skill and a lot of luck, I have been able to move up the ladder quickly.  It has been exciting and afforded me the opportunity to interact with a lot of people who I have admired and dreamt about meeting.  Never did I think I would be able to sit in meetings and exchange ideas and give my opinions to these people.  It has also allowed me to come to know people who I respected from afar only to meet and learn that my respect wasn't earned and should have never been bestowed upon such repulsive people.

 

Meeting people who seemed highly successful, but were lacking in many human qualities has been a learning experience.  It has taught me that success is not about the quantity that a man has, but the quality of the man.  My position, wealth, accomplishments, and so forth all could contribute to a following or a level of respect, but the question is whether when all of those 'things' are stripped away will those people still be around, will they still respect?

 

To this day I still say thank you to people at work.  I know it’s their job.  I know it’s a part of their job description.  I know they are my subordinate.  I know they are my boss, but at the end of the day, I am still respectful of the people and know that we all juggle multiple things at work.  A simple thank you will go a long way to move my needs to the top of the list. 

 

It’s never about the position, the fear, or the money but rather it’s all about the person.  I want people to respect the human being, not the title.  If I am not respected because of the quality of my life and the character within, then I do not have true respect.  Ultimately if that's the case, I have failed as a person.  So my goal is to have respect as a human being and if I am not succeeding, I hope my friends and family take the time to inform me.  So my new addition to my goal list is to be loved as the human being.

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  • Jason Wiley

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  • I am a marketing executive at Jive Records, but life is about more than where I work.I am a dedicated husban…

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Jason's Latest Commentary (6)

  • November 17, 2008

    Voting is suppose to be anonymous, so I question the validity of the poll.  Also, who was responsible for the poll?  Either way, I don''t quite understand how allowing someone to be committed and become a more stable home can be bad for anyone?  Also, how does other people getting married affect others, i.e. even if a heterosexual couple gets married tomorrow, it won''t affect me, so why would a gay couple affect me.  "RIGHTS" is a powerful word and why shouldn''t everyone have the same rights?  I thought that was the point of this country....  If someone can explain why it''s so bad for same sex marriage other than, I think it''s wrong, then I will agree, as of now, I could care less if anyone wants to get married.  Because I have heard a lot of reasons why it is bad if a committed couple can''t be married; i.e., legal, in death decisions, property, etc.

  • November 11, 2008

    It''s interesting because both of our recent posts are about the overwhelming emotions that we are all feeling by the election of Barack Obama.  There are a lot of hard times ahead of our new President.  I hope we all give him time and work to help him accomplish the necessary things to make this country successful.

  • September 26, 2008

    I know I will do my part to make sure it happens next year.  Even though I spent most of my time in the hospital.  I would do it all again to make sure the picnic happens

  • August 4, 2008

    Okay, but lets be honest, there is a general type of person who is urinating in public, in the middle of the day, with no influence of alcohol or drugs.  Is it good to start that path with a child so early? 

  • July 20, 2008

    This is where I have always wondered about the translation of the Bible, because I do not believe that anyone should ever fear, i.e. be scared, nervous or un sure about GOD, but always have faith that his will and his love will carry you through anything.  To me, by having faith in him and believing in his WORD, you will always try to live life as he would want you.  Unfortunately, everyone is human, so no one can ever live life perfectly as we should, but in trying to live a GODly life, you are also assuring and displaying to everyone your Faith in GOD.  If I have Faith in him, why would I Fear him?

  • June 30, 2008

    does it really mean family

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