When you’re out drinking this semester be sure to “pour out a little liquor for your homies,” as Tupac commanded, especially for the ‘Oldest G’ in the book: Ben Franklin.
His gangster demeanor shouldn’t be cast in a negative perception but looked to for an example of strength and tenacity.
Thinking of Franklin conjures up an image of a nerdy old man staring through his bifocals (which he invented.) This common association is unwarranted.
Few think of him as the broad shouldered athlete, the eccentric performing day-to-day tasks in the nude, or the scandalous pimp having trysts with women of a lower class.
I would argue that, especially in regards to this generation, Franklin was a gangster of the baddest breed. He “stuck it to the man” far more than Ice-T, Ice Cube, or Jeezy ever have. His ice-cold gangster demeanor was only surpassed by his industriousness.
As we embark on this new year and new semester, the every day difficulties of life can seem insurmountable. In times like this, look to the original American for baller, Benjamin Franklin, and adopt his Thug Life attitude to succeed.
One only needs to look to his past to understand that he was an extraordinary man.What can be more thuggish than breaking the law to run away at 16, proving beyond a doubt that Old Ben was a street-smart Q.W.A. ( Q u a k e r With Attitude).
After a night of w i l d c a rousing on a Carribean Island, 21-year-old Ben Franklin and his gang needed a lift across a river to get back to their ship.
When the ferryman refused to wake up to bring them across, Franklin stayed real with the thug mentality. He stole the boat and left it on the other side of the river. His anecdotal evidence from his life shows that no obstacle is insurmountable when great ambition is present.
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