So, today, Cory and I were riding down to Charlotte and we had this discussion about Wale's "Ambitious Girl" tracks. The first track is a poem that he reads with a melody behind it, but it is read as spoken word and not as a rap verse. The second is an actual song. The first one I really liked, the second I didn't. But anyway, I have digressed.
OK, maybe my problem isn't with Wale. It's how the word "ambitious" is now tossed around just because a woman has on heels and a dress. A bum can put on a suit but that doesn't make him a millionaire. Our abuse of the English language is nearly felonious. We really abuse words and make them trendy, removing all intentional meaning.
My issue with this "Ambitious Girl" set (series if he decides to do more) is that he really has some of you women believing that you are ambitious. And it's not even based on what Wale said in the poem so I can't be mad at him for that. The poem really was about a woman's drive and her ability to succeed. That's cool. Not just the fact that she's in college but the fact that she's in there with goals. "I'd rather you tell me to hit you later because you've got to finish a paper." Last night I asked one of my friends why she wasn't at the Alpha Kappa Alpha probate. She said she had work she had to finish. That's drive. "I like the person that you are but I'm in love with the person that you have potential to be." I joke with my girlfriend about how much she works but she is getting her life in order now so that, when we make it to the next level, we can really enjoy our life together instead of working dead end jobs. That's ambition.
In short, stop gassing yourselves. Let's call people what they are... some are ambitious. Some are opportunists.
Thank you so much for posting this. Seriously. You make a great point; one that I have been thinking of since all the hype of this "ambition" thing began.
ReplyDeleteThe way I look at it is like this: everyone with rhythm is not a dancer, likewise, everyone with a desire is not necessarily "ambitious".
Ambition isn't about what goals you have, it's about how hard you work to ensure that those goals are met and surpassed.