ModState LLC OverWatch Productions LLCMetairie, Louisiana Poughkeepsie, New York70001 12601
For Immediate Release
Metairie, Louisiana – 25 February, 2017 –
What began as two independent firms that had several shared traits has evolved into a deep-seeded commitment that wasn’t foreseen by anyone involved. Skeptics would readily jump to the obvious conclusion that one of the aforementioned pair is an online current events magazine and the other is an audio engineering outfit and nowhere would the two cross paths outside the cocktail circuit. Fortunately, the two gentlemen tasked with guiding their respective firms aren’t standard-issue entrepreneurs content with orthodox assessments and linear tactical thinking. Instead, the two proudly adhere to a philosophy that, while well-versed in the obvious implications of black and red ink, allows instinct and passion to play a role.
“It is about what you know, sure,” ventured OverWatch Productions’ Eddie Matuk. “But there’s also an element of the spiritual, almost, that comes into play when deciding between seemingly identical courses of action.” Pairing what seems like a lifetime of experience in the sound booth on Matuk’s part with the online media résumé and economics background of his new counterpart began looking like an unfair advantage. “As we approach the one-year anniversary, the 30th of April, for the launch of ModState, y’know, the .com-proper, we’ve become more aggressive in trying to strike that fifty-fifty balance, that one-to-one ratio, of editorial content and online media product like podcasts, video/web simulcasts, et al,” ModState co-founder and managing editor Jonathan DeViney observed. “A big portion of that, the technical aspect of the production and subsequent posting of that media product, however, has proven a towering challenge in terms of time constraints. As much as for the sake of convenience as I’d love to have a twin alongside me in this thing, I don’t. Instead, we went one better when I met Eddie and we started sharing visions and it struck me that another economist/creative guy wasn’t what we needed above all. With OverWatch, I got a fellow rebel with a cause. All of that prowess you hear on display in upstate New York? ModState is gonna keep authoring the media product down here in the GNO [New Orleans Metro area] but from up there [in upstate New York] Eddie and company take a good product, yeah, and make it an awesome product.”
Initially the two entrepreneurs simply ran wild in Xbox Live multiplayer games of “Slayer” [team deathmatch] but through the course of conversation in-between games their mutual interest in online media, American sociopolitical concerns and the overall future of the nation they both love, the inevitable occurred and each in turn confessed to their respective ambitions.
“It was pretty natural,” Matuk says, “with the whole process of what we [OverWatch] do and then looking at what ModState does, it was a natural occurrence for both of us to stop and think about what our two companies offer the other. So I just threw the idea out there of maybe helping polish up the final recordings of their podcasts in the future…not that they’ve been bad, especially considering you’ve got the host, Coker, working with his phone with DeViney on it on speakerphone, a tablet for any clips being played, just…all this stuff going on and bleeding together into his laptop for record, it’s amazing that it has come out the way it has…as in, as good as it has. By no means and insult, it’s really incredible. So, I figured with minimal effort on our part (because we’ve done it so much), we take this great product they make in terms of content and just smooth out the audio-technical aspects of it and make it an all-around hit. It’s all there.”
“Eddie’s right in that this was organic, the development of our alliance. We’ve had an obvious need at ModState to have our online media, our product outside of the editorial realm, to get ironed out. He’s being really kind in terms of the quality of podcast as far as sound goes, but there’s little arguing Coker has done a masterful job in making it sound kosher given that, yes, he’s in Jackson [Mississippi] and I’m down in Metairie on podcast days and he’s doing this that and the other via speaker running ‘live’ into his webcam mic. So I’m not taking anything away from him. OverWatch is stepping in and taking what, content-wise, is a good product and by cleaning it up, it can be great. It’s up to us to then deliver an improved product in terms of content, so the pressure is upped a bit, but Coker’s done a phenomenal job to date with his Political Beast column and corresponding podcast and, really, it’s practically a brand in and of itself. For our part, [graphic design editor] Samuel Wheeler and I are turning out a polished version of the OverWatch logo and I’m working with Jarrod Nix, our firm’s Chief Technical Officer, to establish their social media presence in spots it’s non-existent and to revamp it where it does exist. The problems ModState LLC has experienced in terms of time constraints and, frankly, a dearth of talent when it comes to turning out a finished media product? OverWatch has the same personnel constraints and lack of resources as pertains to maintaining and/or establishing an all-encompassing, web-wide presence in places like LinkedIn where, yeah, as an emergent corporate entity, especially of our variety, it’s essential. So, long story short, it’s not only an alliance rife with idealistic visions that both of us are ecstatic to explore, but it’s also an alliance with an immense level of pragmatic items that are being implemented immediately that will reap near-instant fruit for both OverWatch and ModState. ‘Win-win’ is the way I was raised to do business and I’m pleased to say that, regardless of how long it has been since I’ve taken this sort of step in business independent of traditional authority figures that, no doubt about it, this is an all-around ‘win-win’ that all involved, from South Louisiana to Upstate New York, will be proud of and, at the end of the day, reaping both short-term and long-lasting benefits from.”
With the pair agreeing to reveal only the absolute immediately impacted portions of their alliance, they do venture, in closing, that as their level of cooperation goes beyond the redesign of the OverWatch logo and the expansion of their social media presence and the refining of the ModState non-editorial media product to professional levels, this is nothing short of a tour de force that they are struggling to limit to these simple details. So, when can we expect to hear and/or see more from the duo?
“Meaning, like, aside from the revised logo and us being everywhere on social media, et cetera?” Matuk says with a laugh. “Well, ModState has their one-year anniversary coming up and we’ve got some original launches of our own to celebrate.”
The hints appear to be remaining vague for now. “Yeah, there’s a lot going on under the hood that, well, will get unveiled in due time. Marketing, sure, is part of my expertise, from GamePartisan and the mistakes learned from and the clear adoption of better practices some seven years after that deal folded, sure. But when the time comes, and it’s not quite here yet. But rest assured, this is a pairing that both Louisiana and New York will be ecstatic to see blossom. What we’ve discussed here? It’s a fraction of where this really is at and where it’s truly headed. But like my Chief in the US Navy at my first duty station in DC, a guy I swear could be Sean Payton’s brother, well he once told me planning was great and all, but when it was time to get in the trenches, at any level, that you ‘don’t talk about it, be about it.’ Game on, Chief. The game’s truly afoot.”
Further details, including online addresses of OverWatch and its respective, TBA destinations for customers, fans and potential sponsors alike, will be revealed in the coming weeks and months with appropriate press releases as necessary. At present, Mr. Matuk is hard at work with Mr. DeViney in regards to the production of a Media Kit to be published via his newfound ally and its social media outlets as part of a dual-syndication method of promotion-release-promotion, specifically, beginning with its expanded presence on ModState (http://ModState.com/Network).
By direction: ModState LLC co-founder and managing editor, Jonathan David DeViney & OverWatch Productions LLC co-founder and lead engineer, Edmund Joseph Matuk III
With the majority of public discourse non-existent and what discussion does occur usually ending acrimoniously, I recalled a lesson (from the past) learned the hard way: in life, there are times the rules are such that, indeed, sometimes the only way to win is not to play.
Politics is considered the art of the compromise, or “the game of compromise,” to suit the lesson. Now, I don’t know if IQs dropped, if we forgot, if the entire paradigm changed despite the entire pantheon of examples (of public discourse), or if it’s an all-of-the-above that’s closer to where we’re at, but we’ve forgotten. One way or another, it’s that simple.
As “The Great Experiment”, that means that this is a failure as a nation. A failure to even try to communicate and find some semblance of common ground, to find a way to even try to be civil and respect one another’s time to speak, to actually listen to a message before deciding what it means and how we view that meaning, to even agree to try and communicate at all.
You see, the trick is in self-control. Before picking up your pitchforks and torches or, worse, leaving altogether, let the damned man have a few final words.
Fistfight breaks out in Turkish parliament
I say “self-control” is the key, if there is one, because in order for public discourse to function where there’s debate, dialogue and (hopefully) resolution at some point, we must individually approach this forum with the intention of conducting one’s self in a civil manner no matter what the opposition says or how they say it.
The first impulse is outrage, I’m aware, followed by some variant of, “So what do we do when [insert example of national Democrats and/or Republicans] start acting the fool?” And that’s precisely where, following my abandonment of my personal Facebook and Twitter accounts that the lesson learned previously (“sometimes the only way to win is not to play”) I remembered that silence isn’t always concession. Sometimes, it might be easy to think, “Ahp! Yep, see, DeViney’s silent so he’s conceding,” when, the truth is, I’ve also come to embrace another tactic summarized best as, “Let them talk; most people will hang themselves given enough rope.”
CNN was really on to something when they debuted the policy debates, featuring an epic duel between Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) versus Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) engaged in an actual, substantive, non-campaign debate. Too bad they didn’t keep the series alive.
In order to pull this off, one must listen to their opponent’s words and, I don’t have chapter and verse from Harvard or Little Sister’s of The Poor and this that or the other study to cite, but I do know that it is humanly impossible for you to absorb as much of what someone else is saying while you’re running your piehole. An easy life “hack” for this (I’m trying to meet you halfway, my fellow Millennials) is to engage in one of America’s most obvious traditions and gently shove, well, pie or any other food one prefers into their gaping maw, which should, advisably, prevent the pie-eater from interrupting while someone else is speaking.
Another idea, and I only mention it in passing, is to teach your children these same concepts so that there’s a generational sort of reboot here, if you will.
Another really good concept, and this brings me back to what we’ve lost in terms of public dialogue, as a nation, as a people, is drop the assumptions. Do I really need to say that, as a Federal republic of 325 million-plus people scattered across 50 nation-states over 3 million-plus square miles, people come from different backgrounds and therefore automatically have their own way of doing things?
Apparently. Just remember: how good is it? Really good.
“Why does any of this matter?” one might ask, certainly a wise and reverent question, and unscripted at that!
As I face the active task of delivering closing remarks that are dually comprehensible and comprehensive, my personal political platform has never stood out more and conversely never kept me directly out of the fray as often. That’s weird. We’re living in a weird era.
As a centrist, I see, for instance, the keen insight President Trump into the general failings of a bloated Federal bureaucracy that feeds right into the national angst of an alienated body of followers who argue the value they get for their investment as taxpayers isn’t worth spending in excess of $4 trillion annually. However crude one views his “one-in, two-out” policy regarding regulations, he was onto something. Specifically, the broader argument that, not because of lack of desire and hardly because of lack of money but because of the inadequacies and failings that are part of the very fabric of a bloated, administrative state; in short, our Federal government is a monstrosity. A monstrosity, I might add, that needs to be shrunk, not given more money.
On the other hand, I also see the benefits of a strong, but limited, leaner Federal government with a decisive Executive having multiple opportunities for reform in bipartisan areas (fringes on both sides notwithstanding) with Congress, and I see those very same opportunities going wanting right now. And that is where, yes, I can see the personality crises stemming from being willing to be at odds with anyone, anytime over anything bringing about, indeed, a sort of “Trump Fatigue.”
That cuts both ways as well: while the people grow weary of the constant drama President Trump’s approach relies upon, they also tire of every single failing in DC being laid at his feet.
The same President who picked a fight (via social media, but of course) with an Autistic foreign teenager over climate change he maintains doesn’t exist to begin with also felt like the status quo that denied opportunities to felons post-release was unfair (See: “The First Step Act”). The very same POTUS who inexplicably disavowed support (however briefly) for our Kurdish allies also did what every Administration since Carter had threatened to by being the American Executive who stood up to Communist China’s underhanded trade practices and illegal valuations of the Yuan (their currency), which gave them unfair advantage(s) in imports/exports against other countries.
I don’t blindly support any politician, and I’m leery of ideologues. I don’t have any heroic, holistic advice on how to approach the President or his (many) conflicts, some contrived and some born of circumstances outside of his control.
These thugs didn’t issue executive orders that restricted travel from other countries into their own. They killed people they didn’t like and/or want. Perhaps a bit of caution, then, before ascribing the President Trump to the ignominious league of names like “Hitler” and “Stalin”, methinks?
But I do know this: the sooner we can get one extreme to stop canonizing every wacky idea the President utters and convince the other side that, no, Sugar, dictators don’t ask other countries to stop immigrants, they just have them shot. Dictators don’t ask, and they don’t Tweet about being treated “very badly” by the judiciary and the media. They don’t have to.
Look at the big picture, and tell me where you’d rather be that would be a better country from which to launch Endeavor A or stand up for Civic Cause B, et al. So, you don’t like the President. I don’t know how much the President likes the President. But you ought to be able to know the difference in there being room for (bigly) improvement in our mixed capitalist system, and in living in a concentration camp as you and your fellow undesirables are systematically exterminated by an authoritarian state.
“If being crazy means living life as if it matters, then I don’t mind being completely insane.” – Kate Winslet
There’s a fundamental breakdown that, for whatever the reason may be, is completely disregarded by many modern Americans. While there are so many behaviors that can be clarified on a psychological standpoint, this one isn’t presenting itself quite as easily as some other predominate issues. Fifty years ago, mental health wasn’t a recognized issue. There was no reasoning or justification for people suffering with such, only that they were traditionally characterized as a bad person. We come from a civilization that, 50-100 years ago, men would institutionalize their so-called weaker parts for some of the most mundane reasons; superstition, novel reading, tobacco use, masturbation, etc. Thank God that doesn’t happen anymore, right?
Consequently, the ship turned, starting on the daybreak of the 21st century, to a focus on mental health. We have the Boomer generation that started to classify themselves as damaged and recognized there was a problem. The Boomers came from parents who were the product of the Great Depression and World War 2 which, from the psychological viewpoint, we can take a look at the time and infer that while they were traveling into adulthood, the focus was more on a Country as opposed to the needs of an individual. This outlook coupled with extreme PTSD from the lack of basic needs and war time elements brought to life the behaviors of “sweeping it under the rug.” We then had the Boomers raise the generation coming into adulthood now who are focused on mental health. “Focused.” At least mental health matters when it fits and supports an agenda. Before we go further, I am not and will not relate politics to mental health. In this context, they are in no way or form related. There are snowflakes everywhere people; stay woke.
I will be the first person to say that I absolutely love the fact people are more focused on mental health. I truly do not know how I would react in a culture that didn’t and there still are countries where that is not highly recognized. For anyone that has/does suffer with anything in the mental health category, it’s an extremely comforting to know there is some safe space and people that do understand its real and it’s not going away. Adhering to this train of thought, there is a big difference between needing a safe space because you are trying to work through an issue and because you refuse to admit that it’s ok for people to disagree with you. They are not the same thing and never will be.
Let’s talk about this disparity. In the grand scheme of things, we are not special, our feelings only matter to ourselves, and if we don’t do something, America is going to be governed by a bunch of oversensitive, ill-informed, entitled children; this doesn’t sound very promising to me. However, I’ve been wrong before.
“If you’re going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you’re going to be locked up.” – Hunter S. Thompson
If you made it thus far, you’re thinking, “What’s the point here Brittany? What are you getting at?” When is the last time that you have seen a peaceful protest? When is the last time you have seen multiple groups of the modern Americans that differ on views come together and either achieve the agenda or at least agreed to disagree, and didn’t end up looking like a bunch of snotty nosed, bratty children fighting over the last cookie? It’s cool, I’ll wait. When did we lose the social capability to have the basic respect for other people regardless of political stance, race, economic status or literally any other way you want to group people? When did we have to start grouping people anyway and then treating them differently just because of such? When did we forget that the Constitution protects freedom of speech? PSA, the Constitution also protects ideals we may not agree with.
Looking at current events, we have a group of people aware of mental health but refuse to accept that people differ in their views and when that difference does come about, we then choose verbally and/or physically attack those that do not agree. For what? We are mentally aware enough to know that abuse in any form causes trauma, trauma then has the potential to create mental health issues, however, in that same sentence we will condemn any person to just that, solely because they do not agree with our ideals. Anyone else confused?
The late, great Dr. Seuss wrote, “A person is a person, no matter how small.” How and when did we forget this? How do we now have people that have been friends for years removing each other from their lives just because of who they voted for during the last election? How do we say we care about each other in such a primal way as mental health and with the same tongue cause the trauma we were still healing from? Most importantly, why? Why are we so stuck on being right as opposed to just agree to disagree?
DeViney, J. (ModState): Hello, Mr. Alford, and I want to thank you again here at the outset for taking the time to talk with your friends here at ModState. The work you’ve done to date with Is It Just Us (and beyond) is as solid as it is diverse.
Alford, C. (Is It Just Us): Greetings [to] ModState. I thank you for your kind words. It is good to be appreciated; your words encourage me to do even more. I know our schedules didn’t quite mesh for some time, however as they say, better late than never. I am truly humbled to be asked to do an interview regarding Is It Just Us. I’d like to thank you again for inviting me and for the friendship you have shown me and the Is It Just Us platform.
ModState: Before we dive into anything else, I wanted to take a moment and ask you to talk about that “beyond” part of you and your work I referenced a moment ago. Care to share some about the immense amount of work you’ve logged in and around the web in recent years?
Is It Just Us: Well, I’m not too sure about the “and beyond” part of Is It Just Us. As you know, I’m a web developer and I built Is It Just Us as a way for me personally to get all of my news in one place. Kind of like the Drudge Report, except for Black people. I got tired of having to go to so many sites for information relevant to Black people. So, I decided to make a news aggregator that would funnel that various news stories relevant to Black people and put them on one website. I thought about [that], from a financial perspective, to keep people coming back to my site. However, I decided against that. As it is now, when a user clicks on a link they are taken directly to the original source of the link rather than staying on my website. I thought this was the best course of action to take. I know some people don’t like it when another website is taking traffic away from the original source. Also, I wasn’t in this to make money; I just wanted to make life easier for myself. A couple of my friends liked what I did so I got the idea of sharing it on Twitter. To date over 9,500 people have followed Is It Just Us through Twitter. Every article that is on the website gets tweeted on Twitter. I made sure to carry over the same philosophy from my website over to Twitter as well. Whenever someone clicks on a link on Twitter it goes to the original source rather than my website. In the future I want to concentrate on growing my Twitter following. By the way, I had a Facebook page at one point that was very successful. Evidently it was too successful. Facebook must have thought it was “2 Black and 2 Strong” and shut it down. Facebook said the content was too offensive to some. My response to that is, “Ha Ha” and “Sometimes the truth hurts.” [Smiles]
MS: Is It Just Us….how did that network come about? What were your main inspirations that you drew from pulling your thought process together and putting it up on the internet for enjoyment and education of all?
IIJU: Well, as I stated, I was looking for a way to bring all the news of interest to me in one location. I was browsing the internet, like I often do, and saw a great article explaining how to put together a news aggregator WordPress site. The article didn’t explain everything. However, it was enough to get going. I wish I could remember the name of the author of that article, because I would like to recognize her contribution to my site. I remember writing her on her blog and thanking her, however, I am unable to recall her name or the name of her blog at this time. One neat thing mentioned in the article (which I incorporated) is allowing visitors to leave their email address and receive a daily synopsis of about ten articles delivered right to your inbox. Once again, the links go directly to the original author and not back to my website. When I added a Twitter feed to Is It Just Us, that is when word of the website really took off. From Twitter I have many people, who are not followers of mine, retweet the articles to help spread the word. I know I must be getting the word out when I get attacked on certain articles by the ‘haters’. That tells me that the articles are getting to the people. And, of course, receiving contact from great people like ModState really lets me know that my work is being appreciated!
MS: Artists and writers, et al, the world over have quipped about “the post-industrial blues” and, of late, even more have begun to bat around phrases like “post-truth era”…does any of that ring true for you? In essence, what do you make of the era that both of our respective enterprises, Is It Just Us and ModState, find themselves in?
Exiled on Main Street, we are
IIJU: I definitely do not consider myself a politically correct person. So, a lot of the “new” words being used today are not a part of my vocabulary. I actually had to look up those words just to be sure I understood them correctly. As far as the post-industrial blues is concerned; that is something to be blue or upset about. After World War II in America a man could get a job and provide for his family. Have a house and a car; the wife could stay home. No college degree required. If he didn’t like his job, he could go across the street and get another one. Even Black people, relatively speaking, had an easy time finding employment after World War II. A decision was made by the “elite” (people like the Rockefeller and Rothschild families) to de-industrialize America and send the manufacturing overseas (primarily to China). Real wealth in America has gone downhill ever since. This is not the only reason for the economic decline in America, but it is hard to be an economic superpower when you don’t make anything. A dollar in 1930 is worth over $14 dollars today. According to Shadow Government Statistics the “real” unemployment rate is around 23%. So, people have every right to be upset or have the post-industrial blues. Because our economic future has been robbed right from under us without most people even realizing that it happened. Things never just happen. It happens because a group of men made it happen!
The post-truth era is just more pronounced today than it has been in the past. In other words, the people doing the lying are more “bold with it” than they have been in the past. They have good reason to be so bold, because they have dumbed down the education and polluted the food and water; critical thinking is not found in as many people as it was in generations past. It is much easier to lie and get away with it today than it was in past generations. For example, people mistake editorials or opinions with facts. People are more caught up in emotions or how they feel; versus critical thinking and seeing if what was said was factual. Today we are living in a time where “Orwellian Doublespeak” is becoming more the norm rather than the exception. Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable. Donald Trump is right. There is a lot of ‘fake news’, however he is giving some himself as well as receiving it. You notice I didn’t even mention the internet. Generations that have grown up on the internet are very easily led in the wrong direction…by design! There’s a reason why the heads of Google, Apple, and Facebook don’t let their children use computers until they hit a certain age. If you give a computer to a child too soon, they won’t develop the ability to think for themselves.
Is It Just Us and ModState are living in the age of deception and lies. It is up to us to spread the truth and hope the people’s attention span is long enough to listen.
MS: As you know, ModState is quite possibly the only member site that’s a part of your collective (the “What Sites Are Included?” portion of Is It Just Us) that was founded by Caucasians/European Americans or, since we’re from the older portion of the Millennial generation, “white boys” (hah, sorry). With that, we’ve made it a pretty clear part of our mission to be a positive part of the conversation acknowledging the gaping disparities in law enforcement, crime and punishment and equal opportunity (or lack thereof, as it were) in our society. If you could deliver any message, any word, to other, up-and-coming white folks aspiring to make a difference in the media as well, what would you say to them to encourage them to head in the right direction and on how to do the right thing in pursuing the truth and being a part of the solutions (and not part of the problems) in creating a more just society?
IIJU: My message to any “white folks” who want to make a positive difference, whether that is in the media or some other avenue of life is simple: do what is right! There seems to be a push by the mainstream media to “shame” or “guilt” white people into doing the right thing. I don’t agree with that philosophy. The main problem Black people have is not one of the past; it is one of the present. This country has never been about equality. So, my message would be to do what is right and demonstrate equality. For example, to those in the media: are you reporting the story dealing with a Black man the same as you would if it was dealing with a White man? For example, if you are in finance: are you treating your Black clients (if you have any) the same as you do your White clients? It is simple and Biblical, actually. Treat others in your life as you want to be treated yourself. If you can do that; you are a benefit to society and part of the solution.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) reacts to a broadly smiling Vice President Joe Biden during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address at the Capitol Building in Washington, Jan. 28, 2014. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
As far as pursuing the truth goes; that may prove more difficult for some. Critical thinking should be second nature to everybody. However, it is not. People that are emotional (or easily triggered) will find it much more difficult to think than others. Thinking critically is a skill. Like all skills it must be practiced and sharpened to be good at it. Unfortunately, this is not taught anymore (by school or parents) and very few people practice at it. Then, you factor in chemicals in the food and water along with trickery in the mainstream media. It is becoming harder and harder for people, especially younger people (who have been literally raised not to think), to think. If you don’t want to know the truth (and many people don’t) then you’re not going to pursue it. If you are one that is pursuing the truth; my message would be to think for yourself, do research for yourself, and question authority (people in the ’60s got that one right smile). [Smiles]
MS: On that note, is there a way that publications like ModState can do more in terms of actual editorial coverage and multimedia content (like our podcast, et cetera) to create awareness of the aforementioned civil rights crises in America?
IIJU: I’m not sure ModState can do much more; you guys are everywhere. You’re on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and you have the podcast. You might be stretching yourselves too thin. [Smiles] In my limited experience it’s not how many channels you’re on, but how much traffic you get per channel. So, I would just concentrate on growing the traffic with the many channels that your already have. The more traffic equals more awareness. You’ll have to talk to an expert on traffic generation though, because unfortunately that’s not me. [Smiles]
MS: Who are your heroes, or idols, or people in general that you look up to in business, for inspiration in carrying out your goals and fulfilling your dreams in enterprise and beyond?
IIJU: I haven’t really looked up to anyone with regards to business. Maybe I should have then maybe I would be more successful in life. [Smiles] Maybe it is the ‘Aquarius lone wolf’ in me that makes me forge my own path and not try to emulate others. I’ve always been more impressed by the hot dog vendor versus the man who makes high six figures a year working for corporate America. I respect the man who is able to pave his own way in life. Especially when it comes to money. Money is freedom and I respect a man that can create his own freedom. I especially respect someone that can start from nothing and make something of themselves. This may sound silly but making something from nothing is very Godly to me. There is nothing wrong with being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. However, making a way out of no way is very impressive to me.
Being Black in America is hard. Being a self-made Black millionaire is extremely hard. I don’t count Blacks that sell their souls to the devil to get rich. This basically excludes Blacks in Hollywood. Black athletes don’t count because at the end of the day, they are still employees. So, I have respect for self-made Black millionaires like Madam C.J. Walker, Annie Malone (who gave C.J. Walker her start), William Liedesdorff, Mary Ellen Pleasant (who funded John Brown), Robert Reed Church, and Reginald Lewis.
A man whom I learned about late in life was Arthur G. Gaston. He started by selling lunches to his co-workers at work. He started a burial insurance company, a construction firm, a funeral home, a bank, and a school. This was done at a time when Blacks couldn’t just go to a bank and ask for a loan to start a business. Back then you just had to literally start the business! It is men and women like A.G. Gaston that really impress me with their ability to create something from nothing.
MS: Who, historically, business aside, have you looked to and look to now as true role models of what it means to be a fair and just citizen in an unfair and unjust world?
IIJU: Historically, business aside, I can think of three people off the top of my head who I think have personified what it means to be a fair and just citizen in an unfair world.
May Day rioting in Paris, France
Fidel Castro stands out to me for a couple of reasons. First is that he went against the grain and helped people he wasn’t supposed to help. Fidel was born to an elite, privileged family. He was a part of the ruling class. The system at that time in Cuba was designed to keep families like his in power at the expense of everybody else (especially Black people). Fidel even gave up an opportunity to play major league baseball (if the stories are true). I have to respect any member of the ruling class who chooses to go against a system that is set up for their benefit because they know it is wrong; even though they personally benefit from it. As for my people, Black people, Fidel ended segregation in Cuba when he came to power. When he visited the UN in the 1960’s he didn’t stay at the fancy White hotels but at a Black hotel in Harlem. Fidel was friends to leaders of the Black Power movement like Malcolm X and the Black Liberation Army. In the 1980’s Fidel sent over 25,000 troops to Angola to fight against the apartheid government of South Africa. Another reason I honor Fidel Castro is because the United States government tried to kill him over 600 times and failed! He survived 11 U.S. presidents. How one man on a tiny island was able to survive against the mighty and corrupt United States government is a miracle to me; but he did it!
John Brown is another hero of mine. For similar reasons as to why I like Fidel Castro. It is easy to do nothing in the face of injustice. It may be risky to speak out against injustice. However, it takes a real man or woman to stand up to injustice and fight back against it. John Brown put his life and the life of his family on the line in an attempt to end slavery in America. He won a few battles but ultimately lost the war. Even though John Brown and his sons gave their lives to help end slavery, their courage, sacrifice, and legacy lives on.
Julian Assange is another person I look up to for the simple fact that what he did was right; regardless of what the ruling class said he should do. JFK said by their very nature secrets are abhorrent in a free and open society. All Julian Assange did was reveal the truth to the American public and to the citizens of the world at large. As a result, for his bravery, he may end up spending the rest of life in prison.
It is interesting that a president, a preacher, and a computer programmer all have one thing in common: They were or are enemies of the United States of America. These are my heroes.
MS: And, you know I had to touch on this at least once, if you could have any message guaranteed to be received by our current President, what would it be? What would Donald Trump read or hear from you if you had one opportunity to get something across?
IIJU: The one message that I would like to be received by the current President is do NOT start World War III. When Donald Trump was running for POTUS he campaigned on sending overseas troops back home to America. He said America shouldn’t be the world’s policeman and he also said that it was an unnecessary expense that was killing America’s deficit. Less than 6 months into office he launched missiles into a sovereign country, Syria, China’s ally; while hosting China’s president for dinner. Donald Trump has been the aggressor towards Russia, China, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Venezuela, and Turkey. The list of countries is probably much longer, but those are the countries that I know of. Donald Trump constantly finds himself fighting with members in his cabinet that want war seemingly more than the President does. This has led to the high turnover in his administration.
Something to look forward to after WW3: Dystopia! YAY! [Free Image Courtesy of MediaVillage.com]
Whether the President really wants war, or he truly is fighting those in his administration, my message to Donald Trump is clear: He and he alone is responsible! If he needs to fire everyone in his inner circle, then do that. If Donald Trump is the ringleader behind all of this, I would say stop! World War III is not in anyone’s best interest. World War III would be like one giant genocide party. Be like Nancy Reagan and “Just say ‘No!’”
DeViney, J. (ModState):With that, Sir, I really and truly appreciate your time and, as always, your continued friendship both as a man and as an ally in [the] media. I feel truly blessed personally and on behalf of ModState to be in one another’s respective corners. Thank you, again, and please do have a blessed day!
Alford, C. (Is It Just Us): Thank you for having me. I would like to thank ModState for being an ally in [the] media. I would like to commend your organization on doing your part in getting the truth out to the masses and trying to make the world a better place for all of us. Keep up the good work and may 2019 be your most prosperous year yet. Until the next time. May God continue to bless you and yours. Peace.
“It was pretty natural,” Matuk says, “with the whole process of what we [OverWatch] do and then looking at what ModState does, it was a natural occurrence for both of us to stop and think about what our two companies offer the other. So I just threw the idea out there of maybe helping polish up the final recordings of their podcasts in the future…not that they’ve been bad, especially considering you’ve got the host, Coker, working with his phone with DeViney on it on speakerphone, a tablet for any clips being played, just…all this stuff going on and bleeding together into his laptop for record, it’s amazing that it has come out the way it has…as in, as good as it has. By no means and insult, it’s really incredible. So, I figured with minimal effort on our part (because we’ve done it so much), we take this great product they make in terms of content and just smooth out the audio-technical aspects of it and make it an all-around hit. It’s all there.”
“Eddie’s right in that this was organic, the development of our alliance. We’ve had an obvious need at ModState to have our online media, our product outside of the editorial realm, to get ironed out. He’s being really kind in terms of the quality of podcast as far as sound goes, but there’s little arguing Coker has done a masterful job in making it sound kosher given that, yes, he’s in Jackson [Mississippi] and I’m down in Metairie on podcast days and he’s doing this that and the other via speaker running ‘live’ into his webcam mic. So I’m not taking anything away from him. OverWatch is stepping in and taking what, content-wise, is a good product and by cleaning it up, it can be great. It’s up to us to then deliver an improved product in terms of content, so the pressure is upped a bit, but Coker’s done a phenomenal job to date with his Political Beast column and corresponding podcast and, really, it’s practically a brand in and of itself. For our part, [graphic design editor] Samuel Wheeler and I are turning out a polished version of the OverWatch logo and I’m working with Jarrod Nix, our firm’s Chief Technical Officer, to establish their social media presence in spots it’s non-existent and to revamp it where it does exist. The problems ModState LLC has experienced in terms of time constraints and, frankly, a dearth of talent when it comes to turning out a finished media product? OverWatch has the same personnel constraints and lack of resources as pertains to maintaining and/or establishing an all-encompassing, web-wide presence in places like LinkedIn where, yeah, as an emergent corporate entity, especially of our variety, it’s essential. So, long story short, it’s not only an alliance rife with idealistic visions that both of us are ecstatic to explore, but it’s also an alliance with an immense level of pragmatic items that are being implemented immediately that will reap near-instant fruit for both OverWatch and ModState. ‘Win-win’ is the way I was raised to do business and I’m pleased to say that, regardless of how long it has been since I’ve taken this sort of step in business independent of traditional authority figures that, no doubt about it, this is an all-around ‘win-win’ that all involved, from South Louisiana to Upstate New York, will be proud of and, at the end of the day, reaping both short-term and long-lasting benefits from.”
“Meaning, like, aside from the revised logo and us being everywhere on social media, et cetera?” Matuk says with a laugh. “Well, ModState has their one-year anniversary coming up and we’ve got some original launches of our own to celebrate.”
