The Yes Men/Brothers in failure mentality...

 (This is Dwight Schrute the biggest "Yes Man" on TV.lol)

I read a book not too long ago(surprise, surprise) called "Black Players" about the psychology of the pimp game(another shocker). One of the theories that fascinated me the most was something referred to as the "lobsters in a barrel" or "Brothers in failure" mentality. They talked about how an aspiring model would get beat up by the neighborhood women whenever she would appear in a print ad. That's an obvious manifestation of jealousy; an attempt to keep her from going further in her career and eventually earning enough money to leave the hood. Another example was something a little more subtle. The book continuously made distinctions between the "Boss player" and the "Simple Pimp"

 One of the quotes was(I'm paraphrasing) "A Boss player arrives alone and leaves alone" The "Simple Pimp" on the other hand usually travels with a group of friends who he feels obligated to share with. In reality these aren't friends they're just a group of people who make sure that everyone around them stays at the same level. When someone in the group/click/squad "hits a lick" or gets a large(or even small) quantity of money the "lobsters in the barrel" come along like a pack of vultures and beg for a piece.The person who EARNED the money pretty much always gives it up to his begging "friends" for the good of the brotherhood. This leaves them right back where they started.

This brings me to the "Yes Man" aspect of this phenomenon. Whenever there's a Rapper/Singer/Athlete(or even low level Dope slinger) an entourage isn't too far behind. In the presence of these "Yes Men" the rapper/singer/athlete can do NO wrong. Every move they make is the right one. In exchange for this flattery/cheer-leading/dickriding these "Yes Men" get whatever the successful leader throws their way. To be/stay successful in life I feel as though you need people around you to be somewhat honest with you. What if you develop a serious drug habit and when you ask a "Yes man" if they think its a problem? They'll tell you whatever they have to, to keep receiving gifts and perks. So when that drug problem lands you in rehab and you lose your deal/endorsement/ and the money dries up....they've already moved onto the next person to leech off.

There are times in every persons life when the shit we do isn't on point.......You're with the wrong chick, you're drinking too much, you're spending too much money. If the people around you are ALWAYS telling you "Its all good"...then maybe you should evaluate who your true friends are...

But fuck it I'm tired of typing. peace