Happy Kwanzaa -- Today is Ujima Day! But, I Just Wanna Play!

Today is the third day of Kwanzaa, Ujima, which celebrates collective work and responsibility. Kwanzaa, like all holidays, is made up, but why would you choose "collective work and responsibility" as something to push during a holiday? What are we supposed to do, some sort of Habitat for Humanity-type work. Work? For other people? Be responsible? For other people?!? This isn't a holiday. It is more akin to court-ordered community service.

The reason why Kwanzaa hasn't taken off as a holiday, quite frankly, is poor marketing. The reason why Christmas is so successful is that you give and get shit in a celebration of frivolity...and, to a lesser extent, Christ. On Kwanzaa, only kids get gifts, mostly books. Books! Seriously, man, its like Karenga wasn't even trying to make Kwanzaa a wide-spread, cross-over holiday.

What is on tap tomorrow? Ujamaa. Cooperative economics. What?!? Sounds like communism to me. Guys: it failed. Yeah, it is definitely time for a Kwanzaa make-over. P. Diddy would be a good person to update Kwanzaa; he has proven able at taking stale standards from other eras and updating them with fat beats and style to turn them into hot, modern hits.