Welcome to Episode 273 of Rational Black Thought. This week’s title is “You need to get up, get out, and get something.” From Outkast, and that title captures the central truth of this moment. We are living in a time of confusion, cowardice, spectacle, and organized deceit, and none of it will be corrected by passivity. Not in politics. Not in culture. Not in religion. Not in Black life.

Here are more of the lyrics that are relevant for today:

You need to get up, get out, and get something
Don't let the days of your life pass by
You need to get up, get out, and get something
Don't spend all your time tryna get high
You need to get up, get out, and get something
How will you make it if you never even try?
You need to get up, get out, and get something (Get something)
'Cause you and I got to do for you and I, that's why

From my perspective, the admonishment to not spend “…all your time tryna get high” is more than drugs, it is entertainment TV, it is mindless social media, it is ceaseless partying. In other words, it is mindless lethargy. Though it is better to have a plan, the effectiveness of a plan is never know until it is executed in reality and that is what “…get out and get something…” is telling us.

This is a moment that demands action, clarity, discipline, and self-determination. It demands that we stop confusing outrage with power, symbolism with progress, and hope with strategy. Because if history teaches anything, it is that nothing changes for oppressed people until they decide to move with intention and build the force necessary to change their condition.

That is the spirit of this week’s episode. Let’s get into it.

Intro:

Quote of the Week: Malcolm X

Unmasking the News:

Democracy Watch: Let’s deal with Georgia

· Trump: They Probably did it to Themselves

· Bishop Caught with his Hand in the Cookie Jar

· Good News: This is what real community-building looks like in 2026

Bible Study with an Atheist: Archeology Proves What?

Reflections and Call to Action:

Closing/Outro:

Sources:

Power Concedes Nothing without a Demand...

Episode #273 – March 14, 2026 – “You need to get up, get out, and get something”