The Block Is Hot

[DISCLAIMER]

Property of Rebel Base Productions and Adult Swim, fair use

Season one, episode 14 of adult animated sitcom The Boondocks is entitled “The Block Is Hot,” presumably named in homage to rapper Lil Wayne’s song “Tha Block Is Hot,” featuring rappers B.G. and Juvenile, from the former’s debut solo studio album of the same name (1999).

Worth noting, the episode appears to thematically pay tribute to Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing (1989). Describing the content of The Boondocks episode, in which a little girl (Jazmine) opens her own for-profit lemonade stand in order to one day buy a pony, one source states:

Ed Wuncler offers to buy the stand for the price of one pony. Jazmine agrees, signing the contract without reading it. Wuncler soon makes unreasonable demands of Jazmine and institutes sweat-shop labor conditions.

As the days heat up, the line of customers stretches around the block and Jazmine is kept busy. Wuncler says that money from the stand will pay for the pony’s food and upkeep, so that if Jazmine leaves, the pony will “starve to death in a puddle of its own feces”.

Jazmine stays at the stand.

I value the relatively brief lesson in economics and business practices captured in “The Block Is Hot.” In the episode, wise character Huey chronicles the Wuncler deal by stating:

Wuncler’s deal with Jazmine advanced her one 213-dollar pony against a five-point royalty which gave her five cents of every cup sold. That meant Jazmine had to sell 4,260 cups of lemonade before the pony was actually hers.

She in fact sold 4,376 cups. But what Jazmine hadn’t calculated was the cost of her new stand, marketing and promotion, the lemons, cups, umbrellas, straws, and the gas to drive Wuncler back and forth from the stand – all came out of her five percent.

Jazmine not only didn’t get her pony, she ended up about 300 dollars in debt to Ed Wuncler.

“I get the hip hop angle, but how does any of this relate to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy [REBT]?” you may be asking yourself. I’m glad you’re thinking critically, imagined reader.

When practicing REBT, I invite people to use thinking which is rational (in accordance with both logic and reason). This is especially important when disputing the irrational beliefs with which people self-disturb, in association with the ABC model.

For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption and not the occurrence itself that causes an unpleasant Consequence.

From a psychological standpoint, people disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.

As an example, Wuncler tricked Jasmine and she wound up without a pony while going into debt (Action). She likely then Believed, “It’s awful that this has happened, and it shouldn’t have, as I can’t stand that life is so unfair!” With this attitude, Jazmine experienced sorrow (Consequence).

Whereas this example illustrates a B-C connection, failure to provide for a pony’s food and upkeep would result in the animal starving to death in a puddle of its own feces, representing an A-C connection. Although both are unpleasant outcomes, Jazmine had control of only one result.

Apparently, Wuncler never planned on allowing Jazmine access to the pony. Therefore, she couldn’t have taken personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”) for an A-C connection in which an animal may’ve died a cruel death.

As such, the only actual control Jazmine had was of her reaction to Wuncler’s undesirable behavior. Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes in this way, the ABC model uses Disputation of unproductive assumptions in order to explore Effective new beliefs.

For instance, Jazmine could’ve helpfully told herself, “While Wuncler preferably shouldn’t treat me poorly and prey upon my hope for a pony; I have no reasonable expectation for anyone to treat me fairly or kindly.” Thus, Jazmine could’ve wound up disappointed, though not sad.

Additionally, aside from the ABC model, REBT uses the technique of unconditional acceptance to relieve self-induced suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance, unconditional other-acceptance, and unconditional life-acceptance.

As an example, Jazmine could’ve helpfully maintained, “I have control only over my reactions to undesirable events, though not the events themselves.” With this self-narrative, Jazmine would’ve likely experienced mere distress (disappointment) versus disturbance (sorrow).

Today is May 22, 2025. As the temperature increases while heading into summer, I invite you to consider the REBT psychoeducational lesson contained herein. The block is hot, though you don’t have to get heated by unhelpful beliefs about this matter (or even sad like little Jazmine).

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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