What makes the choke-slam, arrest and street detainment of James Blake so remarkably telling is the fact that he is, well, remarkably unprofilable. He’s an underwear-model-ad-handsome and wholesome Harvard grad who’s a retired star in the American sport with perhaps the most affluent demographic. He was also standing in front of an upscale hotel in…

Writing at Very Smart Brothas, Damon Young says that there is an appropriate time and place to say the word “nigga,” and determining one’s audience is an integral part of figuring out when that time is.  Interestingly enough, my knowledge of and affinity for words could be an argument for not using some of them. Since there are…

Before Thursday night’s big game, Very Smart Brothas’ Damon Young offered some very direct words of advice to basketball novices, including must-know facts and essential etiquette. … 1. Shut the f*ck up There’s nothing wrong with being an NBA novice. Basketball isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so it’s perfectly understandable if you just don’t happen…

While the nation is fully engulfed in March Madness, Damon Young writes in a piece for Ebony that he’s been reminded of why college hoops could never replace pro basketball. Like millions of other sports fans, I spent countless hours following and/or watching the first couple rounds of the NCAA tournament last weekend. And, like much of…

(The Root) — There are many people who do not think Kevin Hart is funny. This in itself is neither a surprise nor particularly noteworthy. There is no comedian who everyone thinks is funny, and, aside from Michael Strahan and a few four- and five-year-old boys, there is no person who thinks everyone is funny.…

Very Smart Brothas‘ Damon Young —  inspired by reactions to Christopher Dorner but also referring to figures like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — tries to unpack what makes us decide that some folks are authentically black while we retract others’ racial credentials. Anyway, Thomas and Dormer are just two prominent examples of this phenomenon …

Very Smart Brothas‘ Damon Young says that some are just supporting the black former LAPD cop because he’s black and getting back at something “white” — and that’s messed up. … This (the “Nigga Neurosis”) is one of the more unfortunate byproducts of a lifetime of dealing with America’s neurotic relationship with race. It’s something so…

Ebony‘s Damon Young says the website’s video of Andre Lowe getting shot — which doesn’t even include his name — is encouraging viewers to justify their feelings about “black thugs.” But outrage aside, Young argues, there’s no story if there’s no audience. I refuse to watch any footage of an actual person actually dying, and…

When a man asks a woman to smile, the request often seems harmless to the man, but to the woman, the very question could make her want to fight. This is what Ebony contributor Damon Young realized after a recent chat with a female friend who was having a rough week. After hearing Nicki tell me…

Damon Young, writing at Ebony, draws up his list of irritating online behaviors that he says should have been left in 2012. 2013 marks the 15th full year that I’ve been “aware of” and engaged with the internet. In that time, I’ve detected many different types of consistent internet behavior, and I’m old enough to be annoyed…