-
Donald Glover's Atlanta Was A Love Letter To Black People, And The Year's Best And Most Important Show
Three moments from Atlanta keep coming back to me when attempting to gather and articulate my thoughts about this show. 1. Black Justin Bieber pitted against Paper Boi in the celebrity basketball game, calling for the ball and unsuccessfully trying to get his teammate’s attention with “Nigga! Nigga!” And then, fed up that he’s being ignored, breaking…
-
What's The Second Best Booty Song Of All-Time?
Ok, ok, ok. Let’s start with the obvious question(s): Why the hell are you writing something about the second best something of all time? Wouldn’t it make more sense to determine, I don’t know, the BEST booty song ever instead of the second best? No one gives a damn about second. Including Drake, who famously once…
-
It's Bad That Russia Influenced The Election, But It's Even Worse That 60 Million Deplorables Did Too
Raise your hand you knew, before this year, that the electors chosen in each state — the people who actually determine who the next president will be — could, if they want to, decide to opt out and choose against their state’s wishes. Ok, I see a few of you in the back with your…
-
Kanye West Is What Happens When Whiteness Becomes The Standard
Admittedly, reminding myself that Whiteness isn’t any sort of standard to measure myself by is a concept I still wrestle with. Even today, as I’m acknowledging the existence of White privilege, of White supremacy, and of the creation of Whiteness, I have to consciously urge myself not to allow it to infect me. But it’s so pervasive,…
-
Its Time To Stop Allowing Ourselves To Be Seduced By Shitty White Women
Tomi Lahren is a terrible person. Not misunderstood. Or just a conservative. Or capital letter White. Or even very problematic. No, she is an abjectly awful person. She says abhorrent and hateful things, and has leveraged this abhorrence and hate to give herself a larger platform to infect more people with it and make more money…
-
Joe McKnight Is Dead And His Killer Is Free Because His Life Didn't Matter Enough For Him To Be Alive
Birthday parties for babies tend to be more for the adults present than the actual baby celebrated, and my daughter’s first birthday party — which, due to rush of people who happened to be in town Thanksgiving weekend, was pushed up to the Saturday after Thanksgiving (the 26th) instead of her actual birthday (the 30th) — was…
-
This Clip Of Zara Larsson Covering Beyonce Is Peak Mayonnaise, And Harper's Bazaar Is Petty For Sharing It
Surprisingly, the worse part about this video isn’t actually Zara Larsson’s attempt to cover Beyonce. It was bad, of course. It looks and sounds like a professionally edited clip from karaoke night at Mayonnaise Caribana. But although I was tempted to coin her “Darth Mediocre” after first watching it, that would be unfair because she…
-
Join Us #AcrossTheFence: A Day Of Family Healing, In Connection To August Wilson's Fences
Today, the #AcrossTheFence interview series with my dad culminates with two segments — one where I explain how and why I began to think and write about race, and one where my dad shares a story about his Uncle Wilbur, the first Black fireman in New Castle, Pa (and the man my dad is named…
-
More #AcrossTheFence (This Time, Damon's Parents Start A Race Riot)
Couple things about this video: 1. I’ve heard this story somewhere between 40 and 640 times, and it gets better every time I hear it. 2. I actually do incorporate it in my book. (My version of the story is much, um, different though.) 3. If this happened today — a Black couple and a Black…
-
Why So Many Liberal White Guys Just Can't Admit The Election Was About Race, Explained
Who are liberal White people? Liberal White people are somewhere trying very, very hard. Where can you find them? Trader Joe’s parking lots. Inner-city bike lanes. Jason Derulo listening parties. Giving TED Talks about couscous. Writing for Slate. Producing feminist porn. I see. So, how are liberal White people taking Donald Trump’s election? Well, I’m not…
