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White Tears, Explained, For White People Who Don't Get It
Yesterday, I wrote a short piece celebrating Serena Williams’s 2514th consecutive victory over Maria Sharapova; a win that took her to the Wimbledon final. Titled “Serena Williams Drinks, Bathes In, And Makes Lemonade With White Tears“, it acknowledged and made light of how Williams’s success grinds the gears of certain types of people upset that she…
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Serena Williams Drinks, Bathes In, And Makes Lemonade With White Tears
Serena Williams just beat Maria Sharapova. Again. Because that’s what she does. Chew bubble gum, beat Maria Sharapova, and win majors. And I have no doubt that, as long as she doesn’t become too distracted by the emojis Drake is texting her right now, she will beat Garbine Muguruza in the Wimbledon final. There is a particular…
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A Question About Chivalry: Who's "Supposed" To Be The Lead Walker? (…And Does It Matter?)
Despite much consternation (and some cheer) about its demise, I’d argue that most adults, and even most teens, are at least somewhat aware of chivalry. Specifically, the parts that concern how a male and a female human in a romantic relationship should treat each other. The people who don’t follow these rules of decorum either don’t out of…
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10 Myths About Black People That Need To Be Taken Behind A Barn And Shot In The Fucking Face
Smart Black kids are regularly teased by other Blacks for “acting White” and ostracized because of their academic achievements It can not be denied that some Black people have experienced this. But creating and promoting a narrative that this type of intentional academic self-sabotage happens all the time — like there are sentinels on every…
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Respectability Politics Are No Solution; They Are A Surrender
At times like these, when the uncomfortable behavior of (mostly) Black people is broadcast to a (mostly) White audience and becomes a national discussion point, a particular type of Black person tends to emerge. Actually, “emerge” might not even be the best word, because it implies that this person rose from somewhere, when in reality…
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A Conversation With A Guy Who Actually Admits To Having Racist Bones In His Body
It follows the same script every time. A (usually White) public figure says or does something that’s kinda, sorta, racist. People notice the racism and call him on it. He replies by denying it, using at least one of the following statements as his “evidence” 1. “I’m colorblind”/”I don’t see color” 2. “I have ***insert…
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How "Coon" Became The New "Female"
“while the word female is appropriate under certain contexts, beware of the cat who uses it as his universal descriptor of all women. honestly, although i have a few theories (my favorite one has something to do with sting and the police), i have absolutely no idea why this is such a strong indicator of…
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The Psychic Toll Of Existing While Black
I’ve never been more conscious of the tenuousness of life and finality of death than I have been since I first considered marrying my now-wife. Bringing someone into my life — a person whose safety and well-being I volunteered to be personally accountable for — just changed things. It changed how I assess the present and conceptualize the…
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How It Feels To Get Your Ass Kicked In Spades
There are many benefits to living in Pittsburgh. There are literally thousands of places to get great breakfast food, the topography is completely unique and completely spectacular, and it’s surprisingly close to Toronto. Unfortunately, a robust nightlife for Black people is not one of them. If you’re a 30-something Black person in this city and…
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Ben Carson Is The Dumbest Motherfucker Alive
I do not care that Benjamin Solomon Carson, Sr. graduated from Yale and became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins when he was 33, the youngest ever in that position. (For comparison’s sake, at 33, I was still saving my cups from Panera Bread — leaving with them instead of throwing them away, keeping…
