culture
-
Michael Jackson Died 7 Years Ago and His Legacy Still Eludes Us; Maybe That's How He Wanted It
Seven years after his death, Michael Jackson continues to elude and astonish us. But we now know this was how he intended it. Spike Lee’s recent documentary about Jackson’s early years features a letter Jackson wrote in 1979, at age 21. He had just released Off the Wall and was on the Destiny tour with…
-
Broken Bezels and Squashed Beef: The 10 Best and Worst BET Awards Moments
BET: So easy to make fun of, and yet black people still watch it. Thankfully, between the showings of Baby Boy and reruns of Eve, the network also gifts us with award shows. Beautiful, terrible, car-crash-quality-with-moments-of-spectacular-brilliance award shows. This Sunday, all of Twitter will be watching to see if BET delivers on its promise to…
-
Black People in ‘the Land’ Share How the NBA Championship Really Affects the City
After the relocation of tax-based businesses and manufacturing companies in Cleveland, the city experienced a major loss in population, coupled with rampant unemployment. No one has been hit harder than the city’s black community, who make up 53 percent of the city’s population and reside in one of the most segregated cities in the country.…
-
A Short List of the Smartest Things Donald Trump Has Ever Said
Donald Trump is an idiot. I mean, he has to be, right? The amount of vitriol that has spewed out of this man’s sorry excuse for lips over the course of his run for the White House is the thing of legend. Trump has offended Mexicans, “the Blacks,” Muslims, women, our intelligence and entire countries,…
-
The Many Complaints of Abigail Fisher
On Thursday the Supreme Court upheld the University of Texas’ affirmative action policies and shot down claims by Abigail Fisher that the policy was unconstitutional. Although Fisher claimed that she was denied entry to the University of Texas because she was white; obviously her spot had been taken by some student of color who was…
-
Is Orange the New Black Lives Matter? 6 Moments When OITNB Kept It Too Real on Race
“Can’t we have a race war? It’ll be fun!” Cindy—everyone’s favorite Afro-puff enthusiast—exclaims in the premiere of season 4 of Orange Is the New Black. Be careful what you wish for; this entire season is a study in what happens when microaggressions go macro. Frankly, I wasn’t ready. If you’ve yet to watch the new…
-
Review: Free State of Jones, White Savior or Nah?
When I saw the first trailer for Free State of Jones, I knew I was not going to like it. White guy leads rebellion of poor whites and runaway blacks in the Civil War? I expected another white-savior movie where the hero gets the post-racial bonus prize of the black girlfriend or wife for his…
-
How 2 Players Are Controlling Their NBA Draft Future
Professional-sports selection is a dehumanizing process, especially in the NBA, where you have young, athletic black men inspected like cattle by mostly white, wealthy owners and general managers. Their health is checked; their athletic prowess is tested; they are asked asinine questions that sometimes take things too far and become invasive. Then, once this is…
-
How Former TV News Anchor Wendy Bell Is Suing for the Right to Be Racist, Explained
Who is Wendy Bell? Wendy Bell was a lead anchor for WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate. But since she is no longer employed by WTAE (and apparently no longer employable), her only current job title is Professional White Woman. Why is she no longer employed and employable? On March 9, six people were killed in a…