culture
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He’s Quick on the Draw, and It’s Ruining Our Sex Life
My husband and I had sex after we attended his Christmas party. For the first time in years, he did not come too soon and I was able to climax. Normally, sex is routine, almost recipe sex. He has a premature ejaculation (PE), he’s done for the night and neither of us experiences an orgasm.…
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I’m Not Joking When I Say I Don’t Think Beyoncé Is a Bad Actress
I say this with a sober mind and honest heart: I do not think Beyoncé is a bad actress. Yes, I will allow you a moment to sit in awe of my bravery. No, you cannot claim that I am only saying this because I worship at the altar of Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. I don’t…
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Concussion: Meet the Real Doctor Who Took on the NFL and Changed Football Forever
Baseball may still be billed as the national pastime, but football actually surpassed it in popularity a long time ago. So for anyone born and raised in the United States, challenging the NFL is just unthinkable. Dr. Bennet Omalu wasn’t born and raised in this country, however. Had he been, it’s doubtful that the forensic…
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For Americans of Color, Is Norway a Racism-Free Utopia?
It’s cold, with really short days in the winter. Like, sunset is at 3 p.m. And it’s white. Like, really white—as in the descendants of Vikings. But in the city center of Oslo, Norway, black American expats are living what seems to be the dream of Martin Luther King Jr.: being judged by the content…
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We Have Never Celebrated Christmas, but I’m Starting to Wish We Did
I’ve been having this Christmas fantasy for a few years now. Tonight my husband and I, along with our two daughters, should be putting the finishing touches on our Christmas tree, wrapping last-minute gifts and watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in matching brand-new pajamas while sipping hot chocolate. I never had that experience growing…
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If the Holidays Are Your Most Depressing Time of Year, This One’s for You
I’ve been fine all year, but the closer it gets to the holidays, the more depressed I get. I don’t think I have depression, I’m just not into Christmas. This happens every year. I look at all these people on social media at holiday parties, and see the couples being all lovey-dovey, and I just…
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An In-Depth Analysis of the Greatest Christmas Song of All Time
When the Temptations released Give Love at Christmas in 1980, they had already cemented their position as one of the greatest musical groups of all time. Now, I know that some Caucasian baby boomer who stumbled across this article is already guffawing at that statement, but I bet your 17-year-old nephew can summon the words…
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10 Stale, Tired and Tasteless Jokes About Kwanzaa so You Don’t Have to Create Your Own
It’s Dec. 23, which means we’re smack dab in the middle of the time of year when families across the country come together to celebrate Christmas. Or Hanukkah. Or Festivus. Or they have no religious affiliations but are grateful for the extra days off and the post-Christmas Nordstrom sales. It’s also the time of…
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Exposed: How Keanu Reeves’ Newest Film Got Whitewashed
In a world where people are taking to the streets, saying “Black lives matter”—where TV shows and films like Empire, Selma, Jane the Virgin, Straight Outta Compton, Fresh Off the Boat and Black-ish are getting high ratings and winning awards—one movie studio allegedly said no to all that diversity and instead chose to take us…
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Remember When Showing Black Women on the Silver Screen Was Revolutionary?
Like Star Wars, some movie releases are bigger than the actual film. They are touchstones. They are communal experiences. They are I-remember-exactly-where-I-was moments. And the opening night of the film Waiting to Exhale was exactly that. I can vividly remember, 20 years ago this week, rounding up my friends to hit the theater early because…