culture
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5 Weird Facts About the Donald Sterling Fiasco
While the media takes Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to task for recorded racist rants attributed to him, among other things, here are a few things you may want to know about the fiasco. 1. Donald Sterling was born Donald Tokowitz. According to an article in The Nation, Sterling (né Tokowitz) was the only…
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Shaquille O’Neal and Others Mock Michigan Man With Rare Disorder
A Michigan man who suffers from a rare disorder didn’t think anything of the selfie he posted to his Instagram account until NBA great Shaquille O’Neal made fun of it. The oversized jokester posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Jahmel Binion’s photo. Binion has ectodermal dysplasia, a condition characterized by a reduced ability…
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Cliven Bundy’s Black ‘Bodyguard’ and the Black-Friend Defense
We’ve all heard it so many times that it’s officially a cliché—everyone who says something that offends a particular group manages to conveniently claim that he has a “friend” in that group—and it’s supposed to be definitive proof that he can’t really be racist, sexist, homophobic or insert-whatever-phobic. The gold standard cliché among all of…
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Donald Trump Goes After ‘Very, Very Bad Girlfriend’ for ‘Baiting’ Donald Sterling
Conservative business giant Donald Trump appeared on Fox News to give his two cents about the Donald Sterling scandal. Although Trump did describe Sterling’s comments as “horrible” and “disgusting,” he also took up a new angle, calling girlfriend V. Stiviano—whose lawyer has denied that she released the audio of Sterling’s racist rant—the “girlfriend from hell.”…
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Chicago House Music Icon DJ Rashad Found Dead in His Apartment
Beloved Chicago house music DJ and footwork pioneer Rashad Harden, better known as DJ Rashad, was found dead in his apartment Sunday after what police believe was a drug overdose, the Associated Press reports. He was 34. Chicago police spokeswoman Janel Sedevic told AP that a friend found Harden’s body in his home on the…
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LA Clippers Stage Silent Protest Against Owner’s Alleged Racist Remarks
It had been rumored that the Los Angeles Clippers players wouldn’t take the court against the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of their NBA playoff game after a leaked recording, of what has been reported as the Clippers owner spewing racist remarks, hit the news. Their coach, Doc Rivers, assured Clippers fans that he…
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A Raisin Still in the Sun
Editor’s note: For those who are wondering about the retro title of this black-history series, please take a moment to learn about historian Joel A. Rogers, author of the 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof, to whom these “amazing facts” are an homage. Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 77: Which pioneering play introduced…
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Maybe White Girls Should Play With Black Dolls
When we hear about the importance of multicultural toys, it’s often in the context of giving black girls dolls that look like them to support their healthy self-image. While this is no doubt important, I wonder why we don’t do more to encourage white girls to play with diverse dolls, too. Let me explain. As…
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Columbus Short Needs to Clean Up His Act to Save His Career
Just when Scandal fans thought they’d said goodbye to their beloved show for the season, they received an unexpected opportunity to revel in the drama of their favorite primetime TV soap opera—for all the wrong reasons. On Friday night, ABC announced the departure of series regular Columbus Short. It was one of the few Scandal…
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Donald Sterling’s Long History of Racism and Offensive Remarks
The racist diatribe attributed to Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is clearly not the first time he has been hit with such charges. The billionaire apparently has a long and storied history of making racially insensitive remarks, geared not only toward athletes, but prospective tenants looking to rent apartments in properties he owns. 1.…