culture
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Talking Dirty to My Mom
The other night, I was having a phone conversation with my mother, catching her up on everything that had been going on with me this week. I got to a part in the story where I made a mention of dickfishing, and it occurred to me that she might not know what it meant. So…
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Our Elected Officials Must Give Children 2nd Chances
Just last week, 71-year-old Henry Montgomery found out he would spend yet another Christmas behind bars in Louisiana. He has spent more than 50 Christmases there, but he thought this year might be different. The parole board was set to hear his case for release, but on the day of the hearing, the board delayed…
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Caught Out There: Beware of the Lying Twitter Man-Whore
Your MCM was secretly engaging in personal relationships with three women on the timeline, lying to each of them, telling each of them lies about the other in an attempt to pit them against one another, all the while denying accountability for his actions by saying, “We were just talking.” He’s 33. There are plenty…
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Stigma Against Sex Workers Must End
I’m a black woman who is over 35, and for a little over a decade, I was a sex worker. It doesn’t matter what kind of sex work; what matters is that I have an adult lifetime of experience, not only in sex work, but also with the painful stigma attached to it. The thing…
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For Those Considering Blaxit, I Present to You: Seoul, South Korea
Like most people who aren’t from Asia, I was tempted to paint South Korea and Japan with the same brush. Not because I had read ample historical literature about them and had come to an educated conclusion, but because I was lazy, young and stupid. Should you find yourself fascinated by tae kwon do, kimchi…
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Save Your Relationship: Go Downtown
Would you believe that as we near the end of the year 2017, there are still men out there who have not mastered the art of cunnilingus? It’s true, my sisters—I have met them. I shit you not. And it is the most frustrating thing ever. Yes, there is a right way and a wrong…
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From an Ex-Neoliberal: Why Ta-Nehisi Coates Keeps Talking About White Supremacy
I love Cornel West. Part of the reason I am a fan of his is that, before my nonfame and lack of fortune at The Root, I taught a college-level course called “Race as an Economic Construct.” The idea of the course was to eliminate the subjectivity of race theory by explaining race in America…
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What Well-Meaning Men Don’t Understand When It Comes to Life as a Woman
It seems we can’t go but a few days without hearing about another famous man’s name being linked to sexual harassment allegations. This has led to conversations from well-meaning men who don’t understand the prevalence of the threat of harassment. Well-meaning men have asked everything from the stupid, “Do I need to apologize to every…