on the dig
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Rihanna Straps on the Barbed Wire – Ouch!
I’m sorry, but I have to say something about Rihanna and the barbed wire photo. Would somebody please sit this young sister down and talk some sense into her? Before I go any further let me set the record straight: I’ve only seen one Rihanna video in my life and I wasn’t impressed. She’s young…
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Illegal Alien Halloween Costume – Not So Cool
I know that Halloween is upon us. Folks are flocking to every costume store looking for the most outlandish Obama mask, Michelle Obama mask, or Balloon Boy Puking on GMA mask. Hey, this year I might just get crazy and pull out my Black-Man-Thinking-Deeply-When-Warned-Not-To mask and stir up some good old-fashioned trouble. I may even…
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Racial Nags and Other Weekend Fun
On Friday Ta-Nehisi Coates over at the Atlantic dug up Queen Latifah’s SNL Excedrin for Racial Tension clip. That popular faux commercial about the nagging pain that accompanies curiosity-driven whites. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Those “can I touch your hair?” “do you wash your hair?” “where can I get…
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Louisisana Judge Refuses to Promote "Race-Mixing"
Justice Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana doesn’t believe in race-mixing. Don’t get it twisted, he likes black folks. He has piles and piles of them. He even lets them use his bathroom where one of his likable black folks could easily leave some residue black on the toilet seat. That’s saying a lot. I…
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Emperor Jones and His Lazy Negroes
There’s a bit of controversy brewing in New York City right now. The Emperor Jones is back. Eugene O’Neill’s 1920 play about a black convicted murderer who escapes to a Caribbean island and poses as an emperor. He’s able to do so because the “primitives” are so full of violence, ignorance and superstition they’d believe…
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Obama's Nobel Peace Prize – A Bit Too Soon?
Before I say anything let me say this: I am thrilled that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Prize for Peace. He can now stand among other Nobel royalty like Ralph Bunche, Martin Luther King Jr, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Wangari Muta Maathai. However, I’d feel a little dishonest if I didn’t admit I…
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Michelle Obama and Her Biracial Ancestors
In case you haven’t heard: First Lady Michelle Obama has mixed ancestry. You don’t say! Somebody’s pulling my leg. She’s part European, African and… drumroll… “Indian”! Honestly, what American isn’t? Okay, I know discovering one’s family genealogy is a very satisfying endeavor. Particularly for black people who struggle to fill in genealogical holes due to…
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Tyler Perry's Confession: Truth or Smart Business?
Tyler Perry finally revealed the details behind his abuse-ridden childhood. Inspired by the forthcoming film Precious (co-presented with Oprah and starring Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey and Gabourey Sidibe), Perry decided to get real with his fans and post the details of a lifetime of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. At TylerPerry.com he writes: “I’m tired of holding…
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Lee Daniels' Precious and the Blame Game
So I saw a screening of Precious this weekend. The New York Film Festival centerpieced Lee Daniels’ much-anticipated, controversial film of an obese teen and the abuse she endures. I don’t want to brag, but I will anyway: I stood in the $10 Rush Ticket line and walked away with two free $40 tickets. A…
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Bromance Films and the Brothas – Not so Much!
The Root’s very own Saaret E. Yoseph scribed a provocative piece today about the depiction of African-American men in bromance films. In the last few years Hollywood and indie filmmakers have been providing audiences with angst-filled, politically incorrect depictions of white men suffering from arrested development and a need for a man hug or BFF. …