race & politics
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Seven Thoughts On The Ghost Of Cornel West
1. It’s not terribly uncommon for the type of people who’d even be interested in reading Michael Eric Dyson’s thoughts about Cornel West to rib on Dyson for his often torrential and occasionally obnoxious loquaciousness. He is a man very in love with both the words escaping his pen and coming out of his mouth, and…
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A Conversation With A Guy Who Actually Admits To Having Racist Bones In His Body
It follows the same script every time. A (usually White) public figure says or does something that’s kinda, sorta, racist. People notice the racism and call him on it. He replies by denying it, using at least one of the following statements as his “evidence” 1. “I’m colorblind”/”I don’t see color” 2. “I have ***insert…
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How "Coon" Became The New "Female"
“while the word female is appropriate under certain contexts, beware of the cat who uses it as his universal descriptor of all women. honestly, although i have a few theories (my favorite one has something to do with sting and the police), i have absolutely no idea why this is such a strong indicator of…
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The Psychic Toll Of Existing While Black
I’ve never been more conscious of the tenuousness of life and finality of death than I have been since I first considered marrying my now-wife. Bringing someone into my life — a person whose safety and well-being I volunteered to be personally accountable for — just changed things. It changed how I assess the present and conceptualize the…
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Stop Me If You've Heard This Before: Cop Shoots and Kills Unarmed Black Man…
At this point it isn’t even a broken record. It’s more like a Vine that’s been shared around by every single person that you know, who has then shared it with every person that they know. It’s a Vine so ubiquitous that you don’t even need to see it to know what happens. Because you’ve…
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A Primer On The Use, Usage, Versatility, And Utility Of "Nigga"
During a post-game press conference after losing to Wisconsin Saturday night, a sensitive mic caught Kentucky guard Andrew Harrison saying “Fuck that nigga” under his breath while at the podium. The comment was a response to a reporter’s question about Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky, who is about as far from Black as you’d expect someone from…
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Is Furious 7 A "Black" Movie? (Hint: Yes)
Last weekend, as I watched Furious 7 confirm that it’s both the most ridiculous and the most dependable movie franchise ever — it’s basically the movie version of the cheddar bay biscuit — I couldn’t help but ponder a few metaphysical queries, namely… 1. Is there a person whose job is to spray The Rock with sweat…
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The Limitlessness Of Blackness
If you were on the back of a school bus leaving East Hills Elementary School in 1990, or perhaps sitting in homeroom at Penn Hills High School in 1997, waiting for the 1st period bell to ring, you might have overheard or been a part of a ripping session. And, if you overheard or were a part…