race & politics
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Explaining White People, Part 1: Why Whites Take Pics Of Other People’s Kids
TIME Magazine’s vigilant quest to keep White folks in the loop — What does bae mean? …Why do Asians pose with a peace sign in pictures?…Why is the sky blue, why is water wet, why did Judas rat the Romans while Jesus slept? — has inspired us all. That’s why I’ve decided to just tackle the core…
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Since My Biological Didn't Bother
Last year, my father sent me a “Happy Father’s Day” text message. It might have been the funniest, yet most ironic text message that I’ve ever received. I didn’t reply. I couldn’t think of an adequate response; that “Eat a dick” response was waiting in the draft folder though. If it’s not obvious by now,…
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Shit Bougie Black People Love: 17. Pretending To Be "Ratchet"
No one quite knows exactly where ratchet stems from. Some say it’s an evolved, colloquial form of “wretched.” Others trace the etymology to Lil Boosie’s “Do Tha Ratchet”, which would help to explain why the justified incarceration of a shitty rapper upset so much of the south. What is known, though, is that ratchet has come to…
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Swagger Wagon: Here's How I Like My Cultural Appropriation
By now, I’m sure most people have seen the commercial/video for the 2015 Toyota Sienna minivan. It features a new version of the Sienna family (The Neuberts) from the original “Swagger Wagon” video from 2010. There’s one big difference between the 2010 version and this latest 2014 version. The 2014 version is exactly how I like my cultural…
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Why I Love Natural Hair
[I’m speaking on a panel entitled, The Men’s Perspective Panel, on Sunday, August 3, about men’s opinions on women and natural hair. I figured I might as well get a few thoughts out in advance spread my wings a bit. The panel is apart of the Naturalista Hair Show happening in Silver Spring, MD, on…
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That Time Dr. Beverly Tatum Shared A Perfect Example Of White Privilege
It’s not every day you’re able to find a concrete and distilled “intellectual” example of White privilege (WP). Other examples are easier to find, but this particular brand of WP is as elusive as a fart in a cyclone. You don’t know exactly where it came from. But you can smell it. That said, I…
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My Bobby Shmurda Problem (Hint: HE CAN'T F*CKING RAP!!!)
It was the summer of 2012. I don’t remember the exact date, but I do remember the events leading up to it. There was a three or four week stretch when Chief Keef’s name kept popping up. On Facebook. And Twitter. And thinkpieces. And in conversation. He was the hottest new name in hip-hop; divisive,…
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10 Things The NFL Cares Even Less About Than It Cares About Women
After giving star running back Ray Rice a paltry two game suspension for punching his then-fiancee (now wife) unconscious and dragging her body through the hotel they were staying at — an act caught on film — the NFL has proven again that it gives less than two fucks about the demographic that comprises over…
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Old "Bae" Becomes New Flavor For Whites
In this, the 2014th Year of Our Lord, on the 23rd day of the month of July, at 6:55 p.m. EST, TIME Magazine ran a story. It’s headline read: “This is What Bae Means.” Yes, stupid stories happen. Stupid headlines even more frequently. But TIME Magazine, once a premier weekly magazine (the first of its…
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The Burden Of Writing (And Reading) While Black
“I don’t burden myself with the impossible task of writing the “Black Woman’s” experience; to be honest, I think categorically-Black writing loses a lot of nuance and is generally lazy. I just tell my own stories and hope somebody feels me.” This was a small part of a longer exchange I had with a VSB…