racism
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An Interview With The Only Person Left In America Who Actually Admits To Being Racist
After reading some of the racially-tinged responses to both the Michael Vick story and #laughingwhileBlack, I became dismayed. Sad, even. Not because of the racism. Racism by itself doesn’t sadden me. I’ve grown so used to it that, on Thursdays, I congeal it into a gel and use it as deodorant. (And it’s surprisingly effective.)…
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Black People Don't Hate Dogs. We Just Hate When Their Lives Are Valued More Than Ours
My Pittsburgh Steelers are apparently courting Michael Vick to become their new back up QB. There are several reasons to be for (i.e.: the Steelers haven’t had a back up QB with an actual pulse since Charlie Batch) or against (i.e.: Michael Vick is the same age as “Rapper’s Delight”) this move. (For the record, I’m for…
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Dear "Well-Meaning" White People: Progress Is Fucking Painful
17 summers ago, I tore the anterior cruciate ligament in my left knee while attempting a spin move in a pick-up basketball game. I planted awkwardly, my knee twisted a way it wasn’t supposed to twist, and I immediately knew something was wrong. It was painful. But, as many who’ve also torn their ACLs will…
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World Shocked That Man Named "Hulk" Who Made Living Getting Slammed On Head Said Something Offensive
I will never forget where I was and what I was doing the day I learned a steroid-stuffed man who named himself “Hulk” and became famous by voluntarily having his head slammed into barriers, ropes, poles, chairs, feet, knees, and livestock 30 times a day for 20 years straight said something offensive. I do not know…
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Yeah, Let's Chill With The "KKK Clashes With The Black Panthers" Headlines And Story Angles
(Quick thoughts about this weekend’s rallies in South Carolina to protest the removal of the Confederate flag) 1. I mean, I get it. The Ku Klux Klan was present at this rally. As were some Black pride groups, including those affiliated with the Black Panthers. And, I would assume that if a KKK member and a Black…
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On Being Black And Southern (And From South Carolina) At Times Like This
I’ve been a proud Black man from South Carolina for a few weeks north of 36 years. And, in all honesty, my state has always confused me. If I were ever asked to play word association with it, I would begin by telling the poor fool who asked the question to “grab a chair” because this…
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Don Lemon: The Troll Who Will Save America
It’s unfortunate that President Obama’s use of “nigger” became the biggest story from his recent interview with Marc Maron, because the reflexively (and grandstandingly) heated debate about that word has obscured a great point. “Societies don’t, overnight, completely erase everything that happened 200 to 300 years prior.” It feels counterintuitive, insulting even, to suggest that…
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Fuck Your Confederate Flag, Cuh!
I hate that gotdamn flag. I always have. I’m a Southerner, which means that I’m super familiar with it. Not only that, I did my high schoolin’ in the great state of Alabama in the mid-90s. This means that there were high school year book quotes from Confederate generals and shouts of “The South Shall…
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White Murderer Says Nigger? "It's Not About Race!" Black President Says Nigger? "Let's Talk About Race!"
To give you an idea of how bizarre America’s relationship with race is, consider the following: 1. The two most talked about stories in the country last week were about… A) A ridiculous White woman who seems to believe she’s Shirley Chisholm but is just the real-life Kirk Lazarus. B) A White man who went into a…