reader mail
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: All Mailbag, No Clapback
Don’t hate me for this. I am often asked if people who send us tweets, DMs and emails are really as mean as I make them out to be or if I have to wade through the positive emails to find the couple of idiots who want to use the n-word. So today I decided…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Apologetically Black Friday
A few days ago, during a meeting, I asked The Root staff for more mailbag material. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be hate mail,” I said. “It could be anything worth responding to.” In my head, I was sure that readers had reached out to our writers for a number of reasons. Maybe they tweeted…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: The Wypipo Participation Trophy
As “one of the real racists,” I admit that I have intentionally omitted one of the most underappreciated groups of people in America: The good white people. So today I sifted through The Root’s emails, comments, letters and tweets searching for good white people, hoping to acknowledge their efforts to end racism. They should be…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Let Wypipo Go
It’s Good Friday and Passover Eve. The Root’s deputy managing editor, Yesha Callahan, is not here to force me to write an extensive lede because last night, Very Smart Brothas and The Glow Up had their first joint event, Urban by Nature, in Los Angeles. A lot of the staff from The Root attended, but…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Too Stupid to Fear the Wolf
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you’re too biased, here’s a good test: If people on both sides of any issue are upset with you, then you’re probably doing something right. By this measure, you should probably understand what The Root really is, as defined by the tweets, emails and comments we receive. The…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: I Think We May Have Solved Racism
According to Wypipopedia, racism has been around for at least nine or 10 years. It started with the election of President Barack Obama, who invented racism in a Kenyan laboratory with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Saul Alinsky and that terrorist dude from the Weather Underground. (I know his name is Bill Ayers. I’m just using…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Sticks and Stones
Welcome back to the Friday Clapback Mailbag: You already know what this is, so don’t be surprised by the collection of tweets, emails and DMs we receive from people who read The Root. It’s part of the job. From: GregTo: Michael HarriotSubject: No Subject Michael, I read your satire piece about the “racist” ( according…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Blame Obama and My Mama
I’m sorry to announce that there has been a small change made to the mailbag. In our ongoing effort to evolve this weekly feature, we have decided to include a palate cleanser in each mailbag. You will still get your recommended weekly dosage of hate mail, tweets and comments, but we will also include one…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: Secondhand Clapbacks
I am often accused of hating white people. I don’t usually defend myself because … well … I don’t hate white people. But this week was different. You probably don’t know this, so I’ll let you in on a little-known fact: Sometimes I can be a little provocative. I called the National Rifle Association “terrorists.”…
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The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: #Facts
Today’s mailbag is long, so the intro will be short. This week’s roundup of emails, comments, tweets and direct messages comes from white people who aren’t racist; they just want the writers at The Root to stick to facts. For insight, we collected a few of the people who set aside their disdain for our…