Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

Very Smart Brothas

Very Smart Brothas

2016 Presidential Debate I Open Thread

Have your own debate while the Clinton and Trump duke it out.

By

VSB Staff

Published

September 26, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

Nouns Black Men Use In Place Of Names To Greet And Acknowledge Each Other, Ranked

(Couple things before we start) 1. Some words like “man” and “dude” are universal and used by every race/class of American man, so they won’t be included. “Brother” and its derivatives (“bro,” “brah,” bruh,” and “brotha”) is also somewhat universal now. But it has a specific meaning/connection to Black men, so it makes the cut.…

By

Damon Young

Published

September 26, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

Michelle Obama's Embrace Of Feckless War Criminal George Bush Is The Blackest Thing That Ever Happened Last Week

There’s no escaping capital letter Whiteness. Not here, at least. This is an immutable fact about America that Black Americans instinctively and grudgingly process and attempt to navigate through. Of course, there are spaces large and small we can create (and have created) that offer a suitable — if temporary — respite from it. Spaces…

By

Damon Young

Published

September 26, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

VSB Meets Luvvie (And We're All Judging You If You Don't Buy I'm Judging You)

One of the best things about having a space like VSB for eight (!!!) years is that it allows for growth, progression, and evolution to be tracked, archived, and curated. We’ve seen relationships form at the molecular level, and we’ve watched them grow. (And, in some cases, end.) We’ve seen VSB-related marriages and babies. We’ve…

By

Damon Young

Published

September 23, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

On Social Media and Real Life Virtual Friendships

Friendship is important. That’s really an understatement. In 2016, friends aren’t necessarily confined to the workplace, school or IRL situations. Social media has become a very viable platform to create new and fulfilling bonds between new people from distant places to whom we wouldn’t, otherwise, have access. The feelings of wanting to belong or be loved…

By

K. Araújo

Published

September 23, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

Atlanta Episode 4: "The Streisand Effect" Recap

“Me and my mans make baby sneakers… for adults!” Everybody has a hustle just like everybody has a price. This is especially true in our digital age where everything is a commodity. Where genuine emotion and thought are distilled down to fifteen second YouTube clips and Harambe t shirts. This week, Paperboi learns a lesson…

By

Jordan Kauwling

Published

September 22, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

The Wash, Rinse, and Repeat of Being Black In America Today

My daily morning routine (unfortunately) currently feels a lot like Groundhog Day. I wake up and peruse Facebook and without fail, nearly every day I’m met with another story of some Black person meeting their demise at the hands of law enforcement. I’m then generally moved to saying some sort of muffled profanity as to…

By

Panama Jackson

Published

September 22, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

Shitty Candies That Trump Voters Can And Should Claim Instead Of Skittles

Assuming that I haven’t yet woken up from what I was thoroughly convinced was a fever dream, we are less than 50 days away from Election Day 2016. Labor Day has come and gone, and we are facing a credible possibility that the next four years of the American executive branch will be led by…

By

Shamira Ibrahim

Published

September 21, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

10 Breakups That Would Totally Absolutely Devastate Black America More Than Brangelina's

My cousin, the unsinkable sarah huny young, and I regularly frequent the same coffee shop. But we rarely see each other there because she’s usually there early (9am to 1:30-ishpm) and I usually don’t get there until after 2pm. Today, however, I had a meeting there at noon and was able to chop it up…

By

Damon Young

Published

September 20, 2016
Very Smart Brothas

Four Simple And Practical Things Black People Can Do So White People Won't Be So Gotdamn Fucking Scared Of Us

Yesterday, footage was released of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher getting shot and killed by Betty Shelby, a Tulsa police officer. Crutcher appeared to have his hands up, was unarmed, and, from the multiple camera angles made available to the public, didn’t appear to be any sort of a threat. Yet, that didn’t prevent him from getting executed by…

By

Damon Young

Published

September 20, 2016