Very Smart Brothas
-
Paul Pierce Is a Petty Diva. He’s Not Entirely Wrong but Still Definitely a Petty Diva
If you keep up with the sports world at all, you know that on Feb. 11, 2018, the Boston Celtics organization will be honoring former Celtic great and 2008 NBA champion Paul Pierce with a formal ceremony and retiring his jersey (No. 34) to hang it up in the rafters next to Celtics great(ER)s like…
-
4 Things You’re Probably Getting Wrong About Workplace Harassment
I can only blame myself. I shouldn’t have such a high bar for the content of conversations I overhear in a busy food court, particularly in the section immediately adjacent to Panda Express. But alas, I still have the Obama hopey-changey bug, so I ate my orange chicken bowl and smiled warmly at the two…
-
I’m Pretty Sure a White Woman Who Almost Killed Me Thinks She Saved My Life, and I Hope Sandra Bullock Plays Her in My Life Story
I believe I have my own white-savior story that might actually be a Magical Negro story at the same damn time. I think the proper term for this story that I’m about to tell is an allegory. What’s the deeper, potentially political, meaning behind it? I don’t know. It sure as shit means something, though.…
-
The Conversation About Aziz Ansari Is an Uncomfortable Mess, Which Is Why We Need to Have It
If there were one word to accurately describe the now-much-discussed piece in which a young woman accuses Aziz Ansari of sexual assault on their first date, it would be “messy.” What’s laid in front of readers is an awkward and, at times, bare account of how the date devolved into a veritable tug-of-war of sexual…
-
10 Reasons ‘Ghosting’ at an Event Is 1,000 Times Better Than Saying Goodbye
Earlier this week, Slate republished a Seth Stevenson piece from 2013 extolling the virtues of the “Irish goodbye”—which is what happens when you just leave an event without saying bye to anyone. And I have never read a piece that resonated more with my soul. If I were single, I’d slide all up into this…
-
Can We Talk About How a Woman With the World’s Whitest Name Pretended Not to Know That Norway Is White?
Admittedly, there are times when witnessing the audacity of caucasity in its full splendor that there’s nothing left to do but marvel at it. Perhaps, if you’re feeling particularly magnanimous, you can even appreciate it. Not because of what it does but because that level of confidence and performative obliviousness can be aspirational. I mean,…
-
Kool-Aid, Steak-umms or Ramen Noodles: Only 1 Can Survive. Which Do You Choose?
They’re reliable staples despite having more in common with actual staples than any food group. Delectable options existing at the intersection of “This is tasty as hell” and “Wait … why is my tongue that color?” Go-to foods for those either looking to save money or increase cholesterol. Together, Kool-Aid, Steak-umms and instant ramen make…
-
8 Songs That Were Made for People With Locs
According to philosopher king and wordsmith savant E-40 Fonzarelli of the Vallejo, Calif., Fonzarellis, “Jesus Christ had dreads. So shake ’em.” I ain’t got none, but I’m planning on growing some. Or at least I would if God didn’t feel differently about my hairline and would energize my follicles. It seems rather far down his…