Very Smart Brothas
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What Happened to Jason Whitlock to Make Him Hate Himself So Much?
If Jason Whitlock were a character on Game of Thrones or The Wire or even Insecure, we’d presumably have a better understanding of the mélange of context creating the sad person he is today. We’d be able to point to a conversation from season 1, or perhaps a relationship gone awry from season 2, or…
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They Know They Can’t Win; They Just Want Black and Brown People to Lose Too
Perhaps the biggest fallacy in characterizing the type of person who supported and still supports Donald Trump—one that I’ve been guilty of believing and sharing myself—is that the type of person he appeals to lacks the sophistication to realize that his promises of returning long-dead American jobs in steel and coal and manufacturing aren’t just…
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Why the Messy and Uncomfortably Real Insecure Is Getting Harder and Harder to Watch
“Ho.” The word has been used frequently throughout season 2, most of the time by Issa, who has used it in reference to the kind of single life she wants to have. In past episodes, she’s asked Molly to teach her how to ho and has complained about the lack of consistency with her “hotation.” If…
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10 Things My Black Paranoia Saved Me From
Hi. I’m black and I’m a man. That makes me a black man (by default), and that means I’m paranoid as fuck. Like, I’m pretty sure you’re plotting against me right now, so I’m looking at you crazy. Or at least you might could be. In fact, who is you? Is you is or is…
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8 Hip-Hop 1-Hit Wonders You Flat-Out Forgot About
I’m calling it right now: “Bodak Yellow” will make Cardi B a one-hit wonder (Editor’s Note: I disagree with this wholeheartedly—P.J.). I’ve tried to bump “Bodak Yellow” more than once, and I’ve determined that dragging a metal rake across a chalkboard in a classroom full of preschoolers who are all simultaneously screaming about a “boo-boo”…
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A Prayer for White People Who Don’t Understand That Black Love Doesn’t Mean White Hate (Sometimes)
Congregation of St. Panama Jackson the United Methodist Baptist Pentecostal AME Church of God in Christ Episcopal Primitive Missionary Baptist Downward Dog Down by the Riverside Holiness Church, please bow your heads: Dear 8-pound, 6-ounce newborn infant Jesus, don’t even know a word yet, just a little infant and so cuddly, but still omnipotent, I…
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Hey Y’all, Ray J’s Musical Career Ain’t Half Bad
First, tuck your judgment; it’s not necessary. Second, listen with your mind, not your heart. Your heart made you side-eye the living shit out of the title, but your mind may be a little more open-minded. That’s a pun. Get it? I’m sure you do. Before we get into the shenanigans, a few ground rules…
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Is There a Such Thing as a Dumb Question? Yes. That Was a Dumb Question
One of the most common refrains heard in school and workplace conference rooms is that there’s no such thing as a dumb question, OR, if there is such a thing, the only dumb question is the one that goes unasked. I hate to tell you this, but that shit is absolutely false, ludicrous and Plymouth…
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Black People Should Never, Ever, Ever, Ever Call the Police … Unless 1 of These 10 Things Just Happened
The mere threat of murder isn’t really enough because inviting a murder squad to your house just because you heard a bump or a chainsaw in the night is hustling backward. Chasing possible murder with probable murder is like chasing Fireball with Honey Jack. No, the ax needs to be embedded in your spleen before…
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Polite White People Are Useless
I’m not quite sure if Glory is a great movie. I know that I enjoy watching it. I know that it featured one of the greatest movie scores of all time. (So great that the then-11-year-old me actually went out and bought the soundtrack on a cassette tape. Which probably explains why I didn’t have…