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I’m putting up this disclaimer now: this review is not going to attempt objectivity. I’m not a professional music critic. I don’t get paid to be objective. In fact, I’m broke. I need someone to come pay my car insurance…wait, what was I doing? – m.d.s
On Drake’s Thank Me Later. I’ll pass.
One of the unfortunate consequences of the ushering in of “post-racial America” (cough) is the relaxing of social rules of conduct about what is and is not acceptable to joke about. Now that we are “past the issue of race“, white people have gotten much more bold and will now openly ridicule aspects of black culture. Personally, I prefer this, because I’d rather my enemy stab me in the face where I can see him, rather than in the back. But this is not a good trend or a good look for the black community, which still has a tremendous amount of internal housekeeping to complete.
“Si se puede!” — UFW rallying cry (that Obama jacked later)
“No Pudimos!” — Jim Joyce, June 2, 2010
On my way home from work yesterday evening, I noticed an interesting message on my TweetDeck. A Twitter pal of mine posted the following message:
@NameRedactedToProtectTheQuasi-Innocent: Before this season, there were 18 perfect games in 135 years. 1 every 7 1/2 seasons. Galarraga is 6 outs away from the 3rd PG this season.
Hoodwinked! Led Astray! Run Amok!
So, I woke up like any other day and decided to check my Twitter, Facebook & Ning for the haps. Forget reading a paper, to really get the pulse of the people – let’s see what they’re talking about. And I walked into ANOTHER fight about black relationships. I’m not going to share the names or venue, to protect the guilty, but I will share with you their points of contention.
The Black community has endured much infighting in our history. Good Times versus the Jeffersons. Tupac versus Biggie. Whitney Houston versus Crack… and now… Rashad Evans versus Rampage Jackson. The latest chapter in the Black Civil War was fought in the UFC last Saturday night and gave White America the chance to pretend that Black on Black crime wasn’t already one of its favorite pastimes, a fight so big that “Black on Black crime” became a top 10 twitter trend. I tell you… even when we win, we lose.
I swear I was going to let Bill Maher slide. Not that I haven’t been itching to cut loose on him since…well, just since. My opinion on Bill Maher has always been grounded in ambivalence. I find him largely thoughtful, but grounded in entertainment first and information second. This is fairly helpful in comedy, quite irritating in journalism.
I could easily dip onto a side street and go on a rant about the confluence of entertainment and journalism, but that’s a separate issue. Let me stay on the main drag.
In case you haven’t heard…
ThunderCats will Return 2011
The new “ThunderCats” will appeal to viewers who have loved the characters all their lives as well as young newcomers to the franchise. A sweeping tale combining swords and science and boasting ferocious battles with the highest of stakes, the grand origin story of Prince Lion-O’s ascension to the throne – and of those who would thwart his destiny at any cost – takes on epic dimensions in this sharp new telling. As the forces of good and evil battle each other in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power, Lion-O and his champions learn valuable lessons of loyalty, honor and mortality in every episode.
While Steve “OLETSDOIT” Jobs deals with the tragic kingdom of technology assembly known as Foxconn ; the sex, drugs, and rock andor roll story of the lost iPhone prototype; or why he is THE business genius of the world; there’s other, more pressing matters at hand. HP did not buy Palm to be in the smartphone business—come again?
One term that emerged from the 2008 election more times than we cared to hear it was the phrase “Real American.” We’ve blogged about this term before. If you are confused as to what does or does not constitute a “Real American”, be advised that “Real Americans” are effectively anybody who lives in a small town, believes that America is infallible, and is filled with such joy every time that Sarah Palin gives a stump speech that they begin to glow with a golden aura like Bruce Lee Roy. Given all of this American pride, one would naturally assume that the citizens of this country have a deep understanding of America and its history. OK maybe “deep understanding” is a bit aggressive…how about “basic understanding?” No? Still asking for too much? Well according to the latest Yahoo News story, we may have to just settle for whatever we can get:
Posted previously on SALON.COM
My mother is very light-skinned.
Upon glancing at my own complexion, you might not guess that I am the offspring of such a light-skinned black woman. If Harry Reid had met her at the right time he might have tried to get her to run for office. (Dead horse? Still-a-beating.) My mother really doesn’t have any traces of a Negro dialect (We all know what he meant) although, on occasion, I’ll hear her try to replicate one and it’s tremendously funny. She sounds pretty much exactly the same as she does normally, but when she’s getting “black” she’ll add a “girl” or “chile” to the mix. There was an incident when I was child when my mom was forced to curse someone out and she started her diatribe with “You, sir, are an asshole.” Hilarity and amazingly placed F words ensued.
BP’s CEO Tony Hayward needs to STFU and get off my teevee! No one has sympathy for you sir. You destroyed our coastline. You’ll get your life back as soon as the pelican is no longer an endangered species. Or maybe when the 11 people on the Deep Water Horizon who died come back to life.
There are good brothas all around us…
<<–the elusive Good Brotha–catch him and he’ll put a ring on it, then 2.2 kids, matching Coogi sweaters and a Bobby McFerrin-penned theme song are all yours.
This is how the conversation about black relationships begin and end. That statement is the alpha and the omega, and it answers every question regarding the state of black relations in this country:
In a manner of speaking. Black Snob’s Danielle Belton offers a measured and insightful review of the much pre-maligned Helena Andrews memoir, Bitch is the New Black.
I’m afraid I’m going to have to break up with The Boondocks.
I realize this is its last season and I would like to stick with it until the very end, but it’s just not working. If at all possible, I’d like to avoid the drama. Let’s just do this thing quietly. We can still be friends (in that weird way exes continue to be “friends” but never actually speak to one another), but what we had is no more.
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