You see, those on the right have been engaged in a game of wordplay that has them redefining words and phrases to fit their various propaganda campaigns. Three very loud examples that come to mind are the word âwokeâ and the phrases âcritical race theoryâ and âquiet quitting.â Stick with me and Iâll explain to you what I mean.
Word games and propaganda campaigns: The right is weaponizing language against us
Links
When white institutions uphold white supremacy
LinkAs a Black woman, Anya was supposed to keep her thoughts to herself. This is how white supremacy works. You are supposed to endure the abuse and keep silent about it. Even raising the issue makes you a bigger problem than the issue itself. Remember selective offense?Â
Carnegie Mellonâs response to Professor Uju Anyaâs tweet is an example of how institutions uphold white supremacy
Why are Black characters in fantasy stories such a controversial thing for white people?
LinkIt really bothers (some) white people that Black people get cast in their favorite make-believe stories. Maybe we are infringing on their ability to make believe that we donât exist. Whatever the case may be, itâs seriously time to get over it, like Whoopi said.Â
When you can imagine dragons but not imagine Black people in fantasy stories, your racism is showing
Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time
LinkHave you ever watched Serena on the court? It is almost as if she has a choreographer who plots out her moves for her. She is aware of the ball and her body at all times. She moves around the court with a speed and gracefulness that almost makes it look easy. Almost.Â
There are no qualifiers needed. Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time, and here are a few reasons why
Selective offense strikes again, this time with Chris Rock
LinkComedian Chris Rock, who was infamously slapped by Will Smith while on stage at this yearâs Oscars, recently made a very tasteless joke about Nicole Brown Simpson, who was murdered in 1994 along with her friend, Ron Goldman.Â
The responses to Chris Rockâs tasteless joke about Nicole Brown Simpson vs. Jada say a lot about how America views Black women
The PWI vs HBCU debate is old and tired and needs to stop
LinkWe live in a world where facts matter, and there are simple facts that could help people understand why a Black student may not choose to go to an HBCUâand they have absolutely nothing to do with wanting to be white.
Yes, David Banner, HBCUs are a treasure but not always an option for a lot of Black students
Amazon’s ‘A League of Their Own’ Tells Black stories loudly and proudly
LinkAlthough the new show is also a fictionalized retelling of the World War II-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), thatâs where the similarities to the original ends.
âA League of Their Ownâ is based on the 1992 movie, but has an identity all its own
I Love L.A.
LinkâI Love L.A.â is not just a song and a phrase that appears on T-shirts bought by tourists on Venice Beach. It is both a motto and a mantra. People who are from here recognize the greatness of our city, and we will defend it to the bitter end because we love it here.Â
Los Angeles gets a bad rap, and itâs completely unwarranted
It’s OK to spoil yourself
LinkBecause when you get right down to it, why work every single day if you canât enjoy the money you make from it?
Treat yourself, donât cheat yourself!
Stan culture is scary
LinkThrough the power of the internet and social media, fans have now built themselves into legions of rabid mobs that attack anyone who has even the slightest criticism of their favorite artists.Â
Stan culture is a crazy, toxic and unforgiving world
Terrell Owens is the latest Black man to experience a white woman’s weaponized tears
LinkWho was the first white woman to lie on a Black man? Who was the first white woman to use her tears to try and get a Black man in trouble, or worseâkilled? Who was the first white woman who realized if she put out her best crocodile tears, it could gain her the results she was looking for?
Terrell Owens finds out the hard way that white women have perfected weaponizing their tears against Black men
Conversations about racism should not be getting stuck on ‘not all white people’
LinkAnyway, the other subset of people were white people who generally agreed with what I said about Bodega Bro, but they were given pause because in my headline I said âBodega Bro is the epitome of everything white people do wrong on a daily basis.â They all got stuck on the âwhite peopleâ part, and they all wanted to lecture me about how I shouldnât lump everyone together in one category.Â
Selective offense and ânot all white peopleâ: We shouldnât have to keep coddling yâallÂ
Why is Josh Hawley always being a goofy?
LinkAt this point, he should have realized he was in over his head, but you know white people, they gonna keep pushing it. He didnât even really have anything âgoodâ to say back, so he just stammered, âUh, so, uh your view is that the core of this right then is about what?â
Josh Hawley messed around and found out, or how to âprofessionallyâ read someone who is playing in your face
Black people with guns is scary business, apparently
LinkExcept as we all know, peopleâs attitudes about who should and shouldnât be able to bear arms and carry them in public tend to shift greatly when it comes to Black people owning guns. And we all know this is due to the implicit bias buried deep in this countryâs DNA that causes white people to view Black people as some sort of ongoing threat.
Why is open carry only an issue when it comes to Black folks?
Some of our favorite songs have some really wild lyrics
LinkBecause of my close relationship with music, I have had the opportunity to repeatedly listen to songs and analyze their lyrical content. I have to say, what passed for good music back in the day would really get the side-eye todayânot because the music is bad, but because at times the subject matter or the lyrics raise some eyebrows and questions.
So-called âromanticâ songs with very questionable lyrics
Who are some of your favorite storytellers in hip-hop?
LinkWhile there is plenty of posturing and one-upmanship in hip-hop, the genre is at its best when the artists are telling us compelling stories from the streetsâor wherever else they may occur.Â
6 of the best storytelling rap songs ever
When will the truth about Uvalde come out?
LinkThis is the problem when outlets simply report what the police are saying and use that as the narrative. The police donât always get it right, and as stated earlier, sometimes they flat out lie. The narrative from law enforcement in Texas has shifted so many times, itâs almost as if they are making it up as they go along.Â
What Really Happened in Uvalde?
This summer’s anthem is…
LinkListen. If Kandi doesnât do anything else, she is going to give you a catchy bop to sing along to. After all, this is the woman who penned âNo Scrubs,â âBills, Bills, Bills,â âTardy for the Party,â âThe Ring Didnât Mean a Thing,â and who has writing credits on âBug a Boo,â âThere You Go,â and âU and Dat.â She knows her way around a hit.
âLegs and hips and bawdeeeeeeâ: Kandi Burruss has given us our summer earworm
These corporations don’t care about Black people
LinkSo please explain to me why Walmart had the unmitigated gall to put out a âJuneteenthâ flavor of ice cream under its Great Value label? And why was there a trademark symbol next to the flavorâs name?
Walmart was wrong AF for that Juneteenth ice cream
Michael Harriot always nails it
LinkIf what Whitlock believes is true, then my eyes have been opened. If fact-based criticism is offensive enough to make cops abrogate their professional duties and the very foundation of why they exist, then I finally understand why America is like this. According to Whitlock, it is crazy to expect police officers to live up to their pledge to protect and serve and be held responsible by the people who pay them. Next, youâll be telling me that Black people want this country to live up to its pledge that âall men are created equalâ and treat them equally, too!
What Jason Whitlock can teach us about white people, cops and America
When I tell you O-T Fagbenle is a delight, please believe me
LinkâIâm a man whose greatest wealth and honor is my family. Thatâs number one. Iâm a person who cares a lot about young people,â he says. â…I guess Iâm an artist. Iâm a person who is driven to contribute stories to people, and I think in some ways the job of the artist is to reflect the most intimate parts of themselves to others.â
O-T FAGBENLE IS SHOWING US A DIFFERENT SIDE OF BARACK OBAMA ON THE FIRST LADY
I have a new weekly column at DAME
LinkIâm not saying that journalism as a whole is completely fucked up, but it is trending in that direction. And this is scary because journalists are supposed to be the watchdogs of society. We have an obligation to be truthful and tell the people what is happening. That doesnât always happen these days.
U.S. Journalism is a Hellscape Right Now
America doesn’t care about Black women
LinkâAbout a third of our population is African American; African Americans have a higher incidence of maternal mortality. So, if you correct our population for race, weâre not as much of an outlier as itâd otherwise appear. Now, I say that not to minimize the issue but to focus the issue as to where it would be. For whatever reason, people of color have a higher incidence of maternal mortality.â
Sen. Bill Cassidy proves America doesnât care about Black women
Let’s talk about the concept of ‘professionalism’
LinkNot only is professionalism a double standard in how itâs applied, but the actual standard itself is grounded in a set of beliefs that are meant to control and subjugate people of color, including Black people.
Professionalism Is a Racist Construct
Why are Black women always expected to be the bigger person?
LinkBlack women are always expected to turn the other cheek when it comes to the people who mistreat them. We are always expected to be the bigger person, to rise above it all and act like we are indifferent to the hateful speech, abusive behavior and gaslighting that goes on in situations like this.
Black women donât owe Kevin Samuels anything
For theGrio, I wrote about how Black women are being asked to show grace to Kevin Samuels in light of his death, despite the fact that he had none for Black women when he was living.
WTF, Netflix?
LinkContinue reading“In a Business Insider article published in February, employees said that Netflix wooed them with the promise of more stability and higher wages than journalism has offered in recent years: If Netflix says “We’re going to pay you a more-than-livable wage and let you continue to write about the things that you write,’ honestly, why wouldn’t you want to do that?,” one writer told Insider.”
Netflix Lays Off the Journalists It Just Hired
30 years later, policing in Los Angeles is still a problem
Link“Both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriffâs Department have horrible reputations and track records when it comes to their interactions with the residents of the city. The sheriffâs department, in particular, is known to be filled with internal gangs that target the cityâs residents of color. The county sheriff himself is currently embroiled in a scandal in which it is alleged he attempted to cover up a video of a deputy kneeling on a handcuffed inmateâs neckâa case reminiscent of the murder of George Floyd.”
30 years after the 1992 Los Angeles Rebellion, policing in the city hasnât changed much
Today is the 30th anniversary of the Los Angeles Uprising
Link“In April 29, 1992, the city of Los Angeles erupted into a state of civil unrest following the not guilty verdict in the trial of the Los Angeles police officers charged with the brutal beating of Rodney King. For six days, people angry about the trialâs outcome took to the streets, businesses were looted and the city burned. While the verdict was the final straw for many, the fuse for their anger was lit years before.”
30 years after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, not enough has changed
Sometimes, being Black in AmeriKKKa can make you want to scream
LinkI donât want to have to worry about white people policing me, trying to âput me in my place,â being suspicious of me simply because I am Black and taking every opportunity to foist their opinions or their âadviceâ on me.
It Is Absolutely Exhausting Being Black in America
Let’s celebrate 4/20 while remembering those held hostage by antiquated ‘drug’ laws
LinkSo Iâm going to leave you with this: As you spark up today, put one in the air for brothers and sisters still locked down because they sold a dime bag. Blow one for the ones who just had a joint on them and got the most extreme forms of âjusticeâ just because some judge could. Light one for all the soldiers in the struggle who are still serving time for the same thing a lot of white people are making millions off of now and getting away with it because they have a storefront.
As we celebrate 4/20, letâs remember that the âweed manâ has been gentrified by white people