Underappreciated Actress of Color #45: Hayley Marie Norman

Hubba - and might I add - hubba (*sniff* how come mine can't get that big?  I eat cheesecake, you know....)

Damn, Hayley Marie; you is just too fine.  *shakes head*  Some of you may remember her from Fired Up! which, I don't care how much the critics dissed it, the lil sis and I found immensely entertaining.

Born in 1984, this California native's been acting and modeling since she was a child (family in the industry).  She's traveled extensively because of her modeling.  Some of you will recognize her from The Young and the Restless, while the nerds among you will recognize her from Hancock and Trailer Park of Horror.

Fans will get to see her play an archangel in the upcoming film Nephilim (2011).

Underappreciated Actress of Color #44: Janina Gavankar

Fans of Janina recognize her role as the promiscuous lesbian "Papi" on The L Word.  It was especially cute when she fell in love with Pam Grier's character and tried to "convert" her.

Some of you nerds will recognize her as "Luna" in True Blood (her episode's due to broadcast in 2011).

While her character "Papi" was Latina, she's actually of East Indian descent in real life.  Born in 1980, Janina Zione Gavankar is a classically trained pianist, a devoted fashionista, and a sultry chanteuse (she redid Kanye West's "Love Lockdown").

In 2008, Janina was rightly nominated for an Asian Excellence Award.

Underappreciated Actress of Color #43: Natalie Venetia Belcon

Born in 1969, this goddess from Trinidad caught my eye during my Fresh Prince of Bel-Air marathon (Season 4, Episode 5...where she took Carlton's virginity).

I...LOVE...her face.  I like the inflection in her accent, I love her voice, and I want the dress she wore in the episode in where she took Carlton's virginity.  She's just one of those women you want to grow up to be when you're a little person. *nods*

Natalie Venetia Belcon's actually a stage actress by trade; if you Google her in images you'll find a gazillion photos of her various roles (this one's my favorite, and not because of the bosoms.  Though I wouldn't mind owning that corset as well)....

Underappreciated Actress #42: Lynn Chen

~ Special Edition ~

I first saw Lynn Chen act opposite Michelle Krusiec in Saving Face and I was very impressed.  She's got a dark, sultry look to her, and obvious good taste in roles.

Her popular blog is about food, where she reveals some very painful personal history:

I used to hate talking about my history with food because it’s been such a roller coaster. I’ve been a binge eater my entire life and spent over six years balancing it out with anorexia.

In 2003 I had literally worked my butt off to play a ballet dancer. When I stopped the dieting, I naturally gained the weight back. But my managers weren’t happy. My fans called me chubby. My relatives commented. And since I wasn’t booking, I figured it must be because of the weight. I looked for examples of women who were about my size but I wasn’t even sure what I saw anymore; the bingeing and anorexia were taking over every aspect of my life.

Stages of Modern Black Communication - Denial (2)

Sorry, ladies.  You know how I roll.

Much of what I'm about to tell you was gleaned from rants by the infamous lil sis.  Thanks to the little one, I've come to realize some things which answered a few unanswerable questions for me.  Like...why do black women in supposedly happy relationships go off when people discuss the BM/WW trend?  As the lil sis would say....

Candlelight vigil for Danroy Henry

If you still got somethin' to say, you care

Face it, black women: we care.  Where black men are involved, we care.  Some of us haven't even dated a black man in many a moon but when Oscar Grant, Derrick Jones, and Danroy Henry get shot, it's heard 'round our world; it echoes and rattles painfully within us.  When 89 black men are found swinging from trees from 2005 - 2010, and their deaths are immediately ruled as suicides, we suddenly find Billie Holiday resurrected and mourning with us once more.

This is the ancient source of our distrust towards white women (and whites in general); black men have died - and still die - because of their lies, or their parents, or white society overall.  One our of greatest fears whenever we see black men so blindly and eagerly chasing whiteness is that they'll end up on the blogosphere with everybody talking about them in past tense.

However...this genuine, valid fear has a tendency to sprout legs and run away with itself, so that some black women find themselves "caring" about black men with white women for far less noble reasons.

Contemplating "Convenient Age and Memory"

"My ancestors owned slaves all,
but if you really think about it,
I'm hurtin' as much as y'all."

(Thanks, Field Negro!)

Really quickly before the "Stages" series continues: Field Negro found this article written by a Southern Republican Kyle-Anne Shiver in which she denounces Haley Barbour and all that jazz, but at the same time is a flawless example of what we lowly folks of color tend to call white hypocrisy.

You know how people of color always tend to remember history a bit more easily and clearly than white folks?  And how we're always given the brush-off about how it was sooooo long ago and how nobody else (read: nobody white) even remembers "all that crap"?

Peep this from the article of "Missy Anne":

I sincerely doubt that Haley Barbour holds any genuinely racist beliefs. But he has made and continues to make comments – in a most Southern, Southern drawl — that have made even this native Southerner cringe....

Stages of Modern Black Communication - Denial (1)

Peter Norton and Gwen Adams

Perhaps black people are in denial about some things concerning the BM/WW trend.  Gentlemen first, shall we?

"Driving Miss Daisy"

Black women have noticed some black men, when chasing whiteness, feel they need to throw black women under the bus.  They feel that in order to thoroughly impress white women, they need to adamantly denounce black women's features, behaviors, and overall existence.  These black men build up the idea that of course no one wants black women, not even black men, and they always stress that it's because there's something "wrong" with black women.

Some white women are immediately repulsed and creeped out by such behavior - as they should be.  They know something's not quite right with men who behave like this; even if they're not sure exactly why it's wrong, they realize at once it's not healthy.  Other white women, however, out of a need to feel superior, often buy into it and actually agree to go out with this type of man.

This always comes back to bite both sides, of course, for obvious reasons:

Emigration: Ghana

Demonym: Ghanaian
Government: Constituational Presidential Republic
Neighbors: Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Gulf of Guinea
Population: 23.837 million
Currency: Ghanaian cedi (GHS)
Official Language: English
Economy: Agriculture, Gold, Timber, Cocoa, Diamonds, Bauxite, and Manganese

Home to the famous Ashanti tribe, Ghana's name means "Warrior King", after the title given the lords of the Empire of Ghana (different location, mind you).  For centuries, her gold drew in the Europeans like locusts (even today Ghana is one of the world's top exporters in gold), and it wasn't until 1960 that she became completely liberated from Britain.

Underappreciated Actress of Color #42: Tamala Jones

Even as we honor the dead from hereon out, we musn't forget to celebrate the living as well.  I've been meaning to do a post on the very lovely Tamala Jones for a while now...even though she got breast implants and said in an interview she wanted to do a movie where she could show them off.

Anyways, she's a grown-ass woman capable of making her own damn decisions so...no judgment from Moi.

Born in 1974 in Cali, Tamala is really beautiful and likes showing a LOT of skin.  It's not surprising, then, that in 2001 she was voted one of the year's ten sexiest women by Black Men Magazine.  She started out as a model, and then got into acting.  Remember back in the 1990s when black movie after black movie after other black movies came out? *nods* She was one of the goddesses of that era.

These days, she's one of the main I reasons I watch Castle, where she plays Dr. Lanie Parish, a medical examiner.  Notice how little info is known about her, but how much info is known about the white chick.

*shakes head*

Justice for Bernard Burden Indeed

The recent lynching of Frederick Jermaine Carter now has folks on the net recalling similar deaths in the 21st Century (the lil sis informs me there have been approximately 89 black male hanging "suicides" in the past 5 years).  One such death is the lynching of Bernard C. Burden, found dead October 13, 2004.  Unsurprisingly enough, his lynching too was immediately ruled a suicide.

From Harambee Radio:

On the morning of October 13, 2004 Bernard C. Burden was found hung from a tree in the yard of a white family. His feet were touching the ground with his knees bent. The Coroner Wimp Pierce ruled it a suicide. There was a house full of people that night and no Police Investigation was done. No one was charged as suspects in a possible homicide despite the numerous contradictions. Now we all know if that was a white man found hanging in the yard of a black family, everyone would have been taken downtown for questioning or WORSE. We know Bernard was lynched. WE DEMAND JUSTICE!!!

After 4 months the GBI has completed their investigation and have also ruled this a suicide and have closed the case. They claim to have performed a Toxicology Test to check Bernard for drugs and their results show that he had no drugs in his system. However this contradicts the statement given by 2 people in the house that state that they, including Bernard, were smoking marijuana earlier that day. Also, Bernard was on prescription drugs, and that supposedly didn't show up in his system either.

RIP: Frederick Jermaine Carter

Courtesy of my deeply depressed lil sis....

From Takia White:

...It was Friday, Dec. 3, and the call David Jordan received came from a local police officer, who told him that a young black man, later identified as 26-year-old Frederick Jermaine Carter, was found hanging from a tree in North Greenwood.

Upon his arrival in town, Jordan, who was born and raised in Leflore County, gained more details regarding the situation and quickly contacted the office of Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge of the Jackson Division. McMullen’s staff informed him that agents had already been dispatched to the area and were working with the local sheriff’s department.

After spending 45 minutes at the scene, Jordan, who spoke with the Tri-State Defender on Wednesday (Dec. 15), had questions:

“How did he (Carter) hang himself from a limb eight feet off the ground?”

Kill this Bitch II

Heifer Jones

Heifer Jones...you are not exempt.

From Hispanic Fanatic:

...For example, [Heifer] Jones, a weather anchor for ABC’s New York City affiliate and an occasional forecaster on Good Morning America, has recently been suspended from her job and has been arrested for lying to the police.

Jones claimed that a man tried to rape her while she was jogging in Central Park a couple of months ago. After investigating her claims, however, “investigators found inconsistencies in her story and could find no witnesses or suspects” and eventually got Jones to admit that she had “spun the tale as a ‘plea for sympathy’ because of trouble in her personal life.”

Jones has been charged with two counts of filing a false police report, and she faces a year in jail or a thousand-dollar fine.

Stages of Modern Black Communication - Anger (Reset)

**Reset Alert** I've gone through and deleted the least productive comments.  I will be practicing much stricter comment moderation on these posts from hereon out.

The stages of grief (Kübler-Ross model) are as follows: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance.  Note: a person doesn't just seamlessly hop from stage to stage in a timely fashion.  A person can start at denial, go to anger, return to denial, and be stuck there indefinitely.  This model was developed when a Swiss doctor (woman, by the way), observed and documented how people deal not just with their own terminal illness, but bad news in general.  I was originally going to use this model for the post, but with modern black communication (i.e., black men and women talking to and about each other), of course, our stages run a little differently.  As in...altogether.

We tend to start with anger

Black women are angry with black men and have every right to be.  Black men can try to say they have a right to be angry with us as well, but it wouldn't be the most intelligent move at this juncture.  In the meantime, neither side is genuinely in denial, so we - as a group - tend to just skip right over that stage and get to the point.  For this post, I don't really think I need to list all the reasons black women are furious with black men - I think even non-black folks have that list memorized by now.  The items range from cowardice, to treachery, to shiftlessness, to overall abandonment.

If I were to start on all of that, we'd be here all day.

You Can't Always Blow 'Em Off (Reset)

**Reset Alert** I've gone through and deleted the least productive comments.  I will be practicing much stricter comment moderation on these posts from hereon out.

For anyone wondering, this post is an attempt to analyze unhealthy BM/WW relationships from a PARENTAL standpoint.  When you respond, it should be about KIDS and ethnic autophobia, and the variables which lead young black men to pursue white women for all the WRONG reasons.  I'm not talking about black men who marry women like Elayna Monts, or who date women like commenters Joanna and Victoria...I'm talking about black men who marry women like "Girl" from Dude's adventures, or my white "fan."

Granted, we should all be talking about the Georgia Prison Strike, but alas...I can see that's not meant to be.

I want to once more thank "Dude" for sharing his adventures and personal history, as well as the all the knowledge I've gained from the overall experience.  As I mentioned in a previous comment, I think the BM/WW issue in America has become so common that we oversimplify the reason the pairing became so widespread in the first place.  It's easy to throw around terms like "conditioning".  It's easy to pass it off as merely "lust", "fetishism", or even "autophobia."  It's easy to say a word, but saying a word is not dealing with the issue.

When a black man like That Dude describes himself and his experiences, and you, a black woman, blows him off, congrats to you.  You've asserted yourself.  You've shown you're not one of those pathetic women "waiting" for your black prince.  You probably already have a man anyway, a non-black man no less.  You don't need a black man.  So when one is letting you know his thoughts, history, and is talking about white women, you don't have to listen.  You've heard this all before.  He's not your man, so why should you care?  You know he's conditioned; like a total weakling he's succumbed to the media, to his environment, and now things are coming back to bite him.  So you tell him to "leave WoC alone", to keep his dysfunction to himself, and in so doing, you accomplish absolutely nothing.

Georgia Prison Strike

~ Special Edition Post ~

It's officially been one week since the strike began.  It is also my understanding that Google only started showing results for "Georgia Prison Strike" this week.  And as the lil sis aptly pointed out, Faux News, CNN, and the rest of the family ain't sayin' ish about the largest prison strike in history.

Some background on the strike:

On Thursday morning, December 9, 2010, thousands of Georgia prisoners refused to work, stopped all other activities and locked down in their cells in a peaceful protest for their human rights. The December 9 Strike became the biggest prisoner protest in the history of the United States. Thousands of men, from Augusta, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon, Smith and Telfair State Prisons, among others, initiated this strike to press the Georgia Department of Corrections (“DOC”) to stop treating them like animals and slaves and institute programs that address their basic human rights. They set forth the following demands:

* · A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK
* · EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
* · DECENT HEALTH CARE
* · AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS
* · DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS
* · NUTRITIONAL MEALS
* · VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
* · ACCESS TO FAMILIES
* · JUST PAROLE DECISIONS

Despite that the prisoners’ protest remained non-violent, the DOC violently attempted to force the men back to work—claiming it was “lawful” to order prisoners to work without pay, in defiance of the 13th Amendment’s abolition of slavery. In Augusta State Prison, six or seven inmates were brutally ripped from their cells by CERT Team guards and beaten, resulting in broken ribs for several men, one man beaten beyond recognition. This brutality continues there. At Telfair, the Tactical Squad trashed all the property in inmate cells. At Macon State, the Tactical Squad has menaced the men for two days, removing some to the “hole,” and the warden ordered the heat and hot water turned off. Still, today, men at Macon, Smith, Augusta, Hays and Telfair State Prisons say they are committed to continuing the strike. Inmate leaders, representing blacks, Hispanics, whites, Muslims, Rastafarians, Christians, have stated the men will stay down until their demands are addressed, one issuing this statement:

Letter from "Dude"

"Dude" finally read everyone's comments.  I wasn't supposed to add that extra bit of trivia (sorry, "Dude!"), but your responses helped him anyhow

~ * ~

To those of you who have read of my "adventures" and are wondering why I even bothered with the conversation, I hope you'll be stick around for my rather lengthy explanation.  First, let me say it had nothing to do with how badly I wanted to have sex with "GIRL", because I honestly was not that physically attracted to her.

And "saint-like" patience? Nah, it was nothing so noble.  It's more that I just can't tolerate people being so misinformed, or willfully ignorant, or oblivious, or (insert adjective favorite for white people here).  I also really like to argue. Apart from that, I have a lot of pent up animosity towards white people, which such conversations allow me to expel in a more productive way, instead of punching a random white dude in the throat for saying the wrong thing to me.  Which almost happened in a CVS the other day, but I digress.  Point is, the conversation was somewhat self-serving, because ordinarily these thoughts are just smoldering inside my head, and it's nice to have an outlet.

I certainly cringed at certain people's accusations that I was a narcissist, and felt a pang of hurt at someone's suggestion that I just "leave WoC alone".  Still, I felt no immediate need to defend myself, as it may all be true to an extent.  It may help to give a little background on myself.  For most of my life I was completely oblivious - one of those black dudes who spent a fair amount of his childhood in white suburbia - and needed to believe that peaceable relationships between me and the majority were possible.  Racists were those far away people - distant in time and/or space. The discomfort I often felt from things people said to me, and the few instances of overt racism that I experienced were tucked away as isolated situations, not attributed to some greater institution.  I also had some distance from other black people for all the "white people shit" that I was interested in, so I was in a strange sort of limbo between black and white, looking for a place to anchor myself.

Adventures of "Dude", Epilogue

Slightly, ahem, perturbed by his convo with "Girl,  "Dude" then talked to a white guy, posing this question:

"What would be your response if I were to say to you that I don't think there's anything you - you, personally - can do, that in the end you're still white, and that no matter how progressive you are in your thinking, no matter how closely we align in our politics and ideologies, that for your whiteness, we will always, to some extent, be enemies?"

To which the white guy responds:

I wouldn't hold a bit of it against you or anyone else who said the same. I'd understand that some things are beyond my control, and one of those things is the experience and perception of a person whose place in society and the history of which I will not ever understand the way they do. I'd never forget who I am in the system. But I wouldn't use that as an excuse to stop trying to end this shit within myself and towards others. I know that if enough whites do what they need to, then there's a real chance at getting this shit changed in a meaningful way. Furthermore, I understand that it means a degree of suspicious feeling towards whites that engage in anti-racism as well. I would say that all white anti-racists need to accept this and know that its a part of the human experience in this regard and that it doesn't exempt anyone from doing the right thing. Like I said, anti-racism work for whites should not be a charity, merit badge, or a pat on the back. It should be knowing that its the right thing and what helps them regain their humanity. In the end, though I would understand, acknowledge, and not question suspicion towards myself for being white, it wouldn't hinder me from always going against whiteness.

Adventures of "Dude", Pt. 3

And so it continues...again...
…

7:55:19 PM Dude: They are not even remotely the same in net result.

7:55:49 PM GIRL: it is counter-productive

7:55:59 PM GIRL: very much so

7:56:09 PM Dude: Yeah, but for the black people themselves, not for the white people.

7:56:22 PM GIRL: if you have white peope who refuse to work around blacks b/c of it

7:56:25 PM GIRL: that hurts that

7:56:27 PM GIRL: *them

7:56:36 PM Dude: again, who are the victims in that situation?

7:56:43 PM GIRL: b/c hell, i've had to apologize a number of times for being white

7:56:47 PM GIRL: and i'm pretty sick of it

Adventures of "Dude", Pt. 2

And so it continues:

7:24:25 PM Dude: Again, you have to understand what is meant by "privilege".

7:25:06 PM Dude: I have… a shit-ton of material that can explain that to you, and maybe that's something you should see before you read the Alcoff article, because she refers to privilege, I think, in a way that presumes the reader already knows the context.

7:25:42 PM Dude: Privilege is not about drawing lines between it and any quantifiable material benefit

7:25:48 PM Dude: It's more abstract than that

7:26:06 PM Dude: again to make it easier...

7:26:50 PM Dude: If you and your brother were to work at the exact same company, doing the exact same job for the exact same wage

7:27:11 PM Dude: and have the exact same standard of living, and all the same financial habits, such that you had the exact same lifestyle

7:27:19 PM Dude: He would still have privilege that you do not, being a man.

7:27:36 PM Dude: how would that priivlege manifest? Well...

7:27:52 PM Dude: For one, he could be guaranteed that no one would assume that he got to his position by sleeping with a boss or someone similar

7:28:11 PM Dude: He can be almost certain to never be a victim of sexual harassment

7:28:32 PM Dude: it is not likely that anyone will talk down to him or patronize him on the basis of him being a man

7:28:43 PM GIRL: brb

Adventures of "Dude", Pt. 1

So "Dude", a black man, (he definitely wants to stay nameless for this one) emailed me the AIM transcript of a chat between himself and a young white woman he went on a date with just before the chat.  It's several pages long, so I have to release it to you in tantalizing pieces.

Now, before we begin, I have some Fashion Tips:

1) Sit down. Trust me on this one.
2) Get either a really strong drink or a bucket to puke.
3) Remember to breathe.
4) You may want to schedule a lobotomy after this.

And now....

6:45:20 PM GIRL: so question
6:45:28 PM GIRL: you think blacks can be racist too?
6:45:44 PM GIRL: or rather, non-whites
6:45:49 PM Dude: Not in the same sense
6:46:13 PM Dude: well, "can" - literally? Sure. Can a black person or any POC hate white people simply for their skin or their hair or whatever?
6:46:19 PM Dude: Yeah, of course. Does it ever happen that way? I'd say no.
6:46:40 PM Dude: POC "racism" as it were, and especially "black racism" is always reactionary.
6:47:45 PM Dude: We (to add myself into this) do not hate white people for being white; we don't hate their language, their genes, their music, their art - our animosity is purely about how whiteness affects us politically and socially.
6:48:03 PM Dude: Whereas a white racist can simply look at a black person and make a judgment before that person says or does anything
6:48:10 PM Dude: or even based on a black person's name on an application
6:48:19 PM Dude: that's not how black animosity towards white people work
6:48:59 PM Dude: Are we suspicious and wary by default? Sure, based on strong historical precedents. But a white person can cast aside a lot of that doubt through their actions, their speech, within a short time
6:49:22 PM Dude: not always - because again, this relationship is deeply entrenched - but it's at least possible, because it's not based on any fundamental aspect of a white person's being
6:49:37 PM GIRL: i think for some colored people it is
6:49:43 PM Dude: It's not, I assure you.

They're Baaaaaaaack!

It's winter.  I'm African.  We don't "do" winter.

Hence the braids; natural black hair tends to come into conflict with winter for some reason (at least for some of us).  We've been having issues up in here.  The lil sis finished off the ones in the back for Moi, but the rest is my handiwork.  *nods*

Once again, just some Cover Girl eyeshadow, some L'Oreal lip gloss, and some Mary Kay gold dust.  *shakes head* I refuse to convert to the pancake posse...no disrespect to current worshipers of course.

My next 'do is going to be Senegalese twists; I'm so excited.

Sarah Palin Questions Black American Patriotism

"Ack!!!  Negroes!!!!"

(Thanks, Kymie!)

I've been waiting for this.  She's not quite on schedule, but I knew we'd get this from her sooner or later.  From David Kaufmann:

In her new book, the former Alaska governor questions the patriotism of African Americans who point out the country's imperfections.

As if a new reality show, Fox News commentaries and daughter Bristol's Dancing With the Stars spin weren’t enough, Sarah Palin is back with another book: America by Heart: Reflections on Faith, Family and Flag, which was released on Tuesday. In it, the half-term governor and full-time Republican enigma shares her increasingly extremist worldview on everything from the legacy of JFK to her conflicted feelings about abortion to her commitment to giving up chocolate for a year.

Her most unflinching comments, however, center on race -- specifically, the racial dynamics surrounding the Obama presidency and the increasing suspicion by many progressives that Palin, the Tea Partiers and the entire anti-Obama establishment are motivated by racism.

Palin clearly thinks not. In fact, on Planet Palin, racism essentially does not exist but is merely a misanthropic by-product of African Americans' refusal to shut up, toughen up and truly become American patriots. This question of patriotism versus racism has been tackled by both white and black leaders since before the Civil War.

White girls, go Buffyverse...not Bella Swan

Originally, I wanted to crop out
SMG, but this pic merely
proves a point.

Just watched Eclipse with the infamous lil sis.

Let me quit bullshittin' - we just watched the fight scenes and fast-forwarded through the rest of the "plot."  However, I did catch the end in which Bella says something about being stronger and "lasting" or some such in the vampire world.

Um...how?  The only thing Bella's good at is being protected.  She doesn't do shit.  Other people fight, sometimes over her, no less.  Other people get killed.  All for this average-looking, self-absorbed hussy who can't.do.shit.

"Bella" as a message to white girls is this: you need to be defended.  You shouldn't have to fight your own battles.  In a world of vamps and werewolves where you find yourself outgunned, don't bother learning martial arts or magic.  Your boyfriend will always protect you.  And so will that manly, wild-yet-noble-savage POC who lusts after you in vain.  After all, you'd rather be with the icky pasty guy who lives off the blood of others, and who offers you a "life" where you don't have to do anything pointless and inconvenient like become educated, get a job, pay some bills, and live in the real world.

Contemplating "Ancient Aliens"

How does this fail? Let me count the ways.

First of all, if the - and I use this term loosely - "History" Channel is going to keep running shit like this, then it needs to change its goddamn name already.  Secondly, kids, riddle me this: How come when POC were running the world, they needed extraterrestrial help to do it, but when white people are wrecking the world, these aliens are conveniently nowhere to be found?  Not even a phone call to check up on us or a card on our birthday....

Contemplating "The Human Race"

[A] person wrote this on a September 9, 2009 Global Comment post I compiled about President Obama entitled America's Anxiety About Obama Is Mostly Skin Deep:

First off I must say I try to be as anti-racist as I can be. Secondly, call me a devil's advocate if you must. The election of Obama has shown LOTS of racism in this country, on BOTH sides of the coin. Many people voted FOR him simply based on the color of his skin, and many people voted AGAINST him simply based on the color of his skin. It went both ways and either way it is still racism. Agree or not, that's what racism is, judging someone based on the color of their skin. As far as race is considered, there is only ONE race of people on this planet.... The Human Race. We are all brothers and sisters, we just look different!

For somebody who claims to 'try to be anti-racist', there are so many fails in this comment I don't know where to start.   But you're correct on one point: you're trying to be anti-racist and failing miserably.

~ TransGriot

"I Guess I'll Just Go that Way, Then"

Makes me want to start smoking again.

So I'm chatting with a black female coworker and friend of mine, and she's talking about a former coworker of hers who's recently moved to a city where there's "so many black people!!!!!" (he's a white guy).  And since he's been unlucky in love lately (white women), he's decided that he'll just "go that way"...i.e., start dating black women.

Him: "There's so many of them here, I guess I'll just go that way then."
Her: "Um, no...no, you won't."

It Doesn't Work That Way

If you're a white guy trying to date black women simply because there aren't any white women readily available, you've already committed a major fail.  Just go right on ahead and prepare for it to blow up in your face.

Dormitory Effect...Back in Effect

Are they hot...or are they hot?

~ Special Edition Post ~

In her interview with Moi, bassist Urith Myree (the chocolate one to the far right) foretold the coming of Dormitory Effect's next album (December 4th, 2010), and its inevitable awesomeness.

Ladies and gents...she wasn't kidding.

"Being women and scene veterans, we are all too familiar with the lack of faith in and little regard for all-female Metal acts and females in hard music in general. There are people that will never believe we write and play our instruments at the level we do. We're not, 'good for a bunch of chicks' - we're good, period. We can hold our own with anyone. So with this recording, we wanted to get great sounds, but we didn't want it to sound 'slick' or artificial. We wanted to keep it as 'live' as possible in order to try and capture the punch of our live performances.

Contemplating "IQ and the Workforce"

Anyone who goes around thinking that IQ is somehow related to income level has never worked a day in their life.

~ jas0nburns