Tag: racism

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You Sound White…Really? ‘Cuz Webster is for everyone #diversity #communication

I’m no expert on web series, but The Unwritten Rules is exceedingly well done, fearless and spot on. I recommend it for anyone who wants to teach diversity and inclusion through a visual medium. If I had a c-note for every time someone said “you sound white” to me, or “you’re so articulate,” I could probably retire. It’s one of those shitty, shifty microinequities that gets under your skin and makes you wanna muff someone in the face.

As I child that refrain was so common I often wondered, do white people have a monopoly on Webster’s dictionary? Is using grammatically correct English and extending my extensive vocabulary really the mark of whiteness, or does it simply mean that I’m a fabulous communicator? You decide, but the whole conversation is bo-ring. Continue reading “You Sound White…Really? ‘Cuz Webster is for everyone #diversity #communication”

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Misogyny: The Big, Pink Elephant #ElliotRodger #gender

Growing up I always knew that being black might cause problems for me. But it was only after I was an adult that I realized how many problems being a woman would cause.Pink Elephant

Luckily, I’ve never been physically abused, nor have I been targeted by a mass-murdering virgin with an ax to grind, but hatred for women — in its various iterations and degrees — is pervasive around the world.

So when a man — whether he’s deranged or not — feels that it’s perfectly in order for him to kill women, who he views as inferior beings who rejected him but to whom he is nonetheless entitled — it’s baffling to me how anyone could argue that misogyny and its effect on our culture is not an issue. Continue reading “Misogyny: The Big, Pink Elephant #ElliotRodger #gender”

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Why So Shocked About Sterling’s Comments? #diversity #NBA #LAClippers #racism

SterlingI would like to state for the record that I think most of the people who are vocally professing their “disgust” for Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling are being overly dramatic.

Unless I’m to believe that his comments are sincerely shocking to most rather than just irritating and sad? Unless it is truly outside the realm of comprehension for a wealthy and privileged man with power to secretly harbor feelings that proved hurtful to others? I’m sorry, but I can’t even get behind that idea.

I mean, too many people are appalled, shocked, distancing themselves from his racist stink as fast as a corporate sponsor can pull its funding. But are they really that surprised? How could they be? I wasn’t. Continue reading “Why So Shocked About Sterling’s Comments? #diversity #NBA #LAClippers #racism”

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When Art Masks – Actually It Kicks the Cover Off – #Racism and #Gender Issues #Diversity

BS

You may have already seen this image of Dasha Zhukova, editor-in-chief of Garage Magazine. If not, gird your loins. It’s real. The photo was used in an editorial on Buro 24/7, a site run by fashion darling Miroslava Duma, that was released on the Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday.

Of course I’ve been vocal in my sadness over it on Twitter. But at the end of the day I have to consider several things.

1. In the immortal words of Zora Zeale Huston, black women are the mules of the world. We do not have a good or even an acceptable global image. Unless, of course, you find crack addicts, whores, baby’s mama’s and ill educated, neck popping ghetto birds positive ideals. Continue reading “When Art Masks – Actually It Kicks the Cover Off – #Racism and #Gender Issues #Diversity”

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Dear Lily Allen: Point Not Well Made

Okay, so a friend hipped me to Lily Allen’s new single “Hard Out Here.” I watched the video because my buddy gushed over Allen’s supposed statement for the piece, one of empowerment and a kind of middle finger to the music industry for trying to force women into skinny, cookie cutter molds.

I get that, in theory. Allen said the video was intended as a light-hearted commentary on the objectification of women in modern pop culture. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt that she meant well. But the trick is, to understand someone actually has to listen to, and think about, her lyrics. If you don’t, and you just look at the video – which I’m afraid is what usually happens with a lot of pop music videos – you don’t get the point.

Without those lyrics – and really, who’s going to be listening when those glorious brown bums are defying gravity and having liquids poured over them – essentially she’s doing the same thing as other music artists who feature a preponderance of scantily clad, overly sexualized women – she’s using them to get attention. Continue reading “Dear Lily Allen: Point Not Well Made”

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Miss America Is a Terrorist…Because She’s Not White @StephenAtHome #racism

Want to know the best way to respond to racism on the Internet, or to racism in general? Take a lesson from Stephen Colbert – laugh. He had a good time with the Twitter backlash that followed the crowning of new Miss America Nina Davuluri, who is of Indian decent. Key takeaways from his commentary: … Continue reading Miss America Is a Terrorist…Because She’s Not White @StephenAtHome #racism

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Leave #BlackHair Alone #diversity

I am so tired of white people getting on Black people about our hair. I am truly, undeniably sick of it. It’s rude, it’s boring, and frankly, it’s ridiculous.Dreads

Black hair is different. It requires different care, and because of its texture, it is suitable for different, and perhaps unfamiliar, hair styles. Get over it.

When I read a story published this week about 7-year-old Tiana Parker, a Tulsa girl whose parents pulled her out of a school because the administration said her dreads – short, neatly tended dreads – was unacceptable, I wanted to throw my hands up and cry out. Yahoo showed a picture of the child crying with a quote that said “they didn’t like my dreads.”

It broke my heart. What message is this child internalizing? Continue reading “Leave #BlackHair Alone #diversity”

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Judging One Book’s Cover – #Racism Has No Economic Cap

OprahOprah’s in the news this week. A shop girl who’s probably still kicking herself wouldn’t show her a purse while she was visiting Zurich for Tina Turner’s wedding last month.

Apparently she asked to see the purse and was told no; that she couldn’t afford it. Some reports say she left the store without purchasing the bag because she did not want the shop girl to get the commission.

The Swiss Tourism office later apologized to O, saying “we apologize that her feelings were hurt.” Let’s ignore how patronizing that apology sounds for the moment, since I’d wager money Oprah’s feelings were not hurt by the incident. Not when she can pull out her black card, call someone and have whatever purse she wants delivered that same day.

What’s interesting is that O later apologized for how the incident blew up in the media. Continue reading “Judging One Book’s Cover – #Racism Has No Economic Cap”