raga recommends: style wars

easily one of the best documentaries i've ever seen, independent of my hip-hop bias. style wars, filmed in the early 1980s in new york city and subsequently aired on pbs, captured a moment in time. whether you believe that time reflected chaos or creativity is up to you. however, in the video above, new york times film critic a.o. scott tries to convince you of the latter.

in addition to providing a glimpse into the burgeoning youth subculture, the movie also includes the perspective of the city's establishment, including mayor ed koch and the head of the metropolitan transit authority, richard ravitch.

on a sad note, quite a few of the artists featured in the film aren't around anymore despite the fact that this footage is barely 25 years old and they were all fairly young at the time.

glenn beck: obama racist against obama

from the alternate universe that is fox news. following the announcement of the president's beer date with harvard professor henry louis gates and cambridge police sergeant james crowley, the "fox & friends" crew sits down with batshit conservative pundit glenn beck. and of course, it being fox news, hilarity soon ensues.

beck states that he believes obama has a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture". brian kilmeade promptly counters beck's argument by naming folks in the administration who are clearly of caucasian descent. expect for the most obvious person ... barack obama!

okay, okay. so he's biracial. but that's still a lot of euro-american blood and he's definitely no more african than he is caucasian. therefore, according to beck, obama must have a deep-seated hatred for obama. that's clearly where this brand of logic is going, right?

UPDATE: so wow, the video evidence has been removed from youtube. the good folks at huffington post know what's real though. peep this.

raga recommends: the battle of algiers

we all know that i'm a total film geek. and since i regret not properly watering the seedlings of what could've been a somewhat decent career in arts reporting, i might as well share my thoughts on some of the flicks i've been watching lately. i aim to keep it spoiler-free.

first up, the battle of algiers. tread with caution if you don't do subtitles. a brief synopsis: an algerian liberation movement takes hold against french colonialists in the 1950s. as with any violent conflict, both sides wind up being losers. but the drama definitely leaves one questioning the institution of imperialism.

also, it seems the pentagon screened this flick for troops in the early stages of the current operations in iraq to give them a sense of what they were up against. in short, this film's modern-day relevance solidifies its place as a classic.

a rat done bit my sister nell...

okay, before you start pointing the finger at me, i will offer a brief disclaimer. i didn't even remember this until i saw it on the website of 'the nation.' and there are plenty of caucasians associated with that publication, so there.

anyway, after a day of nonstop 40th anniversary lunar landing coverage, this oldie-but-goodie from gil scott-heron tries to put things in perspective.

'as soon as they get the watermelon, i'm in!'

the delicious title of this post comes from MM, who has started her own magnificent blog, one that actually has a substantial purpose, unlike my own.

i love how my friends have basically just chosen the blog topics for me. i'm just spreading it all around amongst the two and a half of you who give a damn.

our favorite RNC chair is back at it again, enticing people of color to join the GOP with "potato salad and collard greens." sigh. his misplaced attempt at diversity just bricked.

viva sonia sotomayor!

Viva Sonia Sotomayor! - watch more funny videos

found this on MO's facebook page. as an aside, when i was a kid, like 5 years ago, i totally wanted to be like MO when i grew up. i'm grown now and i still haven't mastered it. she's cool people.

anyway, this clip is to commemorate our first latina supreme court justice (i'm not being presumptuous. you know she'll be confirmed. they couldn't get her on ANYTHING. 'wise latina' doesn't count.)

'where's the love for brown girls?'

this comes from the astutely aware DPB, as does the title of this post.

and after i first watched this clip, i could only reply: 'this shit is crazy.'

i'm still trying to find out if such skin lighteners are sold legally in the US, but i damn sure know they aren't advertised on TV like this.

it'd be one thing if bleaching one's skin was promoted as just another cosmetic option as say, tanning. however, i've yet to see a spray-on tan ad showing some chick unable to get a job or a date because of her skin color. no one feels epidermically-challenged. it's mostly just folks frolicking on the beach or whatever.

here's a peek into what skin lighteners might actually do to one's appearance.

can it be i've stayed away too long...

a timely shout-out to the late MJ.

in my absence over the past few months, i've been wondering if this space was worth the maintenance. in addition to my regular obligations, posting started to feel like a bit of a chore. plus, was it disrespectful to my caucasian brethren? i don't think so, but when it comes to discussions of this sort, they seem to get most of the blame.

but i've realized ... this was an endeavor meant to show that laughter really can be the best medicine. we live in a complex world, folks. sometimes, we've gotta chuckle just to make it through the day.

and there is much more rant-a-rific fare out there than i'd originally anticipated.

with that, i'm going to try my damndest to keep this thing moving.

pickaninny for sale!

this one comes to me via my buddy DPB (by the way, her blog featuring amazing handmade jewelry can be found here).

i'll admit some naivete on my part, as i thought the days of the pickaninny were on the decline. i mean, with the rise of sasha and malia, how could one continue to view african-american children in such a way?

but gravity hit when i got this in my email. this is nuts. i guess this is what happens when your main source of inspiration is 'birth of a nation.'

the nose and lips clearly occupy most of the real estate on this doll's face, since that's what black folks look like. furthermore, there's NO shipping on this! get the ignorance that you can hug and squeeze while supplies last!

but what really ticks me off is the incorrect spelling of pickaninny in the tags at the bottom. wikipedia features alternative spellings, but here it's spelled 'pickannie'. pick annie? what the hell is that? it ties so nicely back into my ignorance begetting ignorance post.

chi-chi-chi-CHIA!!!

apparently, walgreens has decided to pull the obama chia pet from stores in tampa and chicago because of racism claims (i had my money on misplaced idolatry, but let's not go there).

hmm, i'm not personally offended by this, mostly because it's just a damn chia pet. i guess the big gripe is that once the buds begin to sprout from the obama bust, it starts to look like an afro. i don't know, i guess this one is just lost on me.

first of all, everyone is trying capitalize on this obama shit. you know, before he really screws up and they start burning more of these chia pet likenesses than buying them.

second, i'm wondering if people would be equally offended by a bush chia pet. i mean, it grows a bush (heh heh, bush). that's as dirty as you can get. i haven't yet seen this actual product, and hopefully we'll never see it.

third, i have no clue what type of seeds accompany chia pet pottery, but i'm sure it isn't a particular plant which would probably add more weight to the racism argument.

but i tend to respect the viewpoints of others so if you think the chia pet is indeed offensive, no probs. we'll just agree to disagree.

the ones cultural sensitivity left behind: eyewear edition

so originally, i was thinking about not doing a post on what could be this summer's hottest rage: slanties. there was no way i could express all the nuance and anger about this product as well as the ladies at disgrasian and racialicious. but something kept nagging me about this product, so i had to get it off my chest.

i'm seriously wondering who came up with this idea. i mean, did they not think that it could possibly be offensive to people of asian descent? and the product name? for real?

remember however, that it wasn't just the 'genius' who was inspired by the inuits (the true fucking geniuses) who's at fault. think of all the folks who went along with the idea, unwilling or unable to consider the implications. i mean, they managed to square away a production and marketing budget for this shit!

and these shits cost $75! during a fucking recession! they have the nerve to make you pay out the ass to be ignorant!

if you happen to be in the baltimore area on april 17, please don't go to this launch party. unless you're prepared to do battle.

black in america, according to cnn

so since i don't watch much television, i can be pretty late to the game on things. but i've spotted this cnn commercial for the umpteenth time and had to feature it.

first, it's set in a barbershop, one of three media-designated habitats for african-americans (the others being the beauty parlor and chuuuuuuch) so you know there's going to be some jovial jive talkin'. that's what happens in barbershops, right?

during campaign season, i hated reading stories on black folks' collective musings about obama that were set in either one of these three places. it was such bullshit. they're not the only places we hang, ya know. we also tend to hit up a starbucks every know and then.

but that doesn't quite fit with the exoticism associated with "the other." doesn't quite make us look so distinguishable from "normal, regular" people. and with tripe like this, it may be a while before we can start looking at our similarities rather than our differences.

going up?

one of the paradoxes of racism

so, i received an informative text message today from my pal TM. it was loaded with stereotypes about african-americans and played off a spoof of (what else?) the new prez. i'm almost certain another friend of mine has gotten it, because it seemed familiar:

i just received my stimulus package from obama. it was a 3 piece chicken basket, kool-aid, and a ounce of weed. did u get urs?

sigh. so you can obviously see the ignorance threaded through this text. however, it's not just the racial ignorance here, people. we've got factual and grammatical errors as well! let's take a deeper look.

first, it's yet to be reported that barack obama has issued any individual 'stimulus packages'. ignoramus must be referring to the bush stimulus checks, which were issued last year. obama signed a broad national stimulus bill, which may or may not give ignoramus a leg up in this economy.

and if ignoramus, you know, read every once in a while, he/she would know that obama's liquid crack isn't kool-aid. it is indeed honest tea, which apparently is brewed right here in maryland. and seriously, honest tea is the TRUTH (except that it costs like $2. it's an occasional treat). the new york times reports that obama has his fridge stocked with honest tea (and possibly its spinoff beverage, honest ade, also the truth. pun intended).

okay, now on to grammar. the three items referred to in this imaginative individual stimulus package are in a list. a list in a sentence usually doesn't have a comma before the last item in said list. i didn't make that up. strunk and white told me so.

the term 'and a ounce of weed' is also incorrect. ignoramus fails to realize that in the english language we generally use the article 'an' before a vowel sound. 'ounce' isn't an exception to that general rule.

and if '3 piece' is used to describe the 'chicken basket', we should hyphenate that term. it appears to be a compound adjective. speaking of adjectives, 'chicken basket' sounds like a basket made of chicken, not a basket containing chicken. it should probably read 'basket of chicken' or something of the sort.

and 'did u get urs'? that must be some new-fangled texting speak.

what did we learn today? we learned that ignorance generally fails to be smart/clever because one of its main components is stupidity. or at least that's what i learned...

food for thought

unintentionally, this space has attributed many inches toward common edibles. first, there was our fructose-related flare-up. we also had p. diddy's inquiry into which poultry product better suited his taste. and our chicken emergency in florida.

here we go again. except this time, we're going global.

first up, obama chicken fingers from our german friends. this came to me by way of MM by way of DA (thx!). the official word is that the company wanted to capitalize on the obama mania. um, why can't they just sell crappy t-shirts not unlike many a street hustler? these fingers get two thumbs down.

then we have this ice cream product from our (former) commie buddies. my biracial brethren, you may be thoroughly offended, or at the very least, mildly taken aback.

furthermore, the packaging features a pink-hued smiley face with a bow (we can deduce that it's some sort of symbolic female figure) and a brown-colored smiley face bearing a huge grin and cool sunglasses (representing some sort of male figure perhaps). on the left side of the ad, we see the words 'chocolate in vanilla.' not 'and' but 'in.' as in 'in'-tercourse. or am i reaching?

with our cool new president, should other nations take a look at their own stereotypes against people of african descent? should we further educate them on what's appropriate in american culture, since they've decided to use our leader's image?

polynesian baby! (i'm a FOB, i'm a FOB)

those who've been talking to me lately know that the australian comedy 'summer heights high' is my new favorite television show. most likely because i don't watch that much television.

though there are scenes i find too disturbing to actually watch thoroughly, the series overall is a triumph and a subtle social commentary. it's meant to expose the pervasive ignorance bubbling beneath society's facade.

which brings us to jonah takalua, a 13-year-old character played by an actor in his mid-30s.

jonah is basically every dumbass male class clown you had to endure growing up. at times he's hilarious, but he's always obnoxious. and of course, there are underlying factors to his erratic behavior.

as i OD'd on SHH for the past two weeks, i'm trying to determine why i find jonah much more stirring than the series' other two leads. for one thing, i'm not even totally sure that i'm not offended by aussie chris lilley portraying a polynesian teen (blackface, anyone?)

jonah, a tongan immigrant, is a self-described FOB (which means 'fresh off the boat'). he loves hip hop and breakdancing is his passion. we find out that he can't read very well (though he manages to make marvelous use of the word 'dictation') and can easily make the connection between that particular insecurity and his propensity to act out in english class.

jonah also experiences subtle racism and prejudice which may also contribute to some of his problems. not that the kid doesn't know right from wrong, but for some odd reason you end up feeling for him.

sound familiar? i've been to public and private school and definitely encountered some jonahs in my life of all backgrounds. interesting how from the other side of the world, educational and social issues translate so well.

and i don't think it's just me. my pal MM, along with almost every TV critic i've read, also mentioned empathy for jonah, who initially comes across as possibly the most loathsome character in the show.

whatever you do, don't sleep on 'summer heights high'.

answering age-old questions

since normal folks with scant financial resources don't have the means to conduct personal taste tests, leave it to sean 'p. diddy' combs to lead the way.

he humbly took it upon himself to determine who has the better chicken: kfc or popeye's. he even rates each chain's side dishes to round out the gamut.

as someone noted in the comments on new york magazine's grub street blog, we should all be on standby for the watermelon taste test. conceivably, that's what's next, right?

and besides, everyone's aunt jackie makes the best fried chicken, you f*ck!

a jealous guy in our town?

i've been away, due mostly to fatigue brought on by work.

anywho, seems our good friend (and alumnus from by brother's alma mater) jeremiah wright has returned to give us his take on barack obama's infant presidency.

if you don't quite remember reverend wright, the video above should refresh your memory.

is it starting to come back to you? then obama gave that speech on race in philadelphia/my hometown/reverend wright's hometown? then wright went all q-dog at the national press club? then obama 'threw him under the bus'?

apparently, wright has never recovered from the fissure with obama. as evidenced by his remarks in selma, alabama of all places:

barack's name ain't jesus. barack ain't gonna improve your child's reading score.

we shall overcome, reverend wright. not just institutional inequality, but also our own egotistical opportunism. mind-blowing, ain't it?

1-800-blk-frnd

Black Friend Finder - watch more funny videos

funny stuff. check it out.

the proper way to reinforce stereotypes

once upon a time, i lived in florida. i worked for a chain of newspapers in a relatively small town. i don't think i ever totally adjusted (i'm back in a city) and i'm hoping the misunderstanding outlined below isn't indicative of the type of environment i left behind.

today in fort pierce, one of the towns we covered, a woman called 911 three times when mcdonald's ran out of mcnuggets. i'd first seen the story via the associated press, who painted the incident as rather innocuous. until we find out the woman was black folk.

sigh. i must admit, i did shake my head in mild disgust as i imagined the racist fodder that such an event could feed into. what the hell kind of person treats the lack of mcnuggets as an emergency? a black person, that's who.

to be fair, the woman reportedly called the police because she wasn't offered a refund after being informed that her menu choice wasn't available. she was offered another menu choice which obviously couldn't satisfy her craving for mcdonald's dubious "chicken" product. it seems she was more pissed about not being able to get her money back.

but that's not what the headlines will say. we'll just see what happens when african americans are denied the chicken they covet so much.