I’m a black man. I’m about 6’2″, average build. Nothing too fancy. I think I look normal, not intimidating in the slightest. I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood. My parents were blue collar workers, but provided for me and my sister. We were taught manners, said our pleasantries. I got detention once in fifth grade because I was late to class because I spilled paint in my Art class and had to clean it up. But that’s it, that’s the worst trouble I’ve ever been in in my life.

I am a surgical resident at a hospital you’ve probably heard of. I was educated in a Top 10 university and went to medical school at a pseudo-Ivy League institution. I have had a great life. I’ve made sure of it. So have my parents.

Of course, I have noticed racism throughout my life. I have been pulled over and the officer has never given me a clear answer. Sometimes, they will straight up lie and tell me that I was speeding when I know I wasn’t. Once, I was stopped and frisked. The officer apologized and told me that I matched the description of a criminal-on-the-run in the area. The only description was “black man, average build.” I never reported this, but I always remember it.

Today, I was leaving after a 26-hour shift at the hospital. I’m in my fourth year of residency and the hours get longer and longer, but I’m almost done. Today was particularly grueling, because I found out that a patient I have worked with since the start of my residency is now deemed ‘terminal’ and will be moved to hospice care. It sucked, it broke my heart. It was like four years’ worth of work had been erased.

As I was walking across the parking lot, a young man—younger than me, maybe twenty-five—leaned out of his car and – (continued)

As I was walking across the parking lot, a young man—younger than me, maybe twenty-five—leaned out of his car and called me the n-word. It was loud enough so people could hear. People stared, most in shock. Others picked up the pace to get away from the earth-shattering embarrassment unfolding.

I stopped and looked at him.The man didn’t get out of his car, but he made sure I saw him. The sneer on his face, it grew into a piercing grin. He started mimicking the sounds of a monkey. He called me the N-word again. People continued to stare. My mouth fell open. The guy mocked my expression; he feigned behavior like one of my patients suffering from severe mental retardation. He was trying to show me how he saw me.

A lot of things were on my mind in the forty-five odd seconds I was standing there. I wanted to walk up to the man and list off all my accomplishments. I wanted to tell him how, in eleventh grade, I won a science fair by creating a more efficient way for our school’s agriculture club to conserve energy. It took me to a national conference.

I wanted to tell him about the first time I fell in love. I wanted to tell him about the guy who made my heart beat so fast that I thought it would explode. This guy, he was tall, his smile was dopey and his eyes were light. Just the thought of him took away the painful feelings that this man was bringing to me. I wanted to tell him that I’m a good person; that I volunteer, I save lives, I work so people like you get a chance to survive and carry on being the hateful people you are.

But instead, I walked to my car. The man called me the N-word about five more times, laughing so hard I thought it was certain he would lose consciousness.

I sat behind the wheel for a very long time, maybe ten minutes, processing. I was angry at the man, but also at the people that didn’t say anything. I was angry at myself for not saying anything.

Sometimes, I just feel alone. Who I am, simply the color of my skin, makes me the target of hate from people that I will never even know. I truly try to love and understand everyone, so when one person returns that with malice and ill-will, it’s a lot to take in.

I don’t think anyone will read this, but I just wanted to tell you all about my day. I want to put this out into the world. I want to let the Internet know that black people are good. Black people are strong, capable, smart. Black people are resilient. I’m proud of my Blackness. I’m proud of my coarse hair and thick lips.

I’m proud of my body that is subject to ridicule. I am proud of who I am, what I have been through. I am proud of my ancestors who were slaves and now I am their wildest dream. Black people can be bad, too. Black people can be murderers and thieves and rapists. Black people can be everything—except human, apparently. I just want to be acknowledged as a human. I want to be seen as a human. I want to be known.

I love my black body. I’m tired of having to explain that pride in my black body is not hatred for any other race. I’m tired of worrying that I may be shot driving to work.

I don’t hate police. I don’t hate White people. I don’t hate anyone.

But, God, I love me. And I want that to be enough

The post What Is It Like Being Black in America? appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Minnesota man was arrested on Wednesday after he accidentally shot himself in the arm—then told police he was attacked by an armed “black male.”

Brent Patrick Ahlers, a 25-year old security guard at St. Catherine University, shot himself in the shoulder Tuesday night, prompting a campus-wide lock-down and building-to-building school sweep, City Pages reports. Authorities conducted an “exhaustive” search for the suspect after Ahlers told police a “black male” was responsible for his injury.

Police was reported to have been working hard to find this guy but stopped when Ahlers confessed that he was responsible for his shooting.

St. Paul Police eventually called off the search after they failed to locate the suspect. It wasn’t until the following day that Ahlers admitted he pulled the trigger “while handling a gun he wasn’t supposed to have on campus,” according to City Pages. The security guard was reportedly afraid of losing his job.

Ahlers has been charged with falsely reporting a crime.

Lisa Clark, who lives in St. Paul, told City Pages about the atmosphere caused by this wild racial goose chase:

“I was angry that he subjected the entire neighborhood to this huge police presence, that people were afraid being out and about,” she said, noting Ahler’s false reporting tapped “into people’s racism.”

If this sounds familiar, you may have heard of a similar story a few weeks back involving Joshua Witt. Witt from  Sheridan, Colorado, wrote on his Facebook page that he was stabbed by a random black guy because he had a Neo-Nazi haircut. The mainstream news media was starting to take attention to this story. Infowars blowhard Alex Jones used this story to promote the myth of excessive black-on-white crimes.

Welp, the story was a fake. Witt actually stabbed himself by accident. 

It seems like when it comes to accidents resulting in getting themselves, or others hurt, white people can’t seem to handle being seen as clumsy. Is this due to some ego-driven push to deny that they’re capable of making thoughtless mistakes. And, as usual in a white racist society, they see blaming it on nonexistent black people as an acceptable way to cover up that they’re human like anyone else?

Usually, I come down hard on these people. And I will.

Look, we all fuck up. To err is human. But there seems to be this sick need to try to blame their mistakes on others and cause trouble for the entire community. This is what racial hoaxes help do, turn entire communities and group of people into potential suspects for a crime no member of said group committed.

The stories of Brent Patrick Ahlers and Joshua Witt should be lessons to us all that if we make mistakes, we should own up to them. And since these two morons are white guys, the lesson should be to don’t cover up your stupid asses by blaming black men and take responsibility for your lack of knowledge for handling weapons correctly.

The post White Guy Accidentally Shoots Himself, Blames A Black Guy appeared first on Madness & Reality.

I know you’ve been told how hot all whites are racist, especially the white person who told you. You’ve been told that white supremacy doesn’t exist or that racism is not a major issue for people of color. You’ve even heard how white people are superior. Anytime ‘white’ is uttered, you can expect a white person to dish out weapons of whiteness we’re all too familiar with as we’ve been bombarded with the same weapons before all in the name of protecting something that they’re afraid of facing.

Irna L. Landrum, who wrote a piece for the Daily Kos, talks about her experience teaching a racial equality training. She writes how white people, including the ones who believe they’re progressive, get in their feelings when their color and all the things associated with it is brought up:

White people on the left often hate to be called white. Much of the time, progressive or liberal white people experience this naming as a direct attack, something to get away from, fight back against, or something they just can’t handle, all jittery and anxious, trying to DO something and just making it worse. Sometimes they stand there, bodies all braced and waiting for the moment to pass. And sometimes they completely disappear, ghosts in front of your eyes. This discomfort—even hatred—only increases in times like these, where white nationalism is hyper visible.

From the moment that egg and sperm meet, each of us is becoming a specific kind of person based upon where we live, the cultures we are raised in, and our experiences. This is our conditioning. Those raised to be white are conditioned from birth to accept the glaring contradiction between everything they are taught about love and how to treat people, and treating or witnessing people of color be treated as exceptions to these rules. White people are taught, indirectly through experience and directly through words, that this contradiction is normal, justifying their comfort, even as others suffer. This is what I mean by whiteness. I don’t mean culture. Whiteness is not culture. Whiteness is absence.

Whiteness is a suppression of humanity.Whiteness is a collective agreement which evolved among those who descended from Europe on the best way to survive. Whiteness is an infestation with roots in European histories of violence which then reimagined itself when it colonized the lands below our feet.

Whiteness is wily. It exists to survive and replicate. It is not carried in the genes of those who pass it on to their children. Instead, it is taught, directly and indirectly, to every Euro-descended child so that they become, even before first breath, white. And this teaching is about what it means to put your own life and comfort first, your own guaranteed survival, automatically, overtly and subtly, and to do this without feeling any contradiction with your most basic values.

To feel the contradiction between your values and something you are doing or witnessing is to feel unsettled. Uncomfortable. Everything about whiteness is a deep contradiction to the values that many white people are raised with as well as to the basic biological forces of human connection and empathy. Feeling unsettled or uncomfortable is important for human development. Struggling, dealing with this unsettledness is how we learn. It’s where wisdom comes from. It is what whiteness protects against.

Whiteness is not just a conditioned way for individuals to be in the world, it is also a system. White supremacy is what happens when systems are constantly communicating that this muted state is normal and that when your white body does not have what it is entitled to—safety, security, comfort, enough energy, a strong sense of purpose and connection—then either you are not working hard enough OR it’s someone else’s fault and must be eradicated. They must be eradicated, controlled, made to go away so that your comfort returns.

For the body, comfort is about survival. Discomfort cues the body to start looking around to see if everything is okay, if there is any threat that will interfere with our lives. If a threat is perceived, then the body launches the survival responses of flight, fight, and freeze. Once launched, the survival responses play out until the body perceives that the threat has passed and it is safe again.

Why do white people hate to be called white? Because living with contradiction can only happen if it is never made visible. The minute this contradiction is given a name, whiteness hijacks the body’s survival responses in order to ensure its own survival. Having someone see you, name you as white, name this deep life-contradiction, feels like an attack on the body. When the body feels attacked, it uses the tools that evolution has given mammals to find safety under threat. Fight. Flight. Freeze. Fold.

Gaslighting. White fragility. Whitesplaining. Microaggressions. White consolidation of power. Nepotism amongst those with power. Bystander silence. Scapegoating and targeting. White supremacist action. White folks not seeing, not believing, not feeling the impact of racism, thinking that somehow those impacted by racism must be overstating it, making it up, creating it. These are all examples of white survival responses.

Of course, I can never truly understand what it means to be white and have to live with and deal with whiteness, especially when it’s pointed out. I can only go by actions and reactions. Through my experience, I’ve seen how white people are when it comes to being confronted about their whiteness, and it’s virtually the same across the board no matter who they are.

But the reality is that such a mindset is debilitating to white folks even if it’s never mentioned. It produces a constant shelter and perpetual victimhood that prevents learning, empathy, and evolution. White people must truly confront, treat and cure whiteness if they ever hope to be truly free from their own prison of false comfort.

The post The Best Explanation of Whiteness to Date! appeared first on Madness & Reality.

They’re violent and are deadly serious about their intentions. In a battle with anti racist protesters, one member of the Industrial Workers of the World was killed when a car plunged into the counterdemonstrators. Reports have also come across about the injuries of two members of the Democratic Socialists of America as well.

Today signals a culmination of a few factors. A large part of it being the stoking of racist sentiments by President Donald Trump. As usual, when right-wingers go on the offensive, the police are giving them free reign. Thus, it will embolden them to take more such actions in the future.

It should be noted that a sizeable number of white nationalists participating in these riots today are in their 20s and 30s. So much for the notion that the racists will just die off. Wishful thinking is of no service here.

August 12th will be remembered as a jarring day for many, and it signifies that a right-wing resurgence is no laughing matter for anyone in this country who isn’t white. Torch lit rallies, hateful chants, and violence are the hallmarks of a budding proto-fascist movement. With the far right mobilizing and the far left/progressive forces marginalized and disorganized, these are really dangerous times.

The post White Supremacists Go On Rampage in Charlottesville, Virginia appeared first on Madness & Reality.

I understand that our “melanated struggle” is never-ending in this country of counter-productive race relations culminated through capitalistic policies. And I am inspired to do better as much as you are. After watching Get Out and listening to Redbone by Childish Gambino, the sunken place is not a vacation spot; it is proverbial quicksand. Oh, and don’t forget about Colin Kaepernick being blackballed. You know, because America hates us.

But still, can black people just live?

Does every made-up-ass holiday need to be that moment where we chastise each other about something that most already know isn’t for us. Can we please just eat our food in peace? Here is a better question: how do you want your ribs? Do you like them with or without sauce? And my mom made the potato salad, so would also be partaking in that?

Those are real questions to ask on a day like July 4^th.

July 5th is More Important

But that day was yesterday. Today is July 5^th. So maybe we can come up with a holiday that doesn’t have to do with chastising black people for seeing their family, getting full, taking advantage of a free day from work (most people), and enjoying the fact that our collective black asses made it to see another summer. On this holiday, we don’t have to wear any ankhs or a suit and tie to show our progressive blackness. In fact, we can shake hands, be merry, and stop judging every black person that doesn’t do something historically progressive for the black collective. You know: because people need to take a break from all that pro-blackness to breathe a bit.

Let Us Celebrate July 5th

So, black people: let us have a day where we can “live”.

We already have Juneteenth out of the way for us in the previous month. And July 4^th just doesn’t cut it for some. So, how about we just celebrate two days in a row (or one day for some) just to make sure we embrace each other without the extra callousness and condescension. It is 2017. We have enough of the overly mental-militarized madness coming from so many uber-African self-addressed leaders that are charlatans masking their homophobia, misogynoir, and ain’t-shittedness. And too many memes are already out there for us to stay awake despite their relativity or fact checking. So, we can designate this day as something creative and for ALL OF US.

That way, we can take a break from finger pointing, extend all them, and shake hands for once.

I would love that. Wouldn’t you?

So, what better time than the day after the Fourth of July. Let us act like a collective then creating drama nobody gives a fuck about?

The post Black People Need A Holiday on July 5th appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Now, back at the business at hand.

We should all be familiar with Bill Maher’s quip about the “house nigger” commentary on a previous show during an exchange with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska). Sasse made a comment about Maher “helping out in the fields” or what not. Maher, being the habitual line stepper, made the comment that has put him under fire. And this is where we are at with it now.

Many people had their own opinions about the situation. Some people wanted him to be punished. Others feel that “since black people say it, then it makes it okay for others to say it”. Some don’t care for the apology issued by Bill Maher because we know he is racist anyway. And then, there are those that are more concerned with things that have nothing to do with the word either way. All of this discussion over a word that is being used by a subset of people within a cultural spectrum sure is making for an interesting discourse.

With Ice Cube being Ice Cube, he decided to not rescind his invitation to go on the Bill Maher show and promote the 25^th Anniversary of his Death Certificate album. In fact, after noting that he knew Bill would eventually “fuck up”, he had this tidbit to say:

I accept your apology. But I still think we need to get to the root of the psyche. Because I think there’s a lot of guys out there who cross the line because they a little too familiar—or they think they too familiar—or its guys that, you know, might have a black girlfriend or two who made them some Kool-Aid every now and then, and they think they can cross the line. And they can’t. It’s a word that has been used against us; it’s like a knife, man. And you can use it as a weapon, or you can use it as a tool. It’s been used as a weapon against us by white people, and we’re not gonna let that happen again by nobody, because it’s not cool. Now, I know you heard [it], it’s in the lexicon and everybody’s talkin’, but that’s our word now. That’s our word now. And you can’t have it back. I know they’re tryin’ to get it back.

Whether Ice Cube accepted the apology is immaterial to the matter. What does matter is the idea behind what he said: Bill Maher overstepped the line. And this only makes sense if you look at it from a cultural standpoint.

Ice Cube and The Idea of Emic Language

Here is where many white people get things confused: certain jargon, colloquialisms, and even prior insults fall into emic language. If we understand cultural anthropology, then we should know that people are shaped by their cultures and subcultures. With that, there are going to be things a group take on that may be considered strange and problematic. Still, those cultural derivatives are all their own. Thus, any outside opinion about it becomes null and void.

In short, Ice Cube was correct.

No, white people should not use the word the same way Black people should and they need to get over it. Everything is not about the inclusion of others. Some things need to stay relegated to a cultural subset. What needs to happen is a respect for that culture and the effort to not step out of bounds. Anything else is just white privilege with confused appropriation.

So no, white people, you shouldn’t use the word nigger or nigga unless you are flat out trying to be racist and want someone to beat your ass. It is just that simple.

Ice Cube was Right So Get Over It

At the end of the day, a culture does what a culture does. Black people can have all the discussions about the word if they want to. White people will be left out because they don’t matter. And that is perfectly fine. Black people are not here to be defined by the white gaze anymore. That ship sailed with the end of slavery and beginning of true understanding of history. White people don’t own our souls and damn sure don’t own how we use our culture. I would hope that Bill Maher remembers this while he gazes at black women and tries hard to Rick James his way through the media.

The post Ice Cube Politely Chin Checks Bill Maher And I Am Here for It appeared first on Madness & Reality.

How can I even begin?

I want to thank you for all of the substance you have added to the American lexicon. Your land and cultural influence gave birth to jazz, swamp pop, and zydeco. Your eating delicacies range from gumbo, jambalaya, to even Popeye’s chicken. The Essence Festival, The Vodoo Experience, and the ever-famous Mardi Gras has entertained many constituents for decades. Without Louisiana, there would be no reason to claim the greatness that is America.

As much as you, Louisiana, have made America look good, there seems to be reason for seeing you as a state capitalizing on things that make America look bad. And that thing is the prison system.

I wish I was making this all up, but I am not. You see, it has come to my attention that you have the highest incarceration rate in the world. And to be transparent, the U.S. leads the world among nations when it comes to incarceration. Since you lead the nation, then you automatically lead the world. While you have a rate of 816 people per 100,000, Russia has 492, China possesses 119, France has 100, and Germany ends up with 78. It is safe to say that you, my sweet Louisiana, is King Koopa of Incarceration.

I’m sorry, but this is the type of shit you can’t make up in fictional novels. A U.S. state leading the entire world in incarceration rates.

And there is much reason for this.

Louisiana Prisoner Problem

The reason why there are so many prisoners in you goes back to that pesky “war on drugs”. You know: that “tough talk” bullshit war on poor and (mainly) black people? Yet, that isn’t the only problem. You also have experienced this lingering number of inmates when the practice of releasing prisoners for good behavior after 10 years and 6 months of their life sentences was ended in the 1970s. Thus, you (my ever wonderful Louisiana) are filled with prisoners and we have government policies to thank for it.

And let us keep it all the way honest: as much as Black people have contributed to your artistic culture, you have forced them to contribute to the prison one. This all goes back to the slavery days. In 1860, when the Civil War started, two-thirds of the Louisiana penitentiary was white. Eight years later, two-thirds of that same population was black. I don’t know about anyone else, but I think Louisiana likes the idea of keeping their prisons filled with black people.

Plus, you house Angola Penitentiary. And historically, Angola remains the largest maximum security prison in the United States. Over 5000 prisoners “take up residence” there. But that isn’t the only alarming fact. At Angola, the average sentence for prisoners is 93 years. Meaning: the vast majority (say 95 percent) of the prisoners there will not be getting out before they die.

When the saints come marching in, I don’t want to be a part of Angola’s number. Hell, I wouldn’t want anyone to even consider it. It must be conflicting that I can find the best beignets and worst prison system all in the same state. Louisiana, your flavorful culture for the arts is being blemished by your thirst for treating people like chattel. And this must end.

Louisiana Prisoner Shame

Louisiana, you should be ashamed of yourself. It is appalling that a state in the U.S. leads the entire world in prison incarceration rates. Yet, that does not seem to be an issue for you if people come party on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. And therein lies the problem: you are good for black folks celebrating but not enough to free its incarcerated.

Louisiana, you have to change baby. You need to free yourself by finding ways to free your people.

Love,

Mark A. Harris

The post An Open Letter to Louisiana and its Prison System appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Uh-huh, he said it while the cameras were running.

No, Whitlock didn’t get caught on a hot mic.

Yes, and I’m pretty sure that he was conscious when he said it. I know, it’s hard to imagine someone, let alone a black man, saying something so asinine. And I can promise you that he said it because I saw it myself. And no, there wasn’t a racist white man with his hand up Whitlock’s ass using him as a ventriloquist’s dummy when he said it either.

So why would Whitlock – a grown-ass black man – say something so ignorant? It’s really simple, folks. The truth is that Jason Whitlock has a white man trapped inside of his body who’s tired of eating fried chicken and watermelon. I wish I could blame it on him being a conservative and possessing conservative values. But there’s no way that a black conservative can be this idiotic. Conservatism aside, this level of stupid is impossible.

I mean, Ben Carson is known for saying stupid things as I pointed out recently. But seriously, Ben Carson isn’t this stupid. Sure, Carson thinks that poverty is a state of mind, but still. So yes, Jason Whitlock has a white man trapped in his 350lb-plus body that’s tired of him.

Oh, and he said this in the wake of James’ house being vandalized and spray-painted with the word “nigger.” Yes, that happened. And yes, again, Whitlock is black. Well, black-ish.

Yes, kinda black.

“Racism is an issue in America, but it’s primarily an issue for the poor. It’s not LeBron James ‘ issue,” said Whitlock. Mind you, the interview was on Fox Sports 1’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”. Cowherd mentioned that he granted the interview at Whitlock’s request.

This means that an attention-starved Whitlock thought that his opinion was important.

“I think it is a disrespectful inconvenience for LeBron James. He allegedly had the n-word spray-painted on his $20 million Brentwood home. He wasn’t there. His family wasn’t there. He heard about it…

“He has removed himself from the damages and the ravages of real racism. He may have an occasional disrespectful interaction with someone, a disrespectful inconvenience.”

Whitlock also criticized LeBron for acting like a victim and bringing up the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. LeBron’s reference to Till simply illustrated the point that nobody is exempt.

Not even a child.

“LeBron needs to quit embracing his victimhood because he’s not a victim and it’s a terrible message for black people,” Whitlock said. “This message that we are constantly pumping out to young black people that we’re just victims and oh my God the worst thing in the world is to be black in America, is just not true.”

“The worst thing to be in America and anywhere on the planet is poor…If you’re poor, regardless of color, you’re catching hell in America and on this planet,” Whitlock added.

Watch the interview below:

Jason Whitlock, however, is no fucking billionaire.

He might think that he is ballin’ like he is Oprah, but he isn’t.

The tragic irony is that even Oprah has been a victim of racism in recent years.Oprah has been a victim of racism in recent years.

Image that?

Oprah Winfrey, a billionaire who has way more money than Whitlock’s 15 cents, has admitted to being a victim of racism. Oprah has enough money to buy Whitlock more Debbie Cakes and snacks his fat ass can eat more stupid hats than Whitlock will ever own.

“It’s not tough being Oprah Winfrey,” Whitlock said. “It’s not tough being LeBron James. It’s not tough being Jason Whitlock,” he added. Honestly, that line made me laugh.

Jason Whitlock is a very sad man

And to add insult to pure fuckery, Whitlock mentions that the guys who park his car and opens the door to his building are black and brown. You know, those other niggas afflicted with all that racism, lack of self-discipline, and poverty. Yes, they rub that shit in their skin like cocoa butter. And I suspect that in his eyes, Lebron is the reason they do.

Yes, him and all the rich black people and their fake racism.

Because, unlike them, he eats a big bowl of sugar-free Cheerios with a side order of cage-free gold-plated eggs. You know, because that’s how he rolls. Whenever his “nigga wake up call” comes, I hope it’s on video. I hope it goes viral. If so, I must see this.

Dead slaves cry when Jason Whitlock speaks

I don’t know if you saw Lebron’s press conference where he addressed the vandalism of his Los Angeles home. But from where I sit, Lebron’s response was very poignant and spot on.

“No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, you know being black in America is tough,” James said. “And we got a long way to go, for us as a society and for us as African-Americans, until we feel equal in America.”

Racism, LeBron said, “will always be a part of the world, a part of America.”

“Hate in America, especially for African-Americans, is living every day,” LeBron said. “And even though it’s concealed most of the time, even though people hide their faces and … when they see you they smile in your face, it’s alive every single day,” he continued.

There’s no way on God’s green earth that anyone can come to the conclusion that Lebron was simply playing the victim. Newsflash: His house was spray-painted with the word “nigger.” This makes LeBron the victim of a crime. In fact, a racially motivated hate crime.

Since being fired from ESPN, if this is his way of gaining attention from the conservative crowd, shame on him. If he truly believes what he’s saying, shame on him. Moreover, if there is truly a white man trapped in Whitlock’s body, then shame on him for being so damn hungry. All jokes aside, the truth is that this is who this man is.

This is the same asshole who criticized Lebron James not too long ago for participating in a Nike ad campaign that promotes equality. Yes, because, Jason Whitlock is pure trash.

The post Jason Whitlock Has A White Man Dying Inside Of Him appeared first on Madness & Reality.

This should be a small victory for anyone with a vested interest in HBCUs.

You know, people like… black people.

But it isn’t.

After all, it’s 2017, and Donald Trump is president. I know, it sounds weird.

Even weirder, a black woman – a scientist – just became Miss USA.

Miss District of Columbia, a physical scientist working at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, took the Miss USA crown to the country’s capital for the second consecutive year.

[…] It was not just her looks that made McCullough stand out from the competition. Out of the 51 contestants, the final five women were asked a series of questions discussing current topics, from the pros and cons of social media to women’s rights. McCullough’s first question concerned health care: Is it a right or a privilege? “I’m definitely going to say it’s a privilege,” Miss District of Columbia said.

McCullough, whose Twitter account follows three members of the Trump family— Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump— added: “As a government employee, I’m granted health care and I see firsthand that for one to have health care, you need to have jobs. We need to continue to cultivate this environment that we’re given the opportunity to have health care as well as jobs to all American citizens worldwide.”

[…] In another question and answer round, McCullough was asked about her opinion on feminism and if she considers herself a feminist. She replied she prefers the term “equalism.”

“So as a woman scientist in the government, I’d like to lately transpose the word feminism to equalism,” McCullough said. “I don’t really want to consider myself—try not to consider myself like this die-hard, you know, like, ‘Oh, I don’t really care about men.’ But one thing I’m gonna say, though, is women, we are just as equal as men when it comes to opportunity in the workplace.”

So you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal, RiPPa? I mean, she isn’t the first black woman to be crowned Miss USA. What’s your problem? Yeah, racism is dead, fool.”

Well, it’s weird enough that there’s a racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic occasional pussy-grabber as our president. Now, there’s a black woman who believes that affordable health care should be a “privilege,” and not a “right,” in America. Oh, and she also thinks that feminism is a bullshit man-hating concept, because, employment opportunities for men and women in America, are equal. Wait, did I mention that the new Miss America is black?

Maybe I’m just trippin’, but with these two things happening in the same year, I feel like I’m trapped in an episode of the Twilight Zone. Hopefully, this isn’t the new normal, folks. I’d hate to think that, even for black folks, reality has been suspended. I mean, there’s no way that we black people are all in that sunken place. Yes, thank Jordan Peele for giving us new ideas.

I Expected More From This Miss USA

This is going to sound sexist (and it actually is) but, I don’t look to anyone running to be Miss USA to have the answers to world problems. However, when you happen to be a scientist – a black scientist – I expect more from you. Wait, did I mention that she’s a black scientist?

That said, I don’t expect to hear Miss America say that job creation is the answer to our healthcare crisis. As is, 95% of the country’s insured have employer-based health insurance. Even so, it’s still a financial hardship for many.

A black scientist should know this.

Similarly, if anybody knows that men and women do not have equal employment opportunities, it would be a black woman. Not just any black woman. In particular, a black woman who knows about the lack of diversity in STEM programs.

Yet, the new Miss USA is being touted as a hero by conservatives.

I suppose this is a good thing.

Why?

If anything, I guess it signals that we are indeed post-racial.

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Cosby’s answer was in response to a comment made by his daughter, Ensa: “Racism has played a big role [in the allegations]. The accusations against my father have been one-sided from the beginning. I’ve witnessed my father’s reputation and legendary works be dismissed without any proof.”

Ensa’s remarks were aired previously on the popular radio show, “The Breakfast Club.” The pre-recorded statement in defense of her father was released to the popular morning show by Cosby’s publicist. This would indicate that her statement, as well as that of her sister, and now Cosby, is an attempt to gin up support for the onetime beloved, but the now-disgraced icon.

What Did Cosby Say?

Asked about the validity his daughter’s theory, Cosby said, ““Could be. Could be.” He went on to say, “There are so many tentacles. So many different—‘nefarious’ is a great word, And I just truly believe that some of it may very well be that.”

Cosby also questioned the timing of the of accusations. He suggested that the sudden vast number of accusations were made to greatly influence public opinion against him. To date, there is a total of 58 women who have levied claims of sexual assault against Cosby. To his point, it’s interesting that the flurry of accusers did come to an abrupt halt before charges were filed against him.

“So, the piling on, so to speak is a way—and certainly an impressive, impressive way—to get public opinion to come to the other side,” Cosby elaborated.

Cosby’s sexual assault trial begins on June 5th, 20016.

Cosby Knows Racism

Bill Cosby saying that he thinks race may play some part in shaping perceptions of his guilt in the court of public opinion might sound far-fetched. To some, I’m sure it sound like Cosby is suggesting that he’s the victim of a grand conspiracy to take a black man down,  by “the man”. You know because, white supremacy, Cosby’s attempt to buy NBC, and the Illuminati. However, while there’s is some truth to what Cosby is saying, it’s not as deep as some think.

Say whatever you want about Cosby, but I think he’s correct. Why? Because what he has said speaks to the pervasiveness of racism. It’s hard to argue that race isn’t at play when we know that implicit racial bias in policing and by juries in court proceedings are a thing.

As The New York Times points out:

[…] scientists have been studying [implicit bias] for decades: namely, that even well-meaning people frequently harbor hidden prejudices against members of other racial groups. Studies have shown that these subtle biases are widespread and associated with discrimination in legal, economic and organizational settings.

[…] But implicit bias is not about bigotry per se. As new research from our laboratory suggests, implicit bias is grounded in a basic human tendency to divide the social world into groups. In other words, what may appear as an example of tacit racism may actually be a manifestation of a broader propensity to think in terms of “us versus them” — a prejudice that can apply, say, to fans of a different sports team. This doesn’t make the effects of implicit bias any less worrisome, but it does mean people should be less defensive about it.

What If Cosby Was White?

To say that Cosby is wrong here is to admit, or suggest, that implicit racial bias is false. In other words, the police shooting death of Terrence Crutcher, for example, was justified. Mike Brown? Justified. Philando Castile? Justified.

Additionally, you’re probably of the opinion that Trayvon Martin was indeed a weed-smoking-thug, out looking for trouble when he was killed. These are just a few examples off the top of my head. I’m sure if I really put my mind to it I could come up with a much longer list of justified killings to make my case.

I mean, there are so many.

If you think race has no impact on our perceptions in criminal proceedings, it’s likely that you’ve never heard of the Central Park Five. No need for me to relitigate that case. Nevertheless, let’s just say that there’s a racist white man who is now President of the United States, who still to this day, says that the Central Park Five are guilty. Nevermind the fact that science has proven them innocent, and that they’ve long been exonerated of rape. Even n the face of this fact, the abundance of melanin in their bodies makes them guilty.

Racism: As American As Apple Pie

The tragedy that is America’s racial history, is that people of color are never afforded the benefit of the doubt. This explains activists around the country protesting and screaming, “Black lives matter!” So no, you cannot divorce race and the ease at which the guilt of black and brown people is assumed. Bill Cosby knows this. Like him, at 79, if you’re black, you’ve seen how racial bias plays itself out. Which, unfortunately for people of color that age is good. Especially considering that kids like Jordan Edwards, Jordan Davis, and Emmett Till never grow old like Bill Cosby has. Yes, would’ve been nice if they were able to.

I’m not saying that Cosby is not guilty of rape. I’m also not saying that he is guilty. Sorry, but that’s for a court to decide. Nonetheless, again, I think he’s absolutely correct. His race may impact any perception of guilt. Last time I checked, like O.J. Simpson, Bill Cosby is still a black man. And yes, sadly, this is still America.

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