New Jersey Minority Senior Citizens Forced Out of Homes

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

Imagine for a moment that you are in the twilight years of your life. You have been living in a home that you purchased with pride 30 or more years ago. You are surrounded by your children and grandchildren, and the community that you have grown to love. You should be spending the rest of your days in the house that you turned into a home.

Instead, all of a sudden, that home that you spend so many years in is being snatched out from under you. For no good reason except pure greed.

Arlington, Va.—Just three days before Christmas, Nancy Lopez was notified that she has until January 15, 2011, to accept the offer made for her home by the Township of Mount Holly, N.J., or have it seized through eminent domain. Merry Christmas, Nancy.

Last week, she received an appraisal for her home in the Gardens neighborhood of Mount Holly. Township officials have been systematically dismantling her close-knit community of row houses that up until recently was home to more than 300 families. Since 2003, the Township bought more than 200 homes under the threat of eminent domain, and if the remaining owners don’t accept the appraisals being sent to them this holiday season, their homes will be condemned against their will early in the New Year.

The Township wants to give the land to Philadelphia developer Keating Urban Partners, which plans to build hundreds of higher-priced townhouses, apartments and a business center. According to Pulte Home’s website, some of the new town homes will sell for in the upper $200s.

Source

Most of the people being forced out of their homes are in there 70s, 80s or even their 90s. The majority are Black or Hispanic. Almost all have lived in their homes for over 30 years, and were first time home buyers. Now, they are being forced out so that a private developer can turn their neighborhood into an upscale and unrecognizable profit making machine.

And to make the circumstances even more unbearable, the town has been demolishing houses that are connected to homes that are still occupied, causing mold infestations and structural damage. Many of the residents of the Gardens who are being forced out of their homes have experienced serious health complications and family tragedies since the plan to seize their homes was first unveiled. This is not the type of concern that some of our most vulnerable, senior citizens, need to be preoccupied with at this point in their lives.

The Friday Sex Blog [Fucking You to Smithereens]

-=[ Do You Really Want to Be Fucked? ]=-

... Swallow me into your heart
through your vagina.
Come claim your love
in gasps of pleasure.

-- Eddie

How much pleasure can that sweet body of yours handle?

Allow me some clarification: can you feel God in your cunt?

::blank stare::

You know… you can touch yourself, or have your pussy licked, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You can shake and shiver your twat as much as you want. But to be really fucked, your whole pussy has to open, like a surrendered heart, purring like a puma, swooning open as love, throbbing open as your poor heart is given over to a Godly fuck.

Rubbing your clit, my dear, just isn’t it.

Sure, clitoral orgasms are fine, but your cervix is where it’s at dearest.

You might dismiss me and say that it feels good to you, but how do I explain a landscape you’ve never seen or experienced? Many women who have graced my page have stated they’ve reached transcendent orgasms and who am I to dispute their experiences. At the same time, I have to wonder: how many of you have been fucked totally?

Look at you, screwing up your face like you’re about to get that rush of pleasure you want so badly. Holding your breath and clamping down on your pretentious energy, keeping it all locked up in that pretty little pussy of yours, building it up so you can do your thing. And when it’s over, you’ll still complain.

Gentlemen, you know what I mean, don’t you?

You don’t?

Scott Sisters Prison Sentence Suspended: What if There was No Need for a Kidney?

I've been on information overload so I've purposely unplugged from all news sources and media for the holidays. Call it a mini-vacation, but it was much needed; hell, even professional racism chasers get worn down from time to time. So when at 3am this morning I read that Mississippi governor Haley Barbour announced that he was going to free the Scott Sisters, I was excited and overjoyed. No seriously, at 3am, such a feeling is a major occurrence.

But when I read the part in the article that their release was contingent on one of them donating a kidney to the other, I was like, "tha f@#k kinda shit is that?" Yeah, I got just a tad bit pissed off. I mean, spending 16yrs of a life sentence for "allegedly" committing a robbery that net $11 seemed to be injustice enough that warranted their release. But no, not in Mississippi, you gotta give up an organ? That is, unless you're sitting on death row...

Ah yes, the kidney for clemency program!

Ron Artest Raffles Championship Ring, Proceeds Donated to Mental Health Awareness

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

I am so conflicted about this story. While it is great to see Ron Artest giving to charity, and sacrificing by giving away the ring he worked so hard for, there are so many problematic aspects of the current mental health system that I cannot help but be concerned.

LOS ANGELES (December 27, 2010) -- Ron Artest has absolutely no regrets about giving away his Los Angeles Lakers championship ring to boost mental health awareness. In fact, it just encourages him to go out and get another ring.

Artest announced the winner of the charity raffle for his ring late Saturday night at a club across the street from Staples Center, where the Lakers were trounced by the Miami Heat 96-80 in the NBA's Christmas showcase.

The ring was won by Raymond Mikkael, a father of four from Hawthorne, Calif.

"It's a good feeling, because it got a lot of publicity, and that's cool," Artest said before taking on LeBron James. "I'm glad we can start over now and do some more work with charities."

Artest came up with the idea to give away his first NBA title ring after putting a spotlight on mental health by thanking his psychiatrist after Game 7 of the Lakers' triumph over Boston last June. While some laughed at another stunt by one of the NBA's biggest characters, Artest's candid declaration sparked an interest in normalizing mental health care, which snowballed into this unique charitable gift.

And when he officially gives away the ring in a couple of weeks, Artest feels he'll be even more motivated to replace it with the Lakers, who are chasing their third consecutive title.

"I'm so anxious to get out at it again," Artest said. "I get more fuel, I burn it all up. I'm motivated."

Although he doesn't yet know the final figures, Artest's raffle has raised well over $500,000 for his Xcel University charity, which will work with high-risk youth on mental health issues. Artest said he already wrote his first $50,000 check from the proceeds to the charity.

Artest sounds overwhelmed by the support, praising everyone from his teammates to the Lakers' fan base for participating in the raffle. Even Lakers coach Phil Jackson says he bought a few tickets, praising Artest's strategy to funnel the money directly into a charity rather than through intermediaries.

Source

My concern arises NOT from Ron Artest wanting to increase mental heath awareness. My problem is that all too often, no real treatment is provided for people with mental illnesses aside from medication. I think the psychiatric system is overly dependent on mind altering medications with dangerous side effects. I would like to see a system in place where behavioral therapy comes first. I hate to see people, particularly children and teens, automatically prescribed psychotropic drugs. I think we need to do more research regarding intervention strategies that are NOT based on the overuse of pharmaceuticals.

The Legacy of Irresponsible Radio Continues . . .

Tarsha Jonesy Jones

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

I write this with a sincere bias. I have been hating Hot 97's morning radio show since I moved to the NYC area. But since radio is a publicly-owned media outlet, my opinion counts, even if I choose not to listen or critique, my tax dollars go to all radio in this country. Unfortunately, most people don't know that.

When I came here, Miss Jones aka Jonesy, was polluting the airwaves with her negative angry black bitchism. Her reputation off the radio resembled her nasty on-air personality. She was rude, arrogant, and consistently condescending. This might be because she had a failed singing career, and moved into radio to supplement a deflated ego.

Jonesy's bread-and-butter, or so she thought, was to expose celebrities, speak to people with a disgusting demeanor and create various forms controversy through igniting false rumors or playing people against each other. In addition, she and her underlings would make tasteless jokes throughout her show.

What a way to start a good morning, listening to her bullshit. But like other deejays who are used to making quick, controversial laughs for the station's profit, she was fired when her mouth became a problem. Jonesy stationed hopped for a minute until she landed in Philadelphia with the same usual tricks.

Now you have a trio of multi-colored coons making racial jokes about themselves to validate cultural and racially disgusting jokes that are rarely funny. Their punchline, "A Jew, a Puerto Rican and a Black," here you should begin to hear cricket sounds as you ask, so what?

The trio consists of Peter Rosenberg, DJ Cipha Sounds and K Fox. They constantly make racial jokes about their own or each other's racial/ethnic group membership to validate the perpetuation of racism in the media.

The rationale is this: It is a okay when a Jew talks about a Jew in front of a multi-ethnic group because it gives others the permission to speak freely on the subject matter and vice-versa.

The Snow, The Dog, & The Lion: Michael Vick, Climate Deniers, & Quacks

Michael Vick, Climate Deniers, and Quacks

Self-righteousness is the load din raised to drown the voice of guilt within us.

-- Eric Hoffer

The Center of the Known Universe just got about 20 inches of snowfall the other day. An old-fashioned snowstorm. Two things jump out at me immediately: the mayor chastising New Yorkers for being quite vocal about their displeasure on how the storm was handled and the knee-jerk reaction from the conservative climate change deniers. The first item is quite strange. The mayor, last I looked, works for us. And… the response to the snowfall was sub par, to say the least. The mayor should be out there fucking shoveling snow, instead of whining about our critique of his management capability.

Who Stole Kwanzaa?

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Every year people tell me not to throw the baby out with the bathwater when it is time to celebrate the principles of Kwanzaa. I'm from Los Angeles, and Kwanzaa is huge! Well, at least it used to be. Since about the late 90s, event coordinators of Kwanzaa in Leimert Park have been beefing over control of the event due to money conflicts.

Oh yes, Kwanzaa is as capitalistic as Santa Claus and Christmas in some communities. In Los Angeles, since is West Coasters are far from regular cultural events (so says those in the East); black cultural events usually are well attended. But Kwanzaa has this funny, sad legacy that encompasses a trail of tears and blood.

I have said my piece behind closed doors, arguing with my friends who know the sordid history of Kwanzaa and its "creator" Maulana Karenga.

For the most part, people in Los Angeles are mum about the controversies around the history of Kwanzaa for two main reasons: they don't know or they stay diplomatic in efforts not rekindle a feud that still exists between former members of black power organizations of the 60s & 70s who often clashed; especially the US Organization and the Black Panther Party.

Of course this was all fueled by government intelligence that have documents showing its infiltration and divisive tactics within and between the two groups.

The US Organization, interestingly, the only black power organization that survived the neutralization by COINTELPRO in Los Angeles, operate with a very uhm, interesting defense mechanism. If you say one thing that challenges them, they will attempt to find you and silence you with insidious attacks. Believe me I've seen and heard them.

Moreover, the US Organization and the Black Panther Party in Los Angeles were black power version of Bloods & Crips. They weren't fighting over drugs or territory, but ideological agenda and political power that escalated into the killings of John J. Huggins, 23, and Alprentice "Bunchy" Carter, 26 on the campus of UCLA in 1969. (Read this 2008 Article regarding the shootings)

Detroit Area Muslims Lend a Helping Hand to their Christian Neighbors This Christmas

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

The climate in the United States in recent years has been decidedly anti-Muslim. Many Americans have the idea that Muslims are all filled with hatred for non-Muslim people. That Muslims look at Americans as "infidels" and wish only death upon them. But, through the efforts of an interfaith coalition in Detroit, Muslims have taken the opportunity to reach out to the Christian community this Christmas.

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Early Christmas morning, hundreds of Muslim-Americans turned out to help their Christian friends by doing the volunteer work that they would normally do. Muslims say this is a way to allow Christians to celebrate the Holiday by stepping in to provide meals to seniors and distributing toys to needy children.

The volunteers began the day at the Community Access Center on W. Vernor in southwest Detroit, and Saturday's effort came out of an interfaith collaboration by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan and the Jewish Community Relations Council. This year since Christmas falls on the Jewish Sabbath, the need was greater than ever to have Muslim-Americans help deliver the toys and food to Detroit neighborhoods.

Many of the toys being delivered to families today were donated by the organization known as Jimmy's Kids.(Source)

This is the type of story that people tend to overlook. No one seems to want to hear stories of people helping people, regardless of religion or race. I think the service these volunteers are performing this Christmas is a beautiful thing. I wish people would give stories like this the same type of attention they give stories of hatred and bigotry.

These Muslim volunteers are truly exhibiting the spirit of giving that seems to be forgotten in the frenzy of consumerism that Christmas has become. THIS is what Christmas is about. It is about sharing, caring and giving. And, performing good works is NOT restricted to people who have similar religious beliefs.

Many individuals call for us to "keep the Christ in Christmas". Many are dismayed at the blatant commercialization of the holiday. I say that Christ is not what makes Christmas so great. No, instead it is the spirit of giving the holiday inspires in all of us. And the Muslims who volunteered to spend Christmas day performing charitable work for their Christian neighbors exemplify that spirit.

H/T Wood Turtle

NY Governor Sets Black Man Free in White Teen's Racially Charged Death

If you've been reading this site for a while, you've probably come to the realization that I often bitch about freedom, justice, and equality. More specifically, you've probably heard me rant about the American "just-us" system that somehow continues to evade and not include minorities.

Well, just in time for the fat white guy to slip into your living-room with lumps of coal in Jesus' name. Comes the story of John Harris White who got a heck of a Christmas gift compliments of outgoing New York governor, David Paterson.

In a decision that I'm sure to spark racial debates, Paterson has done what would consider the unthinkable by commuting Whites 4yr prison sentence for manslaughter. Oh, before I go on, lemme mention that governor Paterson, like the convicted defendant in this case, is black; and the dead victim just so happened to be a 17yr old teenager named, Daniel Cicciaro, who was white.

Now, Cicciaro was shot and killed in 2006 and White was sentenced to a maximum 4yr sentence, but with governor Paterson's actions, having served only five months in prison for manslaughter White is a now free man.

Um, 5mths in prison for killing someone? Is this justice?

The Friday Sex Blog: Ode to the Breast [NSFW]

-=[ Ode to The Breast ]=-

Thy breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
-- Song of Solomon, 4:5 The Bible

I am not a “breast man” in the coloquial sense of the phrase. In other words, my fascination with big boobs is not as ingrained as with other U.S.-raised men. However, if you were thinking of sticking your lovely tit in my mouth (probably to shut me up), please do! LOL I just want to state for the record that I have never turned down the sexual advances of any big-breasted women!

Actually, I do love breasts, love to suck on them, revel in their softness. While my preference is for smaller breasts, I love what are known as “puffies.” These are breasts with swollen nipples (the picture above is an example). GAWD! I love puffies! If you have puffies, you should be proud. I think they are one of the most beautiful sights on a female form (send pics!).

Anyway, there’s probably never been a culture in history that has been blind to the beauty of the female breast. This is no surprise considering it has suckled civilization. More importantly, it’s also a powerful trigger of sexual arousal and pleasure.

The breast, nipple, and areola (the darker ring that encircles the nipple) are dense in nerve endings, which is why they’re so sensitive to all kinds of stimulation. In fact, sex researchers at the Masters and Johnson Institute in St. Louis report that a tiny fraction of women (about 1 percent) are able to masturbate to orgasm simply by touching and stroking their nipples and breasts. Apparently, women have a much higher ability than men to “erogenize” areas of the body that are far away from the clitoris and vagina.

[On a side note, please remind me to post my critique on scientific research on the female orgasm.]

Secret Santa Surprises Memphis Goodwill Customers

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

The other day I had a conversation with a friend. I told him that, unlike most people, I would NOT want to be rich. We discussed that notion, and came to the conclusion that when people say they do not want to be wealthy, what they really mean is that they do not want to be corrupt, and unfortunately, the pursuit of money often corrupts even those who started out as well intentioned.

After hearing this story about an anonymous stranger giving away money to strangers at a Goodwill store in Memphis, TN, I have come to the realization that while wealth causes some people to compromise their values, for those with a generous spirit, having a lot of money can help them bring joy to the lives of others.

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - A stranger recently walked in to the Goodwill at Shelby Drive and Riverdale and handed out $50 bills to everyone in the store.

Chestine Dunn, an employee at the store, witnessed the giveaway spree. No one knows the name of the mystery person who handed out the cash. Dunn said the man carried a stack of envelopes with him. Inside each envelope was $50, a surprise for strangers who weren't expecting it.

"It's very nice of him to do that," she said.

Betty Ridenour, who is 86-years-old, was one of the recipients of the stranger's generosity.

"I think everybody was stunned," she said.

Inside the envelope the stranger gave to Ridenour was a crisp, new $50 bill.

Conning Kansas: How America Has Grown Less Conservative

As I survey the current financial mess, I wonder how we have allowed a small group of ideological right-wing extremists hijack the economy. For over thirty years, a radical faction of discredited economic players have tricked the masses – that’s you and I – into voting on the basis of social issues, and in that way ignoring our economic self interest. Of course, Obama has ceded the Holy Grail of neocon extravagance: he’s given more than Bush ever dreamed and we’ll have hell to pay later on (stay tuned for more "hostages" in the near future)…

Mississippi Couple Loses $30,000 in Sweepstakes Scam [VIDEO]

Christmas Assault (Collard Greens and Pasteles)

My best friend (we were inseparable) when I was growing up was Al Braxton. We were born on the same day, one minute apart. He was born on a Monday morning June 6, 1955 at 3:28 AM and I was born a minute later. Al was a dark-skinned African-American with fine features, very handsome. He played trumpet and I played trombone and percussion. We wanted to become Latin Jazz musicians and Al came from a family of musicians. We were night and day, yin and yang, if you saw one, you were certain the other was somewhere nearby.

And we were trouble: always starting all kinds of shit.

Al had fifteen brothers and sisters and they all lived in this huge 23-room house in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. I know it had 23 rooms because I counted. Ms. Pearl, Al’s mother, would tire of throwing me out of her house. She used to refer to Puerto Ricans as, “All you mira, miras.” I think she got that from constantly hearing Puerto Ricans exclaim, oye mira, mira! On the streets of what was at the time a culturally diverse neighborhood. She would chase me out of her house, but would send out her sons to look for me if I stayed away too long and then scold me for staying away. Of course, she would throw me out the door and I would sneak back in through the windows. Al got all his looks from his mother, she was a very dark-skinned, fine featured, woman with long, fine hair, still beautiful in spite of all the children. Her house was run like a conglomerate, with varying levels of management. I was totally fascinated.

She didn’t like Puerto Ricans and let me know it, but I think she loved the heck out of me. She would call me “Black” and laugh because I was so light-skinned. The name stuck, I was known as “Black,” as in “Yo, Black,” in her house. However, she couldn’t abide by those other noisy “Po’ Reekans” as she referred to us.

Therefore, it didn’t initial outrage didn't come as a surprise when my family decided to show up on her doorstep one Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) in observance of the Puerto Rican tradition of the paranda. She turned to me and said, “Nigga, what the fuck are all those mira miras doing out there on my front door?” My family also had its share of musicians, my uncle having led a salsa band for decades. My stepfather was also something of a musician and my mother (much to everyone's embarrassment) can’t sing to save her life. But there they were, on Ms. Pearl’s doorstep singing some whacked out Puerto Rican Christmas song with Al, her favorite son, at the head playing trumpet.

Spreading Holiday Cheer with Racist Christmas Songs

Those Gringos Sure Are Funny!

[Editor's Note: Here's a throwback post that I hope you can enjoy. Oh yeah, racism doesn't stop because of Christmas. Hell, even racist assholes stop to recognize the birth of Jesus just like you do.]

Most of you, probably get annoyed by Christmas music on the radio, in the office, being played 24/7. Wouldn't it totally suck if there was a Christmas music radio station that played nothing but Christmas music all year long? And wouldn't it be really messed up if your boss was raised by elves and he kept the office radio on that station all year long? Yeah, the though that it's not like that, is what gets me through this season at the office every year. Although I hate the music, I'm thankful that my boss wasn't raised by an Amish guy with a weight problem who has a fetish for midgets and reindeer.

My favorite Christmas song on the radio is a classic; come to think of it, they're all classics! But my favorite song every year is "Feliz Navidad". I don't know who sings it but I know its done by a Mexican dude; a pretty nice Mexican dude, I might add. He was so nice, that he saw it fit to sing and record the song in part Spanish and part English - yeah, yeah, sure some of you may think he was probably really trynna get a green card when he did that, and I understand. Now I'll be honest, for a long time I didn't know what Feliz Navidad meant, and actually, every time I heard it, I thought he was saying..."RELEASE NAVIDAD."

Yup, I thought it was a song about a Hispanic dude named Navidad sitting in jail for fence jumping or some other one of the many crimes those "illegal aliens" are known to commit. I always thought it was pretty cool how the dude who sung it remembered his friend at Christmas. Not many people think about people in jail at Christmas time, so I thought it was quite noble of the guy. I mean, he wanted his friend released from jail for the holidays, and I'm sure everyone in jail around Christmas time wishes they were at home with their families.

Mother Steals Kids' Christmas Presents; Sells Them For Crack [VIDEO]

Stuff White People Don't Like: Sharing the American Dream, & Black Folks Playing God

Ah yeah, I never thought I would say this about Jaun Williams, but then again, I'm the guy who defended him after being dumped by NPR while you people continued to berate him. But as the saying goes, a broken clock is right twice a day. That said, everything Williams said above in the wake of the defeat of the DREAM Act is on point. Yep, the defeat of the DREAM Act is yet another victory for the racist anti-immigration movement. But hey, we've talked about this a time or two on this site before, right? Yep, score one for racism.

I mean why would your elected officials vote yes to giving a path to citizenship for individuals when in truth such a move puts white people at a disadvantage. I mean, when you're told that the DREAM Act will help "illegal aliens" replace "old white men" in the senate. One can only expect said senators to go into survival mode and vote no against a measure that would reduce deficits by $2.2 billion over the next 10yrs. And not only that, over the same time period, according to the CBO, would add $1.7 billion to government revenue.

But they say it's a giveaway or "back-door amnesty" to them "illegals", and of course Amuur'cuh doesn't do deals with criminals. Never-mind the requirement of qualified undocumented immigrant having to obtain a higher education or even the exercising highest form of patriotism alive by serving in the military; yeah, never-mind that. What's important is securing life and liberty for white folks as was intended per the constitution. I mean hell, what would America be if white folks were to "lose their freedom" because of this.

But sharing the dream isn't the only thing hated by white folks in Amuur'cuh. Now I'm hearing that Mississippi governor Haley Barbour's buddies whom he recently praised for keeping the KKK in check - the Council for Conservative Citizens - are a bit pissed off at Idris Elba's role of Heimdall in the upcoming movie Thor. Now mind you, Elba doesn't play the lead role in this movie; but like Thor, he too is a God, and, well, that just ain't right according to the same people who fought school desegregation after Brown v. Board of Education. You know, the same people praised by Haley Barbour who made the civil rights era "not so bad," because of the pretty white girls around?

They've even set up a Boycott-thor.com website:

It seems that Marvel Studios believes that white people should have nothing that is unique to themselves. An upcoming movie, based on the comic book Thor, will give Norse mythology an insulting multi-cultural make-over. One of the Gods will be played by Hip Hop DJ Idris Elba.

Marvel has a history of advocating for the left-wing. In early 2010 they even used their Captain America comic to attack the TEA Party movement. Marvel front man Stan "Lee" Lieber personally funds left-wing political candidates. Now Marvel has inserted left-wing social engineering into European mythology, casting a black man to play a Norse deity.

I would say that somewhere right now there's a Native American somewhere with a tear on his cheek after reading this, but that would be wrong. I mean I can understand the frustration of these white folks over a black man being cast as a God. I mean it's bad enough that there's a black Messiah occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. after all these years. And now you add insult to injury by having a black man desecrate Norse mythology? Yeah, a Hip Hop DJ?!!

OK, so there are a lot of black guys who play for the Minnesota Vikings, but that isn't a concern; besides, they suck this year. What's important is the depiction of white folks as savage conquers and historic accuracy, I suppose. Which when you think of it, might just be the reason they're fighting Idris Elba being in this movie; as well as, the idea of granting a pathway to citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants.

Uh-Uh.. You Can't eat THAT on Food Stamps!

First, they want to blame food stamps for the obesity epidemic in the United States, then, they want to prohibit Food Stamp recipients from buying "unhealthy" items such as soda. Now, people want to take issue with the fact that some food stamp recipients are using their benefits to purchase "luxury" items like fresh vegetables and organic foods.

"Hipsters on Food Stamps" are the new targets being scrutinized in the media for not looking and behaving enough like REAL poor people. Apparently, young people who were raised in privileged environments, and are now unemployed and living at or below the poverty level are not the "right kind of poor". I guess if you grew up wealthy you are magically immune to poverty? If you are a college graduate who cannot find a job in today's economy, you are just too lazy, right?

The increase in food stamp use among this demographic is hard to measure, as they represent a cross section of characteristics not specifically tracked by the Agriculture Department, which administers the program.

But general unemployment figures among the group are stark: Between the ends of 2007 and 2009, unemployment among those aged 20 to 34 rose 100 percent, and between 2006 and 2009, unemployment among those with a bachelor's degree or higher was up 179 percent.

And in cities that are magnets for 20- and 30-something creatives and young professionals, the kinds of food markets that specialize in delectables like artisanal bread, heirloom tomatoes and grass-fed beef have seen significant upticks in food stamp payments among their typical shoppers. At the Wedge, a market in the stylish Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis; at New Seasons Market, a series of nine specialty stores in and around Portland, Ore.; and at Rainbow Grocery, a stalwart for food lovers in San Francisco's Mission District, food stamp purchases have doubled in the past year.

"The use has gone way up in the last six months," said Eric Wilcox, a cashier who has worked at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco for 10 years. "We're seeing a lot more young people in their 20s purchasing organic food with food stamp cards. I wouldn't say it's limited to hipster people, but I'm certainly surprised to see them with cards."

Young urbanites with a taste for ciabatta may legitimately be among the new poor, but their participation in the program is far from universally accepted. A New York Times story in late November about the program's explosive growth generated a storm of comments online, with many readers lobbing familiar accusations of laziness and irresponsibility.Source

It seems like many people believe that the only people who have a legitimate right to government assistance are married white people who work in blue collar professions. Because God knows we are all familiar with the images of the "unworthy" poor. Single mothers, Black people, immigrants, the mentally ill. Now, we can add a new group to those people who are deemed undeserving... "hipsters" who have fallen into poverty.

I Wanna Be Like Vick

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Right now, Michael Vick is the most undermined player in football, but each week he keeps shitting on his haters. Even though the referees don't call unsportsmanlike hits made against him on the field, and much of the industry refuses to acknowledge that not only has his game improved, but his character is elevated, I take my hat off to you.

Sunday's game against the Giants is much like Vick's life. All the hype and high feelings in the beginning. Everybody loves him until he gets into a funk. When he is down he becomes the predictable "limited athlete". Then he silences the naysayers in an explosive come back, at the point most don't believe in him.

EcoSoul's Quick Play Back
 
The sports announcers were doing the typical "White quarterback is God" dog-and-pony-show. Repeatedly saying how Manning was outperforming Vick. And I have to admit, the Giants had the Eagles shook. They came out of the block ready to knock Vick's head off and crush the whole team. Even for a minute the Eagles coach, Andy Reid was shaken.

And then . . . the tables turned and Vick began to run his ass off, including DeSean Jackson; and the team came together and did one of those Celie lines in "The Color Purple,"  . . . You know when she says to Mister, "Me and my kids gonna whoop yo ass." And yep, the Eagles did. Mopped that ass on the Giants' field.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repealed, But it Ain't Over

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

The country is moving forward finally with properly beginning to deal with the varied sexualities of the nation. Or at the very least, opening a more tolerant climate in the military for all colors of the rainbow is on the books.

But as a black woman, I must tell. No, I must warn my LGBT community about the limits of laws. A change in law does not necessarily change the minds and actions of a people.

Just ask or observe the teabaggers. And recently, the GOP who gave good a lashing to their once favored, porch monkey Michael Steel.

On another level, please note that this piece of legislation is purely political. There really isn't a lot of desire for gay boys and gay girls, to hold hands and hug straight boys and straight girls on the mountaintop. Really, the pols don't give two shits about anyone. Not even Gaga's crazy ass. Yeah, yeah her speeches were nice, but backdoor deals are the reason behind this DADT repeal.  The pols are attempting to save the remnants of already ripped anuses.

My LGBT folk, you will have to advocate and educate a whole helluva lot more to secure tolerable environments. And please white gay and lesbian people, please stop being racist and exclusive.

On the other hand, please steer clear of Bishop Eddie Long Stroke. It appears that he is attempting to quietly hush up his past man-mistresses by settling the lawsuit. Oops, I mean "sons". And let the black church say amen. And please note that Long Stroke is still in the closet about his homosexual lifestyle as well as his bad toupee.

Homeless DC Man Uses Social Networking to Advocate for the Homeless

I saw this brother's story over at the Washington Post and I had to share. Also, since there's a soft spot in my heart for the homeless, I decided to friend him on Facebook. I don't know, I think what he's doing is great. He's using new world technology which one would think would be a last resort as far as availability to folks caught in a bad spot. But to me, his story is inspirational; and also, a good example of what can be accomplished with the use of social networking as a tool for awareness and change. But somehow, I can hear detractors wishing that this brother get a real job; and become, a productive member of society.

Eric Sheptock has 4,548 Facebook friends, 839 Twitter followers, two blogs and an e-mail account with 1,600 unread messages. What he doesn't have is a place to live.

"I am a homeless homeless advocate," he often tells people. That's the line that hooks them, the one that gives Sheptock - an unemployed former crack addict who hasn't had a permanent address in 15 years - his clout on the issue of homelessness.

His Facebook friends and Twitter followers include policymakers, advocates for the homeless and hundreds of college students who have heard him speak on behalf of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Being homeless has become Sheptock's full-time occupation. It's work that has provided him with purpose and a sense of community. But it's also work that has perpetuated his homelessness and, in a way, glorified it.

Sheptock, 41, wouldn't take a 9-to-5 job that compromised his advocacy efforts or the long hours he spends tending to his digital empire, he says. He wouldn't move out of the downtown D.C. shelter where he has slept for the past two years if it would make him a less effective voice for change.

"Too many homeless people have come to look up to me, and I can't just walk away from them," he says in a recent blog post titled "Tough Choices." "My conscience won't allow it."

Having 5,000 friends on Facebook is more important to Sheptock than having $5,000 in the bank. And he lives with the consequences of that every day. 

[...] On most days, Sheptock takes a shower as soon as he wakes and then walks the four miles from the shelter near Judiciary Square to Thrive DC, a nonprofit organization in Mount Pleasant where he gets a free breakfast and Internet access. On the days he can afford it, he'll take the bus.

His income varies. November was a good month: He made $330 from his blog posts ($25 a pop at Change.org) and his speeches ($40 for those he gives in the Washington region and $100 for those farther away).

[...] Ask city officials about Sheptock, and they'll describe the countless e-mails they've gotten from him complaining about the D.C. government's performance on homelessness.

In a city where 6,500 people have no place to live, affordable housing is scarce and shelters are full, Sheptock "aims to pressure them into actually being effective," his Facebook page says.

His e-mail signature includes his cellphone number, links to his blogs and a slogan: "Outgoing Mayor Fenty has a headache and his headache has a name - Eric Jonathan Sheptock." Then he offers Fenty's office number. (Read More)

Human Trafficking: Modern-day Slavery in America [VIDEO]

Black Barbershops: New Target in the So-Called "War on Drugs"

by JuJuBe(Joanna)

Most Black men who I know consider the barber shop a special spot. It is where they are able to gather in a safe space with friends and just shoot the shit. Boast a little, talk about "man things", express their opinions, just let off some steam. My male friends tell me that there is a special type of bond that develops between men at the barber shop.

But, apparently in this day and age, the "War on Drugs" has evolved to the point that even the sanctity of the traditional male retreat, the barber shop, is not safe from the efforts of law enforcement convinced that any gathering of Black males is a bastion of criminal activities.

Officers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office raided some 40 barber shops in black and Latino neighborhoods between August and September. Rather than go through the trouble of obtaining search warrants, they tagged along with inspectors from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to enter the shops.

To hear the barbers and customers tell it, what happened next was nothing short of a nightmare.

According to the Orlando Sentinel and other news outlets, witnesses said the officers conducted SWAT-style raids on the shops, complete with police dogs and, in some cases, drawn weapons.

In some shops, barbers were forced to lie on the floor and submit to pat-down searches. Drawers and lockers were pried open with bars and a battering ram, and extensive damage was done.

Lawyers representing the barbers said that customers, including those who were in the middle of getting haircuts, were ordered out of the shop, and criminal checks were run on them.

Source

Now, these raids on barber shops did not yield much results. Only three drug crimes were discovered during the two month assault on Orlando shops. But dozens of barbers were arrested for license violations. Some were forced to wait in police vehicles while they raided other local shops. And now, the barbers are suing for civil rights violations.

Pure F*ckery: "Santa Eat My Vagina"

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Oh shit, I am in tears at this hilarious version of Lil Kim, Grace Jones, and Buju Banton. WTF! "Santa come down the chimney . . . Eat my vagina." Does Santa eat Africana muff like its fufu and egusi soup? I thnk I have seen it all for this season.

But They Make It Look So Romantic!

by Joanna (JuJuBe)

Ah, yes, unrequited love, a woman's undying devotion to a man who barely knows she exists, that is the stuff of romantic epics like Les Miserables!! If only it were as touching and beautiful in real life! As someone who has spent many years pining after one man or another, only do be rejected for someone else, I can commiserate with Eponine, the chick who is in love with the revolutionary Marius.

Honestly, when I watched Les Miserables, I had no desire to see love bloom between Marius and Cosette, the chick that he fell in "love at first sight" with. Nah, I thought to myself that he needed to be with his home girl Eponine, because she was the one who REALLY had his back! I mean damn, she even hooked him up with Cosette, and I KNOW she did not want to see the two of them together! But she really loved that dude and wanted to see him happy, even if it wasn't with her! See, I gotta give her credit, because while I will go out of my way for the man I am feeling in many ways, helping him bag another bitch is NOT one of them! Eponine, though, she did what he asked without letting on that it was killing her inside. Talk about a down ass bitch!

B.O.B: It’s Not Just a New Rap Artist [NSFW]

B.O.B. The Rapper

by Tracy Renee Jones

Okay, I’ll admit it. I LOVE SEX and I’m down for nearly everything. I study sex, sexuality and human sexual practices with as much vigor as I did my college studies (cum laude). I researched taboo sexual topics back in the day in the aisles of my local library using the card catalog. Who would have known that teenager sitting Indian style on the floor in the corner was discreetly reading The Joy’s of Sex behind a Superman comic book? I’ve gotten a lot of shit about my enthusiasm for sex; but that doesn’t stop me. My condolences go out to you if you are one of those females that dislike bumping uglies. It takes a dam lot for me to back quietly away from the hotel room door.

Thanks to Google I’ve been learning lots of new things I otherwise would have been ignorant to. Lately folks have been talking about “DL” brothers and I’ve noticed there are plenty of women who are buying into it. It doesn’t take much for Black women to accuse a Black man of being ‘on the DL’ (and some legitimately are..but that’s a post for another day). I feel there is such a gray area when it comes to sexual practices and sexual orientation that I must ask....

Are they the same thing?

We can agree that if a man sleeps with another man he is participating in a homosexual act. But what if a man requests rear entry from his woman? Would he be considered gay if he enjoyed his woman’s finger, or a tongue or a *cough* in the place the sun don’t shine?

The Friday Sex Blog [Sexual Healing]

I entered her and, obeying an impulse, I pushed into her mind as well, establishing a blistering mental circuit. Not knowing what I was doing, I pushed at it with all my strength. At the moment of contact I had an impression of two streams of crackling energy knitting together, entwining, tightening, forming a kind of liquid knot that grew increasingly complex, twisting in and of itself, and my focus became more limited to completing that knot, to finding its ultimate expression, until even that intent was swallowed into a blaze of sexuality.

I was with a woman once who was extremely unhappy. I didn’t realize this fully until we were together. I had sensed that she was unhappy previously, but didn’t realize the extent of her melancholy until we spent some real time together. And it wasn’t that she acted sad or anything like that. It was an energy, a deep sadness that ran through the core of her.

Long story short, we were in the throes of passionate lovemaking when I sensed that the closer she neared orgasm, the further inside she retreated. She was there with me, feeling me, but she was also in her own world, where I didn’t exist. I slowed down my actions and spoke to her softly, bringing her back to me. Lying still, I looked deeply into her eyes and forced her to make that conscious contact with me. With just a little coaching, we began to breathe together, slowing down our movements as we reconnected. I wanted her to go to that place but with me, not alone, but with me.

And that scared her…

But gradually, we were able to reconnect and by synchronizing our breathing, we were able to move together, slower at first, but building up our movements. And eventually we went there together again and again -- building up the intensity until we both experienced a Big Wave orgasm that blew both to smithereens. But we did it together -- grabbing on to one another while being blown through the fuckin 5^th dimension or wherever the fuck we went. It felt as if we were being transformed at a molecular level.

When we came to, we both had tears in our eyes and she cried for a long time while I held her.

Congress Passes Extension of Bush Tax Cuts: One Step Forward, One Mile Back

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Dammit Obama, on the backs of the working folk, this country will be carried once again. Let me tell you something the elders would warn me when I was younger. They said, "EcoSoul, all money ain't good money." What may look like helping those who are struggling to make ends meet, protects the very same people who have made economic decisions that have put many families in these dire predicaments. If you stretch and bend any more Obama, your position will permanently be called "coopted." In other words, face down, ass up, and requiring little if any vaseline. I'm exhausted dude, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

And now for some mood music...

OK, That's It; I'm Now Switching to the Republican Party...

And I dare one of you to tell me this is a bad move...

Georgia Prisons Still On Lockdown As Prisoners Continue their Strike

by Joanna (JuJuBe)

On December 9, prisoners across the state of Georgia staged a strike to protest the conditions under which they are incarcerated. Cell phones purchased from prison guards were reportedly used to organize the action. Four of the prisons participating in the protest are still under lock down today. This work stoppage has cut across racial and religious boundaries, as leaders of various factions, normally at odds with each other, worked together to find an effective means of resistance to the conditions under which they have all been forced to exist.

The demands of the prisoners are reasonable, and include educational opportunities, wages for work performed, and decent health care. Prisoners in various facilities have reported that prison officials have attempted to provoke violence from the peaceful protesters. Prison officials have used such tactics as turning off the heat, forcing prisoners to shower without hot water, and leaving prisoners outside in a cold prison yard without adequate protection from the elements. Several prisons have been inundated by tactical teams brandishing weapons and tearing apart inmates cells and property. But the prisoners have expressed a determination to remain on strike until their demands are met. Prisoners have expressed the need for outside entities to intervene in order to help force the DOC to provide adequate living conditions for the incarcerated population.

On December 8, a press release was issued that outlined the demands of the striking prisoners. The men participating in the strike have expressed that they will not give up the fight for their rights, that no matter the consequences, they will continue to peacefully demand decent treatment from the DOC. The following are the demands of the striking prisoners. I'm not sure how you may feel about them. But I'd really like to get some feedback from you as to whether they're unreasonable or not:

Racist C-SPAN Callers Refuse to Support Michael Steele Because He's Black

So my boy Captain Coontastic... err, I mean Michael Steele, surprised me yesterday. Last Friday I heard there was gonna be a this "major" announcement concerning his re-election bid in January, 2011. Naturally I figured the brotha was gonna come out on Monday saying that he was not going to seek re-election. I mean with the Kunta Kinte type beating them white folks his fellow republicans gave him the last 2yrs, surely I figured the brotha had enough. Hell, he even went as far as to say that much of the grief he was getting from his pointy white hat wearing peeps was because of his race.

Well, it looks like Steele is a glutton for punishment, because he announced that he will seek re-election next month. Personally I think this is a good thing and I hope he wins. Not that I like seeing a brotha get clubbed over the head like Rodney King who just stepped out of a Hyundai. But because his gaffes and blunders were gifts from the political comedy Gods; yeah, left wing Jesus is a funny-ass dude. But anyway, apparently Steele was right; yep, some of his brethren refuse to support him because of his melanin affliction; and of course, this doesn't make them racist one bit.

C-SPAN's morning call-in show, Washington Journal took calls from Republicans to get their reactions on Steele's big re-election bid announcement last Monday. The following is an actual clip from the show that you really should check out. No seriously, just in case you think Steele is full of shit by pulling the race card as he did. Do checkout the clip and listen to the sentiments expressed by a few of the callers. I don't know if they're gonna make you laugh as they did me, but...

Bishop Eddie Long Seeks Settlement with Accusers of Sexual Coercion: What Happened to the Five Stones, Eddie?

Ever since I read about this over at this black sista's page yesterday, I've been thinking about this case and just where it is currently. My girl blksista has an excellent breakdown of the case that you can check out if you like right here. But after reading her piece, and watching the above video, I can't help but to ask: What happened to those five stones, Bishop Eddie Long?

You addressed your congregation wearing yet another one of those f@%ked up lacefront wigs and declared war against the devil remember? Oh that's right; you didn't actually say you were innocent. Nope, not even a "now you know I ain't never touched them boys booty? You niggas know that ain't me!"

Don't Worry Eddie, I Got Your Back

You were arrogant; and yes you said that you're not the man that your accusers said you were - whatever that means. But, I don't quite remember you coming out like Michael Jackson after having your testicles placed in a police line-up to proclaim your innocence. No you didn't; and, you were supposed to fight. So what happened to that, Eddie Long-strokes? God ain't got your back?

I mean lord forbid if your congregation starts letting out all of your secrets after the fact. No seriously, I sincerely believe that somebody in that church knows something; I refuse to believe that out of 30,000 congregants, that there isn't anyone with an iota of knowledge of the goings-on of the good reverend-pastor-bishop. That is, anyone who hasn't been compensated financially to keep their mouths shut.

So where does Eddie Long go from here? How exactly does he justify giving the devil and his gay demons settling with his accusers out of court as opposed to fighting to prove his innocence. Can he maintain his innocence after making the deal with the devil? Hello, from what I understand monies in any settlement wouldn't be coming from Eddie Long's pockets, but from the church. Oh hell, I guess it doesn't matter; from the church, from his pockets, same difference, right?

Lord You Better Not Tell Them Negroes What You Saw Me Do!

Michael Jackson (who I mentioned before) settled out of court in his child molestation case; and many of us in the court of public opinion, believed him to be innocent. Bishop Eddie Long is currently working on an out of court settlement with his now-adult-accusers of sexual coercion. Now, Eddie Long didn't make Thriller; that said, how many of you believe the allegations against him to be false? More importantly, how exactly can he sell his innocence to his church and "shame the devil" in the process? But hey, I guess we have to wait to see if he tones down his homophobic rhetoric to find out.

The Real Meaning of Christmas

by Tracy Renee Jones

There won’t be no Yule Log burning on my television screen this year. Nor will there be any gift giving. Nor will there be any church services. Nor will there be any Christmas tree.

Of course in the past I willingly adhered to the practice of splurging, buying, and decorating while freezing my ass off in below zero temps and spending time with people I didn’t bother with any other time of the year and going broke in the name of Jesus Christ.

Anything less was me being a bad mother, and how could I disappoint my child when she expected to wake up to toy store bounty in celebration of Jesus’ birthday! I fought bravely on behalf of my daughter’s honor, so that she may have a Giga-Pet! My best friend earned her notches by getting into a full on scuffle at 5 a.m. with a soccer mom over a Glo Worm her son had to have lest he become an invalid or something terrible.

No, seriously, I’m pretty much over the whole Christmas as a viable celebration in my life. I’ve been getting uncomfortable glances when I’m asked about holiday festivities and I admit that I’m done with Christmas. The looks on the faces of the white suburban mothers’ I work with boarder on confusion and disgust at my comment. Some take my refusal to participate in the fiscal requirements of Christmas as my wanting to take the secular aspect of the holiday out of the religious observance. Nope, it’s not that either.

Can someone tell me what’s so great about Christmas anyway? Do people even know why they celebrate it? Aside from the mass hysteria that is called customs what’s the real meaning of Christmas?

Naivety or Nativity

During the ‘90’s an Ohio school board banned all nativity and other Christmas scenes on any school property; they felt it violated the separation of church and state. Pissed off parents challenged them in court because they WANTED their Christmas. What about the kids?! The board lost their case when the courts ruled that Christmas is a worldwide tradition and not a religious holiday. The courts ruled that mangers could stay because nativity scenes are not recognized as representation of any one religion.

Most of the Christmas tradition is repackaged Roman paganism. December 25 initially was considered to be the harvest festival of the Roman God Saturnalia (the God of sowing). In 529 A.D., the Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday. Many Egyptian pagan celebrations were held during the month of January; these holidays were moved back and become associated with Christmas. No one in the Bible mentioned a celebration in memory of Christ’s birth.

It was 300 years A.D. before the Roman church honored the celebration of Christmas, and it was not until the fifth century that it became an official festival honoring “Jesus Christ.” Biblical scholars quote verse where Jesus specifically spoke against keeping pagan holidays and boisterous traditions (Matt 15:9; Mark 7:9).

Go Jesus; It’s Your Birthday!

The book of Luke describes the events that were taking place during the season of the birth of Jesus Christ. Strangely enough, the time points to his being born during the Fall Season (see Luke 2:8 reference to shepherds still in the fields. Shepherds didn’t do this during the winter months). The festival of Saturnalia (Dec 17^th) was a time for partying and gift exchanging. December 25 was the birth date of the god Mithra (the Righteous Son). January 1^st was the Roman New Year; a time when Romans would adorn their houses with decorations and gifts were given to the poor and children. Fir trees, Yule cakes and gift giving are also aspects of German and Celtic harvest celebrations which were absorbed into tradition when these tribes settled in Britain and Europe.

During the Reformation those PR gurus swapped out the harvest festival celebrations and replaced it with the birth of Jesus Christ; they threw in some self serving gouging and debauchery for good measure because who doesn’t like a good party?

Pastor James David Manning: Obama Has Neutered and Weakened the White Man

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Just when you thought you have heard it all, here comes this pastor. Amen and pass the bottle of Boone's Farm, Uncle Ruckus of The Boondocks is not only real, but he has a congregation. And, has a helluva pep talk for white folks in America in this installment. No seriously, white folks, pay attention OK?

"You ain't what you used to be, white man!" - Pastor James David Manning



Um, did this fool say that "God has moved on from slavery..."?

Guest Blogger: Republican Swagger (by The Janitor)

[Editor's Note: The following post comes from my man The Janitor, of The Urban Politico. I'm proud to say that having watched his blog grow since its inception, that I'm happy to have him as a guest on this site. I mean, it's not every day you're able to have the creator of an award winning blog featured on your site.]

A few weeks ago I found myself sitting in a waiting room at the car shop when something interesting occurred.  The waiting room, which probably held about 25 people, was at about half capacity.  There were an assortment of folks from different walks of life seated around this room; a soccer mom over here, a business guy over there.  Although a few people were preoccupied with work from the office or random messages on their blackberries, the majority of us chose to pass our time by watching the flat screen TV mounted in the corner of the room which was tuned in to the local news.  After about a half an hour or so, in walks a middle-aged Asian guy who casually strolls in, looks at the TV, picks up the remote control and, without consulting anybody else in the room as to whether we were watching the TV, he proceeds to change the channel to Fox News.  But he doesn't stop there. As I mentioned the TV was mounted in the corner of the room pointing towards the center of the room at a 45-degree angle, however all of the chairs had their backs placed squarely against one of the four walls like you would expect in a waiting room.  This guy, without giving it a moment's thought or the slightest bit of hesitation, takes one of the chairs out away from wall and places it in the middle of the room at a 45-degree angle directly in front of the TV.   Mind you, by doing this, he completely blocked the view of the people seated directly behind him who were watching the news prior to his arrival.  Nobody else's opinion in the room mattered to this guy.  He saw what he wanted, and he took it.  It was supposed to be his way.  Naturally.  Of course the TV should be tuned to Fox News.  What else is there?  Of course he should have his seat front and center.  Why wouldn't he?  And that's when it hit me: this guy personified the Republican Swagger.

The New Poor Professional Class: Suited, Booted & Broke

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Master's degrees or more, business suits, living check-to-check and a job are required for this group. Please make sure you are ducking and dodging from the Department of Education and consolidation loan agencies. Your tuition loans that are so high, your debt for attending a university equates a monthly mortgage payment.

You front at Starbucks, nursing on a latte you've been drinking for about 5 hours, hoping that you will bump into someone. Praying that you will meet high-powered someone that will put you on. You ARE employed, but you barely make enough to make ends meet. Some of you take care of your parents because you are a first generation corporate person. Some pay for your grandparents medication, and have to decide which bill you can pay this month.

Or take first generation attorneys, doctors and corporate workers who were not given basic business guidance like setting up your own corporation. And even those who did not have a mentor that opened them to a network in which they could move up.

Suze Orman's "unrealistic" and demeaning money advice can kiss your ass. She said higher education was a luxury, but school was your passageway into circles you were not allowed . . . and frankly with the crunching economy, you've found out that you still are not in.

Gary DeWester, Racist Soap, & Black Face Cupcakes

What's Wrong With Preserving Our Racist Past?

by JuJube (Joanna)

Gary DeWester, the owner of "The General Store" in Noblesville, Indiana, is happy about the controversy caused by the racist labels on soaps sold in his old fashioned store. He believes that the outrage that this product has caused is "free publicity", and will help bring people into his shop. After all, racism sells, and the almighty dollar is king.

Gary was told by the owner of the building in which he leases his store that he must pull the offensive product from the shelves. He has refused, citing the notion that people are "too politically correct". He even states (with pride) that "our country was built on racism". Mr. DeWester is now facing the possibility of losing his lease because of his refusal to stop selling these racist items.

I remember seeing items from the past that used blatant racism as advertising. I was always appalled that people found such things perfectly acceptable, and wondered how anyone can look at such things and not be offended. Today's racism, though just as insidious, always seemed to be more subtle (for example, the Old Navy commercial I wrote about a few weeks ago) But, obviously some people still believe in good old fashioned, in your face racism.

Sometimes I wonder what is worse, the obvious racism of these soap labels (which I am sure some people will label as "kitschy" or "nostalgic" despite their offensiveness) or the more subtle racist messages in media today. Most people will look at this soap and immediately recognize that it is unacceptable to portray these images. But, sadly, people will look at the Duncan Hines Amazing Glazes commercial (featuring Black face in cupcake form) as just a cute ad for a new product. So, have things really changed all that much?