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#BlackLivesMatter… Sort Of
In the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd & Rayshard Brooks, the Black Lives Matter movement has finally gained ground. Several companies have pledged money & time to supporting the cause while Ben & Jerry’s specifically called for an action plan to end white supremacy. The state of Mississippi will officially remove the confederate symbol from its state flag. Though these moves have been welcomed, others seemed focused on trivial, symbolic gestures rather than dealing with the problem at hand.
Several TV shows including The Office, 30 Rock and The Golden Girls are having scenes and/or episodes scrubbed because blackface was used. AMC’s Mad Men will feature a title card on its blackface episode to “give context”. While the gesture itself may seem nice, the scrubbing of episodes doesn’t take away from the fact that these scenes/episodes were greenlit in the first place. The whole idea of blackface was not for entertainment but rather to cement demeaning stereotypes of black people.
Several actors have decided to leave TV shows where they provided the voic for black characters. Mike Henry who voiced the animated character Cleveland from Family Guy decided to step down… after doing the voice(and making millions) for 20 years:
I just wonder if Mike had that thought of people of color playing people of color when first offered the role 20+ years ago.
And then there’s the Houston Association of Realtors. They have decided to remove the word “master” to describe bedrooms and bathrooms and replace it with the word “primary”. *eye roll*
Again… these gestures, while intending to right past wrongs, doesn’t work to solve the systemic issue of the lack of diversity that permeates this country. That’s what #BlackLivesMatter is about – ending a system that was not designed for black people to have true equality.
Terry Crews Can’t Help Himself
Actor Terry Crews finds himself in some very hot water after a June 29th tweet about Black Lives Matter:
This tweet seems imply that people who are interested in equal rights for everyone are also interested in some power reversal where black people become the oppressors.
Terry is completely missing the point of this latest civil rights movement. It has never been about taking over. It has always been about having the same economic, educational and social opportunities as everyone else. It’s about making sure police are here to PROTECT & SERVE and not serve as militarized gatekeepers. It’s about making sure real estate and banking practices are fair & equal. Tweets & thoughts like this are counterproductive and actually serve as cover for those who still choose not to confront & challenge systemic racism.
Don’t Call It A Comeback
Don’t look now… but COVID-19 is dealing its biggest blow yet to the U.S. As the following graph shows, there’s been a spike and now the U.S. is virtually back to its peak numbers from March & early April:
In the last 7 days the top 10 states have added 243, 445 new COVID cases. That’s nearly 10% of the total amount cases since the CDC began tracking cases here in the U.S. That’s an alarming rate. Florida, Texas, California, Arizona & Georgia are the leading states with the biggest spikes. It’s not a coincidence these states either didn’t completely shut down at all or decided to open back up way too soon.
The bottom line is people are still not taking this virus seriously even though it has killed nearly 130,000 people. Bar owners in Texas upset that the governor has ordered bars to shut down to try & stop the surge have organized a “Bar Lives Matter” concert. Even though there are not supposed to be any concerts, rapper Vanilla Ice was planning a concert in Texas before eventually canceling. Even the Current Occupant of the White House is STILL not taking this seriously enough. He still refuses to wear masks and still believes that COVID will “just disappear”. I can’t understand the arrogance, ignorance and apathy of people in this country who refuse to treat this disease like the grave situation that it is. You are only harming yourself and more importantly could be potentially harming others. STOP IT. WEAR A MASK. PRACTICE HAND HYGIENE. PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING.
Final Thoughts:
- The WWE have at least 30 people who have tested positive for COVID since keeping their shows to the Performance Center in Orlando. I could be wrong… but maybe Vince McMahon should think about people’s lives & well-being and shut it down for a while.
- The NBA still has plans to go on with its ‘2nd season’ despite the fact 25 players and another 10 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Keep in mind, the NBA’s logic is to seclude over 1200 NBA players & staff members in the Disney World Resorts to finish the regular season & playoffs. Am I wrong for thinking this possibly won’t end well?
- Rapper Freddie Gibbs has won the internet for the month of July. First he spent a good week roasting a certain radio/podcast host and then he provided this gem on Jemele Hill’s “I’m Bothered” podcast:
- In the department of “Life Moves At You Fast” I give you Herman Cain:
- And finally…. it’s not soda, it’s POP.
Stay safe. Wear a mask. Check on your loved ones….
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