Is the black press giving Barack Obama carte blanche when it comes to his presidential run the same way the (white) press gave George Bush a free pass when it came to his administration's policies? No!, says one observer of Obama's appearance at the end of the four-day UNITY conference, where he was supposedly grilled by sunkissed members of the media. But when it comes to Obama and black radio? The answer, ahem, flip-flops. Probably as it should. CONTINUED »
"This is a report to white people about Black problem. Nothing WE have never discussed before… but its not over yet. And I will continue to watch." —Pop Shit [Stereohyped]
So, about that all-black issue of Italian Vogue: If you landed yourself a copy, you're one of the lucky few. "Even in New York City the few newsstands that carry the issue were sold out (one newsstand went through 400 copies) within hours. There were waiting lists and prepaid orders. Many of the customers, according to newsstand staffers I talked to bought all four-cover versions as keepsakes. At $16 a copy (one newsstand wanted to charge me $20 to prepay for his next batch expected in) it was a Circulation Directors' fantasy come true." One of our own editors is bidding on eBay for her copy.
But while the issue may have featured all black models, the magazine's publisher obviously didn't have enough time to have the ad pages reflect the editorial. Because next to the fashion spreads of Lily Taylor and Alek Wek, beauty products and designer labels were being plugged by a bunch of white girls. CONTINUED »
Drawing illustrations about black people is hard, because every trait exaggeration you might be inclined to make — nose, lips, ears, chin … but especially the nose and lips — can throw up the red flag of racist portrayals. This has never really been a problem for Anglos, because as well all know, Jews have big noses, Italians have too much hair, and Ross Perot's ears really are that huge. [The Root]
Proudly touting the fact that it was "THE FIRST TO ASK JESSE JACKSON IF HE USED THE N-WORD WHILE CRITICIZING OBAMA," Inside Edition keeps the Jesse Jackson saga alive by publishing this interview, set to air tonight: CONTINUED »
After the announcement that Mattel was producing a collector’s edition AKA Barbie for the sorority’s centennial, I went to the Barbie site to check some other brown-hued collector dolls that have been released recently (that’s Disco Barbie to your left). Fully expecting to scoff at the ridiculous Barbies with their unrealistic straight and long hair and their self-esteem-killing, impossibly-tiny waists, I found my internal seven-year old oohing and aahing at page after page instead. The Byron Lars Collection was especially compelling. Mad at myself.
Just like Dove aired those inane mini-soap operas starring Alicia Keys earlier this year, another brand owned by Unilever, Pond’s, is airing soap opera-esque commercials to promote products in India. But unlike those boring Keys spots, the Pond’s ads, for a product called White Beauty, have sparked major protests.
White Beauty is certainly not the first skin lightening product with commercial that shocks us westerners, but the premise of the three-part soap opera ad — a man leaves a darker-skinned woman for a fair-skinned woman, causing the former girlfriend to lighten her skin to win him back — has a lot of people talking about color complexes in India. It helps that the three actors in the ads are big Bollywood stars.
Remember that Vogue-King Kong controversy that ambushed the media chattering classes back in March? Anna Wintour and Annie Leibovitz were gouged by politically correct knives for repeating a racist and stereotypical image of King Kong and a lady of liberty, making cover star LeBron James look like a screaming ape next to a helpless (though smiling!) Gisele Bundchen. Now that the dust has settled, it's time to look at how Americans at large viewed the issue. In a word, poorly. CONTINUED »
Tommie Smith, the Olympic gold medalist who, along with fellow Olympian John Carlos, staged the Olympics’ most infamous political protest, the iconic image of which can be seen plastered on dorm room walls from coast to coast, has changed his tune about mixing politics and the Olympic Games. International disapproval of the Chinese government has led to numerous protests and threats of protests over the upcoming games in Beijing, but the former track and field medalist says athletes should focus on their events.
Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy was performing “Peace Sign” on stage with his group during the St. Louis Warped Tour stop when a black audience member called him a “fucking ignorant nigger.” That’s when things went downhill.
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Remember last month when Tila Tequila claimed credit for California's legalization of same-sex marriage, because her groundbreaking reality television show put sexualities other than the hetero variety on the map? Or something ridiculous? Now tell us if you heard the one about 24 actor Dennis Haysbert, who played President David Palmer, taking credit for the possibility of a black man becoming president. CONTINUED »
Don’t expect to see many black models at Paris Fashion Week. Top designers, who are doing some preemptive damage control, say so themselves. They blame the agencies, which they say have a limited selection of models and color and an overwhelming number of Eastern Europeans.
There are some things in life that simply do not need to be "studied," because when the research is finished and the analysis is performed, you will end up with a lengthy report explaining, in excruciating detail, a generally accepted norm that you already knew existed. Phenomenon like this include: 1) Increased motorcycle sales will increase the number of motorcycle deaths; Combining Valium, Cialias, Vicodin, and Klonopin could put your health in serious danger; and 3) That the sports departments at newspapers are mostly made up of white guys. CONTINUED »
You see Barack Obama’s touch everywhere — in the new generation of voters he’s moved to register to vote and support his candidacy, in the smiling faces of elderly blacks, in the starry-eyed gazes of political pundits, and in the message boards on white supremacist sites. Wait, what?
Maybe Don Imus' latest racist flap isn't attracting the outcry last year's "nappy-headed hos" remark did because there are fewer people to cry out to. In this type of situation, the infuriated classes have two people to sound off to: The broadcasters who carry his show (his new five-year $40 million gig is through Citadel Broadcasting and Rural Media Networks) and the advertisers who pay to reach his audience.
Except every since losing his old gig and finding new partners, his reach has slid; he no longer averages the 2.25 million listeners per week he did with CBS Radio. But more importantly, the advertisers who fund his operation – which reaped $20 million a year to CBS' WFAN flagship, plus $20 million collectively to other affiliates – are nowhere to be found. CONTINUED »
The fresh-faced, newly-minted JDs who graduated from law school this decade with a hankering for a career at the U.S. Justice Department might have proudly listed some of extracurricular activites — say Greenpeace, the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, or the American Constitution Society — on their resumes without knowing that they were actually screwing themselves out of a job interview. How, exactly?
A very damning report on the attorney-hiring practices at the Justice Department shows that aides used liberal “buzzwords” in applications and resumes to weed out lawyers with Democratic leanings. It’s been happening since 2002, but it apparently became markedly worse around 2006 (yay, Alberto Gonzales!).
Cranky pants racist Don Imus, who forced himself into the headlines yesterday with a new bigoted remark to add to his collection, is now explaining away his statement as a just a little something everyone misunderstood. Discussing Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones yesterday morning, Imus was told on air that Jones has “been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.” Imus asked, “What color is he?” and was told, “He’s African-American.” Said Imus: "Well, there you go. Now we know.”
To the casual observer, this might've sounded like Imus was saying, "Well of course the guy who's been arrested six times has skin that's been kissed by the sun!" But that's not the case, insists the ignoramus. CONTINUED »
If there was one person who could attempt to trump NBC Sports' lead golf analyst Johnny Miller anti-Italian remarks against Rocco Mediate, it's none other than America's Favorite Racist Don Imus. On this morning's show, Imus & Co. were discussing suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, who wants to drop his nickname. During the segment, one of his cohorts (perhaps Warner Wolfe?) tells Imus that Jones has “been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.” Asks Imus: "What color is he?” Response: "He’s African-American." You know where this is going. CONTINUED »
Comics? Check. Coupons? Check. Parade? Check. Magazine on racial and ethnic issues in the U.S.? Starting this Sunday, check. Along with the cheesy Parade and the piles of paper-wasting inserts from Best Buy and Wal-Mart, many Sunday paper readers will find Rise Up, a Kansas-City-based weekly magazine that purports to "celebrate race and ethnicity and help us better understand our differences, celebrate our commonalities and build a great foundation to bridge the gaps that divide us." And, if it comes sandwiched between the latest Dilbert comic and a Parade cover story about Valerie Bertinelli's battle to overcome her coke addiction, it might actually force people to notice or talk about things they spend a lot of time not trying to notice or talk about.
Surprise, surprise: Barack Obama was one of Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani’s inspirations when she decided to dedicate July’s issue of her magazine to black models. Of course, he wasn’t the only inspiration. Sozzani was well aware of the problem of the rapidly-disappearing black model.
Editorial Director
