Weezy & Birdman were spotted together hanging out at Drake's NYE party Thursday night.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/lil-wayne-and-birdman-spotted-together-at-drake-s-nye-party-news.19415.html
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Lil Wayne & Birdman Spotted Together At Drake’s NYE Party
Weezy & Birdman were spotted together hanging out at Drake's NYE party Thursday night.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/lil-wayne-and-birdman-spotted-together-at-drake-s-nye-party-news.19415.html
Alabama Beats Michigan St, Advances To National Championship
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jake Coker played the game of his career, hooking up with Calvin Ridley for two touchdowns, as second-ranked Alabama aired it out to beat No. 3 Michigan State 38-0 Thursday night and advance to the national championship game.
Alabama (13-1) will face No. 1 Clemson (14-0) on Jan. 11 in Arizona looking for its fourth national title in nine seasons under coach Nick Saban.
The Tide looked like a team with no weaknesses against overmatched Michigan State (12-2). Coker, the promising Florida State transfer who sat the bench most of last season, was nearly perfect. The senior completed 25 for 30 for 286 yards. The freshman Ridley was brilliant, streaking by defenders on deep throws and outfighting them on jump balls. He caught eight passes for 138 yards.
Jonathan Allen and the ferocious Tide defensive front sacked Connor Cook four times and allowed the Spartans only one trip into the red zone — which ended with Cyrus Jones intercepting a pass at the goal line.
Jones added a high-stepping 57-yard punt return touchdown for the Tide, which hardly even had to use Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. The big tailback who has carried the Crimson Tide offense most of the season was mostly just a role player against a Spartans defense stacked to stop him. He ran for 75 yards and scored two touchdowns. The last made it 38-0 halfway through the fourth quarter. The celebration at that point was pretty tame on the Alabama sideline. Henry got a chest pump from a lineman and some pats on the helmet before taking a seat next to a fan to cool off.
He was done for the day as if it was a September game against one of those nonconference cupcakes.
The 'Bama fans were having fun, though, breaking out the "S-E-C!" chant and singing along to "Sweet HomeAlabama" with that familiar "Rolll Tide Roll!" AT&T Stadium in North Texas — where Alabama started its season by blwoing out a Big Ten team (Wisconsin) — had turned into Tuscaloosa west.
The only team to make to the College Football Playoff each of its first two seasons will be playing in the final for the first time,
Last season the Crimson Tide couldn't get past the semifinals, upset by Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Heading into another game as a big favorite against the Big Ten champions, the Tide players said all week that the focus was better and their attitude more serious.
They talked about how some players were too concerned about where they would be drafted or partying on Bourbon Street. In chilly Dallas there was nothing to do but practice and that was fine by them.
Michigan State embraced its role as the underdog and came in expecting to slug it out with the Tide and it smothering defense and hammering Heisman winner. The Spartans offensive line watched video of the 1971 Ali-Frazier fight to prepare for what it expected to be a 15-round heavyweight bout.
Instead it was a TKO.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Rich The Kid, Boosie Badazz & Yank Deezy - Designer
Rich The Kid, Boosie Badazz, and Yank Deezy all link up for the new track "Designer."
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/rich-the-kid-boosie-badazz-and-yank-deezy-designer-new-song.1967873.html
New Music: Kanye West – ‘Facts’
While we await Swish, Kanye West kicks off 2016 with “Facts,” his remix to Drake and Future’s “Jumpman.” Over the Metro Boomin and Southside production, Mr. West disses Nike (“If Nike ain’t had Drizzy, man, they wouldn’t have had nothing”) and raps about his presidential run (“2020, I’ma run the whole election”). Plus, he references Bill Cosby and Steve Harvey (“Does anybody feel bad for Bill Cosby? / Did he forget the names just like Steve Harvey”).
Usher in the new year with new Yeezus.
Sport and Society for Arete-"Concussion" Movie Review
Several months ago there was a minor flap over the fact that the National Football League was given the right to delete parts of the film "Concussion" before its general release to the public. At the time many, including myself, feared that the NFL would defang the bite of the film. It did not. In fact it's hard to imagine what the NFL censored in "Concussion" given the devastating nature of the final product which is now in release.
Will Smith has the lead role as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian doctor, who made the initial discovery of the existence of CTE in the brains of former NFL players whose lives had collapsed and ended at a relatively young age. The other major character in the film is Mike Webster whose life spiraled out of control. His eighteen year career as a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers endeared him to the football fans of that city, but his post-football life led to a major personality change, alcoholism, drugs, and lesser addictions, and destroyed his family life. His death was officially termed a heart attack but as the New York Times reported the psychological turmoil and physical problems were the result of repeated blows to the head.
Dr. Omalu worked as a forensic pathologist in the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, coroner's office where he first encountered Mike Webster when he conducted the postmortem on Webster. In an examination of Webster's brain Omalu found "tau," a substance that strangles the brain and often personality changes as those experienced by Mike Webster. Omalu linked Webster's tragic end to the head trauma endured by Webster during his football career.
"Concussion" opens with a painful depiction of Webster's descent into his personal hell. Dr. Omalu is introduced at work where he will first encounter Mike Webster. From here the story opens out from Omalu's discoveries and into the world of science and the world of the National Football League. Omalu's life and work are the major focus of the film as he comes into conflict with the power of the NFL, the cult of football in America, and the corruption within the scientific community. It is a potent mix.
What is revealed is the fact that for close to two decades the NFL did its best to prevent any connection between the concussions, the collapse of the lives of former players, and football. The NFL was aggressive in its effort to discredit any research making that connection. Repeatedly the film pounds away in subtle and not so subtle scenes of head-to-head hits on football practice fields, in game highlights from the NFL, and within the lives and deaths of former players.
As Omalu's analysis gains traction the push back by the NFL grows. Omalu's boss is threatened by the FBI and IRS. Omalu's life in Pittsburgh is battered by threats to his employment that could lead to his deportation. He is subjected to threatening phone calls and his wife is harassed. Essentially what the NFL tried to do to Omalu was to dismantle his life in ways the lives of former NFL players were dismantled by brain diseases.
The story moves forward at a good pace, there is tension aplenty, and above all what comes roaring off the screen is both the power and the corruption of the NFL. If you think that it is unlikely that the NFL had the ability to get the IRS, FBI and immigration authorities to act on their behest you are an innocent. The NFL has strong connections with the political establishment and a very close relationship with the FBI through its security division which is populated by ex-FBI agents and administrators who maintain their connections to the Bureau.
In the end "Concussion" succeeds in telling the story of Bennet Omalu, warns of the dangers of concussions and football, and displays the power of the NFL and its willingness to sacrifice people's lives in the maintenance of their cultural dominance. "Concussion" will not destroy football in America; it should damage the credibility of the NFL, and lead everyone to understand the dangers inherent in this American sport and entertainment in which violence is an essential element.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau wishing you a Happy New Year and reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.
Copyright 2016 by Richard C. Crepeau
Will Smith has the lead role as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Nigerian doctor, who made the initial discovery of the existence of CTE in the brains of former NFL players whose lives had collapsed and ended at a relatively young age. The other major character in the film is Mike Webster whose life spiraled out of control. His eighteen year career as a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers endeared him to the football fans of that city, but his post-football life led to a major personality change, alcoholism, drugs, and lesser addictions, and destroyed his family life. His death was officially termed a heart attack but as the New York Times reported the psychological turmoil and physical problems were the result of repeated blows to the head.
Dr. Omalu worked as a forensic pathologist in the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, coroner's office where he first encountered Mike Webster when he conducted the postmortem on Webster. In an examination of Webster's brain Omalu found "tau," a substance that strangles the brain and often personality changes as those experienced by Mike Webster. Omalu linked Webster's tragic end to the head trauma endured by Webster during his football career.
"Concussion" opens with a painful depiction of Webster's descent into his personal hell. Dr. Omalu is introduced at work where he will first encounter Mike Webster. From here the story opens out from Omalu's discoveries and into the world of science and the world of the National Football League. Omalu's life and work are the major focus of the film as he comes into conflict with the power of the NFL, the cult of football in America, and the corruption within the scientific community. It is a potent mix.
What is revealed is the fact that for close to two decades the NFL did its best to prevent any connection between the concussions, the collapse of the lives of former players, and football. The NFL was aggressive in its effort to discredit any research making that connection. Repeatedly the film pounds away in subtle and not so subtle scenes of head-to-head hits on football practice fields, in game highlights from the NFL, and within the lives and deaths of former players.
As Omalu's analysis gains traction the push back by the NFL grows. Omalu's boss is threatened by the FBI and IRS. Omalu's life in Pittsburgh is battered by threats to his employment that could lead to his deportation. He is subjected to threatening phone calls and his wife is harassed. Essentially what the NFL tried to do to Omalu was to dismantle his life in ways the lives of former NFL players were dismantled by brain diseases.
The story moves forward at a good pace, there is tension aplenty, and above all what comes roaring off the screen is both the power and the corruption of the NFL. If you think that it is unlikely that the NFL had the ability to get the IRS, FBI and immigration authorities to act on their behest you are an innocent. The NFL has strong connections with the political establishment and a very close relationship with the FBI through its security division which is populated by ex-FBI agents and administrators who maintain their connections to the Bureau.
In the end "Concussion" succeeds in telling the story of Bennet Omalu, warns of the dangers of concussions and football, and displays the power of the NFL and its willingness to sacrifice people's lives in the maintenance of their cultural dominance. "Concussion" will not destroy football in America; it should damage the credibility of the NFL, and lead everyone to understand the dangers inherent in this American sport and entertainment in which violence is an essential element.
On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau wishing you a Happy New Year and reminding you that you don't have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.
Copyright 2016 by Richard C. Crepeau
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Wayne Rogers -- M*A*S*H Star Dead at 82
Wayne Rogers, who starred in "M*A*S*H" -- one of the most popular shows in TV history -- has died. Rogers, who played Capt. "Trapper" John McIntyre on the iconic series, had a long, successful career. He appeared on may other programs, including…
Kanye West - Facts
Surprise! Kanye West just dropped a joint over "Jumpman" titled "Facts."
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kanye-west-facts-new-song.1967872.html
Kanye West Is Dropping A New Song Tonight
Kanye West is dropping a new song tonight, perhaps titled "FACTS."
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kanye-west-is-dropping-a-new-song-tonight-news.19413.html
The Supreme Court Had A Landmark Year. Here Are Its Greatest Hits.
For all the talk of gridlock and dysfunction in Washington, the U.S. Supreme Court stood out this year for some quality work.
It's not an overstatement to say that the liberal wing of the court logged a historic term of victories, helped in no small part by discipline and strategy behind the scenes, plus an assist by perennial swing voter Justice Anthony Kennedy.
That's not to say the court is becoming more progressive. Not at all. The institution remains deeply conservative, and some of the cases that it will be deciding in the next six months were spearheaded by legal strategists with conservative goals in mind.
Without further ado, here are the Supreme Court's high and low moments of 2015:
Gay Marriage Is Legal Everywhere
By far the biggest thing the court did in 2015 was to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges. Issued on the anniversary of other decisions expanding rights for gays and lesbians, the landmark ruling came down to a 5-4 vote, with Kennedy providing the pivotal support.
Kennedy has now written the majority opinions in all four major gay rights decisions in the history of the United States. His eloquent prose in the Obergefell decision has even been repackaged as a book, and its 28 pages were included in Longreads' best of the year.
The justice's opinion did leave some unanswered questions of constitutional law. Now the court, confronted with pending challenges in the states, may soon take up the issue of adoption by same-sex parents. Stay tuned.
The Chief Saved Obamacare ... Again
All eyes were on Chief Justice John Roberts in March, when the court heard a quirky case called King v. Burwell, the second biggest challenge to the Affordable Care Act. Roberts had already voted to uphold the law in 2012, drawing ire from conservatives, some of whom had no problem calling him a traitor.
The King case was viewed as a long shot to win -- and a lesser threat to Obamacare -- because it rested not on the limits of the Constitution, but on a singular interpretation of how the law was written. In truth, it was based on imaginary history. But the conservative challengers in the case insisted that their aim wasn't to unravel the health care exchanges and leave millions without coverage, but to simply uphold the will of Congress in drafting the law.
In the end, the chief didn't buy it. Roberts even brought Kennedy along on a 6-3 vote that ended up validating Obamacare's original goal: to make health care affordable for everyone in the country, regardless if you live in a red or a blue state.
The Justices Punted On Police Abuse
For the first time since the 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, got the nation talking about police brutality, an officer shooting case landed on the justices' doorstep.
San Francisco v. Sheehan involved a woman with mental illness who needed help but instead was shot six times by the San Francisco police in her own apartment. She survived and later sued the officers and the police department for violating her civil rights. Her case made it all the way to the Supreme Court. There, the justices sidestepped what is becoming one of the defining issues of our time and shielded the cops from all liability.
In the Supreme Court's view, the officers had acted "reasonably" under the circumstances -- the usual legal standard when courts look at use of deadly force by law enforcement, and one of the driving factors that has helped protect the officers who shot and killed Brown, Tamir Rice and many others.
Maybe this ongoing song-and-dance was what prompted Justice Sonia Sotomayor to finally speak up in November and remind her colleagues that real lives are at stake in these cases.
Affirmative Action Drew Fire
The case hasn't even been decided yet and it's already one of the most talked about of the year. Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, which the court heard earlier in December, is the second time the university's affirmative action program has faced strict scrutiny from the court.
Justice Antonin Scalia's outrageous suggestion at oral arguments that black students could somehow be better of at "slower-track" schools drew all the attention, but there were probing questions and answers from nearly all the justices and lawyers in the courtroom that day.
Once again, all eyes are on Kennedy, who has never voted to actually uphold an affirmative action program but in 2013 was willing to join the majority that allowed the University of Texas program to survive a little longer. The Supreme Court's own proposed 25-year deadline for the use of race as a factor in college admissions is not yet up, although that won't keep it from cutting the time short.
The Death Penalty Kept Dying, Slowly
On the final day of last term's oral arguments in the spring, the justices confronted Glossip v. Gross, a dispute over the constitutionality of Oklahoma's lethal injection protocol. By then, the justices seemed frazzled and tired, and they barely stopped short of going at each other in open court.
Ultimately, by a 5-4 vote, Oklahoma's three-drug execution cocktail was deemed constitutional by the court's conservatives. But the true story of Glossip was told by two dissenting justices: Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Writing for both, Breyer called into question the entire capital punishment franchise, declaring it "highly likely" that, as currently practiced, the death penalty is unconstitutional.
Breyer's words resonated for months -- in Connecticut's highest court; in last-minute appeals from other inmates; even in the life of Glossip himself, who was spared death at the 11th hour due to Oklahoma's own disastrous controls. More importantly, the justice's rallying cry has energized a new generation of lawyers to attack the death penalty and maybe, once and for all, eliminate it from American justice.
The Coming Storm
In its current term, which began in October, the Supreme Court has already heard cases on workers' rights, racism in jury selection, employment discrimination and the future of "one person, one vote," among other disputes.
The justices have additionally agreed to hear high-profile cases on abortion clinics; a sort of sequel to the Hobby Lobby case, which involves employers and birth control; and the future of public sector unions. All of these will be argued and likely decided in the winter and spring of 2016.
Coupled with the very real possibility that President Barack Obama's immigration policies will get a hearing in the coming months, all signs point to a new court year as historic and controversial as the one that just ended.
The potential impact of the Supreme Court's decisions should also bring into sharper focus the true stakes of the 2016 election. In case you didn't know: The current justices are old enough that the next president could end up appointing as many as four new members to the nation's highest court.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
TCU QB Trevone Boykin -- Arrested For Belting Cop Update: Arrest Pic
TMZ Sports has obtained a pic of Trevone Boykin laying on the sidewalk after he was detained by police. By our count, at least 7 cops were on scene to handle the situation. TCU QB Trevone Boykin was arrested Thursday morning after a bar fight…
Lil Durk - Da Fame Feat. Trae Tha Truth
Lil Durk and Trae the Truth drop a tough new track, "Da Fame," produced by DDS.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/lil-durk-da-fame-feat-trae-tha-truth-new-song.1967869.html
We Know Which Classic Hollywood Actress You Are Based On One Question
Scented candles are the great decider.
Kid Ink "Real Recognize" Video
Kid Ink shares the video to "Real Recognize," off his recent album "Summer in the Winter."
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kid-ink-real-recognize-video-new-video.36409.html
The Game -- Punching A Cop Cost Me 10 Stacks
The Game is giving a Los Angeles cop an awesome late Christmas present -- a $100k -- and all the cop had to do in return was take a punch. We've learned the rapper just lost a lawsuit filed by Onyebuhi Awaji, an off-duty cop he punched during a…
TCU Quarterback Trevone Boykin Arrested After Allegedly Assaulting Police Officer
TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin was arrested after allegedly injuring a police officer during a brawl outside of a bar in San Antonio early on Thursday.
The 22-year-old senior allegedly charged at bicycle patrol cops who intervened in a fight at Pat O'Brien's. It started with TCU players, including Boykin, allegedly scuffling with patrons. Then, he fought with employees who tried ejecting him from the bar.
The student "was very aggressive and was being held back by the group he was with," according to a police report obtained by ESPN's Mark Schlabach.
Authorities say Boykin punched one cop in the face. Several officers tackled the player, who struggled until an officer threatened to use a stun gun on him.
The cop he allegedly punched had bruises, abrasions and swelling.
Authorities charged the quarterback with assaulting a public servant in the third degree, a felony. Bond was set at $5,000 and Boykin was released after appearing before a magistrate on Thursday morning, according to Bexar County sheriff's department records.
The charge carries a punishment of two to 10 years, USA Today reported.
The 11th-ranked Horned Frogs are in Texas to play No. 15 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday.
But they'll have to do without Boykin and wide receive Preston Miller, who were suspended for a "violation of team rules," coach Gary Patterson said in a statement.
"We are disappointed in their actions and apologize to the TCU Horned Frogs Nation," the statement reads.
TCU has gone 10-2 this season, with Boykin throwing 31 touchdowns and passing for 3,574 yards. The arrest is sure to hurt Boykin's prospects in the upcoming NFL draft. CBS Sports reported that scouts weren't keen on him because of his "lack of size, mechanics and accuracy."
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Seahawks' Richard Sherman: 'I See A Concussion Movie Every Sunday'
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has never been scared to call out the National Football League.
He's been outspoken about his teammates' wages (or lack thereof), he's mocked the NFL's media policies and he blogged about his own concussion, blasting the league for its response to injuries in football.
So perhaps it's no surprise that he gave the NFL a little elbow jab with his quote during a press conference on Wednesday, when he told a reporter (near the 7:15 mark of this video) that he wouldn't be seeing the controversial film "Concussion," which scratches the surface of the NFL's head-injury problem.
"I have not -- I see a concussion movie every Sunday for free," Sherman said with a grin. "Don’t need to go to the theater."
It's possible to see this quip as a deliberate attempt on Sherman's part to squeeze in one more viral moment before the end of the year. But whether or not that's the case, it doesn't really matter -- the NFL knows about its problem, enough that it seems to go to great lengths to whitewash any and all criticism about concussions.
Some outlets contend that the "Concussion" film itself was rewritten to make the NFL and its lawyers happy. Deadspin reports:
We stated back in September that the real story’s complexity, along with studio honchos botching things up, would result in a movie that misses the point. Now that we’ve seen it, it’s even more obvious that Sony’s film cooks up drama with composite/fictional characters while ignoring the broader issues of institutional complicity that are at the heart of the NFL’s bad brains problem.
While Sony and Concussion director Peter Landesman deny the film was edited to prevent NFL protests, the differences between the script as originally prepared for production and how it ended up on screen strongly suggest otherwise.
Similarly, The New York Times, citing material released in the Sony email hack, reported in September that "[an] email on Aug. 1, 2014, said some 'unflattering moments for the N.F.L.' were deleted or changed, while in another note on July 30, 2014, a top Sony lawyer is said to have taken 'most of the bite' out of the film 'for legal reasons with the N.F.L. and that it was not a balance issue.'"
At any rate, Sherman is right. We do get to see "Concussion" every Sunday, as we've watched several athletes play through head injuries this season. Per a "Frontline" database, there have been 166 concussions reported in the NFL this season, but obviously, there's no real way to know how many go unreported.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Nef The Pharaoh - No Masturbation
Nef the Pharaoh drops a cold one to finish the year: "No Masturbation."
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/nef-the-pharaoh-no-masturbation-new-song.1967868.html
Caitlyn Jenner Settles Lawsuit Over Fatal Malibu Car Crash
Caitlyn Jenner has settled one of three lawsuits filed against her over her involvement in a fatal multi-car crash in Malibu, California, last February.
Hollywood agent Jessica Steindorff, who represents supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio, was the plaintiff in the suit, which was filed in June. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but Steindorff was seeking compensation for property damages, lost wages and medical expenses, plus punitive damages of $25,000. Jenner's insurance company will pay the settlement, TMZ reported Wednesday.
Steindorff was driving a Prius down the Pacific Coast Highway on Feb. 7 when she was rear-ended by local realtor Kim Howe's Lexus. Jenner, driving a Cadillac Escalade, then collided with the Lexus, pushing it into oncoming traffic; the Lexus was struck by a Hummer, killing Howe instantly.
In her complaint, Steindorff alleged that Jenner's vehicle continued moving after hitting Howe's, and that it hit her own car, resulting in damage to the automobile and injuries to herself.
Jenner, who was known as Bruce at the time of the accident, has called the crash a "devastating tragedy." Though she faced charges of manslaughter for her involvement in the incident, the Los Angeles County District Attorney elected not to pursue the criminal case in September.
Jenner has yet to resolve two other lawsuits filed against her, however, by Howe's family and the driver of the Hummer that hit Howe.
Also on HuffPost:
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Obama and the Issue of Race
I cringe every time I hear someone say that "racism is worse" since Obama became president.
I cringe because it is not true. What is true, however, is that Obama's election brought the dormant racists out of hiding.
It seems that many white people think it's best to just not talk about racism; in so doing, they are able to say that everything is fine. Joy DrGruy calls this "cognitive dissonance." It is a psychic tool which humans use in order to engage in behavior which is really wrong or damaging or dangerous to one's self. Racism is dangerous to one's self, especially to the white self, because it is ugly and cruel and morally despicable. People have to distance themselves from it, and that's why silence is the tool used to deal with it. It is OK for there to be substandard living conditions for black people. It is OK for there to be excessive police violence wielded against black people. It is OK for the infant mortality rate among black people to be higher than any other ethnic group...It is OK...and if we don't talk about it, the sentiment seems to be, then everything is ...all right.
So, America protects its secret. It treats its big secret, its growing, metastasizing tumor, like anyone treats a secret. It's the talking about it that's the problem. Too many Americans believe that talking about "it" is the big problem, not the "it" itself. Racism is like America's ghetto, or like any poverty-ridden neighborhood in the midst of a posh vacation resort. If you cannot see it, you don't have to talk about it or deal with it. It simply does not exist.
When Obama was elected, people said we were a "post racial" society. That was a foolhardy sentiment from the beginning. Just because some white people voted for a black man was not an indication that racial hatred and bigotry were gone. His being elected was supposed to be enough, evidence that racism was gone. He had to distance himself from his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, in order to prove that he was the president of all people. People were glad. Our dirty little secret was no more.
Except that it was. The reality of the secret, our deep-seeded racism, was there, agitated and shaken from hibernation because this black man was in the White House. How dare this happen in this land which was programmed, via the United States Constitution, to be a white man's country? Some white people were glad and hopeful, but many were not. They were angry and insulted. There was a group of lawmakers who met the day of Obama's first inauguration to strategize on how to make him a one term president. He might have gotten into office, but by God, they were going to make him suffer for it and if they had their way, they were going to make him so miserable that he would not even want to run for a second term. They would fight him and challenge him on every turn.
Post-racist, indeed.
Obama was dared, almost, to say anything about racism. When Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman, and Obama stated a truth, that "if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," the "resenters" got busy, claiming his words were dividing the country. The fact that Zimmerman apparently profiled Martin, followed him in spite of being told not to, and then killed him didn't matter. Obama had better not say anything that indicated that this tragedy happened largely because Zimmerman believed a black child was out of place.
When Harvard Professor Skip Gates was arrested at his own home by police and Obama made mention that the incident was ...just wrong...he was again jumped on and accused of dividing the country. The president ended up calling for a "beer summit" where he, Vice President Joe Biden, Gates and the officer sat down together and "talked." It seemed like Obama was trying hard to show people who had no intention of accepting anything he said or did ...that he was a regular guy ...and had no animus against white people or police officers, no matter how wrong their actions might have been.
It seems that the only way some white people can survive within this racist system is to act like it doesn't exist, to ignore it and not speak about it. Obama ended up backing away from most things racial ...because he knew he would be skewered for it. In the meantime, too many white people, angry that he was in the White House as the President and not as the butler, angry that their attempts to destroy him politically had failed, seethed. They began to talk more about their resentment; they insulted and degraded Obama at every turn. Obama didn't make them racist; this system did. The president could not change their hearts, hearts and spirits that had been nurtured for decades by a system which revered and protected white supremacy.
When Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Donald Trump say that the country is more divided (racially) than ever, it makes one wonder what they would do? None of them have shown that they know racism exists or that some things that happen in this country because of racism ...are just wrong. None of the current GOP candidates, save one, have said anything about the injustice of the Tamir Rice case. None of the candidates are admitting that our justice system is seriously racist and has been for a long time. Nobody is jumping on Donald Trump for his outrageous racism and hate-filled, racist comments. America's racism is front and center in the GOP candidates, and, frankly, it is sickening.
This country is divided not because of Obama. This country is a mess racially because this country has avoided the issue of its rabid racism for generations. This country is divided because it has created and implemented policies and procedures which are at their root devised to protect the control white people have had over black people since black people were brought here from Africa. This country is divided because our very Constitution, and our country's institutions including the justice system, reveal their belief that black people are not and never were fully human, and were not ever to be considered "equal" to white people. Staying quiet about "the secret" does not make the secret any less abhorrent, powerful or damaging.
The divide which is ours ...will remain. There are too few people who are willing to look this Leviathan in the face and do the work needed to destroy it. Perhaps Obama was willing to try doing that, but his enemies would never have allowed it.
Our core is rotten because because the seed from which we grew ...was rotten.
I cringe because it is not true. What is true, however, is that Obama's election brought the dormant racists out of hiding.
It seems that many white people think it's best to just not talk about racism; in so doing, they are able to say that everything is fine. Joy DrGruy calls this "cognitive dissonance." It is a psychic tool which humans use in order to engage in behavior which is really wrong or damaging or dangerous to one's self. Racism is dangerous to one's self, especially to the white self, because it is ugly and cruel and morally despicable. People have to distance themselves from it, and that's why silence is the tool used to deal with it. It is OK for there to be substandard living conditions for black people. It is OK for there to be excessive police violence wielded against black people. It is OK for the infant mortality rate among black people to be higher than any other ethnic group...It is OK...and if we don't talk about it, the sentiment seems to be, then everything is ...all right.
So, America protects its secret. It treats its big secret, its growing, metastasizing tumor, like anyone treats a secret. It's the talking about it that's the problem. Too many Americans believe that talking about "it" is the big problem, not the "it" itself. Racism is like America's ghetto, or like any poverty-ridden neighborhood in the midst of a posh vacation resort. If you cannot see it, you don't have to talk about it or deal with it. It simply does not exist.
When Obama was elected, people said we were a "post racial" society. That was a foolhardy sentiment from the beginning. Just because some white people voted for a black man was not an indication that racial hatred and bigotry were gone. His being elected was supposed to be enough, evidence that racism was gone. He had to distance himself from his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, in order to prove that he was the president of all people. People were glad. Our dirty little secret was no more.
Except that it was. The reality of the secret, our deep-seeded racism, was there, agitated and shaken from hibernation because this black man was in the White House. How dare this happen in this land which was programmed, via the United States Constitution, to be a white man's country? Some white people were glad and hopeful, but many were not. They were angry and insulted. There was a group of lawmakers who met the day of Obama's first inauguration to strategize on how to make him a one term president. He might have gotten into office, but by God, they were going to make him suffer for it and if they had their way, they were going to make him so miserable that he would not even want to run for a second term. They would fight him and challenge him on every turn.
Post-racist, indeed.
Obama was dared, almost, to say anything about racism. When Trayvon Martin was murdered by George Zimmerman, and Obama stated a truth, that "if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon," the "resenters" got busy, claiming his words were dividing the country. The fact that Zimmerman apparently profiled Martin, followed him in spite of being told not to, and then killed him didn't matter. Obama had better not say anything that indicated that this tragedy happened largely because Zimmerman believed a black child was out of place.
When Harvard Professor Skip Gates was arrested at his own home by police and Obama made mention that the incident was ...just wrong...he was again jumped on and accused of dividing the country. The president ended up calling for a "beer summit" where he, Vice President Joe Biden, Gates and the officer sat down together and "talked." It seemed like Obama was trying hard to show people who had no intention of accepting anything he said or did ...that he was a regular guy ...and had no animus against white people or police officers, no matter how wrong their actions might have been.
It seems that the only way some white people can survive within this racist system is to act like it doesn't exist, to ignore it and not speak about it. Obama ended up backing away from most things racial ...because he knew he would be skewered for it. In the meantime, too many white people, angry that he was in the White House as the President and not as the butler, angry that their attempts to destroy him politically had failed, seethed. They began to talk more about their resentment; they insulted and degraded Obama at every turn. Obama didn't make them racist; this system did. The president could not change their hearts, hearts and spirits that had been nurtured for decades by a system which revered and protected white supremacy.
When Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Donald Trump say that the country is more divided (racially) than ever, it makes one wonder what they would do? None of them have shown that they know racism exists or that some things that happen in this country because of racism ...are just wrong. None of the current GOP candidates, save one, have said anything about the injustice of the Tamir Rice case. None of the candidates are admitting that our justice system is seriously racist and has been for a long time. Nobody is jumping on Donald Trump for his outrageous racism and hate-filled, racist comments. America's racism is front and center in the GOP candidates, and, frankly, it is sickening.
This country is divided not because of Obama. This country is a mess racially because this country has avoided the issue of its rabid racism for generations. This country is divided because it has created and implemented policies and procedures which are at their root devised to protect the control white people have had over black people since black people were brought here from Africa. This country is divided because our very Constitution, and our country's institutions including the justice system, reveal their belief that black people are not and never were fully human, and were not ever to be considered "equal" to white people. Staying quiet about "the secret" does not make the secret any less abhorrent, powerful or damaging.
The divide which is ours ...will remain. There are too few people who are willing to look this Leviathan in the face and do the work needed to destroy it. Perhaps Obama was willing to try doing that, but his enemies would never have allowed it.
Our core is rotten because because the seed from which we grew ...was rotten.
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