- Smartypants: What it means to be the first African American President…getting your buttons pushed
"We have probably all grappled with the experience that has been labelled "getting our buttons pushed." What we tend to mean by that is that there are people who know our sore spots…those places where we tend to react (in anger) because we have been hurt there before. When people know our sore spots and want to get us off our game, they can manipulate us into the reaction they’re after. And so, for most of us, we have to eventually learn to deal with those issues to heal the hurt that caused them in the first place. Its either that or build gargantuan walls against the people who could touch those places, or live our lives at the mercy of those who would exploit us.
I believe that this is a frame through which some of us white folks might begin to understand what it means to be a black person in this country. "
- What Meets in Vegas, Stays in Vegas | Easily Distracted
"I’m not saying that you have to like Vegas as a destination. I have weird, conflicted feelings about it as a place, like many people do. I straightforwardly like some things about it (the restaurant scene is great, I like poker, and there’s some beautiful places to hike nearby.) I personally dislike the timeless, adrift feeling of most of its internal architecture, which is totally intentional. But that’s the problem with this whole story: that it should be a non-story. Meaning, that it’s fine to say, “Look, I find this is a creepy place, that’s just me, I have more fun or prefer or enjoy another venue,” in which you admit that at least one of the reasons why you attend a professional meeting is because you enjoy the venue. And in which you admit you are drawn to some aesthetics and not to others, that you find some places pleasurable and not others."
- “If We’re Not Back By Dawn, Call The President”: A Look Back At Big Trouble In Little China | Tor.com
"This July marked the 25th anniversary of the release of Big Trouble In Little China, which has for every year it’s been on this earth been one of my very favorite movies. It’s endlessly quotable, features two terrific lead performances by Kurt Russell and Dennis Dun (more on this dynamic in a bit), and quite simply the dernier cri in film villainy: James Hong’s Lo Pan. It’s the most purely fun of any of director John Carpenter’s pictures — “purely fun” is not to be confused, in terms of objective quality, with “best,” by any means — has great music, is proof of how gorgeous Kim Cattrall was in the mid-80s, and in every imaginable way is as delightful as anything ever captured on celluloid.
Of course, it was a box-office flop."
- On the Internet There Is No Such Thing as a Brand. There Is Only You | Nathan Bransford, Author
"The only, and I mean only way to approach a world of social media is with honesty, transparency, and authenticity. You can’t fake out the Internet for long.
And it’s not even about morality – look at how the Internet has (mostly) embraced Charlie Sheen and denigrated LeBron James. The key difference is authenticity. "
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We really shook the Pillars of Heaven, didn’t we, Wang?
That “Smartypants” article is first rate.
It neatly summarizes the advice and “instruction” I have gotten from a wonderful colleague whose experiences integrating a southern university would fill a book. He set me straight more than once about those dog whistles being blown by racist Republicans and why most Blacks do not react to them. It is up to us to point out, repeatedly, that Boehner’s actions are contemptible and mark him as a racist even if he doesn’t know they show he must be a “some of my best friends are black” racist deep down inside.
By the way, a similar dynamic is at work when those of us of the male persuasion describe to a female science or math professor how we would manage a classroom problem. What works for us will not work for someone who gets labeled as the “Bitchy Woman” as a result, just as the President cannot afford to get labeled as an “Angry Black Man”. Many students still don’t truly accept that a woman can be a Professor with a doctorate degree, let alone have authoritative knowledge about science or math.
I agree with #2 – that smartypants post is a must-read for folks like me (young white males) who wonder why the POTUS doesn’t bring down some well deserved wrath. The explanation makes a whole lot of sense once it’s pointed out.