No Time for Excuses?
Yesterday, President Obama delivered what could prove to be a seminal speech at Morehouse College’s 2013 commencement ceremony. During the speech, which was considerably less “safe” than what I expected and what Mr. Obama has shown at other commencements, he touched on issues at the core of Black male identity and made some very personal … Continue reading
The Chicken Cliff
The greatest crisis of our time is upon us. This is a world which has survived multiple apocalypse scares and political crises in the past few months. The National Chicken Council has reported that there will be a chicken wing shortage caused by rising production costs which may lead to an increase in wing prices … Continue reading
Life and Times: On Jay-Z
Birthdays aside, I’ve been meaning to do this post for a while. It first occurred to me that I wanted to write something about Jay-Z when I was watching the very last campaign event for Obama the day before the election in Ohio. Jay-Z opened for the POTUS in one of the coolest things I’ve … Continue reading
Hold Me Back
It’s been a full two weeks since the election and Republican commentators are still angry and shocked about losing to Obama in the general election. Although the racist tweets and media comments have largely subsided, Republicans by and large are absolutely shocked by their not winning the election by a landslide. Romney himself seemed blindsided … Continue reading
Forward is the Only Direction
This isn’t a highbrow endorsement of the President, nor do we at 40 Acres possess the hubris to believe that an “endorsement” on behalf of our blog means anything beyond an extra couple hundred words fired into the cyber ether. I’d gather that finding an endorsement for President Obama here would rank among the least … Continue reading
What’s Wrong with Voting for Obama Because He’s Black?
A popular refrain in politics today is that most Black people (who vote) will vote for Barack Obama because he’s Black. It’s been talked about with condescension from the right, with people like Allen West and Herman Cain claiming that Blacks are “slaves” to the Democratic Party and to voting in blocs for Black candidates, … Continue reading
The Welfare President
“[T]here are 47 percent who are with [President Obama], who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement.” Enter Mitt Romney’s latest lightning … Continue reading
The Paradigm Shift: The Origins of the Post-Racial Fantasy
It’s part of the (sarcastic) tagline of our site. The concept of “post-racial America” is something that raged about and discussed ad nauseum in the blogosphere, especially here. If you’re new to things here, then I think the term, and the implication that we are somehow past the racial and cultural issues that plagued and … Continue reading
“The Announcement”
The past couple days have been pretty hectic in politics, especially in the arena of gay rights. First, Joe Biden expressed his support of gay marriage, then the controversial Amendment One was passed to the North Carolina State Constitution (prohibiting legal recognition of and special privileges for any relationship/union other than a marriage between a … Continue reading
Preserve, Protect & Defend
Posted by fivefifths on August 18, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Why is it Suddenly Unreasonable to Ask the President for Help? **Edit**-This piece wouldn’t be possible without a conversation with @bohemianrhapsdy that really challenged my thinking on the issue. Thanks to her for contributing and not letting me off the hook. Michael Brown, Michael Brown, Michael Brown, Michael Brown, Michael Brown, Michael Brown. One invocation … Continue reading →
Filed under Editorial · Tagged with commentary, ferguson, michael brown, Obama, politics, president obama, race