Reason #367 Why You Don't Have A Job? You're Black and You Don't Know the Hook Up

Nancy Ditomaso on The New York Times Opinotator blog writes how "Black" Twitter and your Facebook friends who put extra sayings in their names like Natasha Ohsofine Washington, are not helping you get a job. This is because they don't know anyone. This is unlike your friends on "White" Twitter and their Facebook friends who don't have clever handles because they might know someone who has a job connection and everyone knows fancy job places don't hire people with elaborate nicknames as googleable public record.

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The Snob Talks Diversity, Demographic Shifts on Tell Me More

Michel Martin

Tuesday on NPR's Tell Me More with Michel Martin it was all about shifting demographics and how the more things change in the "Browning of America" the panel thought the more things may stay the same. Featuring myself, Fernando Vila, an editor at Univision and Howard Dodson, an African American historian at Howard University, we talked about "Hispanic" being a made up term, that the Americas have been minority white before (during the time of Native Americans and African slaves) and that it's about your country of origin, assimilation and skin color that may determine who is an "other" and who's simply another type of white person.

Never mind those darn Baby Boomers. We talked about them too as the country both gets older AND younger and the complications that come with that.

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Have You Seen This Woman?: Terrilynn Monette

New Orleans teacher Terrilynn Monette has been missing since March 2nd.From CNN.com: Terrilynn Monette is described as an African-American female, approximately 5'8" tall, weighing 180 pounds and having a light complexion with long brown hair. She was last seen driving a 2012 black two-door Honda Accord with Louisiana license plate WUN494. If you have any information, please contact the New Orleans Police Department at (504) 821-2222 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500.

CNN and other cable news outlets have received their fair share of criticism in the past for an over-emphasis on missing young, typically blonde, upper middle class white women over everyone else. If you're a man, African American or not conventionally attractive, the cable news tends to not care. But CNN is covering the missing person's case of celebrated New Orleans teacher, Terrilynn Monette, last seen March 2 at 4 a.m. after leaving a bar in the Lakeview area. She'd had too much to drink and told friends she was going to sleep in her car, then drive home. She hasn't been seen since.

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RHOA's Porsha Stewart Is Perfect and I Love Her (But Let Me Explain)

Porsha Stewart reacts to gifts at her fairy tale wedding.Normally, I don't have much in ways of interest for Bravo's Real Housewives of Atlanta. It's a silly, fun show full of cringe-inducing people and a few glamour-pusses flouncing around and twirling. But this season has piqued my interest, but for one reason and one reason alone -- granddaughter of a civil rights activist and wife of former pro-football star Kordell Stewart -- loveable ditz Porsha Stewart.

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A Short Compilation of Appropriation: Harlem Shake Included

Do the Harlem Shake has finally gotten to black people who now also "do the Harlem Shake" by not actually doing the damn "Harlem Shake" at all.Paul Mooney famously once said, "Everybody wants be a nigga but nobody wants to be a nigga," which is about the most true statement in the history of African American culture. People LOVE black culture, but hate the folks who make it. If only there was a way to enjoy all this good black stuff without the pesky black people. And hence, appropriation was born. But it's not always Pat Boone taking the funk out of Motown or Elvis making "hip thrusts" white people friendly. Today, appropriation is more of a comedy art form practiced by hip hop loving white people who want the thrill of saying the "N-word" but not that pesky backlash afterwards. 

Here is a brief compliation of white appropriations in black culture (particularly hip hop and "ratchetness"), and what these appropriations mean.

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Clutch Magazine: Choosing Safety Over Independence For Black Children

In my latest post for Clutch Magazine Online, I write at length about the efforts black parents go through to keep their children safe, even at the expense of their child developing better skills to be independent. While it may be easy to throw out advice and parenting rules and bring up all sorts of psychology studies to black parents, most are solely concerned with making sure their son or daughter doesn't become a statistic, freedom be damned.

Here's a snippet after the jump.

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The New Republic Breaks Down How the GOP Doubled-Down on Whiteness

The best retort critics could come up with was "you do it too."

That was the slam after The New Republic published its piece "Original Sin: Why the GOP is and will continue to be the party of white people." Conservatives quickly googled Wikipedia, and pointed out how lacking in a tan The New Republic's staff is, failing to grasp that The New Republic (while could benefit from diversity) is not one of two national political parties that takes turns in writing, executing and judging our laws.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the GOP might be a bit more important and powerful than a magazine. I can't think of the last time TNR did something that determined what military contracts we might purchase and how much interest the government will have in my womb year-to-year.

As Dylan Byers writes at Politico: "Should TNR diversify its offices? That's up to them. But for the GOP, it isn't a case of should or shouldn't. It's a case of must."

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Clutch Magazine: Condi Rice Glosses Over Important Part When She Talks Civil Rights

Former Secretary of State Condozeela Rice addressed the Republican National Convention Wednesday night in a speech that touched on everything from her foreign policy strengths (or weakness depending on who you ask), to social issues. But one of the issues she skiddladdled right by was the Civil Rights movement. Wanting to keep things in that "feel good" mode she spoke as if that leap from segregation to her becoming secretary of state was a glorious lap Americans ran together, rather than a knock down, drag out grudge match that people are still wielding cudgels about today. Never mind the fact that it took sending the National Guard to many states just to enforce the rule of law.

Jim Crow didn't die so much as he was a suicide bomber who tried to take as many folks with him before he finally blew up Alabama, and the scaring was so deep we're still dealing with the consequences today. To paraphrase the film "Magnolia," Rice may be through with the past, but the past isn't through with us.

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MSNBC: Biden Suggests Team Romney is Pro-Chains While Going Off The Chain

My favorite fake picture of Vice President Joe Biden. (Via The Onion)In my first ever post for MSNBC's new Lean Forward web site, I tackled America's favorite crazy grandpa, Mad Dawg Joe Biden, as he tossed some red meat to a mostly black crowd in Virginia this week. Papa Joe suggested that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney wants to put folks "back in chains" with his fiscal policies. This means it's time for the over-the-top "playing the race (war) card" accusations (and counter-accusations) to begin!

Yet somehow, it all seems so familiar.

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