Intersectionality is hard to understand. New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Ijeoma Oluo, explained it beautifully in one of her many poetic Facebook posts: “Intersectionality is not a call to make all groups or all efforts serve all people. It is a call to ask groups to fully understand, appreciate, include, and […]
The Soft Racism of “Three Billboards” (Alternative Title: Aliza Ruins Movies)
THIS IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL MOVIE REVIEW AND I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL MOVIE REVIEWER I saw a mostly fantastic film, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” with Frances McDormand and Woody from Cheers and Tyrion from Game of Thrones. Really, friends, I do recommend this film because Tyrion can do ANYTHING – act in ANY […]
Chris and Bernie…West Virginia…
Tonight, Chris Hayes did a special edition of his show on MSNBC in the form of a televised Town Hall in McDowell County, West Virginia. The audience (and county) voted overwhelmingly for President Walking-Sack-Of-Shit. Strike One. It featured Senator Bernie Sanders. Strike Two. (Yes. I’m still mad.) I watched anyway. It takes three strikes, right? […]
NotApologies 101
Teacher: Good evening, Class! Last week we learned about the anatomy of an apology. It’s sincere, it accepts responsibility and accountability, it doesn’t contain any “buts” and it sometimes even outlines steps the apologizer might take to truly remedy a problematic situation. Tonight’s objective is to master the tricky task of NotApologizing! Student: […]
Color Me…Something
First, I saw this video posted on Facebook. And I tried really hard to enjoy it. I DID enjoy it. What’s not to love? Teachers, principals, students, getting together to make a hilarious and corny video about going back to school! Everybody was making fun of themselves and completely losing themselves in the geeked-out way […]
A White Girl and the “N” Word
When I was in elementary school in 1970’s Brooklyn, NY (maybe third grade?) a kid (who was white) told me I had “n*gger lips.” It felt weird, because I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not, but I kind of knew something wasn’t right about it. Honestly, I don’t remember how I responded. Maybe […]