blackgirlgenius

how christmas drove mj crazy

2008-12-11T08:05:00.001-08:00

yeah, its been a while...

one of, if not, my absolute most favorite thing to do during the christmas season was to crank that jackson 5 christmas album. man, mj was doing his thing on there! but, i remember how crushed i was to find out as a pre-pubescent teen that mj didn't even celebrate the yuletide. i know that i was far deeper and more inquisitive at 12 than most of you are now, but if you didn't know mj was jehovah's witness so no christmas presents for him. how heartbreaking! singing about all that christmas cheer and he didn't even celebrate it. my theory is that this among all the other crazy things in his childhood f#$%ed him up real nice and smooth.

shout out to jo and kat jack for making mike the man he is today!

long time no see back at the tree

2007-07-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

okay so its been a long time since i've been on here and a lot has changed. i look forward to keeping this thing up.

niggas

2006-09-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

I try not to get to personal in this blog because I have another blog where I rant and rave about my feelings, but I am putting myself on front street.

I was talking with some friends today about how there is no word for hope and/or wish in the portuguese language. When my Portuguese teacher initially told me about the absence of "to hope," I became really sad and almost reverted back to childhood. It was kind of crazy. I started asking her about birthday candle blow outs and falling stars. She just told me that they people use "to want" instead of wish or hope. (Now, all of this is about to make sense in a second.) Everytime I think of the word hope I think of Black people's struggle. Everytime! Hope is what you do when you can't see how anything less than a miracle will get you what you are asking for. Hope is something spiritual while wanting is just kind of greedy. I want some new shoes. I want a bajillion dollars. You want things that you don't need. Often times we are hoping for things that will change our lives or save our lives. Anyway, I also think of the last words in "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou:

"Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave."

Alright, now that I have finished emoting. My little brother has a myspace page. He's 15, so I was expecting lots of vulgar language, machismo, stupid arse rap song, and scantilly clad teen girls. I got everything I was looking for and a BoNuS! He has some little questionaire on there and for heritage he put NIGGA.

My heart broke ya'll. On some seriousness, my heart crumbled into 10,000 pieces. As much as our people struggled and fought to retain something to pass down to us, some part of our identity detached from the opression of this country, my brother not only used the word to describe himself but listed it as his HERITAGE.

I have come undone

BGG

regurgitating the news

2006-09-12T04:09:00.000-07:00

I suppose I regurgitate the news in each of these posts, however, I don't really want Harvard and the Washington Post to do that. If I got paid to write the news, I think I would take the time to publish something worthwhile. Well, for the 5 jillionth time it has been reported that Black American men have mortality rates similar to men in west African countries or so the Wash. Post reported. Harvard School of Public Health reported that both Black men and women in every income bracket die earlier than their white counterparts. However alarming this is, I am kind of numb to this since it has been reported over, over, and over again since 1990. It's almost two decades later and fortunately we all have about the same chance to make it to age 4 and even out of childhood, but after that its every race for themselves.

I have been getting more than a little annoyed at the way we announce our problems, research our problems, and still have the same problems. I (sigh) honestly don't understand why the richest country has the worst infant mortality rates in the developed world. Furthermore, I haven't a clue why we are the only country that can afford to have universal healthcare, but don't. It is absolutely mind boggling to me. I am guessing it goes back to my theory that this American government is just a front for the corporations.

wtf!

2006-09-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

I usually don´t make two posts in one day, but this is absolutely absurd. CNN and every other major new source reported ''Newspaper journalists paid to blast Castro''. Paid by whom? You may naively ask yourself. Paid by the U.S. government of course. That's right ladies and gents a paid advertisement from the feds. So how reliable is the US press that's mostly owned by Time Warner, Viacom and a few others? The audacity of our government to justify a war ''to establish democracy'' in other countries when this type of crap goes on in the US.

This administration is an embarrassment. Its a front for corporations. Every word that has been publicly broadcasted by the media and the Bush admin. for the past 6 years has been for profit. The Senate released a report that proved BL (osama) and SH have nothing to do with each other. Hmmm, funny that they come up with this now that election season is upon us. Even funnier is that Michael Moore came to this same conclusion two years ago in ''Dude Where's My Country''. The MAN doesn't really want me to believe that Michael Moore has better intelligence than the FEDS. Nevermind logic because Dick Cheney went on freaking Meet the Press on Sunday and said that he hadn't read the Senate report. So much for those checks and balances.

Being an African American I was born with a healthy distrust of the government. I guess its from all those auction blocks and legalized lynchings of my ancestors.

But, come on this is effing ridiculous. Speaking of ridiculous, I am all the way in Brasil minding my business watching the BBC and look who gets international press time...None other than 50 cent. This guy is an international star. OMG, the horror! Its bad enough I heard him in the streets here in Rio, but I never thought that I would see this muheffer on the BBC World News.

Exhausted by the madness

BGG

well how bout that!

2006-09-11T05:31:00.000-07:00

Brad Pitt tells Esquire magazine that he isn't gonna get married until gay folks can get married. AMEN! (in my southern church voice) Now, I am not gay, but I believe that all people should be afforded the tax break that marriage offers.

Cheers,
BGG

how cool would it be

2006-09-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

now my normal sarcasm may be missing from this post because i was actually really surprised and happy to learn about the following. on saturday, somewhere in berlin, activists, politicians, and their moms (no not really, but it was a bunch of people) sat around a huge table and answered questions. (this is something an idealist like me dreams of, the opportunity to ask cornell west why he's so pro-black but never teaches at a black school...SWEET!)

the panelists answered questions submitted by anyone who posted a question at this really nicely designed (lol, GUG) website.

for the pessimists and the cynics: yeah the world may not have been radically altered by this big superfluous meeting of the minds, but it gives a young dreamer like me hope. under the patriot act, i thought people really forgot how to ask muh-f'in questions. i really thought that the american academians took a back seat to critical thought, but they were just waiting to sit at a big table in berlin and have their thoughts broadcast over the web. silly silly me!

bad words...well eff me!

2006-09-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Being the music junkie that I am, the tunes for my "Welcome back to the U.S./ Housewarming" must be on point. Since a variety of ages are expected to be in attendance, I needed to get working on finding the "G- rated" stuff. Word, so I am thinking ok ummm current and kid-friendly, I got this(((((((((((((((crickets))))))))))) Well there's ummm LUPE, oh...he says NIGGA, but then there's umm...Kelis, no um, Outkast... no Dre says eff, umm Cassie...no all her songs are about sex...Okay well, um that Kev Brown mixtape...no that's three years old. DAMN IT! There are no kid friendly, quality hip-hop anythings out there. I don't know what I was thinking its hard enough to find quality, but quality content without cussing like a sailor.

Well, that Chicken Noodle Dance is pretty curse word free!

oil oil oil

2006-09-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

I was really hoping that the "oil crisis" would help the citizens of the world get out of this nasty habit of excessive consumption. So, you can imagine my disappointment now that Chevron claims to have found the GRANDMA of oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. I'm sure its no coincidence that the residents of the ninth ward and St. Bernard's parrish in Louisiana may never come home. The oil industry probably needs their front yards for oil rigs. Most of the money set aside by the FEDS for recovery efforts has been squandered. And, those of us brave enough to speak out about it get arrested at the VMAs.

To listen to Mos Def's song Katrina Klap please click

Across the seas and over into another country's business, Japan and Iran signed a $2 billion oil deal a couple of years ago to feed their fossil fuel consuming beast. However, due to Iran's defiance of the U.N. and the U.S.' s requests to stop their nuclear program, the sanctions are coming. Japan, reluctant to give up what they just spent 2 billion bucks on, is trying to find a way out of these sanctions and keep their OIL.

Things are serious! Oil is no joke! Look at how many people are dying over our obsession with plastic bags, Hummers, and excess. More people are just gonna die, if we don't change our lifestyles. Our countries are choosing allies based on oil and how much they hate the U.S. My man Hugo Chavez has just taken a trip around the world.

Most notably he visited N. Korea trading oil for arms. Considering the threat he made to the U.S. back in May, the war over oil is just getting started.

girl power

2006-09-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Forbes recently published its annual 100 Most Powerful Women issue. I was excited to see that Beyonce didn't make the list and that a lot of the women were of color. I have been reading a lot about one of the women in particular, Indra Nooyi. On October 1, 2006, Mrs. Nooyi will become the new CEO of Pepsi-Cola. She just happens to also be (from what I read) charismatic, outspoken, and an Indian American woman. Alright NOW (in my southern church voice)! One woman, that I was surprised to see missing from the list is Sunita Narain. Thanks to my avid reading of The Economist, I am up on this fantastic woman and I'm about to put you on. Mrs. Narain and her NGO, Center for Science and Envivornment, has SHUT DOWN the cola industry in India. What do you mean shut down, BGG? I mean mfers in India ain't drinking Coke or Pepsi.

To me , at leat, this is HUGE! And nothing against Mrs. Nooyi or her #4 spot, but it seems that Pepsi-Co had to have taken her ancestry into consideration when giving her the job. They know that they want the "world's biggest democracy" guzzling Sierra Mist, Pepsi Twist, and all those other sugary and pesticide latent treats. She could be the pusherman they need to break through in India. I don't know, like Jay-Z said, these are just my thoughts, just my thoughts.

Regardless, I think that all of the women are pretty cool. Even though I don't agree with some of their policies or hairstyles, I still respect their hustle.

DIDDY MANIA!!!/PIMPIN JC

2006-09-01T03:48:00.000-07:00

So, Diddy finally caught on to Cassies' marketing magic aka posting her whole life on Myspace. Not to be upstaged by this newcomer's intimacy, Diddy has given his myspace friends...excuse me family...such treats as "I gotta pee" and "Diddy just waking up". Amazing! The real gem of his video blogging collection is "Gettin' Off". It is beyond words. Please watch and be astounded by the magic that is...DIDDY!!!

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

What is with people pimping Jesus? I mean somebody needs to find his folks and give them a royalty check for all the things that he has posthumously endorsed without his consent. The latest and most revolting has been the "What would Jesus drive campaign?" Now, I take mass transit and walk everywhere (partly because I am scared to drive and partly because I know its better for the Earth), but I'm not gonna guilt people into doing the same by using the person they pray to. Give me a break! I can't believe people are so fearful of extreme Muslims, when these nuts live next door pimping Jesus for fun.

i love black people

2006-08-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

This post is gonna celebrate Black people doing big things for other Black people.
First up, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama encouraging Kenyans to take AIDS tests by going to Kenya and taking an AIDS test. Freaking fantastic.

Next, Oprah keeps her promise and opens her school in South Africa and Hov will be all around the world talking about clean water this fall. While Jay-Z is off helping the United Nations, Russell Simmons is financially endorsing a Maryland Republican. Now, I'm no Republican, but I appreciate that Simmons is bold enough to be bipartisan for the sake of Black folks' upward mobility.

And, finally, there is my main man Bill Cosby. I love this guy. He's like the grandpa that walked ten miles to school. Even though people are hating on him, he's checking Black folks for the good of Black folks. Even better than just checking them, he's doing it consistently.

Ok just one more bit of good news before I go. There are so many sources for Black American news out there (or out here) on the internet. Here are some links:

http://www.blackelectorate.com/
http://www.blackcommentator.com/
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/
http://dickgregory.com/ (A bit more radical :) )
http://www.blacknews.com/
http://www.blackamericatoday.com/
http://www.globalblacknews.com/

Now, I don't know which one of these is run by the MAN. I am sure one or more of them are, but feel free to fill me in.

hearting black people since '84
BGG

obesity is all the rage

2006-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well, fat Chinese kids have made the news for some reason. Apparently, someone out there is shocked and dismayed that McDonald's and sedentary lifestyles fattens people up indiscriminately.

I really thought that being fat or THICK was back in style. Even White Americans openly admit to loving girls with hips, thighs, and doonks (big ole booties). Until Beyonce went all Nicole Richie on me, I was sure that the U.S. was gonna endorse a plus sized beauty standard.

Alas, I am wrong again. This season anorexia is back on the runway and the sheer sight of skinny jeans makes me wanna binge and purge for old times sake.

Being neither obese or anorexic, I regretfully inform the reader that I could be hatin since my body type (average with big boobs) hasn't been the rage since baywatch.

the talentless

2006-08-24T04:06:00.000-07:00

Model turned singer Cassie has really been getting the heat from her fan base (and haters). A million blogs, MTV, and even her own myspace page address some of her bad performances on TRL and the like. But, she's cute. Sure she can't sing or dance, but she's cute. Everyone knows that the U.S. consumer base is pretty indifferent to quality products unless they come in cute packages. The fact that this girl can't sing or dance, but will sing and dance and get PAID to do it is much less alarming than this guy

getting paid to think and decide. Maybe if Bush had a myspace page then 9,743, 052 people, or whatever amount Cassie's myspace hit counter says right now, would view his site and fire his ass up (MD/DC phrase)! For kicks, here are Bush and Cassie doing a very poor job at thinking and singing. Respectively, of course.

Parlez-Vous Français?

2006-08-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Its pretty common to expect this from the French, but not from African Americans. Recently on FOXNEWS, Al Sharpton and Juan Williams peddled their books and their opinions on the state of Black America. Sheesh! First of all what makes either of these men qualified to speak for Black people. Secondly, who is their target audience. Are the future leaders of Black America really sitting around reading these books? I certainly wouldn't buy this shit. Excuse my Français!

I would rather see Bill Cosby fall asleep at Spelman's graduation year after year, than follow Juan or Al to the promised land. At least Bill Cosby instilled morals, values, and hope in my generation. People really sleep on how significant Bill Cosby has been to all us 80's babies. He introduced this bgg to ray charles, work ethic, functioning 2 parent households, and all sorts of good stuff. Rock on Bill! Sit down Sharpton and Williams! You are embarassing me.

defining beauty

2006-08-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Right now this girl genius is doing some research in Brasil. Although, I am supposed to be focussing on science and some neurotoxic effects of something or another, I have been obsessed with trying to understand the social climate here. Before coming here, Brasil looked like a brown person's paradise to me. With a larger retention of African culture than many countries in Africa, the second largest African (or African descendant) population outside of Africa, and that "Beautiful" video shot by Snoop and Pharrell, I knew this must be the place to be. HMMMMM! Well, Brasil most definitely isn't all bad, but its clear that in Rio there are certain race roles. For instance check the image above. Mulata, I mean... for real Brasil. There is a beer called MULATA! WTF!!! So I asked some people at work what the beauty standard was. Then, I asked my portuguese teacher. Then, I watched a video by a very insightful 16 year old about Black American beauty standards. What I found was that this image of Black women or women of African descent being highly sexual is the same in at least two of the three Americas.

The Brasilians immediately said big booty, big breasts, straight hair, hourglass shape, and flat stomach make you beautiful. They didn't specify skin color however. The young lady's documentary said essentially the same thing, except light skinned was preferred. World, I don't know what to make of all this. But, as the blackgirlgenius that I am, I figure its my job to find out what it at least means to me.

Tchau Beleza

hello world

2006-08-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

stay tuned...